We’ll Be the Judge of That! – Grease: You’re the One that I Want!, January 28

Grease: You’re the One that I Want! had a panel of four judges who, frankly, didn’t have a whole lot interesting to say. One of the four brought in by the show was a Sandy in the form of Olivia Newton-John, so we brought in our own real Sandy. We couldn’t get anybody named Danny, so David will have to be close enough. What do the two of them have to say about the first live show? Let’s find out.

Derek, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

David: Derek started off the show well, looking extremely comfortable on-stage. However, he didn’t show much range in his voice – it all seemed a bit monotone. The dancing and shaking made up for it somewhat, but not enough.

Sandy: Derek reminds me of John Stamos from his Full House days. He sounded great with a very crisp and clear voice. His dancing looked natural, definitely not over the top. It’s hard to go first and Derek handled it very well.

Austin, “Mony, Mony”

David: Am I the only one who expected the audience to chant, “Hey! Hey what? Get laid, get f***ed!” Sorry. Bit of a tangent there. Austin showed more range than Derek, which made him more enjoyable to listen to. His professional background was certainly evident, which sets the bar high for the others in both singing and dancing. Though I have to say, I think his personality may be a hindrance because he’s shown a bit of an entitlement attitude – it all depends on how the audience reacts.

Sandy:Austin doesn’t look like my picture of Danny Zuko but there’s no denying his talent. As David said, he’s already a professional and it shows. He connected with the audience and had no trouble hitting the high notes even as he danced up and down the steps. These two have set the bar very high for the rest of the Dannys this week!

Allie, “I Love Rock and Roll”

David: “Baby Sandy” singing “I Love Rock and Roll”? It just did not compute in my brain. I didn’t buy the singing; I didn’t buy the dancing (what little there was); and I really didn’t buy the attempted sexy moves. Oh, and the outfit: ug-ly! Not good. It looks like the judges on this show are going to be wimps, though, because there was nary a criticism here, and there definitely should have been.

Sandy: Allie did a good job with this song but I don’t think it suited her voice very well. Not that she has to be Joan Jett, but it just didn’t seem right to me. It wasn’t a bad performance but I wasn’t overwhelmed. She was very confident in herself; I have to give her that. Hey, Olivia Newton-John agreed with me!

Kate, “All By Myself”

David: What a change in tempo to jump to “All By Myself”! Kate has a great voice, and it was in full bloom here. What notes! I could totally see her as Sandy – or a recording star!

Sandy: Kate sounded beautiful and even though she sat or stood in place for most of the performance she connected with the audience. And she sure belted out those money notes! I’d have to give the nod to her in round one of the Sandy competition.

Matt, “Pretty Woman”

David: Matt just came back… and he might be going straight back home again after that performance (unless he gets the sympathy vote). His voice did not carry that song. He sounded best when the women’s screams covered up his singing. And that note he tried to hit – ouch. If he had performed like this for an opening audition of American Idol, he might not have even gotten to sing for the real judges – and certainly wouldn’t have made it to Hollywood. I was glad to see a judge, producer David Ian, at least say something negative when it was warranted!

Sandy: Matt can sing but his movements looked fairly stiff this week. He sounded off-key in some places and he’s really going to need to step it up if he’s going to last. He could be in trouble unless someone else slips up. I’d hate to see him brought back only to be eliminated the first week, but it might happen.

Ashley A., “Still the One”

David: First, returnee Matt didn’t impress (to say the least), and then Ashley did the same. Like Matt, she’ll be lucky to make it through without the sympathy vote. She should have stayed gone, because now we’re just going to be treated to more tears when she’s eliminated again. I have to again agree with David Ian – it was a nightmare.

Sandy: Ashley A. seemed very nervous to me this week. I’m so over the whole crying and whining thing too! Her singing sounded very tentative and if she’s going to be Sandy on Broadway she needs more energy. She was also off-key for most of the song. It just wasn’t good. Not at all. Maybe they should have just left it at 12 finalists.

Jason, “Faith”

David: I don’t know about anybody else, but I can’t see Danny Zuko singing “Faith.” Anyway, Jason showed his experience through the way he played to the audience. And he sang it surprisingly well, though it was a bit too much pop, like David Ian said. I was a bit surprised that he said his strength was in dancing yet he had essentially none in his performance.

Sandy: Jason has a great smile. Interesting song for a Mormon to be singing though. I’m just saying. I’m not sure about his performance, his singing sounded a bit rough to me. I think he’ll probably go on but he needs to step it up if he’s going to last much longer.

Max, “Summer of ‘69”

David: Max had been previously described by the judges as having one of the best voices of the bunch, and I think he showed it here. He also demonstrated a great deal of showmanship. I expect him to go far. Good job!

Sandy: Max sure is looking more like Danny these days. Good for him taking the advice of the judges and giving his all to the competition! Max sounded good but he’s not quite as polished as Austin or Jason. That said, he did put on a great show and I could easily see him as Danny.