American Idol

Hot off the heels of UK talent series X-Factor, American Idol has launched on to our screens in the UK this week. The series premiered a couple of days earlier in the states that it was aired in the UK where it is a weekly ratings winner on Fox and in a prime time slot. Here in the UK we have to tune in to ITV 2 to catch the first screenings at a decent hour or wait and hope that it is shown during the day on the main ITV channel.

I think it is brilliant to be able to see talents shows from different countries as by watching them we can make general assessments about talent levels in comparison with our own nation and know if we are falling behind.

I feel American Idol has a very different feel to UK shows like X-Factor. On American idol when they show the audition stage its edited together in a way which makes you think that all the auditionees think they are great and that the judges expect to have quality performers in front of them. As soon as they get in to the audition though it’s like the judges can’t wait to bring them down. The programme seems to be very orientated around the American Dream philosophy.

Now I’m not saying the judges don’t like bringing them down on the X-Factor but I feel our contestants on the whole have lower expectations and that the judges don’t go in expecting greatness like they do in the US. Also the way it’s edited is different to American Idol, it’s not done in the same set the contestant up for a fall type of way.

I enjoy watching both shows, as I love seeing the talented people shine through. It’s also good to see different types of talent and different voices shine. In the UK the voices are influenced by Pop and Indie whereas in the US it’s more of a Country, Gospel, Classic Rock influence.

The one thing about these shows that scares me is burnout. I will always want to see talent shows on TV but with the constant 12 month cycle of talent/celebrity shows the ITV have at the moment they will soon lose their appeal to the masses. As soon as a talent shows loses its appeal to the masses then there is little point to it. On ITV you can almost tell beforehand without seeing adverts what the next series is going to be when the current one finishes as we cycle through shows like Dancing on Ice, Soapstar Superstar, I’m a Celebrity, Britain’s Got Talent, X-Factor, American Idol etc. I know the BBC aren’t much better in this respect with their dance and musical programmes.

I will leave you with one last thought. I know we all like to be entertained but when you are laughing at the auditionees who maybe not so good as others remember they are human beings and are brave for giving it a go on national TV.

As part of our discussion topic of the week we would love to hear your thoughts on American Idol. Have you caught the first few episodes? What do you think? Do you prefer it to X-Factor? We want to know, follow the link to join in:


http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=323

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

American sports in the UK!

Over the next month the UK is going to be invaded by the biggest sporting teams America has to offer. Last weekend NHL (National Hockey League) kicked off their season with the first ever competitive season fixtures ever played in the UK now this month sees the turn of the NFL (National Football League) and the NBA (National Basketball Association) to show the UK audiences what their sports are all about.

We have had American Football, Ice Hockey and Basketball leagues here in the UK for sometime now with many British teams competing but this month is a huge opportunity for the UK based teams and leagues to get the press coverage and publicity they need to really develop the sports in the UK.

In the UK Football, Rugby and Cricket are always going to be the top team sports but hopefully this month will see young people wanting to try their hand at these new sports and you never know we might uncover some untapped talent in the process.

Although existing for years here in the UK these American sports only have a small following compared to the likes of Premiership Football and their US counterparts. Many people that play these sports in the UK actually have to pay for the pleasure of playing and have to clock up miles crisscrossing the country in order to get to games whilst still holding down full time jobs or full time education.

I personally think this is going to be a great thing for the UK as we need to get young people in to sport and the more opportunities there are and the more different are available to them the more likely they are going to be able to find a sport to play which they enjoy.

The big NFL, NHL and NBA games here in the UK all sold out very quickly so it shows you that there is great demand for these sports and a great following of them here in the UK. I know these big American leagues are all planning on making their trips to the UK an annual event which can only be good for these sports in the UK. It’s not going to happen overnight and I don’t think they will get the following that our style of football gets over here but with continued development these sports can become widely played by young people in the UK.

It is just important that we get out of the mindset of thinking of them as American sports and really just think about them as sports the same as any other as I know when people use the word American it can put some people off. Just because they originate from America it doesn’t mean they are not or can’t be global sports.

Hopefully these big organisations can do for American sports in the UK what David Beckham is doing for football (soccer) in America.

Have your say on american sports in our topic of the week:

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=244#244

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com/