(S01E04) This series is clumped in with the reality show genre. But in the olden days of television -- you know, back when you were knee-high to a grasshopper -- The Next Great American Band would have been listed as a talent show. Or, perhaps even more appropriate would be a Battle of the Bands.

But a typical old-style Battle of the Bands has an edge over this show. The bands play their own kind of music. While I love the variety of the music genres on the show, it's that very variety in genres which I think throws things off a bit.

(S01E02) So there I was last night ... stuck in the crowds heading to see Bon Jovi in Newark and I said to myself, "No! I cannot succumb! I promised JJ Hawkins I'd sit in this week to review The Next Great American Band while he's on vacation!" No Bon Jovi live for me -- give me the Light of Doom! Unfortunately, a lot of the Bon Jovi fans heading to the concert looked like the Light of Doom boys albeit with shirts on. Odd.

This is going to be an interesting show to watch throughout the season. With such diversity and so many bands who excel in their own genre, I'll have to stick around to who wins in the end.

(S01E01) Being that I'm an avid viewer of American Idol and So You Can Think You Can Dance, I was pretty sure I knew what to expect with 19 Entertainment's latest reality show, The Next Great American Band.

I expected to see our host and judges traveling around the country giving commentary on some brilliant acts, some mediocre acts, and some atrocious ones for comedic effect. We'd then watch the bands go through a series of auditions where the audience would get a better feel for their talents and some early favorites could take shape.

Finally, the judges would whittle the group down to a dozen or so acts and America would begin casting their votes on who they thought The Next Great American Band was. I figured it would take a good two or three episodes for things to really get moving, but it didn't quite happen that way.

If you're like me, you're probably wondering -- who the heck is Dominic Bowden? According to internet rumors, Dominic Bowden, a reality TV host from New Zealand, is in secret negotiations with a "major US reality TV show" that "will be as big as American Idol."

There is speculation that Bowden is about to take on the Ryan-Seacrest-like hosting duties of the American Idol spin-off -- The Next Great American Band. While Bowden has hosted three seasons of NZ Idol, this could be his big break in America and turn him into a household name.

The Next Great American Band will have its series premiere Friday, October 19, 2007 on FOX. There has not been an official announcement regarding American Band hosting duties as of yet.