Rock Star INXS - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

kerry23 · 07-28-2005, 12:12 AM

you guys should really check out this show that im watching right now called rock star INXS it is the elimination right now! check it out on CBS

Miss Golden · 08-04-2005, 12:51 PM

No lighters are held aloft for 'Rock Star'
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Rock Star is no rock star on TV this summer.

In a season of mostly weak network programming, the big-budget series aimed at finding a new lead singer for the Australian band INXS — the latest from Survivor producer Mark Burnett — has been a high-profile disappointment for CBS.

Ratings for the reality series, which airs three times a week, have been anemic, from an average 4.1 million viewers for Wednesday's results shows to 6.2 million for Tuesday's performance episodes. That's tough sledding for a project with a nearly $3-million-a-week price tag from reality TV's top producer.

Conceding defeat, the network has announced plans to dump Monday's episodes (which averaged 5.5 million) on sibling cable channel VH1, which will air them on Sundays at 8 ET/PT starting this weekend. Those half-hour installments observe contestants in their Hollywood mansion, at vocal and staging "clinics" and claiming dibs from a list of approved songs for that week's contest.

Tuesday's (10 ET/PT) and Wednesday's (9 ET/PT) shows will remain on CBS, but the entire series is being cut short by two weeks. It will now end Sept. 20.

Observers trace Rock Star's woes to several flaws:

•Narrow focus. The emphasis on rock limited the show's appeal, says Initiative Media analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner. "It's a performance show in one genre of music, whereas American Idol brings in so many different eras and styles," from pop to Motown to country, she says. The faded popularity of INXS since its heyday 15 years ago also could have been a turnoff.

•Scheduling. Slotting so many episodes of an untested show was a risk that didn't pay off. "We like the quality of the show, but we realize three times a week is a lot to ask of the audience," CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl says. Not to mention sandwiching half-hour episodes between comedies and dramas.

•Talent. Casting 15 established performers helped Burnett secure rights to popular songs. But it kept curious viewers from flocking to the kind of bad-audition segments that jump-started Idol.

•Idol comparisons. And while Rock Star's producers initially sought to distance the show from Idol, it has come to more closely resemble Fox's hit. Guitarist/commentator Dave Navarro and INXS band members now offer feedback remarkably similar to Idol's judges. They even adopted one of Paula Abdul's catchphrases, telling one contestant about this week's performance, "You made it your own."

Rock Star is the latest stumble by Burnett, who saw tepid interest in NBC's The Contender, Fox's The Casino and NBC's The Restaurant. Two editions of NBC's The Apprentice, featuring Donald Trump and Martha Stewart, will air this fall. Yet amid networks' doldrums, Rock Star has managed one feat: Tuesday's hour regularly wins its time slot among young adults, beating usually reliable Law & Order reruns.

07-28-2005, 12:12 AM	#1
kerry23 Member Forum Hawk Join Date: Jul 27, 2005 Posts: 4	Rock Star INXS you guys should really check out this show that im watching right now called rock star INXS it is the elimination right now! check it out on CBS

08-04-2005, 12:51 PM	#2
Miss Golden Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 1,231	No lighters are held aloft for 'Rock Star' By Gary Levin, USA TODAY Rock Star is no rock star on TV this summer. In a season of mostly weak network programming, the big-budget series aimed at finding a new lead singer for the Australian band INXS — the latest from Survivor producer Mark Burnett — has been a high-profile disappointment for CBS. Ratings for the reality series, which airs three times a week, have been anemic, from an average 4.1 million viewers for Wednesday's results shows to 6.2 million for Tuesday's performance episodes. That's tough sledding for a project with a nearly $3-million-a-week price tag from reality TV's top producer. Conceding defeat, the network has announced plans to dump Monday's episodes (which averaged 5.5 million) on sibling cable channel VH1, which will air them on Sundays at 8 ET/PT starting this weekend. Those half-hour installments observe contestants in their Hollywood mansion, at vocal and staging "clinics" and claiming dibs from a list of approved songs for that week's contest. Tuesday's (10 ET/PT) and Wednesday's (9 ET/PT) shows will remain on CBS, but the entire series is being cut short by two weeks. It will now end Sept. 20. Observers trace Rock Star's woes to several flaws: •Narrow focus. The emphasis on rock limited the show's appeal, says Initiative Media analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner. "It's a performance show in one genre of music, whereas American Idol brings in so many different eras and styles," from pop to Motown to country, she says. The faded popularity of INXS since its heyday 15 years ago also could have been a turnoff. •Scheduling. Slotting so many episodes of an untested show was a risk that didn't pay off. "We like the quality of the show, but we realize three times a week is a lot to ask of the audience," CBS scheduling chief Kelly Kahl says. Not to mention sandwiching half-hour episodes between comedies and dramas. •Talent. Casting 15 established performers helped Burnett secure rights to popular songs. But it kept curious viewers from flocking to the kind of bad-audition segments that jump-started Idol. •Idol comparisons. And while Rock Star's producers initially sought to distance the show from Idol, it has come to more closely resemble Fox's hit. Guitarist/commentator Dave Navarro and INXS band members now offer feedback remarkably similar to Idol's judges. They even adopted one of Paula Abdul's catchphrases, telling one contestant about this week's performance, "You made it your own." Rock Star is the latest stumble by Burnett, who saw tepid interest in NBC's The Contender, Fox's The Casino and NBC's The Restaurant. Two editions of NBC's The Apprentice, featuring Donald Trump and Martha Stewart, will air this fall. Yet amid networks' doldrums, Rock Star has managed one feat: Tuesday's hour regularly wins its time slot among young adults, beating usually reliable Law & Order reruns.