The apprentice, except for rock writers. No, really.

And maybe if that happened, it might even hire/feature good people and not be a talking head clipshow?

it's been tried. vh1's "four on the floor," mid-1990s, featuring occasional ILM poster j.d. considine, amy linden, and others. it quickly became apparent, however, that rock critics debating the aesthetics of pop records is somewhat less interesting television than sportswriters debating baseball lineups.

but for what it's worth, "four on the floor" also proved that amy linden is pretty damn smart and pretty damn funny.

too bad she had nothing to say about the yankees or the knicks.

also is there any job they can't raffle off in a reality show?

You obviously don't have cable. There's sports argument about everything under the sun littering a significant stretch of it.

Rock Critics are all too ugly for tee vee

You've not watched INXS in primetime, or American Chopper or any of the Monster Garage and Monster Machine and American Bounty Hunter series?

I'd watch in a second. Young state college educated sissies compelled to chase brainless rockstars around the country for pattycake interviews no one will give a shit about minutes after they show up in the Google news tab. And they get to be ridiculed and insulted as part of the process. Part of it could require they do blogs too, and report their hits per day for every episode, with extra scorn reserved for those on the bottom of the numerical totem pole.

Boy, it should even risk lawsuit by calling itself "Almost Famous" or "Being Lester."

while it's improbable (i didn't have cable during the mid-nineties), it's not impossible - i guess if the show itself somehow combined knowledgeable people in an of accessible coolness, not the alleged snobbery that's the hallmark of people in and around music, then it might work.

attractive, reasonable and funny people would be among my likely candidates - it could be a hit! how much snark can be squeezed into a reality show?

xpost to yuengling - here's one: who wants to be a non-union janitor?! but even that would probably draw an audience.

Another dolt with no grip on reality joins the discussion.

- it could be a hit! how much snark can be squeezed into a reality show?

Not nearly as much as there should be. For reality shows -- which deal in the sale of contempt -- American models on it are remarkably riddled with hypocrisy.

Rolling Stone Editor: Furries?!? What the hell, kid?! This isn't the internet. What do you have, candidate number 2?

Candidate 2: I wrote an article on how the White Stripes are bringing "real rock" back into the mainstream. Oh, and another on how Britney Spear's breasts have changed throughout her pregnancy. It completely disproves the idea that she ever had implants.

Rolling Stone Editor: Wow, you've got spunk, kid! I like that in a young writer. You're moving on to round two.

TUNE IN TO MTV NEXT WEEK AS THE CONTESTANTS SPEND A WEEK LIVING WITH JESSICA SIMPSON.

Geeks are people who bite the heads of chickens. Rock critics aren't authentic geeks. But Sterling has put forward a marvelous idea! I'm totally supportive of music journalists in proximity with supermodels, or even faux supermodels, or even the kinds of dames they have on INXS: Rockstar!

And since lots of music journalists are now elderly, the entertainment and psychic revivification value is considerable.

My family originated in Pottsville! Yuengling and John O'Hara! Coal Crackers rule!

Meanwhile, get in the spirit! This can be as vapid or as interesting as we imagine it to be!

How about open nominations? Provide a list of candidates, no rationale necessary.

I was gonna say!

wait, so you mean that people dont care to argue about music? i guess that means all the bickering on ILM was just a ruse and we live in a shiny happy world where we all hold hands and sing?

http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/SEC/34th+Street%3E%3EMusic

Also, I bet my friend at Rolling Stone who interned there for a year before getting hired is gonna be real pleased about this.

xpost "Go back to your blog, lameass!"

a) give all of his reviews in the form of a freestyle rap
b) hilariously actually be more "white" than a white guy on the show, who gives all of his reviews in the form of etc etc etc

There seem to be widely-agreed-upon preconceptions of what "works" in the business world. Less so in rock journalism, or at least less so in a way that translates to a wide audience.

Ideally, of course, it would be basically "America's Next Top Model."

what would be awesome though would be a subediting immunity challenge on comma and semicolon usage and another one where you have to guess within ten seconds which article is closest to count without going over.

Dave Navarro! He's oilier than any fledgling rock critic could be. And he can say, repeatedly, "Dude, that was so dope!" And there would be an arbitrary rule that he absolutely could not be cut or dismissed.

If Dave Navarro couldn't make it for contractual reasons, Dave Grohl!

Heck, roundup all the semi-famous rockers the New York Sunday Times has employed to contribute lists of current favorites over the past two years. Alternatively, Neal Pollack. One of him makes up for all the rest. Or Mim Udovich or whoever it was that reviewed the last Bowie album for the Times and who went on for grafs and grafs about how it was his return to the days of glam roar and "Sufragette City."

Chuck Klosterman
J.D. Considine
Phil Sheridan
John Mayer
the reviews editor from Blender whose name escapes me now

http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/04/20/wenner/wenner.jpg

THE CHANGE HAS COME, YOU'RE UNDER MY THUMB!

now, what would the "you're fired!"-type line be for this show?

http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/04/20/wenner/wenner.jpg

THE CHANGE HAS COME, YOU'RE UNDER MY THUMB!

now, what would the "you're fired!"-type line be for this show?

http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/04/20/wenner/wenner.jpg

THE CHANGE HAS COME, YOU'RE UNDER MY THUMB!

This time? I was under the impression that editor and publisher of Rolling Stone was a paid position.

i'm just saying i think there's a bigger tv audience for arguments about terrell owens or barry bonds than there is for arguments about beyonce or coldplay.

otherwise, i seem to have been misunderstood on this thread. i think:

a) this show is potentially amazing and potentially quite popular if done right. (and the "you're fired" tagline should be "you're fucked." or maybe "you're soooo fucked.")

b) i think vh1's "four on the floor" was of huge interest to exactly 637 music geeks, 512 of whom regularly post to ILM.

c) i like those espn debates about terrell owens.

Pardon the Interruption >>>> Around the Horn!

*jerks thumb towards door*

The accompanying interviews, where the writing hopefuls say "for our reward for writing the most incendiary Modest Mouse review, we went to JIM DEROGATIS' house today, and I learned SO MUCH about writing -- it was SUCH a great experience to be able to talk about music with him while eating Pringles, it's something that I'll NEVER forget!" will take all of the fun out of it.

*As the winner of our informal tagline pool.