Where There's A Will, There's A Way! (Pop Idol)

Member Name: blackjane

Product:	Pop Idol
Date:	23/11/01 (536 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Began with more than its fair share of entertainment value, The judging panel (in partiuclar Pete Waterman who was honest and didn't have his own agenda), Truly gripping entertainment that built to a well executed crescendo

Disadvantages: Some may say the format isFormulaic, Are we beginning to tire of this type of programming?

Following on from the massive success of the 'Popstars' series, which gave rise to the group Hear'say, ITV were keen to follow up their success. They appear to be on relatively safe ground with 'Pop Idol', which follows a similar formula and has the ultimate aim of producing the latest solo singing sensation.

I cannot claim to have watched this series from the start - the three year stalemate during which ITV withheld its free-to-air channels from the Sky Digital platform meant that I used to be reluctant to view ITV in its fuzzy form through a set-top aeriel (although this has now finally been resolved.) However, the early Saturday evening slot has a tendency to be devoid of anything worth watching, unless you're a Jim Davidson fan or are addicted to the Brookside omnibus. I have therefore resorted on a few occasions to see what Pop Idol has to offer, and although I had mixed feelings about the show to begin with, I am now completely and utterly engrossed in the series.

My inital impression was that this type of programming already seems to be tired and formulaic, and to certain extent this is still the case. The aim of this show is to select a solo singer and not a group this time, and there are a number of other minor differences from the original Popstars programme. However, the holy grail is still the same - a record contract is on offer to the ultimate winner, together with endless column inches in the tabloids and a virtual guarantee of instant pop star notoriety. It has also been stated that some of the losers may also end up signing recording deals as it would be a shame to see some of the talent on show going to waste.

In some ways the winner is irrelevant. The 'entertainment' consists of the performances of the contestants, the wit of hosts Ant and Dec, but most of all the comments of the judging panel. The Pop Idol panel consists of Simon Cowell - A&R (Artiste and Repertoire) executive, Pete Wate
rman - record producer (formerly of 'Stock Aitken Waterman' fame), DJ Neil Fox and Nicki Chapman who has been a successful manager in the music industry. The discussions over the relative merits of the contestants are the most amusing part, and there is a tendency for polarised views from the panel, and I suspect from certain sections of the viewing public as well.

Do we really know who will make the ideal pop star? Well, at the end of the day it's the public that will decide, so it is to be hoped that we are collectively able to choose somebody that is capable of living up to all of our expectations.

Over time, Cowell in particular has received condemnation for his frank and forthright views about the contestants, although he has claimed that there is no point in raising the hopes of no-hopers. Also receiving a fair amount of stick for his forthright views is Pete Waterman, although I have a lot of time for someone who has been in the music industry for as long as he has. Pete started out as a DJ in his home town of Coventry before moving to the states. He then returned to the UK to establish the 'Hit Factory', which made stars of artists such as Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley and Steps. People don't always appreciate the music that he has brought to the attention of the public, but his track record speaks for itself.

It will be interesting to see how the winner fares in his or her life as a pop star, although if they were to fail to have a number one with the publicity and the votes of the public it would be a huge surpise. It will also be interesting to see which of the contestants that fail to win the main prize will also become stars in their own right. Much was made of the 'Flopstars' - ie: the five losing finalists in the Popstars series. They formed the group 'Liberty' and have already charted with a top ten hit of their own, showing that being second best doesn't necessarily mean you should
be denied some success of your own.

This show began with over 10,000 hopefuls, and this number was quickly whittled down to just 50 finalists. This then produced five heats of ten contestants each week. From each heat two winners have been chosen for the grand final. The public are able to vote for their favourites each week by phone, and the results are announced on ITV later in the evening. By the start of December we will know all the ten finalists, and then each week one will be eliminated until we are left with just two, some time in February. By the summer the ultimate winner will probably be on Top Of The Pops singing a number one single to much adulation, as well as a fair amount of criticism for some quarters, mainly from people that will cite their status as a manufactured pop star.

Regardless of your views on the music industry, the 'Pop Idols' programme gives an interesting and entertaining insight into the credentials that are required to become a pop star. The fact that the contestants have had to sing live means that unlike some of the other stars in the charts today, the accusation that these people simply cannot sing cannot really be levied in this instance. I will continue to be engrossed with the ongoing 'Pop Idol' saga for many weeks to come, and I'm sure that I will not be alone.

ITV will then need to conjure up something as good or better to compete in the ever-keen ratings wars for viewing figures, although they will need to really dig deep to find something that can match all the hype and success of 'Popstars' and 'Pop Idol.'

Finally, a reminder for all Pop Idol addicts out there - don't forget to check out all the latest gossip at:

http://www.itv.com/popidol

or

http://www.popidolonline.co.uk

The main show goes out on ITV1 at 6:10pm on a Saturday, with numerous behind the scenes shows all week on ITV2.

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Postscript:


This opinion was written well bofore the explosion of hype and media attention took over the show, but in truth would we really have had it any other way?

Thankfully the good old British public proved that despite almost everyone saying that the final between Will and Garteh would be a foregone conclusion, the best man, Will, won through in the end despite many obstacles that were put in his way.

And more to the point I was able to clean up with the bookies. £25 on Will to win at 3-1 helps my bank balance along very nicely indeed, which just goes to prove that the bookies and the media can be wrong sometimes!

{Another original Dooyoo opinion
© Blackjane 2001, updated 2002}

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