Critics galore
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006As I sit and type this… Guess what is playing on the Disney Channel? Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas!!! I might not be too in tune with the passing days. But I do not remember Christmas being celebrated in April. I cannot believe it. My family is actually paying for the satellite television service. Let me tell you, it is not cheap either. For the past 9 years, the service has gotten worse. So, if we calculate the cost, about RM 1,200 a year, times that by 9, that would make like… umm… RM 10,800. That is a lot of cash right?
Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that paid television should provide better quality, non-repeated (at least not that often), advertisement free, entertainment. Sadly, that is far from the truth. I know that there must be a perfect good explanation. But I want good quality television programs. I do not get much time for television now, at least show me a variation of programs. Where is the drive to satisfy your customers? Perhaps sooner or later, subscribers will move on to the other competitors. No wonder I enjoy watching theater performances. They might repeat the show but not every performance is the same.
On a positive note, the locally produced programs have kicked it up a notch. Kudos!!
There is still much room left for improvement but let’s take it one step at a time. We need to do something about the talents in local television programs. Yes, we do have beautiful faces plastered on our idiot boxes, but it does give justice to the words idiot. Isn’t there any real talent in the 24 million or so citizens in Malaysia? There are a few gems, I might say. But come on, we can do better can’t we? Looks are only skin deep but that is the reality of showbiz. If you are beautiful, you are in, we can work on the talent part a little later.
I have an actress on hand who is has the perfect looks, height and body shape. The only thing she lacks is her language skills. She is multi-lingual but fails to master any one of the languages she knows. She gets bashed for that. Heck, even I do it to her because I get so frustrated with that fact. I think I want to find the ‘perfect’ talent. In turn, she bashes me for being overweight. I guess, I really deserves that. But we will discuss this weighty issue on a later entry. I promise.
Everyone is a critic. Yes, yes and it is dog gone overrated. I do not like to be criticized. But somehow, I am fairly good in criticizing someone for their faults. Especially when it comes to performing arts. Well, it is so much easier to find people’s faults than looking at ourselves. Have you ever heard of the fat man that complains about the obesity rate in the country when he makes up part of that statistics?
I guess what Brendan Behan says is true.
I love this phrase but sometimes it hits too close to home. OUCH!! I am a writer, an actress and an amateur director. I know how these things work. It is not easy, in fact I have never heard a team, no matter how bad the performance is, claim that staging a production was easy. But somehow, when we watch a performance, we have our expectations up so high that we tend to forget that we are there to enjoy ourselves. Now I cannot help but analyze all the shows I watch. In fact, I cannot remember the last time that I actually switch off my working brain and turn on the ‘enjoy yourself’ part. It does not help that the fact that one of the things my job requires me to review and criticize movies, products and performances. It is never easy to please everybody. Never at all. There is no way we can please the public. There will be those who will be on your side and then the other half against you. So what does a critic do? Stay true to herself and all the values she has learned and ingrained into her mind. We have to be neutral yet still have enough gumption to be telling the public what is going on in your head. But I believe it all lies on the skill of the critic.
It is so funny, that after watching a production. There is always something that someone in the audience feel that he or she can do to improve the quality of the production. I guess negativity always comes easier. I was very defensive when someone actually gave me a bad review. But in the wise words of my lecturer, Janet Pillai, that goes something like this – You should never defend your piece, the audience critics on what they see. They do not care what happens behind the stage or how long you took to come up with the piece. They want to be entertained. When they do not get it, that is it. Bad review.
So which do you prefer to accept? Praises or criticism? Then again, I would rather face true criticism, than false praises, don’t you? I guess people are trying to be polite by saying nice things. Well, if you do not have nice things to say better not say anything at all. So far, I know only one true person that practices that and that is Mary Schneider. I love this woman. She is the best and a great writer too.
Criticism is an art. When it comes to this, I really admire Simon Cowell from American Idol for being able to speak his mind and be honest to the general public no matter how hurtful it might seem or how the performer is taking it. But that is what the audience want and I do not think that the show will be as successful without Simon. Do remember that this is my opinion, then again, Simon is the element which other talent shows lack. I mean, we have had tons of other talent shows but none as popular and as successful as the Idols series.
Here is Simon judging on X-factor
There is money to make in criticism if you can be as good as Simon. Okay, money, here I come!!!!
