Thanks for the reminder of this. I knew they were doing it, but I've honestly dropped my fanaticism for INXS (which was considerable) after Hutchence's death.

I've never watched a RTV show, (with exception of the original Real World NY) so I don't know if the lure of 80's nostalgia is enough to overcome the bile spewing hatred I have for this genre of TV.

that would sum up my thoughts on the show, although with these things it all comes down to the execution. The premise seems particularly unpromising, however, but who knows?

That's one naughty pic of Brooke...

she has a few of them I discovered

MARTY CASEY is already a ROCKSTAR

Michael Hutchence is spinning is his grave.....

What a shame that the once mighty INXS has to stoop to this.

That's my thought as well, but hey, the Farrises have to move forward, and if this helps them... Who knows? It might be a good show. I doubt it, but who knows?

yes, who knows? ALL reality shows sound pretty retarded in the description

Most of them are in execution as well.

I find it hard to believe that the Farris's and co. would have to stoop to this rather that finding a replacement in a more traditional way. In my mind they have lost a good chunk of respect and whoever "wins" will lack credibility and take the band with him.

At least I still have all my old INXS albums.

they've actually been at pretty close to this level of cheese since Hutchence died, playing with "guest vocalists"

I haven't paid much attention since then. But I do like the idea of guest singers than a reality show to determine the next one. I think their ship in the spotlight has long since sailed.

I like the idea of Brooke Burke

so who has done guest vocalist for INXS? since the show started I have been looking for this info, I see:

Jimmy Barnes
Terence Trent D'Arby
Jon Stevens (from Noiseworks?)

from the band's official website's history section. I have heard from indirect sources that John Farnham has also performed with the band as well?

I like the show a lot, but it's in trouble ....

[edited -- please post a short quote from the source and then a link to the article. thanks!]

No Lighters Are Held Aloft for 'Rock Star'
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Rock Star is no rock star on TV this summer.

In a season of mostly weak network programming, the big-budget series aimed at finding a new lead singer for the Australian band INXS - the latest from Survivor producer Mark Burnett - has been a high-profile disappointment for CBS.

Ratings for the reality series, which airs three times a week, have been anemic, from an average 4.1 million viewers for Wednesday's results shows to 6.2 million for Tuesday's performance episodes. That's tough sledding for a project with a nearly $3-million-a-week price tag from reality TV's top producer.

I am really enjoying the Tuesday night episodes of Rockstar INXS-- solid performances, very entertaining. Jordis, Marty, JD, Ty and Mig are stars. (Though Ty and Jordis are wrong for lead singer of the band.)

I wasn't watching the Monday shows at all and don't miss them. It was a good idea to jettison that weekly episode. And although I watch the Wednesday show out of curiosity, the INXS songs are the weak link. The INXS tunes are dull as dishwater in comparison to the fantastic covers belted out by the "rock stars."

Lastly, even if I had wanted to see all three of each week's shows, CBS didn't make it easy to remember when to catch the show. They should have done a better job with that since it was on at a different time each of the days.

Question: If it's ending 2 weeks early, what happens? Will we find out who the band selects or will we be left hanging?

I didn't know the show was ending two weeks early. Hmmm... I guess we can expect more "surprise" double eliminations like the one that took place last week.

As for Ty and Jordis being wrong for the band, Ms. Cathy, why? If the band is looking for a new direction and sound (because there *is* no replacing Michael Hutchence), I think both Ty and Jordis would be great, and so would Marty and MiG. (I do not get what people see in JD, just don't see it.)

Here's the link:

Ty and Jordis are the two best singers and it'd be awesome to see a black singer fronting INXS (although some people may think that's "wrong"). Marty and Mig are the two other favorites. I think Mig is the slight favorite to win the contest because he's Australian, slightly older (closer to the band's age) and seems like a rock professional who knows the ins and outs of performing on stage. I think Mig had a bigger edge when the reality housemates portion of the show was on Mondays because the show was clearly being edited to make him seem like the good guy, the family man, the leader of the house while JD was being cast as the villian. Marty's the other pro's pro in the contest. Jordis is the best natural talent, so she's right there with Mig as front-runners after last week's David Bowie song.

JD made for a good villian, but people won't find him that interesting to keep around without the Monday reality portion anymore. He's not a very good singer and his spazzy stage moves don't cover up for his lack of range -- he did almost actually sing last week, though, which was surprising after his lame, cheesy arrangements hid his weak voice the previous few weeks.

I wrote a lot on the first few weeks of the show on that Tube person's Rockstar: INXS post but no one seemed to be following. It clearly doesn't have the viewers or interest that American Idol does, especially if BlogCritics is any indication.

That is all.

I would guess the narrow focus -- finding a singer for a single band that hasn't been particularly visible for 10 years -- would inevitably cut down on the audience and the interest. I could see the show being huge in Australia, but otherwise the biggest appeal is probably Brooke's chest

I am not a big tv-watcher, let alone Reality tv, but I absolutely LOVE this show! SOOO much better than American Idol. Partly because rock is waaay cooler than pop, but also because the band are the ones that ultimately kick people off, not America. It becomes less of a popularity contest that way and more about the talent. We look forward to performance night (Tuesday) every week.

that makes sense Leslie and it sounds like the show has connected with a core, but it's a narrower audience

Brooke's a butter face. Way overrated, not that hot, and she can't read a teleprompter to save her life.

The show's dead and gone after this year.

I do think the one missing ratings factor for the show is cruelty. There's no Simon Cowell to savage the performers -- he's the only reason American Idol is #1. The singers on this show are better, if slightly older, and the songs are better. They just don't have an interesting judge.

Oh, and INXS is sort of too washed-up to get any buzz going.

That is all.

dude, I never watched it, just going by the pics

Have I been reduced to the dreaded "dude" status?

You should watch it, Olsen. You'd like it. It's way better than American Idol.

Brook Burke has nice implants, I must say.

That is all.

BAB, I agree ability to read the teleprompter is a required skill for TV work.

I am pretty much out of TV mode in the summer - too much going on

I agree that the best thing that could happen to Jordis (clearly the best singer in the group) would be not to win. I think its gonna be Marty -- he's got the right style and about the right age. The band does NOT want to be backing up some young hot kid, effectively becoming the other girls in Destinys Child.

a closer analogy might be the Doors?

Despite her appearance on Star Search, Jordis seems more like a rocker than a pop star. She's got the dreads and the rocker outfits -- she's not super-skinny and model-ish like Beyonce or whatever and seems to care about the music.

She'd be a great boost of energy to INXS and would keep them current for way longer than they deserve.

That is all.

best things about rockstarINXS:

1. great talent
[WAY better than AI and i'm a fan of AI]

2. it's international

3. song choices are made by the band or whoever it is, so they're generally good ones.

4. the band decides who gets chucked. they're usually right.

5. although it's a rock band and a rock show, they sing great songs of ALL genre.

6. they get workshops. good for them more than us.

7. MiG, Jordis, Marty and Suzie.

hey, do you think Bob Dylan can find a new lead singer this way?