Viewers Voice Complaints about The Next Best Thing

Viewers Voice Complaints about “The Next Best Thing” by Roxanne McDonald

I didn’t know I was so alone in loving “The Next Best Thing”—but I am glad to find others are disappointed in lack of information outside of air times.

LACK of VERIFIABLE INFO

The first and most frustrating thing is that we have nowhere to go to verify the results as they occur on each of the audition episodes. The official website is still in the gestation stage, only offering a summary/teaser of the show, its contents, and the four names—of the judges and the host.

This leads to the next discussion, of the message boards on the site. The first couple of weeks, there were so few posts dealing directly with “The Next Best Thing” that refugee AMC [I assume “All My Children”] fans, who had apparently “lost” their boards, flocked to what they deemed a “ghost” board site.

JUDGES’ QUALIFICATIONS

Once those who were actually watching the show started posting, though, the discussions picked up. Unfortunately, and in opposition to my general regard for “The Next Best Thing,” people were dismissing this summer “crap” because they didn’t appreciate the judges’ humor, didn’t think the

judges were “old” enough to value the older-than-they contestants/characters [I think this was in reference to the yodeling Patsy Montana], and because in general they found the show to be a waste of their precious TV-viewing time.

But drilling deeper and most recently into the discussion, I came away with more specific, more articulate concerns—those commented on and explained by a most knowledgeable lvegas1966.

First, let’s acknowledge that the assumptions, the inferences, the speculations that hold that shills or beards for a show could and do read and participate on the show’s boards…so it is possible that lvegas1966 is part of the “Next Best Thing” production to some capacity or other. This makes sense, as I know of instances where agents (not as in law) of productions have not only read but responded to some TV Robot articles my colleague wrote a while back, for example. These people have also identified themselves.

But anyway.

Whether lvegas is part of or a viewer of, he/she is most thoughtful, knowledgeable, and even pretty forgiving and patient when it comes to the other knee-jerk posters.

My point is that amidst the theories and complaints, or in spite of the lack of valid, verifiable info elsewhere, I was lucky enough to happen upon some interesting “trivia”, if you will:

AUDITION PROTOCOL

According to lvegas, the producers originally put through to the semi-finals (?) 150 impersonators. Then, for some reason (critical mass?) turned down 120 of them to keep only 30. This means that as we watch the judges go gaga over an individual, we may be seeing the audition, the positive responses, and then no yes or no decision…as those original yeses are now nos and therefore irrelevant to the final numbers/details…those headed for the semis.

This explains (in part) why we are querying about our favorites who “did not go through,” but also points to how much more frustrated those 120 are: as lvegas also points out, some of those originally accepted went out and bought new costumes, some turned down work (or went on hiatus or quit), and now are out of the competition.

SHOW PARTICULARS

Maybe the cutting of so many hopefuls has to do with budget constraints. For also cut from the format of the show—you may have noticed or complained—are musical instruments, musicians performing with any kind of instrument in hand, and a wider variety of songs.

This one I noticed: that the Tina Turners were doing the same “Big River” or the Chers were doing “If I Could Turn Back Time…” or the Frank Sinatras were doing “New York, New York” made me nuts, and I felt for the judges who have to listen to the same tunes repeatedly…what? a hundred or so times?

Lvegas writes that he/she has seen the “cleared” list for the show. He/she explains that since there are only select numbers (the show has paid license for use of), when we see and then complain about, for example, a Michael Jackson who only does “Ben” or a Liberace who does not play a piano (but instead raps) or an Ozzy who sings Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”. It is because the contestants are limited to the list.
The mystery poster also explains that the talented musicians (and those only singing a capella) are performing without musical accompaniment because there are “musical restrictions”. Geez, imagine “So You Think You Can Dance” or American Idol without music. LOL. That’s kind of what makes “The Next Best Thing” a good B-lister critic target. That, and as lvegas also reminds us (or tells those of us who don’t know to begin with), the editing they do to make for an entertaining hour but which makes the typically fine talent look less-than….

STILL a MYSTERY

People are still questioning some choices—such as why Pee-Wee Herman impersonator didn’t get through—and are expressing disappointment about how several transgendered impersonators are better than others doing the same celebrity and not getting through. Lvegas1966 wrote in confirmation that “No transgendered individuals have made it.”

And, of course, still in question is who this lvegas1966 is…. Hmmm.

But this fan—of some of the celebs impersonated (Kinnison, Elvis, Ozzie, Barbra, Rosie) and therefore of “The Next Best Thing”—will keep on watching…and will maybe even vote.

SirLInksAlot Next Best Thing links

No Comments »

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.