Fame or Famine

(sigh) I’m not sure I can handle four nights of this. Well, I write that as the first carol is, again, a soloist and then a backup group. The second two choirs use more of the broadness of talent that is a choir – drawing on the power of the harmonies.

I have to say…as holiday specials go, this is a fantastic idea. With all my bitching about the way the things are arranged, there still are moments like Shelton’s choir singing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” with so many happy talented changes and voice that I literally got chills.

These are real people. The show must have a great costuming staff, because they take bodies of literally all shapes and sizes and create complimentary colored outfits for each group. Each group has an identity, but it’s not to blindly follow their celebrity leader – no, it’s in solidarity to the town they come from, and (at least from what I can see) there are all quite diverse in race, background, everything else. There’s a part in Shelton’s first piece where one of the soldiers grabbed a long-haired hippy looking guy in a hug…and it just gives you a warm feeling, to see 20 people drawn together in this. Especially since they are – well, not fighting, but singing their hearts out not for their own pocketbooks, but to help out the people who live with them in that town, wherever it is.

It’s just a different approach, and I have to say, it’s workin’ for me.

Ok, I’m starting to sound like one of the judges. Let’s get all Cowell on their Celebratin’ butts. Come on, you couldn’t come up with a more intricate song to show off the vocal talents? The chorus of the song is basically unison. The verses are…well, pretty ridiculously repetitive. There were some moments of bliss, and yeah, the men’s voices are great…but I was looking for something more like what they opened with, or like “Take Me Home.” And as C.L. said in the comments, this team does have the hottest women, what’s with putting them all in back? (and yes, I am prepared to take heat for that..)

It won’t be hard for Patti to blow them out of the water. And when that low back beat started, with the gorgeous soloist backed up by a strong, rich choir…I saw Team Shelton’s chances fading fast.

Team Lachey has a nice tone to them…but I don’t think they’re going to beat out Patti. It’s a very low, slow, rich version of “What a Wonderful World.” Nice, beautiful, but it just doesn’t bring out the kind of energy that Patti’s did. Perhaps a more fair competition would have forced the choirs to each sing a piece in a different language, or a slow song, or a piece written before the 17th century. Given those kinds of challenges and creative constraints would have leveled the playing field.

That, and having the choir forced to assemble the entire Star Wars Lego catalog in a swimming pool full of baby oil while singing all the choruses from the Pirates of Penzance. That might make an interesting challenge.

So…three have sung, which two will stay? I predict…Shelton and Patti. And then Patti will win. That prediction is made during a Nissan commercial at 7:53pm CST…

And now…filler! We watch them trot out the other performers, and I’m not going to talk much about it, because I got a phone call during Ms. Rowland’s piece (Camille kept track though, and said “it was ok –one lead vocal –i forget her name –the woman i think leading that group and then everyone else was back up vocals –not very original”). And Iris popped online just in time for Michael Bolton’s Song Least Needing Covering…with not much to do for his choir at all.

Very disappointing filler. The question is, what happens next?

Ah…next Team Shelton gets sneaky. Put the soldier up front, America has a notoriously tough time finding the wherewithal to send them home! And yes, that is snarky, because all I want for Christmas, really, is an exit strategy, please? (here ends the political part of the blog). The number is rich, it’s layered, it’s well performed…I think he might have a shot at beating out Lachey…

And more filler…with a song I happen to not like much. “Weren’t they eliminated? I want better filler!” are the comments of my online fellow watchers. And I suspect we’re going to be going on to the next commercial…NO! Something new about Team Rowland. Another family based charity event…see, this is like “It’s a Wonderful Life” all over again!

Unfortunately, the song that Team Rowlad picks…well, it’s beautiful, and it’s full of the sign language that the father needs…and ok, I was going to say something snarky, but no, this is just too neat. As a father, I can’t do anything but wipe the tears off my keyboard.

Now I want them to win. Even if they were eliminated.

Finally we see Patti’s team again…and I see her head to the top. She’s been saving these guys, I bet, to pull out the stops now. Problem I have, is…ah, heck, you know the problem. It’s beautiful, but it’s not choir. It’s soloist backed by…(sigh). Ok, I’m just going to call this The Gripe, and refer to it as such for the rest of my entries.

Team Lachey’s “Sing a Song” was, as Iris put it, a “middle-of-the-road choir piece… I’m liking it, though. Interesting and difficult parts for the soprano’s… nice” It was safe, and…wow, Marguerite’s real fervor for her team having “already won!” is what I’m talking about. It makes things so different than other shows I’ve seen.

And down goes Team Shelton. “What are you going to tell these guys?” He came up with something inspirational, but I bet it’s going to be something more like “Hey, drinks are on me!”

(blink) Wow. Every charity gets $50,000? That’s…wonderful. A drop in the bucket for GE, and yet something really useful for the charities. Again…this is a great show.

And Nick takes it. I’m not really surprised – he took the lead and held it after the “Flight of the Bumblebee”, and to be honest, his choir showed more breadth and unity than Patti’s. And Blake, well, he was good, but he admitted he really didn’t know choirs.

I hope these songs are offered somewhere. “take me home”, “bumblebee”, and “Freedom” are all tunes I really want to hear again.

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