… I snuck over to the official Britains Got Talent site and watched the snippets of the finals there this afternoon. But I will only share my impressions AFTER I watch the entire thing. By now you know that Susan Boyle came in runner=up to Diversity. Of course all the headlines are going to Boyle… and arguably she will make more money in the end than the winning hip-hop dance group. Still… I can’t wait for the entire program to be uploaded to watch it.
So, after I watch it all I will post an update here.
EDIT: Just got done watching the entire thing. I’ll say it again… I do rather like Britains Got Talent. I think perhaps because at the end of the day there is a good natured can-do sensibility about it. That is what makes compelling television for me.
This year the dance groups that made it into the final (both were stellar) had a freshness about them and their routines. Both took established forms and seemed to retool those into something quite new and dynamic. The singers unabashedly dipped into song treasures of the past to showcase their abilities. Even the younger generation was not stifled by the instinctual chauvinism of “having to performing the latest thing” opting instead (thus acknowledging) that good is good no matter what era it came from. Overall, even those who went for the razzmatazz did so without sacrificing sincerity and a healthy dollop of fun. For me the absence of trying to be “terminally hip” is what ultimately makes the English version stand out over the American counterpart.
Well, that’s done for the year. Now back to life.
EDIT: It saddened me to read THIS.