Nashville Star

Now in its fourth season, this American Idol imitator has discovered some good talent | Gene Edward Veith

Talent contests—from The Amateur Hour to The Gong Show—have been staples of radio and television programming from their earliest days. American Idol has put the talent show back into vogue, and one of its imitators is Nashville Star (Tuesdays, 10:00 p.m. ET, USA Network), which focuses on country music.

Nashville Star shows both the traditionalism and the commercialism of that genre. In one episode, a young woman does a rendition of the classic "I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," complete with yodeling. The judge in the Simon Cowell harsh-but-honest role, Music Row producer Anastasia Brown, chastises the singer for her song choice. "This is Nashville," she admonishes, as if Nashville is now too sophisticated for yodeling. But Wynonna Judd, the host of the show and a country singer who knows her roots, intervenes, acknowledging the contestant's tribute to Patsy Montana, the first female solo act in country music.