Listen to them. The children of the night. What music they make.

Hullo ma wee blog.


Aye, its that time o year again when Simon Cowell et al are wheeled back out on to the manipulating, formulaic, money making gravy train that is 'X Factor'.

That also means that the last few sad, pathetic remnants - sorry, CONTESTANTS - of the Big Brother Hoose are also being whittled down, evicted and thrust into the ever decreasing circle of glare which is the spot light of the 'public eye' so they can preen and prance before the electricity meter runs out.

OH. god.....



But dont get me wrong. I find the idea of reality TV very - no, actually not very, but quite - appealing. To have 12 or 15 people in a house together for a period of time and to watch and understand whats happening to them and their relationship with others I could quite enjoy. Celebrities too. And what about celebrities and general public together in da house if you wanna go that way? Ok, all a bit voyeuristic I suppose but even so.

And I really DO approve of the concept of the talent contest. There are some really talented people out there who for whatever reason are undiscovered, and others who while not truly 'star' material can entertain effectively and who can and perhaps should be doing that for a { hopefully substantial and fullfilling } living. Its great to see ordinary folk do extraordinary things or display truly amazing talents, and its right to celebrate that.
Surely its also right to show families or individuals struggling against adversity whether is child behaviour, food phobias or embarrasing illnesses. If the content and the editing respect individuals and the end result shows the positive benefits that can be achieved with professional support, or shows that there is a lesson to be learned in parenting or education for the wider population then isn't that surely to the good. Would that be reality TV at its best? Its difficult. It can be entertaining to see someone perform who is not nearly as good as they think they are, and maybe it will help them reflect and laugh at themselves or not take themselves so seriously again. But its such a fine line. Is that what makes it so cringe inducingly addictive.

I dunno.

But is it really right to pander to those increasingly deperate, media aware, self seeking fame hags. Or the TV companies that deliberately put together skewed cross sections of society to supposedly represent "the norm" when they are actually aimed at a clearly defined target audience.

Is it right to stick a microphone in the hand of someone who is clearly deluded of their talent and lacking any family or friend able to say 'actually, you cant sing and are never going to be a star, but we love you none the less. ' Are we breeding an acceptance 0f scathing mockery into ourselves and is that really helpful? Is it right to deliberately manipulate audiences during shows and by voting methods to milk even more cash from gullible teenagers with mobile phones. After all its neck and neck and you decide so keep voting.....

Is it a talent contest or a popularity contest { in reality! }.

And is it right to pander to Mr Cowell, hard working and successful as he may be, by making him so much richer for such a cringe inducing exhibition and paying for the priviledge while we do it.

Whats the answer? You decide.

see you later............

Listening to Suzanne Vega......' my name is Luca'