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By J. MATTHEW COBB JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT the buzz from American Idol would stop at the doorsteps of the gospel community.
Sunday Best, the new and popular program in the fall lineup of BET's new shows, is focused on digging up the popular reality-TV show American Idol’s achievements and shift things towards the soulful heart of gospel music. It’s not the first time gospel has been put on blast with a reality TV show. Gifted, a TBN creation hosted by former Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell, aimed for the Christian contemporary pop audience and started a buzz. Gospel Dream, the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship’s spiritual solution to American Idol, popped up on the scene a few years ago and even made landfall on the Gospel Music Channel with a new look and focus on expanding the base to incorporate other styles of gospel-influenced music. But BET’s response to the big question - “Can gospel have its own American Idol competiton?” - is a hefty, hearty, chunky, in-your-face gospel attack that should make black America proud. Well, somewhat proud. Sunday Best is already earning a reputation for bearing strong resemblances like the rest of BET’s long list of ghetto-fab shows like Comic View, 106 & Park, College Hill Interns and Hell Date. Hosted by gospel wonderboy Kirk Franklin, the show uses the glitz and glow of American Idol and twists it into a thirty-minute pre-recorded show. Of course a show of this caliber should never forsake the infamous American Idol judge line-up idea and appropriately fills in those slots with a panel of judges features BeBe Winans along with Tina and Erica Campbell of the popular gospel duo Mary Mary. The quest - to find the next gospel superstar. "'SUNDAY BEST' is our opportunity to celebrate our own," said host Kirk Franklin. "The phrase that the best talent is from the church can no longer be an opinion. It must now be a reality." Thus far, the contestants have stretched across the normal images one associates with your every-day gospel sound. There’s a little bit of churchy, hip-hop and a big dose of country-ghetto. During the audition rounds held in different locations such as Chicago and Atlanta, tons of contestants ran through their versions of “Why We Sing”, “I Need You Now” and even Martha Munizzi’s “Glorious.” But the show’s main attractions have recently shifted towards the elimination rounds and have helped picked up the momentum in helping the show become one of BET’s wild cards. Kenya Glover’s interpretation of Mary Mary’s “Can’t Give Up Now” was interestingly different - surprising to know she remains in the tense competition for such a weak performance. Her Mary J. Blige-styled gritty vocals have won the favor of the judges but none of that can escape the idea that the “sympathy card” goes a long way. Shari Addison’s performance of “You Brought The Sunshine” was unbelievably the winner of the bunch with her big, mature gospel sound and commanding energy. Later on during the show’s season, guest celebrity singers will work with the up-and-coming talent as they take their praise to the next level in the competition. Viewers will be able to text message votes to their favorite singer; hoping to determine the winner of the show. Towards the end of the season, the final five episodes will air live - giving the show the same run of excitement American Idol owns. Of course, the question rises - “Is this another way to cash in on the the popularity of American Idol?” Of course, it is very obvious Sunday Best is the black and gospel community responding to a atomic cultural phenomenon like Idol. In fact, a press release stated that one of the “original producers” of Idol is overseeing this project. With the wide array of other Christian based reality TV shows like Gifted and Gospel Dream on the market, Sunday Best is trying to stick out from the crowd as the clear winner of the other competitions. It is clear in its revealed nature that it is looking for the next gospel star, but the bigger question one may just ask after watching these kind of shows is...should gospel music be jumping into the Idol competition anyway? A concerned blogger responded, "I do not like the competiton element in ministry, but I do recognize that people have to hear feedback on what they present. My prayer is that the judges will not be a Christian off-shoot to American Idol, and that people will not be embarassed or humiliated." BeBe Winans, responding to critics, answered by focusing on the heart and passion of the show. "'SUNDAY BEST' is a visual avenue for opening doors to up and coming artists who would otherwise not be seen. And what we plan to do is find the next trailblazer through BET's 'SUNDAY BEST.'" As for the winner’s prizes, some may think the honors feel kinda sketchy. A recording contract with an undisclosed label, a 2008 Toyota Camry and a $300,000 Tide “Loads of Hope” prize package to go to the winner’s church and community are the mentioned perks in the Sunday Best winner’s package. While the winner won’t be running their way to the bank with shouts of joy in the beginning, the exposure on such a show may just be their one-way ticket to fame. Sunday Best airs on Black Entertainment Television (BET) on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). OTHER VALUABLE RESOURCES TO LOOK INTO:
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