Large Man Upsets Producers of Horrible PopTV Show
Acon Tributor | 03.12.2001 15:57
A blow is struck against manufactured music as a purported e-mail campaign appears to have undermined the 'ideal' image of saleable pop people.
"Pop Idols" (ITV, most sat evenings) was inaugurated on the trail of the inexplicably successful "Pop Stars" earlier this year.With publicity provided by the tabloid press, the format was much the same; a set of nasty cynical judges grill, sift and discard a crew of young, hopeful, naieve, chancers until they come up with a formula designed to take as much money from the public, particularly young children, as possible. This time, however, they may have made a mistake in allowing the public a considerable say in choosing, via phone-in, their so-called idol, and the signs are that the same public is getting a little tired with the invitiation to partcipate in their own manipulation.
Quite why the judges are so ultra-nasty is a mystery, for the lack of talent on offer is self evident. One judge described the controversial large man as a "fat geezer". Another opined that he was only in the running as part of an e-mail campaign designed to wreck the show (which i cannot verify). At this point I started watching for real, having only left the TV on at all due to laziness. Now, Many of the female contestants had been praised, not for their singing talents (the point of the show ) but for thier conventional good looks, in as boorishly condescending a way as imaginable. Something seemed to be very wrong...
Sure enough, when the votes were counted, the large man had narrowly won through, and he will be in the finals, whatever that entails. The question is, what will the producers do next ? A film entitled "Game Show" was made some time ago, which dealt with the true story of a quiz in the USA where the most successful contestant simply did not fit the stereotype, to the embarrassment of the studio. Lets keep an eye on "Pop Idols" and see what happens.
PS LATE NITE SHOW, THE WEB REVIEW, HAS JUST AWARDED JOHN PILGERS WEBSITE [www.pilger.carlton.com] 8/10.
Quite why the judges are so ultra-nasty is a mystery, for the lack of talent on offer is self evident. One judge described the controversial large man as a "fat geezer". Another opined that he was only in the running as part of an e-mail campaign designed to wreck the show (which i cannot verify). At this point I started watching for real, having only left the TV on at all due to laziness. Now, Many of the female contestants had been praised, not for their singing talents (the point of the show ) but for thier conventional good looks, in as boorishly condescending a way as imaginable. Something seemed to be very wrong...
Sure enough, when the votes were counted, the large man had narrowly won through, and he will be in the finals, whatever that entails. The question is, what will the producers do next ? A film entitled "Game Show" was made some time ago, which dealt with the true story of a quiz in the USA where the most successful contestant simply did not fit the stereotype, to the embarrassment of the studio. Lets keep an eye on "Pop Idols" and see what happens.
PS LATE NITE SHOW, THE WEB REVIEW, HAS JUST AWARDED JOHN PILGERS WEBSITE [www.pilger.carlton.com] 8/10.
Acon Tributor
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