Top 5 Episodes of Instant Star

Season 1 Episode 9: Jude is just getting used to her new fame with a performance scheduled at the end and the foundations of cracks forming in her old relationships have started. On top of this the guy she wants to be with, Tommy Quincy, won't seem to be straight with her and she doesn't like it. Jude also discovers her dad is having an affair. In the midst of all this chaos in her life inspiration hits in a brilliant way when at the end of the show, instead of performing the song she was scheduled to perform, Your Eyes, she performs, Skin, a song she wrote about all the competing forces in her life

This episode made me a fan of Alexz Johnson. "Your Eyes" brilliantly shows what her voice can do and is worth listening to for that alone. Showing vulnerability both as an actress and a songwriter(Alexz wrote "Skin") she performs a very raw and emotional acoustic version of the song on the show. If your heart isn't tugging toward and rooting for her character at the end of this episode there is no hope for you.

Season 3 Episode 5: This episode shows how every character deals with the death of Patsy Sewer, a wild, full of life, punk rocker and labelmate of Jude. This is also the episode where Alexz Johnson won a Gemini Award in. This episode is very touching since it really spends every available frame in dealing with loss. In the show Patsy wrote a song called "Darkness Round the Sun" that Jude would later play to a small group at the funeral. This is her version.

Season 3 Episode 13: The end of G Major could be happening. Jude discovers an unsettling truth that she does not even own her own music! Jamie and Tommy are also competing for her affection. Can she do anything to solve any of these dilemmas?

I probably should have ranked this episode higher. This episode has a brilliant homage to the Beatles when in protest to G Major taking her music she decides to give a free rooftop concert that will also be shown on a live feed across the internet. The song continues to be a fan favorite and one of cast and crew and is called Where Does It Hurt. U2 also did a concert on a rooftop for their "Where The Streets Have No Name" music video. Instant Star is filled with these kind of references and subtleties a music lover will love to see.

The most important aspect of this episode is one every Alexz Johnson fan is familiar with. Alexz signed with Capitol Records after the show ended. She was later dropped from a management change far over her head. After that she signed with Epic Records. Epic would later drop her and 1/3 of their roster as well due to the economy. With Epic Alexz LOST an entire album to them that will be able to be recorded again in about 3 years from today. This episode paralleled real life for her in an extremely brutal way. One that made her question if music was what she wanted to do with her life. Alexz would continue with music and has released her debut album, finally, Voodoo after all these setbacks. Jude's revelation proves true that labels own stuff on paper but they'll never own the art, artistry, and creativity that drives artists to create the brilliant stuff they do.

Season 3 Episode 1: Everything is looking great for Jude! Her album is skyrocketing and she's coming to terms with her success until a wild card is thrown into play. The NEW Instant Star, Karma(Cory Lee) debuts on the scene. A brilliant song called I Don't Know If I Should Stay appears in this episode and is truly breathtaking.

Karma is truly memorable character and every Instant Star fan knows her. She has such a big effect on the show you sometimes wonder how it ever got by without her. Karma is in a lot of way opposite of Jude. She's less reserved, is willing to compete for producers Jude was used to having, and even potential boyfriends. Karma was able to bring something to show neither Tommy or Patsy could, and that was a worthy competitor looking for the same resources and success. Jude and Karma do not get off on the right foot and you can see she's a bit reluctant to let Karma in. This dynamic and how changes over time make it one of the best Instant Star interactions and it starts right here.