It is! Nicole "Pussycat Dolls" Whatsherface is sort of a waste as a judge, but Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman are good. And the groups were a lot of fun.

Sing-Off: I did watch the Sing-Off and it was so much fun! I am glad the Berklee group is off because that was a whole giant smear of white privilege entitlement if I've ever seen it. Which is a shame and makes me worry, because Berklee's a great music school and I sometimes recommend it to my students. Hmph.

The old school group made me all teary. And the gospel boys tore it up, even though I was wincing all the way up to it. Also liked: the jazz group, the Yale group in their white gloves but I was so glad Stockman called them on the "we invented it" bullshit and I was glad they took it well when he did.

It's on again Wednesday? What's the format? I don't understand. It somehow slipped entirely past my radar during its first season. But I really enjoyed this episode. So much fun.

I think it's a short run, so I guess it's on more than once a week? I'm not sure, Liese, but I had to make a note to watch it on Wednesday, because I wasn't expecting that.

I do think the Berklee group was really good, though. I was suprised they went home before the high schoolers, who are good but still pretty young and a little unpolished.

I think my favorite is Streetcorner Symphony.

It's also free streaming on the NBC website, so I am watching it right now! Though I should save it for when I am at work on Dec. 24 and bored off my ass.

I loved the Yale guys' taste for self-mockery. They totally knew that the show was going to play up the elite historical white-tie bent, and picked the funniest possible song and performance to send that up from the get-go. While *still* showcasing the classic Whiffenpoof style.

Oh, right, I got sidetracked, but I was going to put them as my third like group. I liked them a whole lot. But I don't know how long they'll go, because of the requirement for things to be so tight.

Agree that the critique is way good. Even specific harmonic stuff. So much fun for me to listen to.

I thought the high schoolers might go, but I think they're a draw. And I thought the frat boys would go before the Berklee group. I was also okay with the second elimination because they were the group I couldn't remember when I was thinking back through the five.

I can't wait for the old-school group to do "Mercy" next week.

The Whiffenpoofs were just ... boggling. But good, I guess. I was glad that Stockman questioned the "we invented it" stuff. Blech. I hope they're not in those tuxes every week, too.

liese,

they did this last year but it was closer to xmas then. It is a 3 week series. Check out last year's schedule:

[link]

I need to remember to watch this show! And here's former college a capella group member (at Oberlin? I forget) Linda Holmes on the show: [link]

And the gospel boys tore it up, even though I was wincing all the way up to it.

did someone employ gospel hand?

My friend Tami called me yesterday afternoon to chat and made me promise to tune in to The Sing-off last night, because she just knew I'd love it. She was right! Even the iffier performances were good at some point. I really loved about four or five of the groups, which is an excellent percentage on a show like this one.