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Chart Throb - Ben Elton


 Chart Throb - Ben Elton Printed Book
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Chart Throb - Ben Elton

 
Description: ISBN 055277376X / Author: Ben Elton / Genre: Music / Ben Elton's Chart Throb is the ultimate pop quest. There are ninety five thousand ... more
Chart Throb - Ben Elton ... hopefuls, three judges, just one winner. And that's Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show. Calvin always wins because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits smugly in judgement upon the mingers, clingers and blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted 'search' for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The 'real' is about to be put back into 'reality' television and Calvin and his fellow judges (the nation's favourite mum and the other bloke) are about to become ex-factors themselves. Ben Elton, author of Popcorn and Dead Famous returns to blistering comic satire with a savagely hilarious deconstruction of the world of modern television talent shows. Chart Throb has one winner and a whole bunch of losers.

Newest Review: ... true, namely the extreme desperations of the various saddos and wannabes that are selected to perform on such shows, and are ... more

 ... actually sometimes quite cruelly manipulated into publicly humiliating themselves. On that front, Elton can't be faulted - he is spot on. Additionally, Elton successfully plants and nourishes the seeds of thought that many of us have had all along - that such TV shows are a fix, or are at least heavily manipulated and distorted in their representations. To quote Elton - "do the maths". The story loses its edge in several places, though, and these are my main gripes: The judges' characters are si...more

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Chart Throb
Pages: 464, Edition: New edition, Paperback, Black Swan
Last Update 04.12.2009 05:59
£ 5.00
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samueltyler
Premium Review Chart Throb - Ben Elton: That Book Was Distinctly Average (945 words)
by - written on 18/12/07 (Very useful, 71 readings)
Rating:

Current UK based TV is shockingly bad in my opinion. The BBC was set up so that all age groups and types of people are catered for in some way. This does not affect the other channels quite as much, but it does mean that there are shows as varied as 'Bob the Builder' to 'Antiques Roadshow'. The Mecca for TV execs is the 18-30 age group who they see has the most disposable income. This may seem like rubbish to us, but it does mean that more shows get made for this demographic than any other. So how come there is nothing to watch for me, a male right in the centre of this selection? Shows like 'The X Factor' are supposed to draw my viewing, but I would rather watch a ...  Read the complete review

david_1967
Premium Review Funny? Don't make me laugh! (643 words)
by - written on 05/03/08 (Very useful, 67 readings)
Rating:

I love to read - anything (books, Corn Flake packets, reviews) and so when my son gave me a copy of Ben Eltons book 'Chart Throb' I was instantly curious. I had not read anything by the author since his debut novel 'Stark' in '89 which was okay I suppose, for a first attempt, but lived close to my heart as I had Mr. Elton himself sign the thing. 'Chart Throb', his 11th novel, tells the tale of Calvin Simms (all-round bad guy, womaniser and Simon Cowell mimic) and his popular TV show of the same name. By his side are Beryl Blenhiem (a sex-changed former rock star now married to another woman with two dysfunctional kids - Sharon AND Ozzy in one) and Rodney ...  Read the complete review

hollywoodmum
Premium Review Chart Throb - Ben Elton: How Much Do you Want this? (1357 words)
by - written on 02/11/07 (Very useful, 97 readings)
Rating:

The Blurb Chart Throb. The ultimate pop quest. Ninety five thousand hopefuls. Three Judges. Just one winner. And that's Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show. Calvin always wins because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits in judgement upon Mingers, Clingers and Blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted 'search' for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The real is about to be put back into 'reality' televison and Calvin and his fellow judges are about to become ex-factors themselves. ben Elton, author of Popcorn and Dead Famous, returns to blistering comic satire with a savagely ...  Read the complete review

kingfisher111
Crowned Review What's real about reality? (1029 words)
by - written on 11/01/08 (Very useful, 200 readings)
Rating:

I have just finished reading 'Chart Throb' which was written by Ben Elton and which I would have to describe as a very cynical view of all the reality talent shows that we find on television these days. It is a very entertaining read but also really makes you think about the morality of such TV shows. Chart Throb is actually the name of a TV talent show. As you read the book, you cannot help but be reminded of X Factor all the way through (this is even though Ben Elton mentions X Factor as one of Chart Throb's predecessors, and even mentions Simon, Sharon and Louis in their roles of judges in that show. I guess that by doing so he is suggestiong that by ...  Read the complete review

mum2boys82
Premium Review Chart Throb - Ben Elton: Chart Throb, or maybe just heart ache? (799 words)
by - written on 03/11/09 (Very useful, 57 readings)
Rating:

Wandering around the local library the other week I was looking for something to borrow when I happened across a Ben Elton book that I had not yet read. I have read most of his books so far and have enjoyed them very much even though they do cover a varied amount of different topics. The Book ------------- The particular book that I borrowed was: Chart Throb ISBN 0-593-05749-x £17.99 (Hardback) Bantam Press 427 pages The cover of this book was quite eye catching as it is a lovely pale blue colour all over with a picture of a microphone on the front. It has all the usual bits on the back about the ...  Read the complete review

 

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Chart Throb - Ben Elton