"The Next Best Thing" may or may not be the next best thing

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Author: Viga Boland, webmistress of Idol Dreams

"The Next Best Thing" may or may not be the next best thing

"American Idol" is over. "Canadian Idol" is underway and competing with "America's Got Talent" for our viewership. And now adding to the reality TV talent competitions to choose from is "The Next Best Thing".

Did anyone else watch this last night? I was about to go out for a walk after 4 of the hopefuls had been eliminated from Canadian Idol when I suddenly heard Elvis, or someone impersonating him, singing his heart out. Ah...at last..."The Next Best Thing" is running on Canadian TV.

If you haven't heard about this one, it's a competition to find the best impersonator in America. I knew about this one when the auditions started since my daughter keeps some money dribbling in by being a tribute act to Shania Twain and a bunch of others while she works on her new CD. In fact, I would have loved her to audition. The exposure might have gotten her more work and after watching the show last night, I wish she had.

I couldn't believe that some of these people actually make really good money as impersonators. In some respects, its comedy element was as good as "America's Got Talent". They had a Madonna who was the spitting image of the popstar but couldn't sing a damn. I couldn't help but wonder who hires this Madonna when the Celine Dion impersonator had said she never realized how lucrative impersonation work could be. She was good and she didn't even make the final!

There was a Shania too. Of course we were glued to that performance. Again, we were stunned. She looked great. Good body. Wore that black lacy thing that Shania wore in her video for "Gonna Getcha Good". But she gyrated on stage like no Shania I've ever seen...and we've been to two of Shania's concerts. Then there was her voice. Not even close! Next?!

Thing is, and getting to my point, there were also some terrific impersonators. Those were the ones who moved onto the next round: George Bush, Tina Turner, Lucille Ball (fantastic!) Paris Hilton (don't groan...this gal had her down to a flaky "T") and I forget who else. And here's where I get serious: On a personal level, and after watching my daughter struggling to get somewhere in a record industry that asks you to trade who you are for what they think sells, I support her efforts to earn a living by being a tribute artist rather than by slinging hamburgers while she and her partner write and produce their upcoming CD. At least she continues to do what she loves with all her heart: sing and entertain.

And that, apparently is what many of these impersonators are doing i.e. writing and producing their own material but supporting themselves by being impersonators. So what's wrong with that? Well when you get into music circles, there's very little respect for tribute artists and impersonators. They are seen as the "also rans", the ones who couldn't make it so they fake it, or who can't write their own songs so they sing someone else's. They are looked down upon, some lower level of the entertainment world.

And yet, in my humble opinion, good impersonators and tribute artists perform a very valuable service:

1) they make it possible for those who can't afford to fork out hundreds to see the real thing enjoy the next best thing

2) they keep the original artist's music alive and actually helps others become more aware of them and their music The Shania impersonator said that she's done a show where a person came up later and said she'd never heard of Shania Twain (hard to believe!) but now she was going to go and buy her CD! So that's great for the original artist.

3) They keep legends alive. After all, Patsy Cline's been gone a long time. So has Buddy Holly. But good impersonators or tribute artists help us go back to that time and relive those great songs and sounds over and over again.

I'm not sure whether this new show is going to hurt or help the image that Impersonators have in the music industry, but I hope it opens some eyes to just how good some of these entertainers are. After all, they are all actors, some of them very good ones, who unfortunately will never win Oscars or Grammies but whose performances bring smiles to audiences everywhere. I for one, applaud their efforts.

So what about you? How do you feel about impersonators and tribute artists. Do you see them as second rate? Wannabes? Or as I do: folks who had all the talent in the world but for whatever reasons just haven't yet, or never did get that lucky break.

After all, it's well-known that it's easier to win a lottery than snag that coveted record deal or break into show business. Oh, the next episode of "The Next Big Thing" airs two weeks from last night. I'll be watching. Check out the linked website. You'll either laugh or cry. Just like on the Idol shows, they've put on the bad ones to tickle our funny bones.

Viga Boland is the webmistress of Entertainers Ontario and Idol Dreams. She also manages the Duo/Tribute Act of AndrewVictoria and welcomes any enquiries for their services as entertainers or tribute artists.