TV Rant No 2 - Talent(?) shows

[54aardvark]

Before I start, I would be quite happy if I never saw on of these TV talent shows again - Mrs A doesn't see it that way and perseveres with Britains Got Talent(?) and X-Factor despite me mumping and girning in the background. Well done John Sergeant for baling out of SCD, the bull***t was getting too deep!

Remember the likes of "Juke Box Jury", well OK, some of you may not! But you had a panel of judges, act comes on, judges say exactly what they think and vote accordingly - job done, instant stardom or back to the gutter.

Now you have a panel of "judges" who never vote because they've suckered the viewers into doing it for them (and raking in BIG wedges of cash in the process). If the Judges do ever vote, its always "the hardest decision of my life", much tears and hand-wringing and, particularly the X-Factor, they all have a vested interest in voting for "their" act regardless of how well they performed.

This is termed "Interactive TV" - is it b****ks, all you get is regional voting whereby the likes of the McPish brothers go far beyond the mediocre Karaoke they should be doing and that nonentity who won X factor last year, but couldn't produce an album for 12 months because they had to send him off to learn how to sing!

Meanwhile anyone who has the slightest talent is sidelined because either they don't come from the right part of the country/age/ethnic background/behind the scenes shoogling between the "Judges".

The Viewers are supposed to get the feelgood factor because "your vote counts" - yeah right, counts how much money they're making out of the numpties who phone in. Whatever happened to "may the best person win".

I could go on, but the keyboard is taking a battering - as I said on my other TV thread - do they think I'm bleedin' thick!

[Hoovie]

Funny you should post this - I was talking about these talent shows yesterday with Mrs H - whilst viewing X-Factor actually

I think New Faces was quite good actually.

Of all these talent/reality shows that are now on, I now make a conscious effort to avoid them all except for one, in fact. (X-Factor was viewed as eating dinner at the time and was on TV in kitchen)

American Idol - now that is in the same vein as the rest, BUT the way it is done puts the rest to shame as a proper entertainment show. Contestents are all way better then the UK ones and all the stuff about "Journeys" IS mentioned but moved on from very rapidly.
and extra entertainment is watching Paula Abdul as a judge not having a clue what is going on as she is stoned 95% of the time

Worth trying - watch the last 5 series of it and each one has been good - ITV2, starts in Mid-Jan usually

[IDontBelieveIt]

The whole lot from Bruce and his crappy dancing all the way through to X Factor and all between are TOTAL CRAP

Cheap programs to make as they don't have to pay the likes of J. Woss £6M a year (as if he is worth £6 a year but still...)

All that attend and compare such tack are as thick as two short planks, probably blonde as well thinking they can act and look good.

There is no talent around anymore, no clever comedians, no good actors. Mind Kate Humble is a cracker

[Geewizz]

You could always vote off all these shows by putting your tv in the bin and going down to your local club/pub/theatre and reviewing the entertainment available there.

We're all too obsessed with THE next big thing. we want to feel somehow involved at the birth of a national or international success story. (I'm guilty too.) What we should be doing is winding back the clocks and getting down and dirty with the stuff that's happening in our own areas. That way you really do get to interact in a tangible way. It's so different from watching a glass tube and believing that "your phonecall makes a difference".

Go and watch a band play in a pub next weekend or find out what the am-dram society are up to. Get your local paper out and make a date to go and see something live at a theatre. Maybe there's a comedian at the social club or a Battle of the Bands in a civic centre.

These things are worth 100 editions of X Factor or Britain's Got Talent viewed from the living room couch.