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We'll Be The Judge of That! - Hit Me Baby 1 More Time, June 9by Foxes on Idol Judging Staff -- 06/10/2005
View Printable version of this article 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 – The Knack, Haddaway, Tommy Tutone, The Motels, and Vanilla Ice. 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, Dale Sherman, and Mike DeGeorge - have to say? The Knack, “My Sharona” and “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” David: Hey, whaddaya know – a band of middle-aged guys who don’t look and sing like… a bunch of middle-aged guys (unlike the two bands last week). Oh, sure, they showed some age, but they looked and sang like they belonged on stage. Their performance didn’t show any age whatsoever. Great job! For their second performance, The Knack played just as well as the first – maybe even better. Another great job from a group that looked like they never took any time off at all. The Knack still has the knack! Dale: I have to say that the guys looked great, which probably came as a great relief to some viewers after seeing how some people in the first episode had aged. I was also happy to see the band perform in stage outfits and seemingly ready to put on a full show if they had been asked. Admittedly, “My Sharona” is not a song that requires a lot of range, but certainly an amount of… well… pep. I think they brought that home on the show tonight. The Jet song was a good match for the band, and I felt they picked one that conformed to them better than some of the songs picked the previous week. Good stuff – the band was enjoying themselves and the audience went nuts for them. I can’t see a problem at all with The Knack. Good for them. Mike: Even Vernon couldn’t say “My Sharona” without singing it. It’s one of those titles, like “We Are Family.” The band sounded great, almost like they were a backing track instead of live. The lead singer didn’t have the best pipes, but I have to say, he gave a good performance – he looked like he was having fun, and that’s what matters in a band like this. Why was someone playing Qix on the big screen during the second song? I have to say, this was probably my favorite performance from this show. I have to believe that part of it is just that the lead singer looks like he’s having so freakin’ much fun out there. Even in his little interview segment, he just had an impish charm I found infectious. And like Dale, I thought they chose a song that played to their strengths. Haddaway, “What is Love?” and “Toxic” David: Can’t say I was familiar with “What Is Love?” – other than the bit from Saturday Night Live, that is. Anyway, Haddaway did a fine job, not terribly exciting, but good enough. (Was it just me, or was that one woman on stage with a microphone actually lip-synching? And what was the point of her being there?) “Toxic” was an interesting choice for his second song. Still, I think he performed it well, considering what he had to work with. I could have done without the crawling on the floor, though. Dale: Y’know, it’s great to see the Solid Gold Dancers again. I was also impressed that he got Sarah Jessica Parker to sing back-up. 
Okay, it wasn’t Parker on back-up and if anything these would be the Solid Gold Card Dancers at this point, but it was still a nice throwback to yesteryear with the dancers for Haddaway. I thought he was very solid on his first song. I didn’t care for the jump to the Brittney Spears track for the cover later in the show. It just didn’t jibe for me. Mike: Like David, I would have no idea who this guy is if not for Will Farrell. Hell, I still don’t, but at least I know the song. As for the performance, I stand impressed. I’m kind of surprised this guy wasn’t a bigger star. He’s got charisma and had the audience (particularly, I noticed, the women) in the palm of his hand. As for me, the dancing girls in those not-quite-skirts didn’t hurt – that’s what they were there for, David. What impact did that SNL skit have on his career, Vernon? I’m guessing “It paid off my house” might be a close answer. Can’t condone the horrible choice of a second song, but he did a tremendous job with a stack of crap. Why is this guy not making records today? I would buy this from him, even if I couldn’t watch the backup singers on the CD player. Oh, by the way, I always figured he was white too. 1 2 3 Next-->View Printable version of this article
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