BET is undergoing a programming overhaul, launching more than a dozen new series during the coming months. One of those series is Sunday Best, which applies the American Idol formula to gospel singing, searching for the most spirited belter in the land. Its host is Tarrant County's Kirk Franklin, the contemporary gospel superstar who pushed gospel singing back into the mainstream. We chatted him up about the show and his role on it.
1 A big part of American Idol is the early, humiliating audition roles. It's all about put-downs. But gospel is about uplift. So what uplift will we be seeing here?
I think that's just the nature of gospel music. It's just going to organically become [uplifting]. It's always going to be my job to let the people know that onstage, this is just a piece of who they are, that it doesn't affect who they totally are. It's all about good coaching, and about being entertaining without making people feel like they're nothing.
2 Several Idol finalists, like LaKisha Jones and Jennifer Hudson, seem like they would have been very good gospel singers.
Yeah, yeah. But you know, most people don't want to be gospel singers, because gospel singing ain't gonna give you the limelight. It's not going to put you in front of all those people. When you do gospel music, you do it because you love it. There ain't no guarantee that you'll be mainstream in gospel music. That's why I think that it'll be wonderful for the people who are doing this ... for the right reason get to be showcased.
3 You once told the Star-Telegram that 'gospel celebrity' is almost a contradiction in terms.
Yes it is, it is. It's an oxymoron. They don't go together. But celebrity also has to do with frame of mind. There are people out there who've sold [only] 100,000 records. They don't have a gold album. But their whole swagger is 'celebrity.' Celebrity really is a state of mind. It's really how you see yourself.
4 Your judges are going to be [gospel superstar] BeBe Winans and Mary Mary [gospel-singing sisters Erica and Tina Campbell]. Do they squabble like American Idol and America's Got Talent judges?
Not like that, no, no, no. But we're still going to keep it salty for ya. This genre of music that we're going to be doing, it's going to be very important that we walk a thin line -- and trust me, it is a very, very, very, very, very thin line -- of inspiration and entertainment.
5 What do you think of American Idol itself?
I haven't really given it much thought. I don't know that American Idol is always showcasing the best talent. Unfortunately, the image of American Idol is not only how you sound, but it's also how you look. That, to me, is not going to always showcase [the best]. We're not going to put too much emphasis on the look. It's going to be all about the vocals.
Sunday Best
7 p.m. Tuesdays
BET
Sneak peek at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. today
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