Clique Girlz Vie For The All-Important “Women 35-85” Demographic

Kate Richardson | June 18, 2008 12:45 pm

clique%20girlz2.png
The most interesting thing about hyper-marketed teen groups like Clique Girlz is the often spectacularly lame publicity machines they’re saddled with, which succeed in gaining them exposure but fumble in other ways, like throwing them out to entirely age-inappropriate audiences. (JoJo’s performance at the 2000 Republican National Convention is but one example.) Yesterday, the Clique Girlz’ journey toward middling success and a disappointing late adolescence resulted in one such appearance: The credit-crazy singing group hit the stage of NBC’s Today, because there’s no better way to reel in the 10-15 demographic than a song or two on an early-morning program geared toward rich, middle-aged housewives.

I’m glad this video includes the uncomfortable intro banter. I believe Al Roker hits the nail on the head when he proclaims, “It’s like Hannah Montana times three!” Three times the Autotune, three times the vapidness, three times the crushing depression. Good call, Al!

Probably my favorite part of the whole video is the ten-second pre-commercial shot (starting at :38) of the girls on set with their bedazzled microphone stands waving, posing, and smiling painfully for the camera. It’s just so overwhelmingly contrived and uncomfortable. It seems as if there’s someone–perhaps a shrill New Jersey stage mom?–standing just off stage, whisper-yelling “Keep smiling girls! Now put your hands on your hips! Wave! Smile!”

As for the performance itself, they at least appear to be actually singing, though I have my doubts about certain portions of the chorus, which sound as if they’re being piped in from an Alvin and the Chipmunks concert inside of a helium balloon. And I wonder why they chose the boring quasi-Christian song instead of the slightly-less-boring mainstream single.

Curmudgeonly tangent: I’m the last person on earth to interrupt someone mid-sentence to correct them on their “I/me” subject/object mistakes–it’s rude and unnecessary–but can someone please take the blond one (haha) aside for about three minutes and teach her proper pronoun usage? Her banter with Ann Curry is littered with incorrect uses of “me” (“Me and Paris are sisters,” “Me and Ariel met in school,” “Me and Paris were doing a duet”). Not that every other 14-year-old in the world doesn’t constantly make the same mistake, but then again, not every other 14-year-old in the world is groomed within an inch of her life to appear on live national television. The least she could do is not talk like a caveman.

Tags: