The Sing Off 2010 is just around the corner. The Sing Off starts Season 2 next Monday, December 6th at 8/7c! After the premiere, the competition continues with new episodes on the 8th, 13th and 15th, and a live finale on Monday, December 20th!

There’s no all girl a cappella groups on the Sing Off this year, and there’s a group of older gentleman, but I must admit that the look like they can sing. Should be fun!

Also, be sure to check out the Sing Off opening number video.

Tonight after the finale of Dancing with the Stars, ABC is doing the Premiere of Skating with the Stars. I think this is a smart play on ABC’s part, but I am kind of disappointed by the cast they’ve put together for Skating with the Stars. Check them out:
Rebecca Budig
Actress

Bethenny Frankel
Real Housewives Reality Actress

Jonny Moseley
Olympic Gold Medal Skier

Vince Neil
Mötley Crüe Band Member

Brandon Mychal Smith
Actor

Sean Young
Actress

Plus, this description of Skating with the Stars describes the real problem with this show and why I don’t think it will do all that well:

Of course, it’s not like any of the professionals can complain much. U.S. figure skating has produced excellent, legendary skaters. Remember watching Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano dominate on the men’s side, a tradition followed by Evan Lysacek on his way to winning gold in 2010? Or the likes of Kristi Yamiguchi, Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski and Sara Hughes on the women’s team? Judging from the ratings the sport gets every four years, you probably do.

Well, how about Ethan Burgess, Fred Palascak and Denis Petukhov? Or Brooke Castile, Keauna McLaughlin and Jennifer Wester? Remember watching any of them perform in competition? Probably not. But those are your pros on “Skating With the Stars.” Of course, all six are excellent skaters, much like the professionals on “Dancing” are among the top dancers around.

The one thing the show has going for it is the judges, particularly if Johnny Weir also is in charge of wardrobe. Between him and Laurie Ann Gibson, the choreographer known in part for her work with Lady Gaga, I’d expect these skating routines to be heavy on the costumes and storylines, and light on the actual jumps.

Me, I’m most curious to watch Dick Button, the third judge. Button was an innovative skater who helped revolutionize the sport 60 years ago and has since become a legendary broadcaster as well. He could be great at this reality-show judging thing, or he could spend the entire two hours wondering what in the heck has happened to his sport that it’s now being used by these jokers for cheap winter ratings.

Of course, Dancing with the Stars wasn’t much to write home about in its first year either. It will be interesting to see how they do with Skating with the Stars. I predict Johnny Weir fans might be the key to the show surviving.

The Sing Off is returning to NBC on Monday December 6th at 8/7c. I’m interested to see what changes they’ve made to The Sing Off. The first season was good, but not great. I think they could do a lot more with it, but I guess we’ll see what they’re able to accomplish.

One new thing I know they’re planning is a big opening number. I know since I got this preview video of the opening number on The Sing Off Season 2:

Now for the list of bios for the singing groups that will be on the second season of the Sing Off:

The Backbeats – Los Angeles, CA
Composed of the best a capella singers from University of Southern California andUniversity of California Los Angeles, the group of twenty-something’s incorporates theirdisparate styles and tastes into one synthesized sound fused together by their love of Pop,R&B and Soul. Backbeat has a fresh, original approach to popular music with that oldschool spirit.

Eleventh Hour – Kettering, Ohio
Recognized as one of the nation’s top high school a cappella groups, their studiorecordings have been featured on Best of High School A Cappella and have won twoContemporary A Cappella Recording Academy awards. Eleventh Hour has opened forLeAnn Rimes, The Beach Boys and sang backup for Kenny Loggins. Their youth andenergy combine with musicianship that is beyond their years.

Pitch Slapped – Boston, Massachusetts
Founded in 2006, the group of students from Berklee College of Music has wonnumerous International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella awards, includingtheir recent triumph of 2nd place overall. Pitch Slapped offers a distinctive sound andinfectious energy, with a unique grasp on a cappella and have a sense of musicality that isapparent in their arrangements, solos, and overall sound.

Groove For Thought – Seattle, Washington
Since the group’s inception in 1998, Groove For Thought brings their unique brandof jazz and R&B infused tunes to festival, concert, school, and nightclub audiencesthroughout the United States and abroad. The group won the National HarmonySweepstakes Championship in 2005 and the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awardfor Best Jazz Song in 2006.

Men of Note – Cherry Hill, New Jersey
This all-male group of eight is comprised of Cherry Hill High School West alumni,where the group was first founded. The three-time winners of the Best Of High School ACapella competition, the group has the perfect mix of originality and diversity.

Street Corner Symphony – Nashville, Tennessee
Formed in May of 2010, the group of six contains two sets of siblings. All from theSoutheast U.S., the members bring a unique laid back southern soul to the group. StreetCorner Symphony offers a diverse repertoire, while maintaining their rich heritage ingospel music.

On The Rocks – Eugene, Oregon
Students at University of Oregon founded the all-male group in 1999. The group has hadgreat viral success with videos featured on various websites, with more than 6.5 millionviews of their popular rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” On The Rocks is agroup that strives to entertain audiences of all ages while maintaining a strong emphasison musicality.

Committed – Huntsville, Alabama
This all-male group was founded in 2003 by four high school students at Forest LakeAcademy. The group stayed together as they progressed to Oakwood University inHuntsville, Alabama where they continued to perform together. Committed is dedicatedto creating unique harmonies with powerful lead vocals, soaring harmonies, and abooming bass line.

Jerry Lawson & Talk of The Town – Oakland, California
Jerry Lawson, a member of The Persuasions for 40 years was joined together with Talkof The Town when they were both hired to perform at a wedding in 2001. The grouphas since performed with Rod Stewart on the Katrina Benefit, Nickelodeon’s NogginNetwork on “Jack’s Big Music Show” and they continue performing at private parties in-between all of their other musical projects.

The Whiffenpoofs of Yale – New Haven, Connecticut
Comprised of 14 senior Yale men, the “Whiffs” were founded in 1909 and are theworld’s oldest collegiate a cappella group. What began as a quartet has grown into agroup of international acclaim with a world tour that spans three months and featuresdozens of foreign destinations. Their repertoire incorporates modern hits as well asclassics as old as the group itself.

It’s official! You can now download the Beatles on iTunes. They’ve been a long standing hold out from iTunes, but are finally available for download on iTunes. I wonder what kind of sweet deal the Beatles negotiated with iTunes to make this happen.

Either way, I wonder if this could mean we’ll get to have more Beatles songs on TV. I’ve been posting music from TV shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance for a lot of years now and I really can’t remember many if any Beatles songs being used on these shows.