Jason Hasselkus

It’s Sunday night and I’m just waiting for the premier of The Apprentice, and I stumble upon this gem of comedy put together by the people at the Peacock(NBC). They have stagged this cheap ripoff of American Idol, in which people are trying out to become members of the Broadway version of Grease. Just like American Idol they have a panel consisting of man with an English accent, a woman who’s opinion matters little, and an overweight man who nobody knows (actually I think he was the creator of Grease). The only difference is that Billy Bush isn’t quite as gay as Ryan Seacrest. Believe it or not, this whole show is based around who becomes Sandy and Danny, and who gets to go to the Grease Academy. Give me a break.
One thing that becomes very apparent is that by the end of the hour and a half, you won’t want to listen to the Grease soundtrack for at least the rest of the week. That song, “Your the one that I want”, is going to live with me for at least the next two days, no matter how much Hanson I play to counter balance it. The very best part of the elimination ceremony was the way that they told people that they were either in or out. “Contestant number 3167 (Dramatic pause here…….) Your the ONE that we want”. Or of course if they weren’t the one, they would say “Your NOT the one that we want” or “Your not Sandy/Danny”. I was cracking up over that one. Why can’t they just be real, like the large chick who thought she was Sandy, I think her name was Cupcake, and believe me, she’s had her share in the last few years. She tells us that “this generation is ready for a Sandy that’s a little edgy and different”, she fails to mention one that’s like a size 20. I don’t know if she remembers that Olivia Newton-John was like a size zero.
The first part of the show were auditions in Los Angeles, after they selected who they wanted there, they moved on to Chicago, where apparently Grease was created and based on. So we get to see people sing and then if they make it through that round they get to the dancing round. Some of the singing was bad, but the dancing was terrible. So at the end of the night we have a group of people going to the Grease Academy and get taunted with what’s to come in the following weeks, next week are the auditions in New York. Sorry NBC, this show is only filler for the show that follows. I will not be hopelessly Devoted to you next week.