I thought the new reincarnation of reality television deserved a word or two: what is it about September that reminds me of new beginnings?
Well, firstly the leaves fall off the trees, kids go back to school, it's the start of the new fashion seasons (london fashion week et al), but more importantly The X Factor AND Strictly Come Dancing begin – I mean, reality over-load or what?
The X Factor looks set to be even bigger than last year, with several acts already making the newspapers for reasons other than their singing talents. The delightful ex stripper band, who always seem to be clad in leather (maybe to deter from their shaky singing skills?), have already been kidnapped according to he media (who incidentally also thought Amelle from the Sugarbabes was being held for ransom when she didn't turn up for a show: well it happens to all of us, doesn't it?! Another member of the band is reportedly dating Jamie Afro (who has a similar effervescent personality to Robbie Williams, who is to appear on the show tonight).
We already have the dopplegangers for some of the contestants last year, like characters in a pantomime, the show wouldn't be complete without them. The vulnerable (Cheryl has worries about him being mature enough), accented, female-adored teen this year in the form of welsh blondie Lloyd, the character of course was introduced by Eoghan Quinn?
Lucie Jones, the teenage songstress with a big, unique voice, although there are doubts she may not be able to sing 'poppy' songs. Does a certain hand-caressing-face, very individualistic young Diana Vickers ring any bells? The talented likeable underdogs, Miss Frank, are definitely the female version of JLS! And Stacey Solomen- a rougher, tougher Alexandra Burke (well it doesn't take much, the girl cried at every opportunity she had, who can forget the passionate, over zelous sob of emotion when she performed with Beyonce?)
The thing with The X Factor is that the show always gets better as it develops: the bad ones are weeded out, so it doesn't really matter how bad it was at the start. The shows sit-in audience was branded a faux pas by celebrities, contestants and audiences alike, but because they are back to their old comfort zone with the final live shows, and it really is survival of the tuneful, things, as they say, can only get better, or even better.
Unlike The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing's controversy seems to make it less watchable and less likeable. We expect less than perfect behaviour from The X Factor Contestants, in fact a good sob story makes it what it is. But when celebrities act less than perfect, especially when they are clad in sophisticated, likeable costumes, it makes them look deceiving when their personalities are less.
Take the furore over Laila Rouss, who was called a racist name by her dancing partner. I think it's cringe-worthy to watch them dancing together. Even if she is over it, which I am sure she is – without the media frenzy I doubt Laila would have made it a big deal. However they still have to dance in front of millions knowing most are watching their every move for a smidgen of akwardness which will b obsessively over-amplified and scrutinised in the media. Nobody is looking for a smooth-sailing glide of perfectly harmonious bodies across the dancefloor, everybody is waiting to see if the judges will give Laila perfect scores for the sympathy vote.
Whereas with The X Factor, sob stories and bad press about the contestants aren't a problem. We are filled with joy and elation when a divine voice unexpectedly pours out of a very undivine body. Take the lovely Stacey Solomen: she's pretty, in fact, she's so pretty there's a resemblance to Leona Lewis. If she had been so like Leona in that her personality wasn't larger than life, she may have been rejected as too similar. But the unique thing about Stacey is that as soon as she opens her mouth (talking) it's hard to imagine her singing any place other than in a Karioche bar. When she shares her tuneful voice with us, you can see jaws dropping and eyes growing as big as cows - it is totally unexpected, a surprise, but, everyone and I mean EVERYONE, loves a surprise, so that's ok then.
Saturday 10 October 2009
Sunday 11 January 2009
IS THIS THE BEST CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER TO DATE?
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I have not watched television in ages...bar x-factor which was a permanent Saturday night fixture in my life. When it finished many said it felt as if something was missing. I can happily say I feel whole again. The only niggle I have with the celebrity version is that it never lasts for long enough. Surely the celebs could survive a month? A mere two weeks allows celebrities to put on a facade. If we left them to stew for double the time some cracking skeletons might emerge from their expensive closets!
I think this year it is particularly good because not only have we not had it for a year but they actually have some big names. Ulrika, Coolio...and a Jackson! I look forward to it every night and it gives me routine. I get in, I have tea and do work until CBB comes on! Oh it is a simple life for country bumpkins like myself!
How much of a surprise was Ulrika's eviction...?!I missed it but I used to consider Shooting Star lady a bit of a joke....the whole four fathers and four kids scenario. Anyhow, I think it is quite refreshing considering that the usual winners are always the ones who are nothing like normal people. Transsexual Nadia, the guy with tourettes.
Dwarf Verne seemed to fit the Big B viewers' criteria perfectly. Ulrika, despite being the winner, was not spared the degrading boos the audience bizarrely feel each and every contestant deserve.It would not have been the same without them (the boos!). It makes me wonder whether these so called Big Brother fanatics travel all the way to London just to boo the people they love to hate? when I got offered some free big brother final tickets I rejected them immediately. Why would I want to expose my eardrums to a torrent of deafening jeers at a few pre madonnas I really couldn't care anymore for than maybe sitting half asleep on the couch because the only other TV option is the GRAND PRIX!
Sunday 7 December 2008
Friday 5 December 2008
Talented reality television stars-Kyal Marsh (Cirque de Celeb winner)
"I took part in Cirque de Celeb because I love physical training and challenges. The producers who approached me made it sound like a whole lot of fun and it was.
I would definitely do it again. Reality TV is not my favorite thing on television, I have to admit, but to actually be in it yourself is a lot of fun. I would never do X Factor... purely because I can't sing or dance, I wouldn't mind doing something like the amazing race or great race? I can't remember what its called....
Reality TV like any other production can have its down sides. I found the production dragged on (three months) and that you rarely got a chance to relax because unlike normal television productions, you were aways being watched and filmed in your "natural state"... sounds a bit like a David Attenborough documentary doesn't it?"
Tuesday 2 December 2008
The fall of reality television??A dying breed?
In a recent survey on website ask 500 people the majority of the public worldwide said that they did not like reality television and most people who I interviewed were also in consensus- they did not watch reality television or if they did watch it included talented contestants.
However, Big Brother, which most of my interviewees admitted to not watching, included talented contestants this year in order to attract viewers. Amongst the contestants there was a racing driver, artist, circus performer, entrepreneur, boxer and classical musician. This was Big Brother's attempt at change after last year's Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy (click for Dipity story). However as the side bar reveals, this year's Big Brother was more unpopular than ever showing that talent does not have anything to do with it.
Adam Hosker from the Apprentice believes that talent does affect a television show's success. Click here to see my interview with him and hear his opinions on reality television.
The lure of reality television to producers is evident. It is cheap, there are no actors to fund, no scripts or rehearsals and minimum props which lack extravagance. Whereas a television drama can cost up to one million pounds, reality television is cheap and can cost as little as £114,000. Extra money is also generated through advertisements.A 30 second advertising spot during Big Brother Three cost £40,000, over three times more than any other show on Channel four.
Is reality television beginning to lose its sparkle? Or are people just too embarrassed to admit that they watch it? This blog illustrates some of the excuses these American mums use to disguise their obsession with reality television to their husbands. One confessed to excusing her love of My Super Sweet Sixteenth by telling her husband watching it was research for her job as a YA fiction writer-but she admits "I really just like them."
Why is it classed as "uncool" to watch reality television? Could it be that the surprise and naivety of the game is what fuelled the public fascination in the first place? The first Big Brother (2000) did not include twenty-four-hour footage like that on E4 today. Although afterwards housemates complained that editors had moulded them into certain typecasts by the clips they selected, on the plus side what happened on the evening show was fresh stuff which had not been reported in the papers. Adam Hosker also claimed television producers did this on the Apprentice. Channel four exposed the cheat, Nick Bateman , and expelled him from the house.Everything was under control, everything was fair, or so it seemed.
The rules were much clearer and the house mates had no idea of the fame or attention they would receive when they came out, thus, they did not play up to the cameras. This is evident from Nick Bateman's cheating- he actually forgot about the cameras and thought he could get away with influencing housemates to vote the way he wanted them to.
No contact with the outside world meant no contact with the outside world- and the option of spending the week's shopping budget on a magazine was not an option.
The cheers and support on the first Big Brother eviction night are depressingly different from the bad spirited booing which is so common in more recent evictions-sometimes even when it is the winner who is coming out.As a result some contestants have decided after a few weeks to take the back entrance and leave early in order to avoid the public humiliation of the booing mob. This sort of patronising, Z-list fame is not for them.
It was a rarity for housemates to leave in the first few Big Brothers and even the most memorable contestants, who gained fame, have managed to slide back into a relatively normal life. Sada from BB1 has managed to keep a low profile apparently working in a bistro somewhere in London. Whilst a friend informed me that her hairdresser Helen, who was in Big Brother Two, is barely recognizable as a reality television star. The more the Big Brother's progress the more outrageous the contestants become, merely applying to get a blink of low-rate fame. Contestants like Jade Goody are the type of people who reflect badly on the show. It is for people like her that the term "Z-list" has been coined.
Definition of Z-List in the Urban Dictionary:
"1. An annoying ex-reality tv star that manged to get everywhere on TV."
Diana Vickers says that sometimes she has regrets about being in X Factor. The scrutiny of the media and public is putting contestants off competing altogether
X Factor and I'm a Celebrity may be doing well at the moment but how long until they follow in the shoes of the (once thought to be) indestructible Big Brother?
More importantly what tricks have Channel four got in store for encouraging people to watch Big Brother Ten and what will Simon Cowell do to save X Factor heading the same way? Perhaps there is no answer...Cowell is reported to be leaving X Factor after this year.
However, Big Brother, which most of my interviewees admitted to not watching, included talented contestants this year in order to attract viewers. Amongst the contestants there was a racing driver, artist, circus performer, entrepreneur, boxer and classical musician. This was Big Brother's attempt at change after last year's Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy (click for Dipity story). However as the side bar reveals, this year's Big Brother was more unpopular than ever showing that talent does not have anything to do with it.
Adam Hosker from the Apprentice believes that talent does affect a television show's success. Click here to see my interview with him and hear his opinions on reality television.
The lure of reality television to producers is evident. It is cheap, there are no actors to fund, no scripts or rehearsals and minimum props which lack extravagance. Whereas a television drama can cost up to one million pounds, reality television is cheap and can cost as little as £114,000. Extra money is also generated through advertisements.A 30 second advertising spot during Big Brother Three cost £40,000, over three times more than any other show on Channel four.
Is reality television beginning to lose its sparkle? Or are people just too embarrassed to admit that they watch it? This blog illustrates some of the excuses these American mums use to disguise their obsession with reality television to their husbands. One confessed to excusing her love of My Super Sweet Sixteenth by telling her husband watching it was research for her job as a YA fiction writer-but she admits "I really just like them."
Why is it classed as "uncool" to watch reality television? Could it be that the surprise and naivety of the game is what fuelled the public fascination in the first place? The first Big Brother (2000) did not include twenty-four-hour footage like that on E4 today. Although afterwards housemates complained that editors had moulded them into certain typecasts by the clips they selected, on the plus side what happened on the evening show was fresh stuff which had not been reported in the papers. Adam Hosker also claimed television producers did this on the Apprentice. Channel four exposed the cheat, Nick Bateman , and expelled him from the house.Everything was under control, everything was fair, or so it seemed.
The rules were much clearer and the house mates had no idea of the fame or attention they would receive when they came out, thus, they did not play up to the cameras. This is evident from Nick Bateman's cheating- he actually forgot about the cameras and thought he could get away with influencing housemates to vote the way he wanted them to.
No contact with the outside world meant no contact with the outside world- and the option of spending the week's shopping budget on a magazine was not an option.
The cheers and support on the first Big Brother eviction night are depressingly different from the bad spirited booing which is so common in more recent evictions-sometimes even when it is the winner who is coming out.As a result some contestants have decided after a few weeks to take the back entrance and leave early in order to avoid the public humiliation of the booing mob. This sort of patronising, Z-list fame is not for them.
It was a rarity for housemates to leave in the first few Big Brothers and even the most memorable contestants, who gained fame, have managed to slide back into a relatively normal life. Sada from BB1 has managed to keep a low profile apparently working in a bistro somewhere in London. Whilst a friend informed me that her hairdresser Helen, who was in Big Brother Two, is barely recognizable as a reality television star. The more the Big Brother's progress the more outrageous the contestants become, merely applying to get a blink of low-rate fame. Contestants like Jade Goody are the type of people who reflect badly on the show. It is for people like her that the term "Z-list" has been coined.
Definition of Z-List in the Urban Dictionary:
"1. An annoying ex-reality tv star that manged to get everywhere on TV."
Diana Vickers says that sometimes she has regrets about being in X Factor. The scrutiny of the media and public is putting contestants off competing altogether
X Factor and I'm a Celebrity may be doing well at the moment but how long until they follow in the shoes of the (once thought to be) indestructible Big Brother?
More importantly what tricks have Channel four got in store for encouraging people to watch Big Brother Ten and what will Simon Cowell do to save X Factor heading the same way? Perhaps there is no answer...Cowell is reported to be leaving X Factor after this year.
Sunday 23 November 2008
Reality television- the perks and pains for the contestants
Do you ever wake up in a cold sweat, unable to sleep and WORRYING about ex-reality television stars and what they are doing now?
Probably not-but its an interesting thought, is it possible to have a normal life after a brief brush with fame?
Most people I know know someone who was or is in a reality television show. Whether it's a friend who dated Kevin Bratherton from Shipwrecked, a brother who dated Esme Conway from Living on the Edge or a friend who's sister is Diana Vickers from X Factor.
Like characters from a pantomime they are entertaining and their quirky personalities keep us amused for a few months a year.
But when the show is over what happens to these flirters with fame that pop in and out of our lives? How odd it must feel to be Britain's most loved persona one minute and back in a bar pulling pints the next................
Click here to read what a famous reality television contestant thought about his experience of reality TV.
The slide show illustrates the risk of reality television.Whilst it is possible to be successful and retain some sort of kudos, it is just as likely to backfire. Alesha Dixon, winner of Strictly Come Dancing, said that the show actually saved her life. She had just been dropped by her record label and dumped by her husband for another woman. Alesha now has a top ten hit, new record label,new movie coming out and has regained her sparkle and charisma. Click here to see Alesha performing her new single at the Clothes Show on Saturday (6th dec).
Some contestants are so troubled by their experience they commit suicide. On top of this others have to undergo therapy such as Jade Goody who still saw a therapist this summer despite it being a year since she last appeared in Big Brother.
Nick Bateman was said to have needed therapy after leaving the house and a host of other disturbed participants admitted to also needing therapy such as Chantelle, and Charley from Big Brother.
If these are the results of reality television should there be some sort of health warning to go alongside the applications?
Probably not-but its an interesting thought, is it possible to have a normal life after a brief brush with fame?
Most people I know know someone who was or is in a reality television show. Whether it's a friend who dated Kevin Bratherton from Shipwrecked, a brother who dated Esme Conway from Living on the Edge or a friend who's sister is Diana Vickers from X Factor.
Like characters from a pantomime they are entertaining and their quirky personalities keep us amused for a few months a year.
But when the show is over what happens to these flirters with fame that pop in and out of our lives? How odd it must feel to be Britain's most loved persona one minute and back in a bar pulling pints the next................
Click here to read what a famous reality television contestant thought about his experience of reality TV.
The slide show illustrates the risk of reality television.Whilst it is possible to be successful and retain some sort of kudos, it is just as likely to backfire. Alesha Dixon, winner of Strictly Come Dancing, said that the show actually saved her life. She had just been dropped by her record label and dumped by her husband for another woman. Alesha now has a top ten hit, new record label,new movie coming out and has regained her sparkle and charisma. Click here to see Alesha performing her new single at the Clothes Show on Saturday (6th dec).
Some contestants are so troubled by their experience they commit suicide. On top of this others have to undergo therapy such as Jade Goody who still saw a therapist this summer despite it being a year since she last appeared in Big Brother.
Nick Bateman was said to have needed therapy after leaving the house and a host of other disturbed participants admitted to also needing therapy such as Chantelle, and Charley from Big Brother.
If these are the results of reality television should there be some sort of health warning to go alongside the applications?
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