Britain's Got Talent Semi-Finals - ITV1
Get Ready For Yet Another Singer or Dance Act
What on earth is going on with Britain’s Got Talent? Have the producers, or whatever powers that be, forgotten this is actually a talent competition? Surely viewers shouldn’t be able to predict quite so easily which acts are going through to Saturday’s final, but once again the singers and dance groups have practically had the red carpet rolled out for them; the chosen ones, that is.
Referring to all-girl dance act Sugarfree on Thursday night’s show, judge Amanda Holden lamented that “they were in the toughest category”, which was a somewhat ominous sign. And sure enough, out they went. But since when are there actual categories in Britain’s Got Talent? And what would they be? Presumably dance acts, singers and “anybody else who shows up”. Of course the dancing demonstrated by acts such as Flawless and Diversity takes months, if not years, of hard work and dedication, but does it really merit its own category? And was there such a marked difference between the two acts that they were both put through instead of Sugarfree or MD Show Group?
Has This Suddenly Become X Factor 2?
And there are no less than 13 singing acts in this year’s semi-finals. Few would deny Susan Boyle her place amongst them - a genuine revelation in her original audition, her performance last Saturday once again brought the audience to its feet. Even though the media refuses to drop the “Hairy Angel” tag, Susan has stuck to her guns and not had a complete makeover, preferring to be judged on her singing ability. But Shaun Smith? The 17-year-old seems pleasant enough, but there is nothing outstanding about his voice, and he has allegedly admitted auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent simply because he believed he would have a better chance of success than on the X Factor.
The Judges Get What The Judges Want
Ah, but the public is “in charge” of choosing all the acts which make it to the final, so surely the voting will ensure there will be a good range of talent for the big show on Saturday. Alas it’s not quite that simple. The public vote only determines the first place act which is automatically put through. Then the judges choose between the second and third most popular acts, and as they are still allowed to buzz any acts they don’t like, still have plenty of chance to influence voting.
And woe betide any act which has not upped its standard for the live shows. Simon Cowell was positively affronted when Jackie Prescott and her dog Tippy Toes did not deliver on their promised changes. “I thought we had an agreement that Tippy Toes was going to tap dance … I look a bit of an idiot now”. What exactly was he expecting – a dog in tap shoes? Needless to say, poor Tippy Toes has now tiptoed out of the competition.
So what talent will be on display Saturday? Five singers, four dance acts and one lone musician, saxophonist Julian Smith. And who will win? The act that can make Simon Cowell the most money, of course. Where’s the suspense in that?
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