Supernova(?)

One of the good things about being sick is you get to stay home and watch TV. I caught the flu, and that means I get to work at home and watch something good on TV in the morning. But since the NBA season hasn’t started, there isn’t anything good to watch. Well, after I gave my son a review for his Kindergarten-2 exam later, I ended up turning on the box and watching "Rockstar: Supernova". And I have to say it: it’s so terrible that it’s entertaining. Like I said, I’m sick today.

The premise is three guys who were kicked out of their respective bands (or left the band, depends on whose side you listen to), two of which peaked in the nineties and one guy who was actually famous for something else aside from music, are forming a group of their own by seeking a lead vocalist. Supernova is composed of Tommy Lee (former partner of Pamela Anderson and former drummer of Motley Crue), Jason Newsted (former bassist of Metallica), and Gilbey Clarke (former rhythm guitar of Guns & Roses). I don’t even know what music this new band will be playing, let alone how long they will last (but I’m betting they’re legally required to be together for at least two years… or until the next Rockstar series).
Of the 3 Supernova members, I like Jason Newsted. This is a guy who, during Metallica’s better days in the mid-nineties, visited the Philippines to jam with local bands like Wolfgang and Razorback in local clubs. I mean, c’mon, that’s a commendable rarity right there where a member of a famous foreign band comes to our country to play music for free (or I’m guessing it was for free). I never saw it happen live, but it would have been cool to see that upfront where out of the blue Jason Newsted would take the stage and give a bass solo. I bet the people who did see it happen were too wasted to realize why Basti and Wolf were playing with a Caucasian on bass ("Uy, pare, bago bahista ng Wolfgang, Amerikano!"). As for the two other members, I’ve never been a fan of Motley Crue but I did like Guns & Roses. But c’mon, Gilbey Clarke was Izzy Stradlin’s replacement! That means Clarke didn’t write one song of GNR, at least not one that did well. And Clarke did rhythm guitar, so I’m guessing Dave Navarro (Rockstar’s host) is going to leave his chair at the end of the show and announce to the audience that he’s the lead guitarist of Supernova (Just now, Jason Newsted went onstage and played bass for one of the contestants…he headbanged like he was still in Metallica so that was worth seeing. The singer sucked though).

I was able to catch a few episodes of Rockstar:INXS earlier this year (or was it last year?), mostly because I wanted to see how the Filipino contestant was doing, and the fun part of that show is the point at the end of the week where INXS will boot someone out. One of the Farris brothers would say, and it never fails to amuse me, "(Contestant’s name), you’re just not right for our band, INXS! (with an Australian accent, of course)". It’s fun for me because they keep on plugging their band name, "INXS" (with an Australian accent). I mean, it’s the title of the flippin’ show, Rockstar: INXS; anyone watching the show would know that the band name is INXS! (And try saying it with an Australian accent, it’s fun! I’m mababaw. I’m sick today so forgive me, it must be the drugs I took - Tuseran Forte hehehe).

(I heard INXS is coming to Manila this month with their new singer, but it’s just not happening. Michael Hutchence was INXS. I’m freakin’ old to actually remember that name.)

At this point, I’m not even watching the show but I can still hear their singing. It’s awful. This is the best that NBC can get? I’m pretty sure there are a lot more talented singers out there; the guys in American Idol who sang rock songs would fare better.

Reality TV has probably hit its limit. It’s not enough that we have a dozen singing contests, we also have about a dozen "Amazing Race"-type shows as well. Of course, "Survivor" is still around. But now, the boxing contest "The Contender" is not enough, they also created "The Ultimate Fighter". They put a group of guys in one house where their objective is to maim and hurt each other in the ring. I’m waiting for a news report that someone got killed on that show. (And I think it is official: Ultimate Fighting (UFC) destroyed heavyweight boxing. Aspiring heavyweight boxers are more likely to be found in a UFC ring. It’s a good thing we still have Pacquiao’s weight class in boxing). Like I said, Reality TV has hit its limit. Rockstar:Supernova is terrible, at least for now (but I don’t know how they can make that show more enjoyable but I hope it has nothing to do with Tommy Lee and a camera). I didn’t even see the end of today's show; my son changed channels and is now watching Tiny TV on Cartoon Network. And yes, I’m about to go watch with him. (I’ll just do the layout for my wife’s new Waffle display later. Quick plug: VISIT MICHELL’S CAKES & PASTRIES, we have outlets located in Bataan, SM City Clark Pampanga, and SM City-Sta. Rosa, Laguna! Try our Rotigirl coffee buns and Belgian Waffles; it’s the friggin’ bomb!)

Another good thing about staying home: spending time with the kids. ‘Nuff said.