Superstar blog: The second evictee

The ratings may not be great and it’s hardly a show designed for critical acclaim, but Superstar certainly gets people talking on Twitter. Mainly because of song choices and characterisation of the contestants.

Before she reads out who is in the bottom two, Amanda Holden says “Break a Leg” – this is life or death, or is it? The evictee will be on This Morning with Jodie Prenger talking about what other work they hope to get. But anyway, serious time as the viewers want to know who’s climbing the stairway to heaven and who’s walking towards the light.

Dirk and Tim sing for surivival. Great – a musical theatre song. I love this bit as you can see who wants it and who can cut it. Hold on a sec. The song is by Christina Aguilera. Dirk handles sections well because it’s a youngish song but Tim acts it really well. Andrew agrees and Tim is saved and Dirk goes home. He’s a nice young chap and thanks the Lord and I’m sure Bill Kenwright is watching.

The song choices are certainly getting weirder – Roger does “More Than Words” and I am starting to feel sorry for him. He played The Lion King for godsake. Now, here he is being criticised by Jason Donovan. Someone, give this guy a role and put a stop to this madness! The judges praise him but as I say – I sympathise.

If Roger is being portrayed as the ‘has been’ then Nathan is the moustache twirling villain and short of having him tie a dancer to railway line during a dance routine, what else can they do? Since Jonathan Ansell was sent off the Island, Nathan has fit the role of the contestant you love to hate. He can sing and delivers every night, he has more swagger than Jagger and yeah he’s a bit cocky. But it’s almost as if they are now goading him so he snaps, gets a headline and then gets voted off. Andrew keeps saying his vulnerable side is not being shown. Give him a decent ballad to sing, then!

Whereas Rory who – to me – does the same old stuff night after night is praised for simply turning up and doing karaoke rock. He is am sure capable of filling arenas with his voice, but there is no acting ability shining through at the moment. Someone who is improving though is Jon. He does seem to be taking advice but I think fatigue is setting in. This is tough – night after night. Even blogging it is exhausting, let alone learning new songs. Jon needs more emotion and less plastic to keep getting through.

David is familiar to audiences in Manchester as he recently starred in Spinach at the Royal Exchange. I like him but his song tonight has left me dumbfounded. He sings “You Got The Love” but in the style of a cheeky Manc. He acts it well but it really is the wrong song. All the judges go mad for him. But Dawn realising he is so placid accuses him of complacency. You can’t turn this one into a cocky villain, surely? In complete contrast, a new favourite has emerged – if we can ascertain this via the Lord’s facial expressions. He is loving Ben. I thought his “Everybody Hurts” was earnest and slightly self conscious. He needs a bit more bite. But methinks the Lord has seen his Jesus.

Tim sings about “Time Running Out” – apt really as I think it is. The audience are bored with the created ‘persona’ – humble, self effacing, don’t know how good he is. Me? I’m fed up up with his falsetto as some songs don’t need you to go into fifth gear but he sees it as a USP. If in doubt, hit it and belt it. I like the guy, but for me – he’s not Jesus.

Jeff is growing on me now. He sings Nickleback and Jason nods along mouthing the wrong words but the guy is develping really well. He has presence, a gruff quality to his voice and I see him as a dark horse now, who could come and snap at the heels of some of the favourites.

Niall closes the show with “Dirty Diana” – ok it’s as if the meaning behind the song has been Cillit Banged. But in terms of confidence – his has shot up compared with yesterday. He is clearly comfortable singing something a bit more rockier. He needs to work on his presence though. Because at the moment – he looks like he’s playing at it and needs to mean it. Jason says: “We’re not saving lives; this is entertainment.” Yet, the show remains very, very serious. You almost expect to hear the theme from Casualty each time someone has sung their song.

Having live shows every day is taking its toll on the guys and the viewers. But some good singers remain and it will be interesting to see who wins. At the moment it looks like we’re more interested than Amanda Holden who really is going through the motions. But Melanie C and Jason are doing better than many imagined. As for the Lord – the whole show is product placement but why he has to give us JCS plot every five minutes is beyond me. And you do wonder what he will cast next. Fifty Shades of Grey…The Musical, perhaps? That would leads to some amusing lines…..

“Andrew, this show is really hard, right?”