PREVIEW | A gleeful battle of the choirs
December 15, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
Patti LaBelle used a fairly disturbing racial analogy to inspire choir members to sing better on NBC's weeklong competition show, "Clash of the Choirs."
"I said, 'Scream like a woman with a black man chasing you, trying to get your purse,' " LaBelle revealed in a telephone press conference.
But in LaBelle's choir of 20, she said, "I have more white than black. So I'm not prejudiced. I don't have no racial thing going through this."
Alrighty then.
"Clash of the Choirs" runs live four nights in a row, starting Monday. Five choirs compete to win charity money for hometown causes. Viewers phone in votes.
Each choir is run by a music star who assembled it. So LaBelle found people for her choir in her hometown of Philadelphia: Nick Lachey in Cincinnati; Michael Bolton in New Haven, Conn.; Kelly Rowland in Houston, and Blake Shelton in Oklahoma City.
The phone conference with LaBelle and Bolton was weirder than most, since LaBelle was on her mobile phone, shopping, and couldn't hear some questions.
"I'm in a store buying lamps. I'm in a lamp store, and everybody is talking. So I messed up. I didn't hear," she said. A few moments later: "Let me go in the -- can I use your bathroom, miss? I'm going in here. Oh. Somebody's in there. Oh gosh."
What in the world is going on with Patti LaBelle?
Anywho, each choir had to learn seven songs, a mix of pop, rock, country, gospel and a Christmas song.
I asked if, since there'll be a Christmas song, will there also be, say, a Jewish or Buddhist song. I was making a halfhearted serious point, but no one cared.
"I got kicked out of Hebrew School for betting on the dreidel," Bolton said, then added seriously, "Hanukkah would be done" by Monday.
"If you'd like to submit some Buddhist songs," executive producer Jason Raff said, "we'd be happy to ..."
OK, all right, already. Geez. But oh, according to Raff, there might be a Bon Jovi song. Oy-tastic.
At least there's no ageism in "Choirs." Bolton's group ranges from 20 to 77. Maybe that's why LaBelle was predicting victory in TV ads.
"I saw this [commercial] on last night," LaBelle said. "It was a piece where I said, 'I know I'm going to win.' Now, that's not good to say that, because suppose I don't win. I'm going to look like a fool."
Yeah. Probably.
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
Patti LaBelle used a fairly disturbing racial analogy to inspire choir members to sing better on NBC's weeklong competition show, "Clash of the Choirs."
"I said, 'Scream like a woman with a black man chasing you, trying to get your purse,' " LaBelle revealed in a telephone press conference.
But in LaBelle's choir of 20, she said, "I have more white than black. So I'm not prejudiced. I don't have no racial thing going through this."
Alrighty then.
"Clash of the Choirs" runs live four nights in a row, starting Monday. Five choirs compete to win charity money for hometown causes. Viewers phone in votes.
Each choir is run by a music star who assembled it. So LaBelle found people for her choir in her hometown of Philadelphia: Nick Lachey in Cincinnati; Michael Bolton in New Haven, Conn.; Kelly Rowland in Houston, and Blake Shelton in Oklahoma City.
The phone conference with LaBelle and Bolton was weirder than most, since LaBelle was on her mobile phone, shopping, and couldn't hear some questions.
"I'm in a store buying lamps. I'm in a lamp store, and everybody is talking. So I messed up. I didn't hear," she said. A few moments later: "Let me go in the -- can I use your bathroom, miss? I'm going in here. Oh. Somebody's in there. Oh gosh."
What in the world is going on with Patti LaBelle?
Anywho, each choir had to learn seven songs, a mix of pop, rock, country, gospel and a Christmas song.
I asked if, since there'll be a Christmas song, will there also be, say, a Jewish or Buddhist song. I was making a halfhearted serious point, but no one cared.
"I got kicked out of Hebrew School for betting on the dreidel," Bolton said, then added seriously, "Hanukkah would be done" by Monday.
"If you'd like to submit some Buddhist songs," executive producer Jason Raff said, "we'd be happy to ..."
OK, all right, already. Geez. But oh, according to Raff, there might be a Bon Jovi song. Oy-tastic.
At least there's no ageism in "Choirs." Bolton's group ranges from 20 to 77. Maybe that's why LaBelle was predicting victory in TV ads.
"I saw this [commercial] on last night," LaBelle said. "It was a piece where I said, 'I know I'm going to win.' Now, that's not good to say that, because suppose I don't win. I'm going to look like a fool."
Yeah. Probably.
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