Whatcha Say: Britney Spears And Carrie Underwood In ‘The Sound Of Music’ Got Our Readers Talking

Bradley Stern | December 6, 2013 5:30 pm

Did you feel that festive feeling this week? The Christmas season is truly upon us — and now that Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson and Leona Lewis serenaded us at the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Ceremony, it’s really official.

But the pop releases haven’t stopped just yet! Our beloved ringleader Britney Spears released her eighth studio album Britney Jean, her Most Personal Album Ever, while we saw new releases from the likes of Justin Bieber. Lana Del Rey dropped her long-awaited, gorgeously shot mini-film Tropico. And, we at Idolator started taking a look back at 2013 with our favorite albums list. Did your favorites make the cut too? If not — don’t worry, we’ve got a readers poll going too! And, we even got some of our faves to weigh in on their faves, starting with Tegan & Sara.

And finally, Idol alum Carrie Underwood pulled off the (near) impossible with a live staging of The Sound Of Music on NBC. It was a ratings smash — but did you like it? As always, you guys had plenty to say about this week’s pop happenings.

:: Pushindazees did not care for Carrie Underwood’s performance on the live ‘Sound Of Music’ special on Carrie Underwood’s ‘Sound Of Music’ Star Turn: Review Revue: Carrie Underwood can sing but thats the end of her talent. She has never been able to act her way out of a box, not even as a presenter at red carpet functions, so whoever had the brilliant idea of putting her in a live action stage play should have their head examined, as should anyone who went along with it.”

:: Rob G. found new appreciation for the original: “Have to give Carrie Underwood an award for bravery and her vocals were good. But this production made me appreciate even more what amazing actors Julie Andrews and Chris Plummer are and how really good the movie version is. They clearly provided much more spark and chemistry than was evident last night, I will admit that a movie has a lot of resources to make showbiz magic, but I have been to enough sizzling musical theater productions to realize that this show just didn’t quite work. There were bright spots: Laura Benanti, Audra McDonald, and Ariane Rinehart were all captivating. Most of the rest of the show seemed forced, wooden, and awkward and made me uncomfortable too often. A for effort, B for execution, but C- for dramatic impact.”

:: But Sandy came to Carrie’s defense: “All the big media critics of Carrie Underwood should be ashamed of yourselves. You just didn’t get her natural innocence. If you think there wasn’t enough charisma in her romance with the Captain, remember it takes two to tango. And she was marvelous with the children. Come on folks. I am sure Julie Andrews would sincerely laud her LIVE performance!”

:: Justin S. found our review of Britney Jean troubling on Britney Spears’ ‘Britney Jean’: Album Review: “I find it injustice that this site, which emphasizes on pop/diva music gave Britney a 2.5 out of 5. I’ve read at least 10 other reviews from larger publications that all gave “BJ” a rather positive review. Even RollingStone, which emphasis is more classic rock gave this a 3.5 out of 5 and claimed ‘Miley, Katy, Gaga and more elbowing for room on the dance floor, Britney remains the queen who out-bangs, out-booms, out-bizarres them all.'”

:: mike didn’t take too kindly to idea of liking Britney Jean just because some major reviewers liked it: “Are we all supposed to just think whatever big publications think? It is a bad album. Simple as that. ‘If people seem to like it, then it has to be good.’ Are you saying that LMFAO make really great music then? And is Pitbull a credible artist because he’s a popular artist? Not to mention it’s clear people don’t like Britney Jean’s music in this case as the singles aren’t selling well and it’s gotten many bad reviews.”

:: And POR pointed a finger of blame will.i.am‘s way: “of course Will.i.am was bsing. this album sounds most likely what he does with his own music, instead of britney’s. and let’s take a step back, isn’t it kind of his job to direct the sound as a whole, as an executive producer? either way he is responsible.”

:: When news came of Brit Brit’s sales numbers, drew was unsurprised on ‘Britney Jean’ On Track For 115,000+ First Week Sales Tally, Unlikely To Debut At Number One: “Not surprised. The album was garbage. It could have come out in 2011 and would still have sounded dated. They need to seriously update the “Britney Spears” vocal hardware, too.”

:: After Tamar Braxton dropped her video for “All The Way Home,” stanhope had mixed feelings on Tamar Braxton Sizzles In Emotional “All The Way Home” Video: Watch“: “The song is TREMENDOUS. The video isn’t up to the song. I know Vince is your husband, but he isn’t believable in this context. Hire a model. Also the exaggerated gestures cheapen the lyrics. I understand you got it like that but Toni would have downplayed all of that in favor of the song. That said, I love the song…reissue the video.”

:: While Katie N. fully supported Tamar’s journey: “Love it Tamar!! Keep up the great work. You know who you are and I’m sure the powers to be around you and you know what worked and didn’t work and make the necessary changes. That’s all part of living, learning and adjusting.”

:: And when it came time to watching the divas perform for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Sean had one simple assessment of the event on Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis & Ariana Grande Kick Off Christmas At The Rockefeller Center: “No one can touch Mariah. Especially during the holidays.”

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.