Executive Producer Mark Burnett Throws a Hollywood Bash for his Talented Rock Star Cast
A second season for Rock Star? "We think about it every day."
Hollywood, CA – Will there be a second season of Rock Star: INXS, the new CBS
summer reality series that is gaining in popularity with the press but has yet to catch fire in the Nielsen ratings?
The future certainly looked bright Sunday night when reality television super-producer Mark Burnett threw a private party for cast, crew and supporters
of the show. Burnett, the creator and executive producer of Rock Star, conceived the party as an informal acoustic jam session with the nine contestants who currently remain on the program. The five members
of INXS and rocker Dave Navarro, who serve as the six judges on the show, were also on hand, along with host Brooke Burke and a handful of celebrity guests including "Survivor" host Jeff Probst and several former
castaways from previous editions of that Burnett-produced series. Actors Seth Green and Ray Liotta were also among the partygoers.
The affair was so informal that two of the half-dozen journalists in attendance, including
this reporter, doubled as assistants to the sound technicians to ensure that the live music continued for hours. Indeed, the entertainment at this party
was so spectacular it could have been packaged as a spin-off series of its own, perhaps titled Rock Star: Unplugged.
Burnett seemed every bit the proud producer – if not the proud father figure – showing
off each of the remaining Rock Star contestants and giving each of them several opportunities to sing for the small crowd, accompanied only by
guitar or piano. In particular, rockers Brandon Calhoon, Marty Casey, J.D. Fortune, Ty Taylor, Mig Ayesa and Jordis Unga kept the party rolling until well after midnight. Unga was also celebrating her 21st
birthday. Many critics believe this young woman has as much talent as any of the four winners of American Idol. In fact, one entertainment reporter recently told MediaVillage that he believes Unga may be the
single most talented individual yet to emerge from television's reality competition genre.
Jordis Unga
Burnett was so thrilled with the party that he joked about making it a weekly Sunday night
event throughout the rest of the series' run.
Amid the merriment, MediaVillage asked Burnett if Rock Star might be brought back for a second season. "Yes," he enthusiastically
replied, without providing details. But Kirk Pengilly of INXS later told MediaVillage that the producers of the show, as well as his fellow band members, frequently talk about the possibility of another season, either on CBS or, perhaps, VH1. (In a crisp example of corporate
synergy, the weekly "reality" edition of Rock Star was recently relocated from CBS' Monday night schedule to the Sunday night lineup of the
network's basic cable sibling VH1. The "reality" edition chronicles the day-to-day experiences of the rockers as they live together and prepare for each week's
shows. Two other editions are telecast each week: A taped hour-long "competition" show on Tuesday and a "results" show on Wednesday.)
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Because the premise of the series this summer is to find a new lead singer for INXS, which has been without a front-person since Michael Hutchence
was found dead in a hotel room in 1997, a second season would have to have a different thrust. Pengilly said it might involve having singers compete to be mentored by the band. Or it might be the search for a member of
another band, perhaps with one or two members of INXS serving as judges. Pengilly said no decisions have been made.
"We think about it every day," added INXS drummer Jon Farriss.
The party – a private affair with a limited guest list – was shrouded in secrecy because it was held at the Hollywood mansion in
which the Rock Star performers are housed during the show's run. Under cover of darkness, guests had to park at a nearby church, then register at a check-in table and sign a document agreeing not to reveal the
location of the mansion. They were then taken in black SUVs through winding streets up
into the hills and delivered to the front entrance of the estate.
Only one of the ten remaining contestants will win this season's competition and
join INXS for a tour and the recording of a new album. But it was clear from their performances Sunday night at both the taping of this week's "competition" show and the party that many of these people could enjoy successful solo careers.
It was also clear, should CBS elect to bring Rock Star back in one format or
another next summer, that the weekly "competition" and "reality" shows should be telecast live. There is no better way to capture and convey the energy of the
performances. If USA Network can telecast Nashville Star live from its title city once a week, surely CBS can do the same with this program.
