Friday, 18 May 2012

Free Speech? Or people not worth listening to...



BBC 3 has launched a new debate show called Free Speech. The show is basically meant to be a young person’s Question Time where a panel of cool young hip people debate topics that are supposed to effect cool young hip people. The episode I watched was set in Bristol which was the main draw for me as well as being presented by Jake Humphrey who I love. (I always want to support the career of someone who used to do children’s television making it as a grown up.)
The problem with the show for me was that it is so hard to make current affairs trendy and everything that they did to make the show seem young had no point and was purely there for the gimmick. Along with Jake whose presenting role was to ask the questions and lead the debate they had a second presenter Michelle de Swarte whose sole purpose was to be on the internet checking Twitter. I can completely see where the show is coming from, Twitter is cool and hip so we must incorporate it in the show somehow. The problem is people can be talking about your show but it doesn’t mean what they are saying is relevant or complimentary. The show was hashtagged as freespeech but the thread mainly consisted on how fit the presenters were or how shit they thought the show was, not really recipe for television gold.
 The show also introduced this ludicrous feature called the power bar. This was where each panellist was voted on if the people of Twitter agreed or disagreed with what they were saying. This was basically a glorified popularity contest with Jamal Edwards of SB.TV continually having the highest power bar rating even though he really didn’t say much of anything at all. Of course he had asked all his followers to support him so he at least knew how to play the game.  At one point the specifically mentioned the they were trending number 4 in the uk, this would be impressive if they weren’t being beaten by the phrase beliebers will never leave Justin.
While the social network elements were gimmicky and embarrassing , the real problem was that even though the show was called Free Speech you could almost feel the tension as someone began to say something controversial, or not saying something that relevant or very well constructed. The problem with asking young people about current affairs is that they probably don’t really know enough about it and can’t articulate their argument well enough under the pressure of live telly.

I love Jake Humphrey though, he hasn’t aged a day.

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Songs can be stupid

In recent years there has been this strange trend in pop songs of using horrendous simile's to talk about love and life, I personally think its ridiculous and have compiled a list of the worst offenders;

Charice - Pyramid

Pyramid, we built this on a solid rock
It feels just like it's heaven's touch
Together at the top, like a pyramid
And even when the wind is blowing
We'll never fall just keep on going
Forever we will stay, like a pyramid


How stupid is that, I dont really understand why the characteristics she is describing are so desirable? If one of the most important things is not falling when its windy then love is just like lamposts and trees and park benches. Romantic.

Jordin Sparks - Tattoo

 Don't look back at a new direction
I loved you once, needed protection
You're still a part of everything I do
You're on my heart just like a tattoo
(Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you
I'll always have you, I'll always have you)

This one I can understand to a degree, tattoos do last forever and I feel that that is what the song is trying to convey what frustrates me is all the other lyrics the song is just a stream of words and phrases that rhyme a bit but don't really mean anything, the verses imply that she's moving on but the chorus is about how she'll love you forever.

Jordin Sparks (again) - Battlefield

I never meant to start a war
You know, I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like

Jordin Sparks is the worst repeat offender for stupid simile's,  the reason this one annoys me is that unlike Tattoo, which doesn't reference the simile enough, Battlefield is just all about the simile, it talks about white flags, and shields, and surrendering. Too far Jordin it just gets silly.


Katy Perry - Firework


'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in "awe, awe, awe"


This doesn't really work as its not actually a simile but the lyrics are so stupid I just had to include it. Its just such lazy writing, just noises and elongated words. Let what colours burst? You need to be more detailed in your metaphore's Katy.


Jessie J - Laserlight


You're like a laserlight, burning up
Burning down, on me
You're like a laserlight, burning up
Burning down, on me
You make me feel good,
You make me feel safe,
You make me feel like I could live another day

This is the worst! Lights are not a good representation of love, 'burning down on me', that sounds awful, who wants that? If you did something wrong you would expect your managers stare of hatered to be burning down on you, and that does not make me feel safe.


Honourary mentions go to these songs aswel, Taio Cruz - Star, Rhianna - Umberella, Beyonce - Halo


All ridiculous.