Nashville Star
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| Nashville Star | |
|---|---|
 Belt buckle-style logo for Nashville Star |
|
| Genre | Reality game show |
| Creator(s) | (Not credited) |
| Developer(s) | Ben Silverman Howard Owens Jeff Boggs George Verschook Mark Koops |
| Starring | Jewel (Host) Cowboy Troy (Co-host) Two Foot Fred (Segment host) Anastasia Brown (Judge) Randy Owen (Judge) Blake Shelton (Judge) Former cast: Nancy O'Dell (Host, 2003-2004) Charlie Robison (Judge, 2003) Robert K. Oermann (Judge, 2003) Tracy Gershon (Judge, 2003-2004) The Warren Brothers (Judges, 2004) Billy Greenwood (Judge, 2004) LeAnn Rimes (Host, 2005) Cledus T. Judd (Special Correspondent, 2005) Sara Evans (Guest Host, 2005) Bret Michaels (Judge, 2005) Wynonna (Host, 2006) Phil Vassar (Judge, 2005-2006) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 43 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ben Silverman Jeff Boggs H.T. Owens |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | Varies (most episodes 60 minutes) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | USA Network (U.S.) CMT (Canada) |
| Original run | March 8, 2003 – Present |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Nashville Star is a reality television program broadcast on the USA Network in the United States and CMT in Canada. It premiered on March 8, 2003 and has completed its fifth season of production, making it the longest-running competition series on cable television [1].
It is similar to American Idol, in that performers must sing to impress both celebrity judges and the public via call-in and/or internet votes. Unlike American Idol, however, the performances are limited to country music.
Nashville Star is produced by Reveille Productions and originates live (except for each season's premiere episode, which is taped) on Thursday nights from the BellSouth Acuff Theatre at the Gaylord Opryland complex in Nashville, Tennessee. Audience members are required to have tickets, which are distributed free of charge except for a standard handling fee. The competition has historically taken place over the months of March and April, though it moved to January and February for the 2007 season.
Contents |
[edit] Show format
[edit] Comparisons to American Idol
In a format nearly identical to the final round of American Idol, finalists perform one song per week individually and face criticism and/or praise from a panel of three judges. At the end of the show, voting opens to the viewing public, who may cast votes by calling a toll-free telephone number or logging on to the show's official website. The performer with the fewest number of votes is eliminated.
However, because Nashville Star airs only once per week, eliminations are not announced until the following week. The finalists who have not been eliminated are called in random order to the stage one-by-one to perform until there are only two remaining. At that point, one is called to perform and the other is eliminated for receiving the lowest amount of votes from the previous week. The finalists do not know the order in which they will perform, and have less than one minute to prepare once his or her name is called. No votes are tallied on the season finale.
Currently, the judges are only present to offer criticism to the finalists in an attempt to sway the voting public, much like those on Idol. Unlike Idol, however, Nashville Star's judges do not participate in the preliminary auditions, leaving that task to the show's producers. The audition process is not seen on-air. Each season (except for 2005), the judges have eliminated finalists based on consensus on the premiere episode without sending the vote to the public (the process continued for a few more episodes during the first two seasons).
Whereas American Idol generally elevates people off the street to stardom, Nashville Star finalists are usually already somehow involved in the country music industry, but may not have attained a record deal on a major label. Past finalists have included studio musicians, background singers, and independent artists. Finalists are usually songwriters, in addition to being singers. In each season, one episode is dedicated to songs written by the finalists. Nashville Star does not have the same age limits as American Idol, and performers in their 30s and 40s have been finalists, although most have been in their 20s.
[edit] Appearing on both shows in the same season
In 2006, several musicians appeared on both American Idol and Nashville Star. Kenny Rogers made appearances as a guest performer live on both shows within two weeks of each other. Also, Patti LaBelle appeared as a guest judge on Star one week after mentoring on Idol. David Foster did the same, although two weeks apart.
In 2007, five days after Jewel's debut as the new host of Nashville Star, she appeared as a guest judge on the season premiere of American Idol. The Idol segments, however, were taped several weeks before she was named host of Nashville Star.
[edit] Broadcast
Regular episodes of Nashville Star run 60 minutes each. The show occasionally has a longer runtime (90 or 120 minutes), usually on season premieres and finales. The first three seasons featured nine episodes each. The series' run was cut to eight episodes beginning in 2006.
Finalists live together for the entire run of the show. During the first two seasons, the finalists lived in a large house near Nashville's Music Row. Beginning with the 2005 season, finalists shared a large suite at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Excerpts of the finalists' interaction with each other in their living environment are often edited into the show.
In addition, most episodes include an established country music act making a guest appearance to perform a song.
[edit] Prizes
The winner of Nashville Star receives a recording contract (through Sony Music in Seasons 1 & 2, Universal South Records in Season 3, RCA Label Group in Season 4, and Warner Bros. Music in Season 5), a performance on the Grand Ole Opry, and a Chevrolet pickup truck. The truck was added to the prize package in Season 3 (2005), when Chevrolet became a major sponsor of the show.
[edit] Criticisms
Nashville Star was criticized from its inception as an American Idol ripoff, but the show has outlived many critics' initial predictions of failure [2]. During Nashville Star's first season, Idol host Ryan Seacrest took a jab at Star on the air, calling it American Idol "without the talent."
Even though the winners have been selected by fan voting, few have enjoyed notable success after Nashville Star. First season winner Buddy Jewell had two top-five singles on his first album, which went to #1 on the Billboard charts, but his second album didn't sell well and he was dropped by his record company. Brad Cotter, the 2004 champion, didn't chart any singles in the top 30 in his post-Star album, and he too was dropped by his label. As of 2007, Erika Jo, the 2005 winner has yet to have a hit single, while the only single to reach the chart from 2006 winner Chris Young peaked at #42. Despite this, the show has been a ratings hit for USA Network, and a sixth season is planned for production in early 2008.
[edit] Controversies
In 2005, finalist Tamika Tyler blamed producers for attempting to influence fans to vote against her, after she was voted off on an early-season episode. Tyler claims that video clips of a confrontation between her and eventual winner Erika Jo concerning the difference in their ages were doctored and taken out of context as they were presented on the show [3]. The show's producers would refute the claims; however, in 2006, the focus of the videos shifted from interactions between finalists to a behind-the-scenes look at each finalist preparing for his or her performance.
Behind the scenes, a ticketing snafu early in the 2005 season saw hundreds of angry ticketholders turned away at the door for one particular show after the house filled. The process was reformed for the remainder of the season with the elimination of standby tickets and the addition of a standby queue (first-come-first-serve with no guarantee of entry). This system also had its faults, most notably at the season finale, when several fans, who had traveled from Texas and had been at the front of the line for more than 12 hours, were turned away. In 2006, the ticketing was outsourced to Ticketmaster and the standby line was eliminated.
[edit] Hosts
The host for the first two seasons of Nashville Star was entertainment reporter Nancy O'Dell, who also served as a consulting producer. Before the third season (2005), the show announced its move from Saturday nights to a more desirable prime time slot on Tuesday nights. As a result of the move, O'Dell chose to leave the show due to her hosting commitments at Access Hollywood, which is taped in Los Angeles. Country singer LeAnn Rimes was the host for Season 3, but missed two episodes late in the season due to a broken blood vessel in her vocal cords. Sara Evans substituted for Rimes in her absence. Rimes was replaced with Wynonna and Cowboy Troy in 2006. Jewel assumed the reins from Wynonna in 2007, while Cowboy Troy remained co-host.
Cledus T. Judd served as a "special correspondent" in 2005. Since 2006, Two Foot Fred has hosted a segment ("Small Talk") in which he briefly interviews the week's eliminated finalist during the closing credits before telling them to "hit the bricks."
[edit] Season-by-season
[edit] Season 1 (2003)
The first winner of Nashville Star, in the spring of 2003, was 41-year-old Buddy Jewell. On the strength of his win, Jewell's self-titled album earned him a gold record and two top-five country hits ("Help Pour Out the Rain [Lacey's Song]" [#3] and "Sweet Southern Comfort" [#3]) . With the release of a second album, Times Like These, Jewell was thought to have secured his place as a legitimate country music star. However, after Times Like These underperformed, selling only approximately 80,000 copies following its release, [4] Jewell was dropped from the Sony BMG roster.[5]
Perhaps a bigger star was created in Miranda Lambert, who finished third. Her debut album, Kerosene, debuted on the Billboard charts at #1 upon its 2005 release. As of May 2006, over 600,000 copies of Kerosene have been sold, more than the combined major-label recordings from any other Nashville Star finalist from any of the first four seasons. [6] As of 2007, she has yet to have a top-15 single.
Contestants (in reverse order of elimination) were Buddy Jewell, John Arthur Martinez, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Gibson, Brandon Silveira, Amy Chappell, Jamey Garner, Prentiss Varnon, Travis Howard, Tasha Valentine, Kristen Kissling, and Ann Louise Blythe. Judges were country music historian Robert K. Oermann, record label executive Tracy Gershon, and singer/songwriter Charlie Robison.
[edit] Season 2 (2004)
In 2004, the second winner was 33-year-old Brad Cotter, who enjoyed very limited success after his win. Cotter was one of ten finalists eliminated by the judges on the first episode, but was allowed back into the competition after he was selected by viewers to be the one of those ten saved. The format was changed after the 2004 season and that element of the competition was scrapped.
Cotter won a recording contract with Sony Music on its Epic Records label. His first album, Patient Man, performed poorly, selling less than 140,000 copies. He was subsequently dropped from the roster. Cotter remains on tour opening for other country artists, such as Mark Chesnutt and Restless Heart.
However, runner-up George Canyon (also 33 years old) experienced a result similar to Miranda Lambert. He didn't win a record deal from the show and has not achieved success in the U.S., but he has become a country music star in his native Canada, where he was signed by Universal Music and has released three successful albums.
Following the season, third-place finisher Matt Lindahl began appearing in television, radio billboard, and print advertisements for Purity Dairies, a regional dairy company based in Nashville. In the television and radio ads, Lindahl (along with his band) sings, acts, and plays the washboard - an instrument that he also played on Nashville Star.
Contestants (in reverse order of elimination) were Brad Cotter, George Canyon, Matt Lindahl, Lance Miller, Jennifer Hicks, Brent Keith, Marty Slayton, Sheila Marshall, Mal Rogers, Stacy Michelle, and Gregory DeLang. Gershon returned as a judge, joined by radio personality Billy Greenwood and country artists The Warren Brothers.
[edit] Season 3 (2005)
The 2005 winner was 18-year-old Erika Jo from Mount Juliet, Tennessee — the first female and youngest overall winner. Her victory was watched by the show's largest-ever audience, when over three million people tuned in to see the finale on April 26. It marked the first time the show ranked among the top ten cable shows of the week.
Erika Jo's self-titled album debuted at #5 on the country album charts, but quickly fell out of the top ten, selling just over 118,000 copies in the year following its release [7]. The video for the first single, "I Break Things", initially received heavy rotation on CMT and GAC, but the song was largely ignored by country radio and only reached #53 on the Billboard Magazine country charts [8]. One subsequent single ("I'm Not Lisa") was released, but it also failed to attract substantial attention. She remains a Universal South recording artist, and the label is in the process of giving her a second push into radio/video airplay. Erika Jo occasionally makes concert appearances and has become a semi-regular performer on (but not a member of) the Grand Ole Opry since her victory.
Contestants (in reverse order of elimination) were Erika Jo, Jason Meadows, Jody Evans, Jayron Weaver, Justin David, Jenny Farrell, Tamika Tyler, Casey Simpson, Christy McDonald, and Josh Owen. Judges were singer/songwriter Phil Vassar, record label executive Anastasia Brown, and singer/songwriter (and former Poison frontman) Bret Michaels.
[edit] Season 4 (2006)
The 2006 winner was 20-year-old Chris Young. Nashville Star began its fourth season on March 14, 2006 with a slightly altered set, two new hosts in Wynonna & Cowboy Troy, and only two regular judges. A guest judge occupied the third seat each week. The format remained unaltered, though the length of the season was reduced by one week, and one finalist was eliminated on the season premiere (by judges' decision) to compensate. Two Foot Fred's "Small Talk" segment also made its debut in 2006. The season ended on May 2, 2006 with Young—from nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee—crowned champion. His debut album was released on October 3, 2006 and debuted at #3 on the Billboard country chart, although it has yet to generate any top-40 singles.
The standings for 2006 were:
| Place | Name | Sex | Age | Hometown | Week Eliminated |
| 1 | Chris Young | M | 20 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Winner |
| 2 | Casey Rivers | M | 23 | Lindale, Texas | Finale (5/2/06) |
| 3 | Nicole Jamrose | F | 33 | Schererville, Indiana | Finale (5/2/06) |
| 4 | Matt Mason | M | 20 | Fairland, Indiana | Week 7 (4/25/06) |
| 5 | Jared Ashley | M | 29 | Hobbs, New Mexico | Week 6 (4/18/06) |
| 6 | Kristen McNamara | F | 20 | Napa Valley, California | Week 5 (4/11/06) |
| 7 | Melanie Torres | F | 28 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Week 4 (4/4/06) |
| 8 | Monique LeCompte | F | 23 | Grand Terrace, California | Week 3 (3/28/06) |
| 9 | Shy Blakeman | M | 25 | Kilgore, Texas | Week 2 (3/21/06) |
| 10 | Jewels Hanson | F | 31 | Fremont, California | Premiere (3/14/06) (Judges' decision) |
Vassar and Brown returned as regular judges, with a third seat occupied by guest judges, which included:
- Premiere (3/14/06) - Big & Rich
- Week 2 (3/21/06) - comedian Larry the Cable Guy
- Week 3 (3/28/06) - World Wrestling Entertainment star John Cena
- Week 4 (4/4/06) - Naomi Judd
- Week 5 (4/11/06) - David Foster
- Week 6 (4/18/06) - Patti LaBelle
- Week 7 (4/25/06) - Scott Weiland & Duff McKagan (of Velvet Revolver)
- Finale (5/2/06) - Big & Rich
[edit] Season 5 (2007)
The 2007 winner of Nashville Star was 29-year-old Angela Hacker from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, who finished just ahead of her younger brother, Zac. It was the first time that siblings had competed, let alone finished in the top two.
The fifth season debuted on USA Network and CMT Canada at 10 pm EST on January 11, 2007. There were several changes to the show, including an earlier start date and new night. The series moved to January and February, and aired live on Thursdays at 10 pm EST rather than Tuesdays. Jewel replaced Wynonna as host, with Cowboy Troy returning as co-host. Brown returned for her third season as a judge. Joining her at the judges' table were country singers Randy Owen (lead singer of Alabama) and Blake Shelton. The format remained mostly unaltered, except the judges eliminated two finalists (one male, one female) on the premiere episode. Sonic Drive-In was the presenting sponsor for 2007. The season finale aired March 1, 2007.
The standings for 2007 were:
| Place | Name | Sex | Age | Hometown | Week Eliminated |
| 1 | Angela Hacker | F | 29 | Muscle Shoals, Alabama | Winner |
| 2 | Zac Hacker | M | 23 | Muscle Shoals, Alabama | Finale (March 1, 2007) |
| 3 | David St. Romain | M | 28 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Finale (March 1, 2007) |
| 4 | Joshua Stevens | M | 28 | Churchville, Iowa | Week 7 (February 22, 2007) |
| 5 | Whitney Duncan | F | 22 | Scotts Hill, Tennessee | Week 6 (February 15, 2007) |
| 6 | Meg Allison | F | 25 | Chicago, Illinois | Week 4 (February 1, 2007) |
| 7 | Kacey Musgraves | F | 18 | Golden, Texas | Week 3 (January 25, 2007) |
| 8 | Dustin Wilkes | M | 26 | Jefferson, Georgia | Week 2 (January 18, 2007) |
| 9 (t) | Rickiejoleen | F | 18 | Tempe, Arizona | Premiere (January 11, 2007) judges' decision |
| 9 (t) | Tim LaRoche | M | 36 | Gardner-Athol, Massachusetts | Premiere (January 11, 2007) judges' decision |
*No finalist was eliminated on the Week 5 show due to "technical difficulties" during Week 4's show.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.usanetwork.com/series/nashvillestar/behindthescenes/news/092806.html
- ^ http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/nashville_star/2003_Apr_11_nashville_star_surprised
- ^ http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/nashville-star-3-bootee-tamika-tyler-blames-producers-for-ouster-1002790.php
- ^ http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060503/ENTERTAINMENT12/605030432
- ^ http://www.buddyjewell.com/home/pops/letter_01_31_06.htm
- ^ http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060503/ENTERTAINMENT12/605030432
- ^ http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060503/ENTERTAINMENT12/605030432
- ^ http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Cover_Story/2006/03/16/Star_Stuck/index.shtml
[edit] External links
- Official site (USA Network)
- Official site (CMT Canada)
- "Nashville Star" at the Internet Movie Database
