Clash of the Choirs

The good news is this: All five choirs are talented, and a few -- particularly LaBelle's group of singers from Philadelphia -- are truly fantastic. More cynical viewers could easily deride the show's sappy message and cheesy song choices. But if you give it half a chance, you just might find yourself enjoying the music ... and getting misty-eyed in spite of yourself. Of course, it wouldn't be a televised singing competition without the usual reality show shenanigans, including a woman who comes to her audition dressed in a fluffy yellow chicken suit and a man with a jaw-dropping signature dance who refers to himself simply as "X." (Think "X"-crutiating.) But come on ... isn't that why we watch?

You have to wonder whether NBC could've coughed up more than $250,000 for the sake of a good cause, especially considering that the network offers a $1 million prize on its wildly successful game show Deal or No Deal. Yes, a quarter of a million dollars is a lot of money, but when you consider the staggering amounts of cash changing hands every day in the entertainment industry, it somehow seems like a sad little sum.