The Weekly DiScussion: a talent contest too far?

i really do, its pretty rank but it's enjoyable.

Jo Whiley is so objective rather than market incentive i want to kill her.

;o)

a motor accident - people are just glued to these shows despite complaining about them constantly and enjoying something to talk about in their otherwise bore-infested lives. Would the British office be the same without the dullard section rattling on about how they want so and so to win or how x was out of tune last week? People derive pleasure from the melodrama too and like to see the workings of a programme that claims to make stars. Some viewers are still taken in by the idea that if they go on these shows they can quit that dead end job, stop going to school and be all famous without realising that the realities of being a successful musician or artists yep even a pop one are alot tougher and require more effort than things like the x factor, Idol, fame academy, musicool and now this show.

There are also the ghoulish viewers who drop out after the audition stages and perpetuate reality tv while condeming it in the same breath. They enjoy laughing it up with friends in front of the idiot box before going out on a Saturday and making fun of the hapless 'weirdos and deadbeats' who turn up to be humiliated by Cowell but they add to the viewing figures anyway and are as much a part of the whole circus as the devotees who turn up to the finals with images of their favourites emblazoned on cheap cotton t-shirts and one finger pressed on send text to that easily memorable 883322 etc number.

Point being, it still makes watchable tv even if you hate its empty hearted, robotic guts because people are still tuning in, because on Saturday there are no alternatives unless Strictly come prancing suits your tastes, granny can't go out, many young kids deluded into thinking they can be popstars instead of hold real ambitions can't go out, couples don't want to go out and the rest are just killing time and the producers make it so easy for people to VOTE NOW, flashing those numbers constantly on the screen but reiterating that your 50p will be lost if you vote before the lines open and you've seen all the ACTS.There's money to be made and people like Cowell and Fuller and the 'judges' are the ones making it. That's why Sharon Osbourne walks out of the show then comes crawling back the week later, she gets her money, viewing figures rise. All.so.cynical. It is lucrative for the judging panel, I'd argue one or two can't afford to not be a part of the hideous machine. Minogue for example is being offered more things than she can shake a stick at now because of her appearance. she's releasing a new single with Jason Nevins (remember him?)and FHM would quite like some pictures of her.

Those 'bands' in the channel 4v branches of realmusicitytv are not PROPER as you say, they're a mix of naive fledglings who just want their band heard and stage school precocious brats who aren't used to hearing the phrases 'no' and 'you can't' They want fame now and their arrogant enough to believe what they're doing is true, unique and worth subjecting the general public to. The reason their on the show is that they know nothing about the music industry or have gone through every possible audition in the Stage and decided they may as well dance with a more powerful devil than some chancer who's setting up a new gimmicky all-girl band to rival Girls Aloud.

Reality tv is still biting everyone in the arse and people still feel satisfied and repulsed by it in equal measure but not enough to press the off button because isn't that that girl who happy slapped some other girl and it got posted on youtube, my god what can she have to say for herself? The watching continues.

If they'd only bring back The Equalizer and Land of the Giants to reclaim their rightful respective Saturday night and Sunday morning slots.

I watched Nemo's singer say that he simply couldn't bring himself to play the first round of auditions. They were of course ridiculed by the show and said to have 'bottled' it, but when he realised what it was I'm not surprised he refused to do it.

I've seen Nemo supporting Imogen Heap and while I didn't really like them, I did think they were a good band in that they did what they do very well. To be turned down (or in many cases to be picked up) by one of these shows can for a lot of bands mean the beginning of the end. I don't blame them for pulling out at all. They recognised that this show is a crock of shit.

I was also dissapointed to see This City being on there as well, but was pleased when they dropped out. Good on them for realising that it was all total bollocks.

I have to admit though I do enjoy watching some of the acts like Hijack Oscar. I would definitely go see them play live. It is just a shame they haven't gone the 'hard way' and just gigged LOTS. They most certainly would've found success if they had worked at bit harder at building a national fanbase. By going for this shortcut to success, they may end up on the scrap heap far sooner than they should. Which is a shame....cause they're actually good.

Rant over.

i didn't know about this until now. good for them!

we also only have 25 copies left of their single here at fandango hq if anyone wants one :-P

I made the video

that bit with nemo. 'twas a bit humiliating for them. good on them for dropping out but come on, surely you should have known before you rocked up what it was exactly you'd have to do.

Dexter S02E07

Torrent it!

just Gomez mark 2?

why Jo Whiley is a judge on this. She's got fucking horrible taste for a start, doesn't seem to understand the rules ('oh you got voted out? Not to worry, come back next week') and insists getting herself into a huff about something every week.

The other week she kicked out a band because "there's nothing i hate more than a guitar solo".

I just took that to mean that she's soft on paedophiles.

is just really really funny to be honest

was concrete proof of how out of touch everyone involved in this farago of a programme truly is. A band having to prove the 'quality' of their songwriting skills and musical ability by adapting their material to a completely different style, is reactionary and anti-punk in the extreme. All the bands should have told CH4 to fuck off at this point - wankers!

Lily Allen commenting on The Mentalists (named after the branch of 18th century magicians which gave way to the modern day psychics) " Good music but terrible name, we can see you're a bit wacky on stage we don't need your name shouting about it"

Jo Whiley on some screamo band " yeah i like you guys, screamo is getting really big now with Enter Shakari and The Gallows"

are a great band! They were doing well before this competition and if you drop by their Myspace you'll find they have opinions that go way beyond the highly edited shitstorm of "we're the best" that got pasted all over their televised performances. Musically I like them a lot, but I don't have much in common with the DiS crowd in general so each to their own. Their self produced video is also well worth watching as it looks anything but self produced...

Igot to watch it stateside on the net once. then I see all you all lambasting it. Come on, thanks for making mention of a few good bands,but lets be real(unless this is all there is to watch, or be forced to put up with)why bother looking at all if, say the bands drummer is any less the equivalent of perhaps, Jason Bonham for instance. Who I recently sawe live and blew the place away with his mates. Garbage is always out there. Let it rot like it should.

'doing well'?

...most of it's pure car crash television. Giving that floppy haired tosser from Blur his platform to slag off funk bands ain't gutsy.

that the advance is not subject to cross-collateralization?

is nothing these days, as you rightly said; to 'work' the album properly they're not going to be able to have normal jobs anymore and unless they have some massive songs they are going to be back on the dole in about a year

and herein lies the problem.

£60k is a massive advance considering the state the industry is in at the moment. The problem is that this show continues to make those who are naïve about the music industry think they know more when they speak out against it.

- if they want to record an album, do videos, tour support, promote and market the album - £60grand is nothing. On average it will cost at least £20-£30k to record the album, at least £10k to pay for a months tour (if they're lucky) leaving them with around £20k to promote the album, a PR campaign will cost at least £10k, then there's radio pluggers etc. etc. and they haven't even done a video yet! The £60grand doesn't go in their pockets you know and it's recoupable too, so they would have to quit their jobs to make the album work, but would never be guaranteed any sort of return

is a very good word.

i am officially adopting it and may even lay claim to having invented it - just to warn you, like.

caught a bit of this last Sunday and have to say I swore at the TV and turned it off when the said femail band pictured said (being ladies makes zero difference)....we are the best unsigned band in Britian......PLEASE F*CK OFF.

Jo whiley has to be the worst thing about this. That article about her a couple months ago pretty much covered it- however it never ceases to slay me the way that someone so insincere and uncaring about 'new music' can have a job that is considered prestigious. Constant relaying, back channeling and 'ooh i just don't know's' to the point of feigning a pensive looking stress-ache is just the absolute worst. bad bad bad.

Hi I know Ginger Bread Men, and I know Tim. Tim's a bitter bald old man who now dyes his hair (bless). GBM went into this crap to try their luck and raise their exposure. Simple as that. They're a great live band. Check them out.

They started playing gigs at the Archway Tavern as it was local to them and soon left. Isn't that where they met you Tim?

Get a life.