I am pretty darn Proud!!
Country Stars Shine on Nashville Star
Step Aside Idol and Let the Real Musicians Perform
By Lenora Murdock, published Jun 10, 2008

Head-to-head American Idol may attract more viewers, but as Nashville Star moves to NBC for its 6th season viewers may be surprised at what Nashville Star has to offer: top notch singers, song writers, and musicians.

Forget the amateurs who show up year after year on American Idol. Tune in to Nashville Star and listen to the up and coming country music stars.

No wanna-be singers slip through the audition process on Nashville Star. 50 singers go to Nashville and only a few minutes into the show the 12 competitors emerged. Nashville Star showed only a handful of auditions, unlike American Idol who makes a mockery of people's attempts to find stardom via American Idol.

I think one of the biggest differences, which appeals to me, is that Nashville Star contestants seem to have a passion about music. American Idol contestants are passionate about stardom, in most cases singing, and rarely in music as an art form.

Nashville Star contestants embrace music in all of its forms. There expression of the art form is via country music, but they seem to feel the music, live the music, and it shows in their performances. It also shows in their song writing and artistic talents.

American Idol contestants have a tendency to be shallow. When I watch the audition tapes, I see people who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket with two handles and a lid. They are looking for popularity, record label deals, and stardom.

It's not that Nashville Star contestants don't desire the same things, but the quality of their performances is leaps beyond the screeching we are often subjected to on American Idol. Contestants on American Idol sing songs out of their range and style. The judges are looking for versatility. Simon Cowell is specifically looking for any flaw which he can capitalize on to bust the contestant's chops.

Nashville Star keeps their contestants in their own element, country music. Judging can be harsh, but in my opinion it is much more constructive. Judging on Nashville Star is meant to lead us toward the most superior singer. Judging on American Idol is a key component of the show's entertainment.

Because Nashville Star's competition is not as broad as American Idol's, I'm not sure it will draw the audience that Idol does. It also lacks much of the humiliation factor that American's seem to crave in reality T.V. To me, that makes Nashville Star more appealing.

Nashville Star is the show for me. Besides, Billy Ray Cyrus isn't too hard on the eyes.

I've grown weary of American Idol, even if it has become an iconic American television show. I wonder how many other viewers have also tired of the same old routine.