Rock Star: Supernova -- Performance Show Week 8

Finally, the first episode of Rock Star: Supernova where nobody totally sucked. That's not to say that some weren't better than others, though.

As always, Brooke Burke started the show by recapping events of the past week. Despite being the primary focus of the reality episode, the media clinic in which Dilana trashed her competitors in front of the press was completely ignored. Hmmm... could the editors be protecting Dilana's image so that she stays in the competition until the end?

Instead, Ryan and Patrice were shown winning the two original songs during song selection. And Storm talked about not standing up for herself, as she'd gotten stuck with the song nobody else wanted for the second week in a row.

The evening's guest judge, Gilby's dog, Chopper, had very little to say.

Patrice - "Beautiful Thing" by Patrice Pike
The song was pretty good -- almost poppy enough to be memorable. But Patrice sounded nervous and didn't put much power into her voice. Dave liked the song but thought that it would be better suited for her solo career. Tommy was a little more optimistic and thought that they could darken the song to make it work for Supernova.

Magni - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
Magni was recovering from the flu, and you could hear it a bit during the melodic parts of the song, when he puked. But he nailed the chorus, belting out the best screams of the season. Gilby complimented Magni for always conveying the emotion that the song demands. Fifteen years after its release, I still have no idea what this song's about -- or what emotions it demands -- so I'll have to take Gilby's word for it.

Ryan - "Back of Your Car" by Ryan Star
This song was better than anything that Supernova will put out, and Ryan's performance was excellent. When Dave asked how Ryan had suddenly turned into a rock n' roll machine, Ryan replied, "I got laid, Dave." This past week, I learned a lot about sex: it either turns you into a rock star or it gets you envenomed by vipers in a 747's bathroom. No wonder our youth is so confused. Ryan stressed that he picked this song because he thought it could be a Supernova track.

Storm - "Cryin'" by Aerosmith
She did a great job on a tough song, and she even brought the crazy eyes back! Dave said that she was a thousand times better than last week, but Gilby told her to do something really memorable next time.

Dilana - "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
Bo-ring! Supernova looked like they were trying to stay awake while she was singing, although Gilby and Dave gave her reflexively positive reviews. But then, instead of commenting on the performance with any specifics, all the Supernova guys could talk about was her running around the pool naked. I suppose Dilana's willingness to doff her clothes is as good a reason as any to pick her.

Toby - "Layla" by Eric Clapton
Toby gave his typically competent vocal performance. Near the end of the song, he took off his shirt and ran into the crowd -- a smart move, since he's been getting by on his looks the whole time. The band liked his energy, his pep, his zip, his zing, but they didn't seem blown away by the performance or the arrangement. If they need a backup singer, Toby's their guy, but he just doesn't seem like the man to lead a band of self-proclaimed rock legends.

Lukas - "All These Things That I Have Done" by The Killers
He has so much charisma and stage presence that it's unfortunate he hasn't tried to improve his voice. His growling not only makes his words unintelligible, but it makes him sound perpetually out of breath. The band was impressed, but noticed that he was turning his back on the audience again, as he had when he forgot the words to "Celebrity Skin."

Early Bottom Three:
Patrice
Storm
Toby

A trip to the bottom might be just the ego blow Lukas needs to get him back into voice lessons. While Dilana's performance wasn't her best, there's no way her fans will let her drop into the Bottom Three.

Ryan's had two of the last three encores, so Magni will probably get the encore tomorrow night. Supernova can "reward" Ryan by letting him play with them, while simultaneously avoiding direct comparisons between his original song and theirs.

My vote went to Ryan. I know I keep voting for him, but he's given the best performances for the last several weeks (not counting the unfortunate horse-hoodie incident). Believe me, if I could, I'd still vote for Zayra.