Spice of life

At the risk of destroying whatever smidgen of credibility I’ve gained with folks out there, I’m going to confess that I actually watched–and, worse, enjoyed–The Nick & Jessica Variety Show tonight. There were high points and low points–Jessica’s American Idol-worthy wails on Take My Breath Away being the worst of the latter–but overall it was an amazing simulation of a better-than-average 1970s-era variety show.

High- and low-lights:

  • Both stars handle self-parody well: Nick La Shave and the Mouseketeer bit were probably the most fun.
  • I’m not sure exactly what Simpson was trying to accomplish in her duet with Jewel: was it mockery of Jewel’s style, an impression of Cher, or the way she actually sings?
  • Mr. T. I pity the fool who doesn’t like T. Ten Seconds Of Awkwardness wouldn’t have been possible with anyone else.
  • The goofy jokes in the She Works Hard for the Money montage… heard ’em all, but again they were able to pull them off.
  • The real Kermit and Piggy, straight from the Muppet Show set, and not the impostors that have replaced them for the last 20-odd years.
  • Jessica’s… um… smashes bottle over head.
  • I’ve Got You (Babe). It had to be done, it had to be the finale, and it worked.

I’ve been contemplating writing a screed about how current popular music is overwhelmingly angry–I even have difficulty listening to Weird Al Yankovic’s last album of parodies, and I’ve been a fan of his forever–but the show tonight was enough goofy, simple, plain ol’ fun that I’m just too happy to get any of it down. They got it right.

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2 thoughts on “Spice of life

  1. We got home late from dinner at my brother’s, and missed Nick and Jessica. I wanted to see it. I think she’s a knockout. Then I heard it was horrible. I just googled them and there seems to be an assorted bunch of likes and dislikes of the show. I’ll definetly catch them next time.

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