TV is the New Reading

It’s time for

‘Rediscovered’

to be re-obscured

About two decades ago, casting director Matt Casella discovered such talents as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling for various projects.

While he was polishing these raw talents, he was flinging others off into the inky shadows of obscurity, never to return.

Until last week, when no less a pair of celebrity siblings than Donny and Marie Osmond hosted a show called “Rediscovered.”

The show featured “before they were famous” tapes from celebrities Casella discovered, as well as from five people who also auditioned for him and went on to sell insurance and raise families and otherwise not be famous.

The show tracked them down and arranged a national network primetime venue for them. They sang tolerably well and at the end of the show, one of them was selected by the live audience to win $50,000 and open for Donny and Marie in Las Vegas.

It was Dion – Dion McIntosh, who sang “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder.

Well, this show aired a week ago, so no, he wouldn’t necessarily have become a household name as yet. But what a strange way to discover an opening act. You can just imagine the conversation:

“Say, Matt, when you were busy discovering all of these famous people two decades ago, were there any that for one reason or another just didn’t make the cut? ... Really! How exciting! ... I don’t suppose you’d have their names and addresses and their audition tapes lying around anywhere? ... Oh, what excellent luck! We must call them. I wonder if any of them would still like to appear on television in front of millions of people! I hope they’ve kept their not-par singing, acting and stage presence honed and ready...”

Because seriously, for every Britney and Justin and Ryan who breaks through to superstardom, you have hundreds of wannabes who ... don’t.

I wish Dion all the best, because he seemed like a nice person in the five minutes I spent getting to know him. But I don’t see this show becoming the next big hit. Usually when a casting agent decides to go in a different direction, there’s probably a pretty good reason.

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