So, ‘Something For The Weekend’ – what’s that all about then? Seeing it for the first time at the weekend – finger, pulse? *ahem* – I really didn’t know what to make of it. We have Tim Lovejoy being Tim Lovejoy, talking football and groin strains and cheeky looks to the camera, coupled with Louise Rednapp who looks thoroughly confused to be in a television studio – and well she might.
The televisual equivalent of reading the Sunday papers with a cup of tea in bed and a possibility of a hangover ensued, and whilst it wasn’t bad exactly, it wasn’t really anything more than filler. And I’m not saying that’s any bad thing per se, but it made me think. When did we stop aspiring to be good at anything? If television is the mirror at which we all worship alternative versions of ourselves, if only we were thinner, richer, married to footballers/comedians/politicians, then by all accounts we’re all a bit rubbish and deconstructed and pretending to be something we’re not.
We don’t watch dancers or ice skaters anymore, we watch people pretending to be dancers and ice skaters. And we don’t watch programs presenting by professional presenters anymore, we watch programs presented by people who used to be in a band way back when, who have the lifestyle that apparently we’re all meant to desire.
If I need a plumber I call a plumber – I don’t call Nigel down the street who works in graphic design but fancies wielding a monkey wrench, and I wouldn’t expect my hairdresser to be a moonlighting pole dancer, so why is the ‘entertainment’ industry any different? Where are our standards people?!
And most importantly, what do we tell our children? That you don’t really have to apply yourself or try very hard at anything, because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition?
Can you tell it’s Monday?!
and I thought I was the only one that felt this way, wlthough I do like Stricktly. But I can hold my hand on heart and say I have never seen Xfactor, icedacing or britians got talent.
My plumber is actually called Nigel. And he really is a plumber too. He’s brilliant! We also have an electrician. He’s not called Nigel. And about 2 years ago, he wall papered our house and did a really crap job.
…there’s a point here somewhere but I may have lost track.
For my sins, I do watch XFactor although I obviously self flagellate throughout! But it does annoy me that we seem to be ok with a constant diminishing of standard *adopts Mary Whitehouse style pose* x
Well said. I switched the TV off this weekend because it was all so rubbish then woke up to hear Chris Moyles (professional DJ) discussing with one of his side-kicks (also a professional DJ whose names escapes me as it’s Monday) his new slot as one of the skaters on Dancing on Ice. His side-kick is the skater (I use the term loosely) not Chris Moyles. That would a completely different conversation and possibly even worth watching.
Making little sense. Can you tell it’s Monday? 😉 😉
All plumbers are called Nigel – it’s a statutory fact – and all electricians take basic wallpapering at electrician college (or something). But not all of them pass – did you ask to see his certificates? x
I think you might mean Comedy (in the loosest use of the word) Dave? And yes, possibly Chris Moyles on Ice would be a sight worth watching – purely from a cruel, POV obviously and not for one minute pretending it was for any educational reason.
An acerbic post certainly perks up a Monday *toddles off to put kettle on* x
….dammit.
*facepalm*
We watched very littel TV over the CHristmas break which speaks volumes I think. I used to really look forward to all the great progs that were shown ‘at this special time’! Not sure I’d buy a TV now to be honest!
Chris Mosler had written a post called ‘Something for the Weekend’ (http://christinemosler.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/something-for-the-weekend/) So when I saw the title I wondered what she had been up to!!
Good monday morning rant! And so true. My weekend outrage was at the media who think they’re policemen rather than reporters in the case of Jo Yeates. Which might explain why the reporting is so rubbish if they’re all out sleuthing.
Oh btw, my plumber is called Steve.
It’s a load of tosh to put it bluntly Julia – no substance and barely any style either. I’ll be having words with that Mosler about her blog titles! x
Really agree with you. This constant dumbing down depresses me. What do we or our children have to aspire to anymore?
Great post. Hope you are well. X
Ok, firstly your plumber isn’t called Steve – it’s a pseudonym – he’s obviously trying to get a job as a TV presenter.
And yes, you’re so right about the reporters! Today’s lesson is brought to you by the catchphrase “Do what you do well”
Thanks lovely. I’m beginning to think that the only option is to get rid of the gogglebox and concentrate on showing them what real people do! xx
I guess most people gravitate to SFTW having watched Andrew Marr or the The Politics Show and felt that Sunday morning was the time for something casual, inconsequencial, even superficial *pans right* cue Tim/Louise/Simon…
LOL! I have to say that I quite like Simon though 😉
I have no issue with people starting out in one job and moving into another line of work. People do that all the time and if it means that none of us can change career, then I’m stuffed quite frankly. I mean, this is not a fairly new phenomenon – a lot of TV presenters going back a long time often started doing something completely different in showbiz.
What I do have a problem with is people who get the gigs because of who they are and not what they can do and make a bad fist of it. And yes, all the celebrity TV shows that fill the networks. I guess it works out as cheap television, doesn’t it? I mean reality TV stuff fills the main channels at the weekend year round. Autumn is Strictly and X Factor and I’m A Celebrity, now we have Dancing On Ice, and soon it will be Britain’s Got Talent and no doubt, the BBC has got a “win a place in a musical” type show lined up too. Dull, dull, dull.
SFTW is surprisingly anodyne when you consider Lovejoy’s background. Quite why he chose to leave Soccer AM is anyone’s guess but he had total freedom there, he was in his element, and they got away with murder almost. He was a cult figure, but I think he thought he could be a bigger star.
I hate the way they do the cooking demos with the celebs too – even tho I like Simon Rimmer as a cook. And the clips of TV programmes they insert make the programme disjointed – tho they do similar with Saturday Kitchen and that annoys me too.
Small wonder we end up watching Spanish football so much at the weekend.
It’s not about people changing careers, which is of course perfectly acceptable. It’s more a case of stepping straight into something else with no obvious aptitude or skill – that’s my objection. And yes, completely agree with you on the celeb TV points.
I loved Soccer AM and that show has never really thrived in the same way without him. He should have stayed there instead of believing the hype. Now he’s carrying around chopped spring onion in a kitchen and telling us all that Kenny Dalgleish takes the piss out of him – and we’re meant to be surprised?!
Hola!
Lovejoy is a talent vacuum. When he used to “present” Soccer AM he was under the deluded impression that he had the skills to be a second division footballer. Having seen him in a couple of “celebrity” games I don’t think he’d make many Sunday league teams.
He has a radio show on 5Live – well, he did, not sure if he does any more as it was rubbish – that had “Comedy” Dave as a co-host. Epic. They seemed to find each other funny, which was nice, as I didn’t find either of them entertaining in the slightest.
Lovejoy has also been in an advert for pasta. He can’t act. He also does the voiceover for the William Hill adverts (where he will bet on someone to get a hat-trick, apparently). Despite growing up in Watford, Lovejoy supports Chelsea. Although I think that coincides with them winning something, so he’s not really as up on his football knowledge as he makes out.
For true comedy, I recommend his autobiography. Don’t read all of it, or indeed buy it, but if you see a copy in a charity shop, open it at random and see some of his pearls of wisdom. Clueless.
Unsurprisingly, he is divorced. Mind you, so am I, yet I don’t have a chatshow with cooking element – despite me being better at cooking than him.
Louise Redknapp is, like Lovejoy, a media whore. She’s been in adverts for Thompson (with her idiot husband) and Nintendo (ditto, plus kids and father-in-law) despite having not one clue about acting. It’s like she discovered some teenagers in the 90s thought she was sultry and has been pursuing the same look/”appeal” ever since. It is, in many ways, the perfect storm of presenting.
I do sound like some sort of wiki on the pair of them, but it’s not like I’ve tried. I’m bombarded with these idiots – and many, many others – on a daily basis. I’ve stopped watching mainstream television channels, yet still there’s no escape from them as they’re now all in adverts as well (did I really see Prescott in an insurance advert?)
The aspiration of children seems “to be famous”, rather than to achieve fame through being actually good at something. Can anyone explain Chantelle Houghton to me? Actually, don’t, as I don’t care. When I was growing up there were precious few people who were famous entirely for being famous. This seems to be the other way round now. Media here and in the US is ridiculous for building up people as celebrities when they’ve no talent or personality. Sadly this is now spreading to mainland Europe and South Africa as well.
There is no escape from the explosion of pointless: the bonfire of the vain entities needs to come soon.
Apologies for the long comment, I have a whole lot of hate to give.
*falls over laughing* Silas, your bon mots are pure brilliance and I bow to your vitriol. xx
I don’t watch a lot of television thank goodness so at least can focus my watching on decent stuff – did you see the BBC two parter about the sinking of the Laconia last week? It sounds like the perfect antidote to that rubbish stuff
I suspect that, as in many other aspects of modern life, there is a chasm of difference between the uninspiring, unimaginative dross that goes out and represents the majority of the viewing available and the high quality, challenging, unique content that remains the preserve of the few.
I too am one of the ‘I don’t watch much TV’ brigade so don’t feel equipped to comment…would be a bit of a Nigel in my commenting capabilities not knowing my X Factor from my Dancing on Ice!
Having said that, I do get very shouty when the news comes on radio or TV and it is all ‘Comment from our reporter’ ‘Opinion from our editor’ in house claptrap with no substance. I don’t want to know what the BBC/ITN news team thinks about the news I want to know what the people who are making it think…if you get my meaning!
Rant over. Sorry about my confusing post title, I will consult you in future before rashly applying one!
C x
I have seen this show & you are so right she looks completely out of her depth. I think she’s been there a while so clearly this isn’t enough reason to fire her. I think television as a medium for entertainment has lost it’s mojo all round. Where are all the good dramas/comedies to wile away the winter nights with? I use to look forward to the new shows starting in Jan. Now it’s just “blah”. Oh well it means more reading, crossword puzzles and angry birds so guess I shouldn’t complain!
I have very little idea what you’re talking about. Is it something to do with the new series of Lark Rise?
I do know that sadly my eldest child has succumbed to the fame thing and she’s always asking how it’s achieved. Her latest plan is to package her youngest brother, because she’s worked out that you need a hook, and extreme youth, and therefore cuteness, is his, so she spends a lot of time getting him to practise air guitar and discussing leather jackets for 4yos. *holds head in hands*
I quite like it. It’s easy background noise and I like Louise’s clothes, they’re lovely. Does that make me shallow?..
But why do they show us clips of repeat telly, now that does annoy me. It was shit first time we don’t need to see it again do we?!
It’s probably fair to say SFTW wouldn’t look out of place on ITV, who do facile, packing pellet television expertly, but the BBC?? Oh purlease…
*hands over soapbox* Indeed my friend *applauds* x
Yes please – very confusing to be putting out very different content under an umbrella title….. what will people think! x
It’s all rubbish isn’t it H? On the upside, I’m spending more time playing Just Dance2 so every cloud etc x
Lark Rise? Yes dear that’s exactly it *shakes head* Believe me, you’re not missing out…
I’m thinking that the 8yo is a very savvy young lady, also very intelligent so she’ll probably be ok – either that or she’ll sell the 4yo to the circus and make off with the proceeds. x
Shallow? No…. *ahem*
And agree on the repeats – it’s a nonsense x
Good old ITV, where would we be without them? 😉
And what’s wrong with two of my children being financially independant? I think you might be onto something here…
independent, independent, independent