SORRY, CHARLEY (Items on Nashville Star, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Dwight Yoakam, Randy Travis, Sara Evans, Bucky Covington)

"Nashville Star" season six premiere: the day after.
The show was NBC's lowest-rated reality premiere in two years, but up 214% over last year's bow on USA. At the same time, with 6.6 million viewers, on average, it delivered the Peacock's biggest audience in the time slot outside the regular season and a 10% improvement in the 18-49 demo (that networks worship) for the time period over last summer.
The move from cable to network at least made things a lot flashier, sez this scribe.
Here's a dandy blow-by-blow, performer-by-performer, recap from last night, if ya missed it, from SheKnows.com.
If you're reading this, you're no doubt a country fan, but even those in the "non-" category can dig "Star," mainly because "the show's producers have obviously studied the "American Idol" concept and deleted what doesn't work." (My favorite deletion, personally...Seacrest out). But can "Star" actually compete with "Idol?" Nah, but it won't try to.
Meanwhile, "one of the biggest differences (between the two shows) is that "Nashville Star" contestants seem to have a passion about music; "American Idol" contestants are passionate about stardom, in most cases singing, and rarely in music as an art form."
Billy Ray Cyrus "did a decent job in his first time as the host of the show." Jewel and John Rich were up to the plate, worrying about the pitch.
BTW, did you know that "Star" shows "that country music has personality and diversity, and is not just twang and songs about your dog." (With many apologies to Ol' Red).
And finally, "the talent of these first twelve contestants that made it to the show range from mediocre to definite star quality." The first axe fell on Charley Jenkins...the premiere was the only time the judges' opinion mattered...and did they like it, did they love it? Not so much. Jewel to Charley: "I just don’t buy it." John Rich: “I like your voice a lot, when you’re not running around like you’re a Garth Brooks impersonator in Las Vegas.” (John actually wanted to dump Alyson Gilbert)...and Jeffrey Steele “You’ve got a voice there, but I hate it, I hate it, I won’t no more of it.”
But for the Charley faithful, there's this...and this.

Picture to Film: Not only did Taylor Swift appear with Billy Ray on "Star" last night, but she's also on Miley's list; She's the latest addition to "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

Shocker!: Who else will be in "HM: TM?" Miley's pappy, that's who (as he informed the crowd at the CMA Music Festival closing Sunday night). Then he launched into "Ready, Set, Don't Go" and introduced his daughter...um,...Brandi,...on to the stage.
Actually, I wish I'd been there...
If only for Dwight Yoakam's set, which built a bridge between Bakersfield and Nashville...and Memphis...and a brief set by Randy that included "Forever and Ever, Amen" (only one of the greatest songs ever)...Sara Evans pulling a Cheap Trick...and...and...um,...Bucky Covington tackling Pink Floyd.