We can credit Fox’s Glee and the feel-good movie Pitch Perfect with making a cappella extra cool in recent years.
Glee fudges the a cappella element, however. There always seem to be anonymous student musicians around to accompany the kids when they break into song.
And there’s that ubiquitous quiet fellow at the piano in the choir room. For the record, his name is Brad Ellis (also his character’s name) and he’s an accomplished musician.
By definition, “a cappella” means “in the manner of the chapel” in Italian. That means without instrumental accompaniment. When done skillfully, a good a cappella choir, with its harmonies and instrumental emulation, can be remarkable, even inspiring.
A cappella groups - from Acafellaz to The Whiffenpoofs - also thrive on college campuses.
It was the all-girl Bellas at fictional Barden University that made 2012’s Pitch Perfect so entertaining. Their rivals, the school’s all-male group, The Treblemakers, were equally talented.
The movie also started the “Cup Song” craze thanks to Beca Mitchell’s (Anna Kendrick) cup-thumping audition.
That harmonious spirit of competition returns to the two-hour Season 4 premiere of The Sing-Off at 8 p.m. Monday on NBC. Ten a cappella groups vie for the top prize of $100,000 and a Sony Music recording contract.
That’ll buy a lot of pitch pipes.
Nick Lachey returns as host, as do celebrity judges Jewel, Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman.
There will be seven episodes this season, with the two-hour finale set for 7 p.m. Dec. 23. Here are the competitors.
Acoustikats (Lexington, Ky.): The pride of the University of Kentucky.
Calle Sol (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico): The six professional musicians have been together for only a few months.
Element (New York): The all-female group brings a “New York attitude” to the stage.
The Filharmonic (Los Angeles): All-male Filipino singers specialize in ’90s R&B.
Home Free (Minneapolis): This all-male group has already been on the road touring.
The Princeton Footnotes (Princeton, N.J.): A 50-year-old tradition is holding strong with this classically trained Ivy League group.
Street Corner Renaissance (Los Angeles): This older doo-wop group strives to pay homage to the classic sound.
Ten (Dallas): These eclectic artists have a gospel influence.
Vocal Rush (Oakland, Calif.): The youngest group has won the high school a cappella groups’ international championship two years in a row.
Voiceplay (Orlando, Fla.): Three pop-inspired best friends added three more (plus a female) to the group and toured the country.
New twist this season: The bottom two groups, as decided by the judges at the end of each episode, will face off. At the end of the night, one group will be eliminated.
Your daily Yule. If you’re trying to watch at least one Christmas movie a day, make it Holidaze at 7 p.m. on ABC Family.
Holidaze stars Jennie Garth (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Cameron Mathison (AllMy Children) and proves you can go home again.
Added bonus: Mary Kay Place (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; Big Love) also stars.
The film has everything you’ve come to expect from a holiday offering. Garth plays Melody Gerard, a high-powered corporate workaholic who wants to spend the holidays jet-setting with her girlfriends.
Then her boss sends her back to her sleepy hometown to convince the locals to allow his company to build a mega discount store there.The locals are vehemently opposed to that idea.
Melody is forced to reconnect with her family and her childhood sweetie Carter McClure (Mathison). This is when things get weird.
Desperate to get back to her “real” life, Melody takes a fall and wakes up in an alternate universe where she never left home and is married to Carter.
I won’t spoil it for you, but you can guess the ending.
Christmas special. For those with access to the UP Network, K-LOVE Music City Christmas airs at 7 p.m. Monday.
Hosted by Candace Cameron Bure (Full House), the special features performances by top contemporary Christian artists, including Kari Jobe, Tenth Avenue North, Crowder, Newsboys, King & Country, Toby Mac, Brandon Heath, Matthew West, Mandisa and Colton Dixon.
UP, which bills itself as “America’s favorite television channel for uplifting music and family entertainment,” is available on Dish Network (Channel 188), DirectTV (Channel 338) and Comcast Channels 189 and 1435.
Check UPtv.com to plug in your ZIP code to see whether UP is available from your provider.
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Style, Pages 44 on 12/08/2013