Five Reasons 'Rock Star: INXS' Is Better Than 'American Idol'

While "American Idol" gets all the viewers, 'Rock Star' has proved to be a much better judge of talent. Like the country music oriented 'Nashville Star,' this CBS reality series is a much better way of finding a talented musician, instead of just some empty vessel for the music industry.

Now I will be honest. When I heard about this show, I was not very optimistic about its ability to be entertaining. Combine the hype of Mark Burnett with an 80's band that seemed long past its prime, and include three episodes a week. All of it seemed designed to create a crapfest of a talent show that would be a hideous embarrassment for everyone concerned.

I was also not thrilled by the choice of hosts. Brooke Burke seemed an unlikely fit for a gritty rock show, and Dave Navarro is a talented guitarist, but a man not know for his thoughtful commentaries on the music industry.

But despite the long list of things that might have gone wrong, the show has consistently worked. It's been entertaining, can't miss television. And as these five points will illustrate, it's much better than 'American Idol.'

1) 'Rock Star' Has A Better Selection Of Songs

With all due respect to Neil Sedaka, 'Idol' is a hokey pop show, and its musical choices reflect that. Actually, it's pop music primarily from the Baby Boomer era, so you're much more likely to hear Melissa Manchester or Motown than any radio hit from the past decade. Which gives the show an odd, dated feel.

By contrast, 'Rock Star' has featured everything from Radiohead and Creed to David Bowie, Nirvana and the Beatles. It's been an amazingly wide selection of tunes from rock's premiere musicians. Hearing someone take on "Man Who Sold The World" or "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been a revelation. It's been a blast to see the tunes through younger eyes, and sung by people who are capable of making the song their own. Which brings us to...

2) 'Rock Star' Has A Stronger Pool Of Musicians

Maybe it's due to their young age, or maybe it's a result of the fact the show is run by traditional music industry weasels. But 'Idol' contestants seem to be much better at looking good and singing riffs than performing or writing their own music. I don't think Clay Aiken could write a hit song if you held a gun to his head, but 'Rock Star' ends the season with two original tunes that could easily be huge radio hits.

Marty Casey's "Trees" might not be a great song for INXS, but it is a thumping modern rock tune that sounds like what Creed might sound like if they grew a big pair. In contrast, J.D. Fortune's "Pretty Vegas" is very INXS-friendly. In fact, you can picture it very easily being a hit single for the band.

But just as impressive has been the way the contestants were able to rework and reinvent classic rock tunes into something that completely transforms the original. Fortune turned Alanis Morisette's "Hand In My Pocket" into a gutsy, masculine screed, while Jordis Unga's version of "Imagine" or "Man Who Sold The World" was breathtaking.

3) 'Rock Star" Has A Better Results Show

The 'American Idol' results show is a textbook example of network time-filling. Announcing who is leaving each week really only takes about five minutes. But 'Idol' producers manage to fill an hour with hokey skits, lame hometown features and those horrific "Up With People" cast sing-alongs.

'Rock Star' has a much more entertaining format. INXS picks one of the contestants to sing an encore of their performance from the night before, and then the bottom three vote getters each sing an INXS tune before being dumped by the band. As a result, you get to see three new performances during each results show, and having the band make the final decision helps to prevent those psychotic viewer decisions that sometimes plague "Idol."

4) 'Rock Star' Has Better Judges 

By now, you can pretty much predict what the 'Idol' judges are going to say each week. Randy Jackson is going to call a couple of the contestants "Dog," Paula will gush over nearly everyone and Simon will do his best to make comments that do little but subtly affect the viewer's voting choices.

By comparison, Dave Navarro's comments have been a revelation. He is always to the point and manages to hone in on the core problem with each performance. His role is similar to that of a really kick-ass producer. A guy who has been there, and isn't attempting to "create a star," but only hopes to help each contestant reach their potential.

The members of INXS also have proved to be worthy judges, and obviously have a clear sense of what will work for them in the future. Even though I loved the band during its heyday, I'm not sure that I would have eagerly bought tickets to their new tour. But their judging has proven to me that they are still a vital band, and I can't wait to see what they'll put together with a new front person.

5) 'Rock Star' Is More Tech-Friendly 

Most of the time, when a reality show makes some deal with MSN or Yahoo, the main result is a slick, soul-less web site. But 'Rock Star' producers took the cross-promotion possibilities to a new level by giving fans the chance to buy every weekly contestant performance on MSN Music. It's such an obvious move, yet 'Rock Star' is the first reality show to fully take advantage of the possibilities of the digital age.

Of course, the inevitable "official" CD suffers from much the same problem as the ones from "American Idol." It primarily contains performances from early in the series, which makes it a lot less interesting to fans. Although at least in the case of "Rock Star," the cast CD also includes two bonus tracks from later in the show's run.

Now all of this isn't to say that "Rock Star" has been a perfect show. The Monday edition of the show (later moved to Sundays on VH1), was a flat, boring attempt by producers to inject a bit of controversy into the show. And host Brooke Burke's only real contribution to the show has been to highlight all the amazing ways fashion designers can almost show off her crotch without quite doing the deed.

Still, the show has been an amazing ride, and I've enjoyed watching it. Even though here in Birmingham, it's being bumped to 1:00 a.m. to make way for a rerun of a Dr. Phil "investigation" of Natalee Holloway.