We'll Be The Judge of That! - Hit Me Baby 1 More Time, June 16

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 – Wang Chung, Sophie B. Hawkins, Cameo, Howard Jones, and Irene Cara. Each artist performed their biggest hit and a cover of a popular current tune.

What do our judges – David Bloomberg, Dale Sherman, and Mike DeGeorge - have to say?

Wang Chung, “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” and “Hot in Here”

David: Like so many of the singers we’ve seen in these few weeks of performances, the years have not been terribly kind to Wang Chung. It just looked weird to see these two old guys telling us to Wang Chung tonight. That said, the lead singer has done a good job of retaining his voice, and really that’s the most important part of a performance like this. Good job, guys!

As for their second song, it was an… interesting choice. I’ve got to give them credit for the attempt, anyway. It was not the best vocal performance I’ve ever heard, but I found it amusing somehow.

Dale: Y'know, it may have been only two guys, but it did feel like a real band there when they did "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." A little throaty at times, I thought, but fine. As for "Hot in Here," I know the band's history is in a type of dance music, but I still found myself chuckling a bit during the song. It just didn't seem to mesh properly for some reason. Performance, once again, fine, but I think another song would have been better for them.

Mike: I’m Wang Chunging as we speak. But I’ve got some medication, so hopefully it won’t be a problem. Unfortunately, the lead singer looked like Wang Chunging might burst his hernia. It sounded fine, but this is another one of those performances that was WAY too dull to me. This is a fun song, and you need to jump around and get into it. And was it my imagination, or did the crowd seem to have no clue what song they were listening to? “Here, just be really enthusiastic and if you’ve never heard of the band, just fake it.” Need proof? Compare the crowd response during this song to their reaction to the Nelly song. They really need to put older people in these crowds.

I was really interested to see what Wang Chung would do with this Nelly song, and was very pleasantly surprised. It’s hard to screw up a rap song (but not impossible, as Vanillar Ice showed us last week), but they put a lot of fun into it. Definitely the direct opposite of their first number in that respect. My girlfriend thought they were too old to take on “Hot in Here,” but I think they pulled it off. I can’t believe I enjoyed that so much.

Sophie B. Hawkins, “I Wish I Was Your Lover” and “Hundred Years”

David: The years have been kinder to Sophie – then again, she is a more recent has-been. She showed that she could still sing a sexy song and not look out of place like your best friend’s mom or something. Her song was not among my favorites, but she performed it well.

As for her second song, once again, it was not among my favorites. She did an okay job, but it wasn’t anything exciting as far as I’m concerned.

Dale: Looks like I've accidentally turned on Desperate Housewives. No, it's Sophie B. Hawkins and I can't say that I remember much about her back in the days, and this song reminded me why. The cover song came off like a high school production because it looks like Hawkins has never learned what to do with her hands in performance. Restraint in a solo spot is always best for a singer, but she was so hyperactive with her hands that I was expecting hand-gestures for rainbows and sunshine by the end. Just didn't work for me tonight.

Mike: Apparently, Sophie has both a condition that renders her incomprehensible and prevents her from standing up straight. I disagree with David - this is someone is in some serious age denial. I’m all for staying true to your roots, but this was just plain sad. It was like watching a stripper with debilitating arthritis.

I didn’t know the second song, and it definitely didn’t help me understand mushmouth better. She tried to put some effort into it, but I couldn’t watch without laughing, which I assume was not her intention. This could go down as one of the worst performances in the three-week run of the show. Just terrible and sad.