Hit Me Baby, One More Time

The lineup for tonight's episode of Hit Me Baby, One More Time underwhelms me.

Greg Kihn - "The Breakup Song" (covering Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams")

Why isn't he singing Jeopardy, which was a bigger hit? The Breakup Song hit #15 on the pop charts; Jeopardy made it it to #2. This show is a sham! Moreso because the right artist rarely wins. Anyway, I feel like hearing Jeopardy. If you've got Greg Kihn there, you have him sing Jeopardy. Maybe he refused, because everyone always wants him to sing it everywhere he goes and he's sick of it.

Thelma Houston - "Don't Leave Me This Way" (covering, according to Houston, "a ballad" by Alicia Keyes. Might it be... Fallin'? Wasn't that song banned from American Idol? I guess that's no protection from having to hear it covered elsewhere. Good original song though.

Glass Tiger - "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (covering Vertical Horizon's "Everything You Want")

Club Nouveau - "Lean On Me" (update: covering Dido's Thank You)

Billy Vera - "At This Moment" (cover not revealed)

KROQ's entertainment news reported this morning that Rick Springfield and Deborah (a.k.a. Debbie) Gibson have turned down offers to appear on Hit Me Baby, One More Time. The Deborah Gibson story at least is a bit old, and neither are surprising. Still, I don't think the well will run dry too soon on artists willing to appear on this show. There are too many artists who have had at least one "hit" and would like a bit of publicity. If need be, the producers can always be flexible on their definition of "hit."

This show is the TV/musical equivalent of a Cheeto ... it isn't just cheesy. It's so lightweight that it's almost lighter-than-air. It's also about as phony and artificial as a Cheeto. They evoke an eerily similar array of emotional reactions: pleasure, nostalgia, the desire to stop, feeling helpless to stop, uneasiness, guilt, and a feeling of uncleanliness.