With tears in my eyes I reluctantly accepted Portland singer Storm Large’s defeat last week on “Rock Star: Supernova,” the CBS reality show dedicated to picking the singer for rock group Supernova, which happened tonight.  They picked that punk Lucas Rossi.

I wasn’t alone in that sentiment. It seemed that along with all of her fans who religiously voted for her, the entire cast (Dave Navarro, Tommy Lee, Gilby Clarke, Jason Newsted, and all of the contestants) were sad to see her go. Song selection seemed to have been Storm’s only downfall because everyone who has seen her live knows that she can seriously bring it. Why some of those songs were even on the board is beyond me since they are very different stylistically from the band’s originals. Also, it seems that the boys wanted more of a heavy, raspy screamo voice for their songs. Could the reason for that be because they don’t want their cheesy lyrics to be understood? Another possible reason for her departure is that they understood that Storm’s over-the-top stage presence would steal focus from them. Overall it just seemed not to be a right fit for either of them. 

Tommy Lee, whom they call “The Tommyhawk” because he’s the one to make the announcement each week about who is going home, couldn’t bring himself to say those words to Storm. He had to defer to Jason Newsted to do the deed. But it’s all good. Dave Navarro said he’d love to play on her record, and the rest of the boys jumped right in to volunteer too, which is funny because the result would be the same as winning, except she’d be in the driver’s seat. Nice. How can you get better than that? Her parting words were classic Storm Large style. She said, “Tommy, I love you most for your big, huge heart.”

I will miss seeing her twice a week on television, but now that she’s off the hook for the Supernova gig, there is a clear path to international stardom for her as a solo artist, so we’ll definitely be seeing a lot more of her. I was frankly not that impressed with the Supernova material on the whole anyhow, and Storm’s single “Ladylike” is the bomb. I can’t seem to stop singing it. Lucky for me, it has just been made available on CD Baby for a measly $5!
Storm is still in Los Angeles doing an extensive media tour, which included another TV appearance on Sept. 11, this time on daytime television for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Can you imagine the conversation in the greenroom that day with Storm, Jessica Simpson and John Livingston (best known for his role as Jack Berger, Carrie’s boyfriend in the sixth season of “Sex and the City”)?

The contestant voted off of “Rock Star: Supernova” the week before Storm, Ryan Star, was approached after his last appearance on the show by show producer Mark Burnett, who said he wanted to help Star introduce his music to the world. At Burnett’s request, Star recorded a live album using the amazing “Rock Star: Supernova” house band. The album will be available for sale next week. This further proves that this year’s “Rock Star” contestants have been given ample opportunities to become international stars in their own right.

Though I’m sad to see this edition of “Rock Star” end tonight, rumor has it that all of the contestants next season will be female. Can you say “meow-fest!”?

Chicks who rock rule!

For those of you who can’t get enough Storm Large, you can listen to several Storm Large interviews with local DJ Lisa Wood for Garagemonkey. â€" Angela Jossy