Music Makes the People Come Together

MUSIC! Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Radio 1, all weekend; BBC Red button, from 4pm today onwards, BBC Three, 7.00pm, 9.15pm, 12.15am today, 7.00pm and 11.15pm tomorrow, Radio 1 Online, all weekend.

This weekend, Maidstone will be hosting the biggest free festival it’s probably ever held (I am willing to be proved wrong, Maidstone festivals are not my specialist subject), as Radio 1 hosts its Big Weekend. There are four stages over the weekend, although how much of each will be broadcast, I don’t know.

The weekend is taking advantage of the SHINY! NEW! possibilities the digital age offers us, by not only broadcasting on the traditional wireless, but also on the internet, BBC Three and via the red button (by the way, what happened to red button voting? I voted several times in Fame Academy because of that little innovation. Alex Parks, and, er, Sinead Quinn, owe their careers to me… oh.).

There are lots of acts across the weekend, including Robyn, Hot Chip, Goldfrapp, The Fratellis, Duffy, The Ting Tings, Vampire Weekend, The Futureheads, The Zutons, Pendulum, The Raconteurs, Adele, Usher and The Kooks (Scouting For Girls are also on, though. Run!) However, the main draw is undoubtedly Madonna. It is rare for her to appear at an event of this type, and cynics would say it shows she is a bit unsure of how well Hard Candy is going to go down, but it could just be that she wants to attract a younger audience. Or just, you know, for the craic.

Madonna live (9pm tonight) is always worth a gander. She will probably play mostly stuff from the new album and perhaps one or two old faves (it will be a reasonably short set). And being Madonna, she will no doubt cause controversy. I still remember listening to her Blond Ambition tour live on Radio 1 and my mum getting very upset with all the lewdness. A whole new generation of parents could be about to get offended…

One small step…

ARTY! What About Me?, Channel 4, 12.05am
It’s been going for years and years and years and it features a very eclectic mix of genres and artists, yet despite a being music lover, I almost never watch it. Partly that’s because it lacks any regular programme brands. A new White Room, Popworld or Chart Show might help to give the slot some continuity. However, the main reason I never watch it is because it’s on so bloody late. But I thought I’d plug the latest show in the strand, as it sounds quite intriguing.

What About Me is the latest project from 1 Giant Leap, who you may remember from the single ‘My Culture’ with Robbie Williams and Maxxie Jazz the other year. They also made a full album and multimedia extravaganza that time round, although you’d be forgiven for not realising that bit, as I didn’t know about it either until the other day. This project will also have an album release, but begins with this seven-part series on Channel 4.

The project brings together people from the fields of academia, philosophy, music, drama, politics, religion, and probably the person down the road to create ‘meditations’ of video, art, music and speech on topics such as love, belief and death. It’s one of those ‘Marmite’ projects. You will either embrace it fully or think it’s just a piece of arty wankery and have no truck with it. Collaborators include Stephen Fry, Michael Stipe, Alanis Morrissette, Tim Roth, kd Lang, Noam Chomsky, Bob Geldof, Susan Sarandon, Carrie Fisher (which I first read as Connie Firsher, sorry), Courtney Love and, er, Will Young.

Oh, and this week’s episode is actually part two, ‘Wounded’. But if you missed part one (which is not on 4OD) you can catch it their website. Personally, I thought part one was a bit boring and patronising, but the trailer for this episode looks a little more intriguing (partly because it features people I’ve heard of, and part one was scant on those). Seeing as ITV has ushered in the new age of skipping bits of series out, feel free to join in the trend and start here.

Two’s company

SERIOUS! Looking for Dad, BBC Two, 9.00pm
FRIVOLOUS! The Graham Norton Show, BBC Two, 7.00pm

We thought we’d just take a moment today to celebrate BBC Two. We like all the telly channels in the world, generally (except, at the moment, ITV1 and their refusal to show the full series of Pushing Daisies but we’re sure we’ll get over it in time), but there’s something quite special about BBC Two and the way it has perhaps the most diverse programming line-up of all the channels right now, yet pretty much all its shows manage to feel at home there. No mean feat.

Tonight is a perfect example of the diversity of the channel. At 7.00pm, we have a one-off documentary, Looking for Dad. Let’s overlook the fact that the title was used for a Channel 4 documentary a few years ago and accentuate the positive: it’s a journey of filmmaker Charlie Russell and his brother to try and find out something about their estranged father (WHO IS DEAD. Ahem. Sorry). They use clues from his flat, meet his friends and family and try to discover who he really was. It’s an unusual choice for this timeslot, and if you’re bored of the drugs and incest shenanigans in Hollyoaks and the never-ending wedding saga in EastEnders, this may be worth a shot. It will almost certainly have more heart.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the return of The Graham Norton Show. Although it is essentially So Graham Norton with fewer vibrator jokes, it still works as a format - partly because Graham can still be funny when he wants to be (the interludes in the group songs in I’d Do Anything not so much), but mainly because most of his guests are good sports who are up for a laugh and thus there tends to be a great rapport between Norton, the guests, the audience and the assorted strange people on the phone or internet. We much prefer this show in short, weekly runs like this to the nightly, years-long marathon that was V Graham Norton, too. Tonight’s guests are Tony Curtis, Kevin Bacon and Robyn. How eclectic. How very BBC Two.

Seacrest and sighs

CHARITY! American Idol, ITV2, 9.00 & 11.00pm

It seemed like an odd idea last year: for a show like American Idol that’s always felt to be unashamedly about generating extra sources of revenue for record companies to suddenly develop a conscience - especially after foisting Taylor Hicks on an unsuspecting universe the year before - and devote an entire programme to raising money for charity felt weird, somehow. As though we were constantly expecting Ryan Seacrest to announce the whole thing had been an elaborate wind-up and all the donations were going to fund Clive Davis’s next annual bonus instead. But no, they raised over $70 million to help fight poverty, and the whole thing was such a success, they’re going to do it again this year, and make it bigger. Ah, now that feels like American Idol.

While the whole thing might sound like a rather cringe-worthy effort, there’s enough corporate muscle behind the whole thing to pull in some seriously A-list stars, including the likes of Brad Pitt, Mariah Carey and Bono (it was inevitable that he’d turn up, wasn’t it?), alongside some slightly less amazing but still bankable stars like Fergie, Celine Dion, Vanessa Hudgens and Miley Cyrus (who, we’re sure, was just bein’ Miley), as well as Idol alumni such as Fantasia, Elliott Yamin, DAUGHTRY!!11!, and Carrie Underwood.

Last night, the Idols sang “inspirational songs” to gain public support (and really, David Archuleta, ‘Angels’ inspires us to do a lot of things, none of them good) and following the charity event, there’s the inevitable results show. Last year the overwhelming sense of charity so touched the heart of the Idol producers that they decided they couldn’t possibly have an elimination on charity night - but will they pull that trick again this year? Or will they decide that the truly charitable thing is to put one of this year’s contestants out of their misery and send them home? Either way, we’ll find out later.

Boogie Woogie - Live!

MUSIC! Later… Live, BBC Two, 10.00pm

We are officially our grandparents. Because we are at that stage of life where very few things are not like they were in ‘our day’. And one of those things that was very much better in our day was music television.

When we were whippersnappers, there was Top of The Pops, The Chart Show, The Tube and later The White Room, as well as music on all kinds of other shows, not least Saturday morning kids’ TV, which is now also defunct. Oh, and David Hunter will no doubt tell us that in his day you also had Ready, Steady Go and The Old Grey Whistle Test. In this decade pop on mainstream TV is mostly limited to a song during talent show results programmes and the rather ace busking bit on The Culture Show.

So thank heavens for Later… for being one of the last bastions of music telly on the ‘proper’ channels. OK, it isn’t the kind of programme that is going to help children form their music taste, nor is it ever going to promote the shiny pop so many of you are fond of. But it’s something.

When we heard about Later… Live we assumed it was a spin-off that would run at different times of the year to the main show. But, er, it isn’t. It’s actually live performances whilst Friday’s show is recording. So on Fridays you’ll get to see all this and more because that show is longer. So we’re not entirely sure of the point of this one. OK, it has the thrill factor that something kerrazy might happen live, and there is the advantage of it being on a Tuesday and in an earlier slot than the Friday show. But essentially, it’s the same beast.

We think it’s kind of a missed opportunity when there is obviously scope for more music on TV. Why not commission a new show altogether, or as we thought was the plan, run this at separate times of the year to normal Later? Oh well, as has been well documented on this site, no-one ever listens to our opinion (except the people behing Neighbours). Tonight’s stars include Dawn Kinnard, Yeasayer, Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Natty (pictured), The Kooks, and LC faves Goldfrapp. We are ashamed to admit we’ve only heard of two of those acts - but admit it, so have most of you…

Nobody sees the show, not ’til her heart says so

MUSICAL! The Passions of…Girls Aloud, ITV2, 10.00pm

We rather deliberately let the first couple of episodes of this series pass without a mention on the front page. Not because we weren’t interested in Cheryl learning the art of street dance, or Sarah getting the hang of playing polo, but just because we wanted to wait until we could talk about the episode we really wanted to see. Now it’s finally arrived, so we’re lifting our embargo, and we’re getting very excited at the prospect of watching Kimberley audition for Les Miserables.

The reason that we’re so excited about this one is not because we’re a bunch of jazz-hands loving theatre gays (honest), but more because Kimberley’s our stealth favourite member of Girls Aloud, by virtue of being the one you could imagine yourself being mates with and hanging around down the pub without too much of a stretch. She (and also Nicola, to a similar extent, and in the interests of fairness we’re also very excited about next week’s show in which Nicola launches a range of cosmetics for fair-skinned people) is the one who’s maintained a pleasant sense of normality despite being in a very good and successful girlband, and for that reason we’re utterly entranced by her.

So we’ve got every available digit crossed in the hope that Kimba’s journey, involving her working with the best trainers that musical theatre has to offer, not just in London but also in New York, is a successful one. Although hopefully not so successful that she drops out of the band to spend the next three years playing Eponine, obviously. Then we’d be the miserable ones.

Blame the parents

PARENTAL! ONE Life, BBC One, 10.35pm

This is a curious one. It’s a programme looking what it’s like to be a pop star’s parent. Yet it’s not on Sky One, or ITV1/2, or Five, but in BBC One’s quirky real lives strand, ONE Life. And it’s not on in prime time, either, but late into the evening. We’re not really sure that the whole point of this is, or where it’s going, but it’s a topic that hasn’t really been covered so much by telly, so it may be interesting.

 

The parents here are those of a right rum assortment of pop stars: Courtney Love, Anthony Kiedis, Amy Winehouse (surely the show’s big draw), er, Asher D from So Solid Crew, and, umm, Suggs. Presumably they will be expressing their disgust at their children’s experiments with drugs, drugs, drugs, guns, and er, terrible fishfinger adverts.

Seeing as Anthony Kiedis’ father is renowned for getting him into drink, drugs and women, and Amy Winehouse’s parents are no strangers to the media (they have frequently publicly denounced her behaviour and famously told people not to buy her albums), this could be interesting. But we are really intrigued as to a) how they managed to get Courtney Love’s family here (will Steve Coogan be brought up??) and b) why on earth Suggs’ family are here.

We also get to see lots of baby photos of the stars, including Amy looking like a young Alanis Morissette. Come to think of it, Alanis hasn’t released a record since, ooh, about the time Amy hit it big. Could this programme reveal that they are, in fact, one and the same? And what has Suggs done to poor old Captain Birdseye in order to bag that advertising contract? These are the things we really need to know…

Nancy, boys

SWINDLE! I’d Do Anything, BBC One, 7.30pm

Saturday nights haven’t been the same since Lee Mead, Daniel Boys and co got themselves a whole bunch of nice West End jobs (and Seamus got to appear in, ahem, a Michael Jackson tribute show). And whilst several LC members have enjoyed seeing the gents tread the boards, we have been missing the cruel spectacle wonderful thrill of choosing a New West End Leading Lady or Man (TM) and seeing the losers cruelly serenaded on their way out. Though ‘So Long, Farewell’ and ‘Close Every Door’ are going to take some beating, particularly the ace coat removing gesture the boys had to go through.

So naturally we were all very excited when I’d Do Anything was announced. OK, certain members of the forum were a little unimpressed that there would be no male talent to drool over, but that disappointment was quelled by the knowledge that not only would we see a group of ladies competing to be Nancy, we’d get to crush the hope of dozens of stage school brats as we chose the Olivers. When it was announced that Cameron Mackintosh would take over from orange David Ian and Betty Turpin’s son as the theatre bod, Barry Humphries would join the panel and Zoe Tyler wouldn’t be there, expectations grew all the higher.

Unfortunately, last week, it was revealed that the public would not have a role in voting for the children, and Andrew and Cameron would be doing all that stuff themselves. Boooo! We can’t think why. After all, letting under-16s onto the recent series of The X Factor was such a spectacular success (*cough*).

The forums erupted in a blaze of fury at this announcement:

‘Not only are they denying us child labour, they’re now taking away our viewer vote. Do they not want tears?’ - Muinimula

Never mind, people, we’re sure there’ll be plenty of chance to vent your spleen and indulge in some Barrowman/Van Outen bashing in the chatroom tonight. But be warned, at times like this it can be standing room only in there…

‘Well what’s the fucking point of having the Oliver quest then?’ - Sparkle

‘Bloody hell, weeping ten year old stage school brats was the only reason I was going to tune in. If you’re not casting Oliver in Oliver, then who cares anyway?’ - Jetsetwilly

Good Sports

CHARITY! Sport Relief, BBC One, 7.00pm & 10.45pm and BBC Two, 10.00pm

What are your favourite TV charity marathon moments? This correspondent is torn. Would it be Comic Relief 1987 where she got to go to school dressed as a clown, which somehow meant being able to wear pyjamas, which was absolutely ace? Or ITV Telethon 1990 where Grimsby theatre group Stage One released a dreadful single, ‘Power to the Pupils’ in league with Jive Bunny that sold so badly every household in Grimsby ended up with at least three free copies? Or could it be Children in Need 1993 with the Doctor Who and EastEnders er, classic, crossover, Dimensions in Time? Or, you know, that time when Dawn French songged Hugh Grant? One thing it’s not likely to be, though, is any Sport Relief moment.

We are veterans of the charity telly marathon here, and yet we cannot remember a single moment of any previous Sport Relief event. Other than David Walliams swimming the channel, which we are assuming was for Sport Relief. That doesn’t mean we are against the idea of sport and charity collaborating. After all, we totally remember Sport Aid with its ‘Everybody Wants to Run the World’ theme tune. It just means this event has been less than memorable in the past.

Still, this year it seems they are pulling the stops out a bit with the telly extravaganza. Highlights include Jonathan Ross v Parky in a ‘battle of the chat shows’ (Wossy, obviously), Jimmy Carr hosting A Question of Sport Relief, the unlikely collaboration between Top Gear and the long dead Ground Force (that’s the bit on BBC Two when the ‘main’ channel goes to the news), and, best of all, the climax of Sports Relief Does the Apprentice when one of the hapless men gets fired (our money is on Kelvin MacKenzie - Sralan doesn’t seem so keen on former tabloid editors) and Sport Relief Does Strictly Come Dancing which includes Gemma Bissix (Dame Clare Devine/Bates) and Elaine Paige, although given that they would be in our dream line-up for Strictly proper, we have mixed feelings about them being here.

Anyway, lest we forget, this is all for a good cause - supporting a variety of projects in the UK and overseas. So don’t forget to go and donate.

Guilty Displeasures

CRIMINAL!Guilty Pleasures, ITV1, 9.30pm

Sometimes there are those concepts (usually ITV-devised concepts) that for a split second sound quite good, before you blink and then realise that, in fact, they are not good ideas at all. They are ideas conceived on a quiet day in hell.

One such idea is Guilty Pleasures. Based on the club night/website/radio brand of the same name, this show allegedly features songs you find ‘guilty pleasures’ sung by sort-of-cool-well-mainstream-actually-but-cooler-than-let’s-say-Westlife artists (the likes of The Magic Numbers, bits of Supergrass, Sophie Ellis Bextor, KT Tunstall and, er, Craig David). There you go, that’s the split second when you think it might be good.

Now the realisation. Firstly, the songs they cover are genereally either too-good-to-be-covered (’Beat It’), too bad-to-be-covered (’You’re the Voice’) or covered-too-many-times-already (’Islands in the Stream’). And, as, Lord Charles of Brooker points out, most of them aren’t really guilty pleasures anyway - they are just not naff enough to qualify for that tag (John Farnham aside, possibly). Secondly, ITV-musical cover version extravanganzas are always, always dreadful. Especially The X Factor. Ba-dum-tish. Thirdly, it’s presented by Fearne Cotton (although seeing as she is adept at massacring TV genres, maybe this will be the nail in the coffin for these shows).

There is already a thread on the forums asking ‘Is this the worst ITV music extravaganza ever’? Of course, don’t let us stop you tuning in - there is always some perverse value in car-crash telly, after all. But don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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