What... more reality TV?!
- Posted on April 2, 2007 3:43 PM
- 1 comment
What is it with TV these days? Scan through the television guide and you'll come across more reality TV shows than you can (or want to) count. There are hopeless hopefuls stranded on islands, people swapping their other halves, WAGs wagging their tongues and breasts, Big Brother booze ups and pedantic poo doctors. We've got women making themselves look ten years younger, duster wielding women wearing too much lipstick, celebs paid buckets to erm... dance, and chefs... so many damn chefs!
Before long, we'll have a hybrid of 'Rate your ASBO' and Supernanny with 'Lil Chris presenting. Give it a few more years and we'll all have a red button that lets us choose who's living room (or bedroom) we want real-time access to. The more viewers people get, the more money they get. Big Brother eat your heart out.
It seems search for superstars are one of the most popular form of reality TV. Either we really do like seeing people achieve their dreams or we get a sick sense of satisfaction by watching 99.9% of them fail in a heap of embarrassment.
One type of show I do enjoy is the search for West End theatre stars. They haven't yet dived into the deep waters of public humiliation and the contenders actually seem to have a high level of talent. Last years' The Sound of Music star-search 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?' dug up winner Connie Fisher. The woman now has some serious tabloid miles under her belt and a face the general public recognises (if not adores).
This is the main benefit of shows such as this. They reach the type of people who's cultural experience doesn't stretch much beyond channel hopping. Surely this can't be a bad thing? Isn't that what the West End craves? If kids discard dreams of 'being Bart Simpson' for a future on stage it's a triumph already right?
Like it or not, there's more where this came from. Here's what you can expect blasted in a living room near you:
BBC1: ‘Any Dream Will Do’ for Young Hopefuls
Started March 21st, 2007
Thousands of young wannabes compete for the role of Joseph in 'Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat'. Camp critters Graham Norton and Andrew Lloyd Webber head up the search and with a history of Josephs such as Jason Donovan, Donny Osmond, Philip Schofield, Boyzone’s Stephen Gateley and Ian ‘H’ Watkins from the pop group ‘Steps’ the standard will be high. Yes, even Jason Donovan... he kissed Kylie you know.
We'll be following the fifty hopefuls as they make their way through 'Joseph School'... I wonder if Graham Norton is headmaster. Now there's a detention you wouldn't want to sit through... "Spanky, spanky bad boys".
Norton aside, will this show actually be interesting? Or will the other main reality contender win the viewers over? Speaking of which...
Grease is the Word on ITV1 (the ITV search for Danny and Sandy)
"I've got thrills..." Come on, admit it; everyone wanted to be Danny and Sandy from the hit movie Grease. Since John Travolta flexed his muscles beneath T-Bird threads, I've wanted to be his 'Summer Lovin' lady. Travlota may struggle to hit the levels of co-ordination required for the stage adaption but someone out there will be lucky enough to win the part. This is where 'Grease is the Word' comes in. From April 7th Grease star wannabes will fight for the votes of David Gest, David Ian and Sinitta. It's gonna take more than a 'Beauty School Drop Out' to win this one folks.
'Musicool'
T4
A somewhat 'cooler' take on the whole theatre-based reality story is 'Musicool'. If there's one programme that'll snag the young uns on the street, this is it. An eclectic group of unsigned musicians were plucked off the streets and plonked into the world of musicals. When they applied, they had no idea what they were in for and when the cunning bods at Channel 4 revealed all, their stunned faces were worth it.
The selected group will be trained by choreographers and vocal coaches and will star in a West End musical this summer. Watching heavy metal screechers and pink haired pixies is worth the viewing effort. The finished product should be interesting too.
So, what do you think? Are reality TV searches good for the West End? Do you have a favourite? Will your evenings on the sofa never be the same again? Enlighten us in the comments section.
Comments (1)
louise stone
can i have the backstage pass and meet danny b and susan mcfadden. vip pass to their hotel and stay there.
Posted on June 2, 2007 9:56 PM
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