We'll Be The Judge of That! - Hit Me Baby 1 More Time, June 2

NBC brings us a blast from the past, putting the spotlight back on five acts who were popular but have been out of the public eye – Loverboy, CeCe Peniston, A Flock of Seagulls, Arrested Development, and Tiffany. Each artist performed their biggest hit and a cover of a popular current tune.

By now, you’ve read the recap on RealityNewsOnline, so you know what the studio audience and Sting7 think. But what do our judges – David Bloomberg, Paris Cosby, Dale Sherman, and Mike DeGeorge - have to say?

Loverboy, “Workin’ for the Weekend” and “Hero”

David: Wow, the lead singer looked… not quite so sexual as the band was a few years ago – to say the least. Thank God he didn’t try to fit into the red leather pants. He seemed barely able to move on stage, and I didn’t like his voice at all. I felt like I was watching an accountant sing karaoke at a company picnic. Ick.

I liked their second performance better, perhaps because I wasn’t comparing it in my mind to the original, like I was with “Working for the Weekend.” But I also felt the song was more within the lead singer’s range (which is odd since they originated the first song, but his voice may have changed with age). Plus, the softer song seemed more appropriate for their age and ability to move on the stage. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still much rather hear the original of “Working for the Weekend,” but I thought they performed “Hero” better.

Paris: I remember these guys and I love this song. This was so much fun! Look at them now! Ha! I love it. He didn't have quite the energy on stage he used to, though, does he? His voice sounded strained as well. But, how can you criticize? It's Loverboy! I bet they had a great time doing this. It's just hard to watch these middle-aged men singing it. But, it still makes me smile.

I like this song a lot and I really like the way they performed it. I'd buy this CD. It's much better than "Working for the Weekend." I think maybe this is more their style these days. I'm not a fan of the look, but if I don't look then it's absolutely a wonderful version of the song.

Dale: I saw Loverboy in 1996, opening for Cheap Trick, and I came away with three thoughts: 1) Most of the audience seemed to be there to see them (which irritated me when many people left after they were finished, as I'm a Trick fan); 2) I was amazed at how many songs they had that were hits; and, 3) They put on a very entertaining show.

Mike Reno would probably and readily admit that he can't fit in those red leather pants anymore, but that didn't stop him from coming through with a fine rendition of the song on the show. Mind you, there did seem a couple of times when the audience seemed a bit confused about seeing these older guys come out to play, but that's the way we're all heading and the band did a good job of showing that they could still perform.

I was less enthused about their cover of "Hero." It was okay, but Reno seemed very stiff physically and a touch strained vocally for some reason. I never felt they owned the song. Oh, one more thing - heavy metal, Vernon? C'mon. Good band in the end, but I wouldn't put them in the same early 1980s category as Iron Maiden, AC/DC, or Judas Priest.

Mike: That version of “Weekend” was pretty embarrassing – he had to really struggle to get the words out, not to mention hit the right notes. It played like a Saturday Night Live skit where old men stagger around a stage breaking hips. I felt a little sorry for them, actually.

They did a much better job with “Hero.” I don’t know what the difference was except maybe the speed of the song, but it showed off why Loverboy was popular in the first place. My girlfriend and her 20-year old son, who were watching this with me, thought they looked like Rascal Flatts.

CeCe Peniston, “Finally” and “There You’ll Be”

David: CeCe was after my time as far as her stint on the charts, so I could only judge by what I saw on-stage. It started poorly with her telling the audience to “come on” – readers of this column for American Idol know that’s a pet peeve of mine; the audience will “come on” if you’re good, so let them be. It also didn’t help that she was clapping on the microphone, causing it to sound like she was, well, hitting the microphone. OK, with that behind us, I’ll say that her voice was definitely better than the Loverboy lead singer. And she at least looked like she belonged on-stage. Not bad.

For her second performance, CeCe showed that she still has her voice. There were a few off-key moments, but she hit some great power notes. Good job!

Paris: She looked great and I really liked the male dancers. They reminded me of my friend Marko. I thought the song was a little repetitive but she's really good singing it and looked like she was having fun. I want to go dancing when I hear it. That's never a bad thing.

This girl can really sing. She sounded breathy, though, and it's hard to take on Faith Hill. She did a decent job, but I really liked the first song a lot better. She didn’t gain my vote with this rendition. By the end, I didn't particularly care for her version at all.