Star Search, March 12: Saving the Best for Last

Another night of Star Search and there is plenty of good news. First, there are only two more shows to go. Secondly, Arsenio seems to be running out of energy. He was damn near normal tonight. And the most surprising development of all, the performers on tonight's show were better than most.

The guest judge tonight was Kim Coles. My guest was my friend Karin. While Karin may not be a singer, she has been into reality TV for years. She truly is an expert.

In the Category of Junior Singer:

Both of these girls were talented and very natural. They didn't over-sing and were dressed appropriately. The audience loved them both. In fact, Molly won on a tie-breaker (internet vote). It was a hard one to call.

Young Dancers:

Two dance groups tonight. Both had similar, jazz acrobatic styles. 24-VII is made up of four males and one female. They had strange costumes and long scarves for props. I could see them in Las Vegas perhaps. 3D consists of three girls. I have a suspicion that they have been to a couple of cheerleader camps together. Their style is very reminiscent of the cheerleading you see nowadays. Back when Karin and I were cheerleaders you actually led cheers. But I digress. On the whole, Naomi Judd was very well behaved tonight. However, while judging 3D she did mention that she is a Double D. Naomi, leave it alone. Please.

The comedians:

Tonight was quite a change of pace. These two didn't have great material (Jeff did impressions, Sonya did dog barks and Archie and Edith Bunker) but they both had a nice stage presence. The audience loved them both. Actually this audience loved everyone. I think they were pleased with the new low key Arsenio.

Adult Singers finish it off:

Freedom sang the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Runnin'." It was an unusual choice but he was great. I loved it. Karin thought he was one of the best she's heard on any show. The song gave him a chance to show off his strong voice without doing all that extra stuff that most singers throw in these days. The audience loved him, the judges loved him. Tonight's Star Search was one big love fest. I felt bad for the other performer, Jessica. Although she was good, Freedom had just received a perfect score. The Internet vote added another 18 points, giving Freedom the highest score in this edition of Star Search. I have nothing bad to say about that.

Maybe everyone is just in a good mood because little Elizabeth Smart had been found safe earlier today. Star Search just seemed like a happy place tonight. Maybe Freedom got such high scores because it had been suggested that French fries be renamed Freedom fries (that is true). Something was definitely in the air!

This Friday night is the second semifinal round and next Wednesday is the finals. We're in the home stretch.

Kathy Taylor lives in California and can be reached at farbissiner@yahoo.com. In addition to her groundbreaking work in the field of reality TV, Kathy is an accomplished long distance swimmer and a singer (performing regularly with her partner Mary Moreno).

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