Some Way Better than Next Best,

Some Way Better than Next Best, that Some Including the Hilarious Judges by Roxanne McDonald

The twelve going through to the second round of “The Next Best Thing: Who is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?” are so great to watch, it was too bad the show wasn’t longer…in their cases, anyway.

You know the type of judges who may be experienced and are qualified in our eyes to judge. Paula Abdul, for instance, is a former singer and dancer. So is Randy Jackson a musician. So is Simon Cowell a seasoned and successful producer. You also know the judges who seem just wrong for such a competition. (And I will refrain from naming names, here.)

With the judges on “The Next Best Thing…,” we get the qualifications as well as the expertise, that which they often share with impersonator hopefuls. Especially with Elon Gold, we get added entertainment for those moments when the competitors suck, and we get the benefit of his multiple

talents at impersonation and guiding the weaker ones in the field. For example, when the David Letterman look-alike came out and did a fat Letterman with bad jokes, Gold gave him a sample of the talk show host trailing off technique—by imitating Jay Leno. The Leno bit was spot on.

So was the Johnny Carson bit. The Jackie Gleason as judge (done by Jeffrey Ross). The William Shatner.hesitating.speeech.

Anyway, the brilliance of the judges to keep this show more than worthy of prime time viewership aside (I’ll tell you more in a minute), the auditioners who were good were very, very good, as well.

The twelve going through to round two are as follows (though in no particular order):

1.My favorite was Craig Gaff [cool, apropos last name]. He did a series of impersonations, and though he looks (to me) like Ben Stiller, his Sam Kinison was absolutely perfect, his Tom Arnold was utterly convincing, and his Pacino was such a kick that the judges unanimously voted him forward to the next round (telling him to dress the part of Pacino).

2.A second remarkably accurate impersonator was the guy doing Jack Nicholson. Like Gaff, he had the facial expressions, the eyebrow lifts, the lip and teeth and tongue usage, and the timing down brilliantly. He was so damned convincing that the judges again suggested an outfit even more like that of the original celebrity (a Jack Nicholson at the Academy Awards in the front row, for example, they suggested) and congratulated him for going to round 2.

3.Besides look and sound and performance accuracy, contestants like Suzanne LaRouche doing Lucille Ball interacted with the judges AS the impersonated. And with all the years and possible affects she could have done, she only had that one minute, and so successfully referred to rather than did signature scenes of Lucille Ball’s. She even snuck that classic crying in there, as the judges complimented her—as Walker said she loved her, thought she was awesome; as Gold said she is very talented; and as Ross said she was keeping Lucille Ball alive (which is exactly what I was thinking!)….

4.So did Mike Wilson playing Simon Cowell stay in character to the fullest degree: Elon Gold, with his genius skills, did an Al Gore as Simon Cowell sat at the judges table with Jeffrey Ross (who said it was “a bit pitchy”) and Lisa Ann Walker (who said how “wooonderffful” it was). Wilson’s Cowell was good enough that he too was moved to the next round.

5.Another who stayed in character from start to finish was a man who looked and spoke and almost sang just like Bono. Lisa Ann Walker said his physicality was so spot on and the men agreed, even after he thanked them and was leaving and said, simpley, “Peace”—which had Ross saying, “See? He is Bono!”

6.Gary Moore did a sparklingly true (and loveable) Little Richard. The only thing he didn’t do (and probably a wise call on his part) was yell “Shut up!” as Little Richard so charmingly does and gets away with.

7.Brigitte Valdez not only sang a lot like Celine Dionne, but she had the French-Canadian accent as she spoke, used the many unique Dion gestures, and even looks a lot like her, without any adjustments or additions to her face, it seems.

8.Mead did an equally believable George W. Bush, though I was surprised that his four to six hours of prosthetic application was allowed. Still, his despicable effect was enough to make Jeffrey Ross say that he wouldn’t vote for him in real life but would vote him through to the next round of the competition, for sure. Ross also added another funny when Mead couldn’t find the way out through the stage curtains and he said, “Go figure: no exit strategy.”
9.& 10. Another of the impersonations that resonated for me, having watched them when I was a kid when nothing else was on or worth watching, anyway, was the team of Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton (aka from “The Honeymooners”). These guys had the comedy duo set-up down pat, from the physicality (presences and movement) to the timing to the set-up man/straight man routine rapport Gleason and Carney always shared.

11. Robin Williams the second will go on, and while he is easily identifiable, as he looks like the fastest comic in the West, he was only slightly funny to me. Of course, to be fair, there is no one in the West or on the planet who thinks and jokes as fast as the real deal.

12. And Buck McCoy did a spankingly accurate Tim McGraw, and teased when he was voted through by thanking them in a British accent—which confirmed to the judges how “talented” this guy is.

I prefer to abstain from discussing the performances of those who didn’t make it, though since the judges appealed to me as some of the best of “The Next Best Thing…,” I will later write more on what some of their hilarious comments and come-backs involved. They really do make this show worth watching at this the audition stage.

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