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by R.J. Carter Published: May 4, 2003
Brandi Gibson leaves, and we're left with the final three contestants--the winner to be selected within the next three hours after the show based on America's voting. THIS WEEK: Things are all out of kilter this week, as the format goes more for fun than for competition (making this reviewer actually work this time around rather than fill in the template he's been using for the past 8 episodes.) It's a night of surprises. The contestants come out one at a time to sing "The Next Big Thing." Buddy Jewell starts things off, followed by John Arthur Martinez, followed by Miranda Lambert, followed by... ...the previous seven contestants?? Sure enough, waiting in the wings are all the singers who we've seen slowly winnowed out of the pack, and gosh have I missed Jamey Garner's harmonica playing! THE PERFORMANCES: Tonight, it's team up night. Each contestant will come out with another country star and sing a duet. Just singing, no judging--except by me, of course. I've got to type something, don't I?
After the three remaining contestants perform their songs, we have another surprise--a bit of fun with role reversal. Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewell, and John Arthur Martinez sit in the judges' seats! So who could be coming out to perform? Would you believe...
Okay, time to get down to brass tacks. Since the three remaining finalists are all winners, I'm not going to use the red "X" pictures tonight that I've used in the past columns; no one is really getting voted off if they've come this far, after all.  Third place goes to Miranda Lambert--so much for all those who Internet conspiracists who thought the contest was rigged in Miranda's favor! But this 19 year old has the right attitude about it: coming in third out of 8,000 initial contestants ain't all that bad, and I'm sure there's probably a record company out there already courting her. We'll be hearing more of her on the radio very soon, you can count on that.So now it's a sing-off between John Arthur and Buddy (although it's all showmanship at this stage of the game--after all, the winners were decided 3 hours after last week's episode finished up.)  John Arthur comes out with a hyperspeed Seussian song that I can only guess is called Little Old Country Road I'm Travelling On. Why didn't he do this sooner? I'm tripping over my tongue just trying to catch up with these "tweedle-beetle" lyrics! A fun song that showcases John Arthur's showmanship, guitar ability, and two-stepping talent. The audience was captive from open to finish. Buddy Jewell counters with a repeat of Abilene On Her Mind. Hey, when it's your best song, why not repeat it? And now we find out who the next Nashville Star will be. (Can I have a cyber drumroll, please? Thank you.) Is anyone surprised at all to find out that the next Nashville Star is...  ...BUDDY JEWELL! (And who was that in the audience who was crass enough to boo John Arthur when Nancy O'Dell introduced the two finalists? Shame!) It's confetti and streamers and tons of cheering. John Arthur gives him a big hug, and Buddy's family gets embraces from everybody. Buddy's all teary-eyed, and has a catch in his voice when he gives his thanks to Jesus and his family. Clint Black comes out to present Buddy with a plaque ready-made for holding a platinum album. Clint promises Buddy that if he puts a platinum album in that frame, Clint will give him one of his own signature model guitars to write music with. Buddy then sings Lacey's Song, now renamed for marketability to Pour Out The Rain, and we learn that the song will be released to radio stations Monday. It's an emotional moment, and Buddy has to get his bearings a bit before hitting the first strains of the song--much to be expected, I should think. But that's not all. Buddy plays another original song, appropriately titled I Wanna Thank Everyone Who Ever Told Me No. The first song was for his family. I think we can guess who this song was written for. A class act until the end, Buddy invites his family and the other nine Nashville Star contestants up on the stage to sing with him. And there you have it folks. The first season of Nashville Star, safely tucked away. It will be interesting to see now what Buddy Jewell will do with his newfound fame, and if his album sales will track higher or lower than Ms. Clarkson's post-American Idol debut. Thanks for following along with these recaps, and for the kind words of encouragement you've sent in. Keep those emails coming, and when they start up season two, y'all come on back to The Trades for more of the same, y'hear? For more Nashville Star news, be sure to check out these sites: USA Network | SirLinksalot |
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