Search results matching tag 'Britain's Got Talent'

I dreamed a dream as well...

1704826 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:49:00 GMT

OK, I'm going to admit to being one of the 20m-odd people who watched the final of Britian's Got Talent and I'm surprised to say that I quite enjoyed it, mostly because the Boyler didn't win and some dancing chavs did.

Residents of her home town in Scotland, overcome by nationalism, blamed a backlash against her caused by the London media. Really? Was it not just because that she is rather an unappealing character? And isn't that the same excuse that was used when the Speaker Gorbals Mick Martin was forced to ungraciously step down?

Still at least there was an element of a democracy, which is more than can be said for her similarly emotionally-flawed compatriot, our incumbent Prime Minister, who is in power by virtue of 30,000 or so people in Cowdenbeath. It would be nice if he put himself forward for a similar vote sooner rather than later.

This is the last time I'll talk about Susan Boyle or Britain's Got Talent. Promise.

Susan Boyle goes loco

1704826 — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:08:00 GMT

I've worked for some unutterable articles (or as the prospective Tory candidate for Gloucester might say 'councillors') in my time and I've never had any desire to work for either Simon Cowell or Sir Alan Sugar.

It seems that the nation's sweetheart, the pie-faced foul-mouthed religious Scot Susan Boyle, has finally realised the same after apparently flipping out at, as the Daily Mirror describes it, 'her new-found stardom'.

According to the paper, ITV executives are so worried about her mental condition they are seeking medical advice for the Boyler to ensure she can cope with tomorrow's final of Britain's Got Talent.

If this is spin, then it's in appallingly bad taste but if it's true then it's even more worrying. What is it with the media industry that we need to find some ill-adjusted nutcase to put on a pedestal and then relish in their subsequent mental disintegration? I'm sure it's not what the blessed Jade would have wanted - if only she could find some way of speaking to us...

Have a good weekend.

Brit Cops: Zero Tolerance - Bravo shows the seamier side of life in Hammersmith

1704826 — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:54:00 GMT

There isn't much to see on the Hammersmith Road unless you're a fan of vagrants, enjoy watching the odd lost and disappointed-looking tourist realising that the Novotel isn't quite as glamorous or central as it looked in the brochure, or get a kick out of seeing people nearly getting run over.

I've worked this out over the nine years that I've worked in the borough and even the hopelessly optimistic 'I love Hammersmith' posters that the council has attached to the street lights have not been enough to convince me otherwise.

But then I stumbled across Brit Cops: Zero Tolerance on Bravo. It shows another side to Hammersmith - the guns, the gang warfare, the massive drug problem that the local police face every day. I never realised it was so exciting. And even better, the police are frequently filmed pursuing assorted criminal types past our building so now I feel more engaged when I see the police cars screeching past my window.

Anyway, I now feel involved in the local criminal justice system. It's a top show and is on Bravo tonight at 9 and is better than the Apprentice and Britain's Got Talent. Watch it.

Join Joanna Lumley and demand justice for the Gurkhas

1704826 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:53:00 GMT

To avoid accusations of predictability, I'm not going to rant about the search for someone to play Jade Goody in a stage show - it's beyond parody anyway - or that Father Ted's Mrs Doyle has had a shave after finding success on Britain's Got Talent.

I make no apology however for having another go at the Home Office. Why the hell, after months of deliberation, has this department betrayed retired Gurkhas by not allowing them residency? The Home Office has proved itself singularly ineffective in policing the borders or in evicting illegals or undesirables, but now refuses to allow brave men who have fought for us to stay.

It's appalling that more people - and more media outlets - haven't joined national treasure Joanna Lumley in demanding fair treatment for them. The only way I can see them getting justice any time soon is June next year when we can finally decide whether or not we want to keep this administration.

I couldn't care less if the Hairy Cornflake wins Britain's Got Talent

1704826 — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:32:00 GMT

Some readers thought that my last couple of blog posts were trite. But I'm afraid that they are completely wrong.

What I was attempting to demonstrate is that the selective use of popular keywords, rather than the value of the content itself, by media outlets is now driving the news agenda as newspapers attempt to get the most hits. And I think that for anyone who actually cares about serious journalism that this is a very bad thing.

I don't care who Susan Boyle is and I don't care about Obama's dog. And to be honest I don't care if Dave Lee Travis wins Britain's Got Talent. But unfortunately we're all going to be forced to read these sort of non-stories over the summer as they are guaranteed to produce hits to websites.

And if you are remotely interested, by using words that are in the zeitgeist I did manage to get more hits than usual. That said, the magic number ten still proved depressingly elusive so what do I know?

Susan Boyle is bigger than Bush, Obama and Palin!

2347496 — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:13:00 GMT

It’s true. According to Visible Measures, the unexpected star of Britain’s Got Talent has received 47.7 million online views and 125,000+ comments. This trounces views of the Bush vs Shoes incident (33.2m views), Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin (34.2m) and Obama’s victory night speech (18.5m). What’s it all mean for the future of light entertainment? For a start, it’s further evidence of our insatiable appetite for the plucky underdog – John Sergeant, Paul Potts et al. It probably also points to our desire for a new shared visual experience. After all, very few of us watch the same TV programme at the same time these days - it’s all Sky+ and iPlayer. Nowadays isn’t it all about gathering round a colleague’s computer and reliving the same clip together? It’s the modern day equivalent of sitting in front of the wireless – collectively enjoying a piece of entertainment and then critiquing as a group. Of course, it might just mean that we’re a bunch of shameless voyeurs with too much time on our hands!

EXCLUSIVE - President Obama to call puppy Jade Goody. Or Susan Boyle. On YouTube

1704826 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:11:00 GMT

Given that the popularity of this blog has now slumped to a level matched only by that of Jacqui Smith (and I know that neither Tony nor Oli are on holiday), I've decided to abandon my Damian McBride strategy and try a different tack to see if I can beat the number of readers that Janet Belmont's Blogs get on the Brand Republic community.

Given that every newspaper has moved its agenda on to writing with glee about the ugly Scottish religious woman from Britain's Got Talent and how her performance on the show has had 20m hits on YouTube (with the host of the Today programme apparently 'moved to tears' so God knows what she was like when she heard about Jade), this is clearly the route I need to go down.

By adopting principles, familiar to marketers, from search engine optimisation and using popular keywords I'm optimistic that this blog may edge into double figures. Until then any planned leave is banned.