ROCK STAR INXS BY WIKIPEDIA
Rock Star: INXS was the first season of the reality television show Rock Star where 15 contestants competed to become the lead vocalist for the Australian rock band INXS.
INXS enjoyed great popularity through the 1980s and early 1990s, but in 1997, frontman Michael Hutchence committed suicide. The band attempted to continue with alternate singers, but remained largely dormant until this show.
Show background
Contestants were housed in a Hollywood mansion, and squared off in a singing contest featuring well-known rock songs. Each week, viewers voted for their favorite contestant. The three contestants with the least number of votes performed an INXS song the following night. The members of the band then decided which contestant would be sent home, with lead guitarist Tim Farriss invoking the show's catchphrase "you're just not right for our band, INXS".
The show originally appeared three nights a week on CBS. The format consisted of a half-hour behind-the-scenes episode on Monday, a one-hour performance episode on Tuesday and a half-hour elimination episode on Wednesday. However, on August 3, 2005, CBS announced the behind-the-scenes episode would move to Sunday nights on VH1 effective August 7, 2005 due to low ratings in the United States. As the show continued, the ratings improved. This prompted the expansion of the Wednesday results show to one hour for the duration of its run. The winner, J.D. Fortune, was announced on Tuesday, September 20.
Although not part of the show, second-place contestant Marty Casey and his Chicago-based band The Lovehammers were invited to open for INXS on their 2006 tour.
The show is executive produced by Survivor's Mark Burnett and is hosted by Brooke Burke and former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro.
Controversy
A slight controversy erupted when contestant Ty Taylor was eliminated with 5 contestants to go. Taylor suggested that racial prejudice might have had something to do with why he was in the bottom three several times, despite giving performances with which INXS were very satisfied.
The program also came under criticism from some INXS fans who suggested the program dishonoured the memory of Michael Hutchence and this is not how he would have wanted his replacement to be chosen. Australian radio station Triple J hosts Jay and The Doctor went so far as to describe the show as "Broadband urination on Michael Hutchence's grave" and added sarcastically "We don't mind if you don't" referring to those involved in the show.
Australian rock star Jimmy Barnes, who had worked with INXS in the past, both prior to and after Hutchence's death, was very critical of INXS going the Reality Show route to pick a new lead singer.
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The finals
Three contestants reached the finale: Mig Ayesa, Marty Casey, and J.D. Fortune. Fortune was considered by many the underdog of the three as he established a renegade image during the competition. In the finale, Ayesa, Casey, and Fortune each selected a song that was performed previously on the show. Ayesa chose Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", Casey chose Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", and Fortune chose The Rolling Stones's, "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Based on these performances, INXS eliminated Ayesa.
With the competition down to Casey and Fortune, each performed an INXS song with, for the first time on the show, all five members of INXS. Casey performed "Don't Change" and Fortune performed "What You Need". INXS announced Fortune was the winner.
Original songs
During the competition, Casey and Fortune performed two original songs that became fan favorites. Both songs would receive multiple encores during the competition. Casey's original song was called "Trees" and was described by host Dave Navarro as a song that he could imagine being heard on the radio 'today'. In fact, the song received some radioplay as a result of its exposure on the show.
At one point in the Rockstar: INXS competition, the remaining eight contestants were challenged to write lyrics to melody written by Andrew Farriss. They were divided into two teams of four. When Fortune did not see eye to eye with his team (which included Casey), he decided to venture out on his own and write his own lyrics. At first, Fortune's move was considered to have jeopardised his chances of winning the competition (since it was perceived he couldn't work in a team), but it was this move that resulted in his creation of the lyrics of "Pretty Vegas". This song became a favorite of both fans and INXS and played a major role in Fortune winning the competition. It also became the first single from their new album Switch.
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