Recently we witnessed the culmination of Rockstar: INXS. Their final choice was J.D. Fortune, who actually cried when he was announced as the winner. I don't know how rock that was, but There are a few questions to address here. Firstly, did they make the right choice? What now becomes of Marty Casey? Was anyone else pulling for Mig Ayesa? Let's go to the videotape.

Alright, so in the last episode the final three pictured at left were competing for the crown. The first one of them to get eliminated was Mig, and I think this was a difficult decision, although a necessary one. He was the most animated of the three, and if you're going to front a band, you really need stage presence. I think Marty lacks a great deal of that, and J.D. is somewhere in the middle. Mig also looked great in his weird outfits, and his name is synonymous with a Russian jet. That is completely rock. I think the deal breaker, though, was that Mig walks the fine line between Mick Jagger and David Bowie (the 80s version). That's a risk the band probably doesn't want to take. So instead they went with J.D., who does have a sufficiently rock name, and an edgy voice. He's good-looking, looks good in those ripped t-shirts and jeans, and I think makes a decent replacement for Michael Hutchence.

That is where, I believe, Marty got left behind. Don't get me wrong, Marty is a commendable musician. The song he wrote for the competition, "Trees," was an excellent song (honorable mention for J.D.'s) and he's got a great voice. He also seemed to get a handle on what it means to actually emote a song, and not just scream, and that's a big part of rock, too. So, why not Marty? I think he's just too big to be a frontman. Marty is the kind of guy that I could expect to get a backing band and go solo. The members of INXS apparently agreed, since they offered him an opportunity to open for them on their upcoming tour. But he would not do as well as a frontman because he will command the entire operation, from songwriting to singing to instrumentation. Let it be known, however, that he deserves his own contract, stat.

So, I guess that answers our three questions. Did the group make the right choice? Our answer is yes, but we'll make the final judgement when we see the tour. What will happen to Marty? I'm sure you'll see his solo album on shelves soon enough, and he'll be all the better for coming in second. And Mig? We love you, Mig, but they should have had this competition fifteen years ago, and you would have no doubt been the darling of the competition. And if there's ever a reunion competition of the New York Dolls, Mig should be the first person in line. Congratulations, J.D.