you answered your own question.
Me, I avoid anything that mentions that pianner playing barra boy knob.

I'm the happier for it :)

therefore putting you at the head of the queue of massive members interested in the aforementioned boogie woogie ivory abuser :-)

Even by it's own abysmally low standards it's exceptionally bad this year. The list of acts has a really low-budget feel, Jools Holland's links are more cringe-inducing than ever. All we need now is for Roland Rivron to shout "Hootenanny !" and my misery will be complete.

Kylie dearest, next year spend some money on singing lessons and stop wasting it on Botox eh?

greater certainty in life other than that DFS will have a sale on is that Ruby Turner will pop up every year...

..then just how bad was Plan A?

...the least talented, most smug, greatest waste of time, money and breath on the planet. WHY is this man still even on the periphery of 'showbusiness'. He has NO business in showbusiness. Even as Jools's professional hanger-on.

not as painful on the ears as on the Electric Proms with Elton but still out of tune. As for Kylie, her act was never really based on her ability to sing.

The biggest shock for me was Alison Moyet whose voice seems to have deepened as she's grown older. I can only describe it as a Marmite voice, you either love it or hate it.

Most musical moment? The Secret Sisters, who seem to have taken up where the Everly Brothers left off with their close harmonies and retro country style.

was My Lovely Horse on Father Ted on Channel 4.

The show perked up our quiet evening-in with friends with variety, colour and Kylie sparkle. Woke up this morning with Rumer 'Aretha' in my head.

He polarises opinion, doesn't he?

Good piano player though....

Not that good at all actually. Yes they can manage a harmony, and er,that's it

I thought Wanda Jackson was abysmal and fell bad for thinking it wither legendary status and all. She obviously has lost her voice and putting her on this show reeked of scraping the barrel.
It is obvious the show is on its last legs - the formula is tired and if they are the best acts that were available for an end of year bash the it is quite clear the BBC are in the throes of giving up on it.

V poor effort from the Later crowd this year. Our own quiet evening in with friends was spent tutting at the "will this do" nature of it all. It really needed a big contemporary name to give it a kick up the backside instead of fawning over a few old acts who clearly can't cut it anymore. Exception proved to be the Secret Sisters' first appearance and Cee Lo's second. He should have had his regular band with him and not put up with JH's R&B bunch. Bellowhead were atrocious, Vampire Weekend not as clever as they think they are and Alison Moyet looked like she was struggling a bit. Good to see Pauline Prescott get a chance, though.

Happy New Year everyone ;-)

How bad was Plan A? joke which I posted after the awful Elton John appearance. But last night I thought he was better, at least in his final number, which was great.

I had a quiet night in and watched most of Jools and it was OK. I could have done with much, much more Bellowhead and a bit less of Jools's own boys and girls. And I've never seen the attraction in Kiley on any basis. But she seemed good-natured enough and her songs weren't unpleasant.

At least it's a show with people playing live (even if the show is recorded). And, for the most part, it's people who do it well even if you don't like what they do.

Just think, Simon Cowell could be in charge next time and then we'll all be hankering for good old Jools.

is very hit and miss, but what's the alternative? The White Heather Club? At least with Later we get to see some decent live music sometimes.

Hmmm, I rather enjoyed it. For me, what Plan B may lack in technical singing ability, he made up for last night in intensity. Cee Lo was great, and I thought Bellowhead, while not exactly reinventing the wheel, were a good choice. It was supposed to be a party, after all.
I have to agree with Steve Turner above about Wanda Jackson, though. I thought she was excruciating, really ghastly, and had to turn over. I just couldn't watch. I think anyone who says she was good is just being patronizing, frankly.
Jules' banter seems very gauche at times, too, but I guess that's part of his charm.

a good mix, some highlights (Cee Lo and Roger Daltrey) and some not so but it's a prime time music show they'll never please all the people all the time. As has been discussed elsewhere Jools is no interviewer but I don't think that's an issue in a music show.

is that they must have been pulled off the street outside when someone else (probably Joe Longthorne) pulled out. The most ordinary voices I have heard outside the X Factor.

It was a shame that Kylie and Wanda jackson didn't duet - I was quite keen on Pinky and Perky as a kid. In the 90 minutes I watched Roger Daltery didn't feature once, yet everyone else seemed to get two goes.

Rico Rodriguez might be a great trombone player, but it's beyond me why we had to watch him sing. It's a show that is well past it's sell by date both in terms of format and guest stars. It gets more complacent each year.

If Later and Hootenanny weren't on anymore some of you would have nothing to complain about. At the moment if it wasn't for Later we'd be stuck in a never ending, music television, X Factor/Britains Got 'Talent' .. /Simon Cowell controlled hell ...

The White Room *

* from the Society for fighting battles that were lost long ago.

no interviews, a nice bit of archive footage that in pre Youtube times weren't available with the click of a mouse and Mark Radcliffe.

I most recall PJ Harvey and Nick Cave's "Henry Lee" that was charged with barely concealed passion, Ray Davies and Damon's (on keys) 'Waterloo Sunset', Prince in his beekeeper outfit, Tricky and Terry Hall doinfg Ghost Town. The duets and collaborations were often the best things about it

Polly Jean and Nicholas

Salad & Sandie Shaw

David McAlmont owpning 'Alfie'

Oasis in their pomp

The introduction by Mark Radcliffe is priceless, and yes, Mark, he nearly does so not really suitable for work.

Still my favourite White Room moment.

my opportunity to post another Lush clip

...looks more like Stelios with each passing year. And the baritone sax player looks like my ex-milkman.

Jools' band were sort of sluggish and uninvolved-sounding for the first half of the show. Gilson Lavis just didn't seem to be "on". Matt Whatsit (guitarist) took half the show to warm up.

Vampire Weekend are crap. I suspected this and their performance showed I was correct to be sceptical.
Wanda Jackson was a bit rubbish on her first (so were the band, which may have been contributory) but spot-on afterwards.
Rico's singing was embarrasing.
Toots is still in good voice. The band got better after a ropey start.
The first Secret Sisters one was excellent, the one with BJ Cole less so.
Daltrey shouldn't have done that song.
Rumer was a litle disappointing (the band again?).
CeeLo Green was fantastic. He is a -seriously- good singer.
Kylie looked great. She's never been any great shakes as a singer, so I didn't expect to be thrilled by her vocal skills.

I fell asleep before the end, which says quite a bit. Never would have happened a few years ago and it wasn't my age or the drink...

Watched it two days late but I loved it.