The Next (not-so) Great American Band....

It's like being in line for three hours at Sally's in New Haven for a large pie with everything on it; once you pass a certain point, there's no leaving, you've got too much invested in the waiting. The difference here, though, is that at Sally's you have the best pizza in the world (some would argue, with reason, for Pepe's just down Wooster Street) waiting at the end of the experience. No such luck with The Next Great American Band. And the wait is getting very boring.

The initial draw to the show, for me, was a bunch of new bands with a diversity of styles playing original music; if they had to perform a few covers along the way, no big problem. And that is how the format was originally presented. But the weekly Friday night (indeed, a no-respect timeslot) show has been pared to one hour, leaving time for only one song per band, and they perform a cover! It's lame! And the judges, Johnny Goo Goo Doll, Sheila E and Dicko Dickson (although he did name-drop Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings) are becoming horrendous, either fawning over a performance with no insight as to why or dismissing it with disgust. I think Sheila wants to screw the lead singer of Sixwire. Oh, soooo Paula Abdul! Strange.

This week each band performed a song written by Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller, whose 50's/60's music was the basis for the Broadway hit, Smokey Joe's Cafe. Nice songwriters, but not very relevant to showcasing a hip, new band. And the worst was the elimination of Franklin Bridge, the funk band from Philly, arguably the best of the bunch!

But, like waiting in line at Sally's Apizza, I will continue. I've invested too much to leave now. - RealityTV recap

Previously, on The Next Great American Band:

Episode #1 Opening selection show

Episode #2 Bob Dylan week

Episode #3 Elton John/Bernie Taupin week

Episode #4 Billy Joel week