**UNINTENDED SPOILERS**
Sometimes it's actually great to be wrong about something, and this is one of those times. In my review of "Freak the Freak Out," I was concerned that after this the season might go downhill. I'm so glad it didn't. There's no doubt that Leon Thomas III is a talented singer/songwriter as well as an actor, and I knew this as far back as his guest appearance on iCarly. Others knew this as far back as "August Rush," a movie I still haven't seen.
Improv teacher Erwin Sikowitz, approaches Tori, Beck, Jade, Cat, Robbie, and Andre at the end of class, hiring them to replace a kiddie band to perform for the son of a rich friend from college at his fourth birthday party. Apparently the band who was supposed to play there had a private jet that crashed in the mountains, an incident you'd think would devastate pre-schoolers throughout the world. So, the kids have to take their place, and try to write a song, come up with goofy costumes, etc. Meanwhile Andre is on the verge of getting a contract from a record label, and is convinced it's a sure deal. But they still have to do that gig for the son of that hotel chain mogul. Upon showtime, Sikowitz announces that they have somebody to replace the old band. Desperate for a name, he chooses "The Diddly-Bops," something that the group takes in stride. Believe it or not, the song is actually quite catchy, even if you aren't too young for grade school. Plus, the scorn on Jade's face after singing her line in the song is just priceless.
All the kids think they can put the whole incident behind them until Lane approaches Tori & Jade with his little nephew for their autograph, when they find that the gig was being video-recorded on a cell phone and posted on the internet. Almost everybody is embarrassed by this gig, but it's worse for Andre, because the record company who was ready to get him to sign a contract saw that video, and turned him down. Everybody tries to keep his spirits up and Tori gives him some advice on how to get around his dilemma. Once he does, she loves his new version of the song, and promises to beg the record company to give him a second chance. Finally, Andre gets to perform the song on a balcony at the school with Tori as a backup singer, and it's as heartwarming, if not moreso than "You're the Reason" from "The Birthweek Song."
Perhaps the biggest surprise about the song is that it wasn't written by any of the musical staff at Schneider's Bakery, and in fact was written by Leon Thomas himself when he was 14 years old. It helps to think of the kiddie-version as dummy lyrics for the legitimate one. The song was probably good enough even before Victoria sang back-up on it, but with Justice in the background it was made even better. Had this been sung by Victoria alone, it could've qualified as the next great Victoria Justice song, but alas, it doesn't qualify for that title. Music and other incidents like this is just further evidence of the greatness of the series.
Sometimes it's actually great to be wrong about something, and this is one of those times. In my review of "Freak the Freak Out," I was concerned that after this the season might go downhill. I'm so glad it didn't. There's no doubt that Leon Thomas III is a talented singer/songwriter as well as an actor, and I knew this as far back as his guest appearance on iCarly. Others knew this as far back as "August Rush," a movie I still haven't seen.
Improv teacher Erwin Sikowitz, approaches Tori, Beck, Jade, Cat, Robbie, and Andre at the end of class, hiring them to replace a kiddie band to perform for the son of a rich friend from college at his fourth birthday party. Apparently the band who was supposed to play there had a private jet that crashed in the mountains, an incident you'd think would devastate pre-schoolers throughout the world. So, the kids have to take their place, and try to write a song, come up with goofy costumes, etc. Meanwhile Andre is on the verge of getting a contract from a record label, and is convinced it's a sure deal. But they still have to do that gig for the son of that hotel chain mogul. Upon showtime, Sikowitz announces that they have somebody to replace the old band. Desperate for a name, he chooses "The Diddly-Bops," something that the group takes in stride. Believe it or not, the song is actually quite catchy, even if you aren't too young for grade school. Plus, the scorn on Jade's face after singing her line in the song is just priceless.
All the kids think they can put the whole incident behind them until Lane approaches Tori & Jade with his little nephew for their autograph, when they find that the gig was being video-recorded on a cell phone and posted on the internet. Almost everybody is embarrassed by this gig, but it's worse for Andre, because the record company who was ready to get him to sign a contract saw that video, and turned him down. Everybody tries to keep his spirits up and Tori gives him some advice on how to get around his dilemma. Once he does, she loves his new version of the song, and promises to beg the record company to give him a second chance. Finally, Andre gets to perform the song on a balcony at the school with Tori as a backup singer, and it's as heartwarming, if not moreso than "You're the Reason" from "The Birthweek Song."
Perhaps the biggest surprise about the song is that it wasn't written by any of the musical staff at Schneider's Bakery, and in fact was written by Leon Thomas himself when he was 14 years old. It helps to think of the kiddie-version as dummy lyrics for the legitimate one. The song was probably good enough even before Victoria sang back-up on it, but with Justice in the background it was made even better. Had this been sung by Victoria alone, it could've qualified as the next great Victoria Justice song, but alas, it doesn't qualify for that title. Music and other incidents like this is just further evidence of the greatness of the series.
