ABC’s Idol-killer

As a CBC employee and its resident mystery blogger, I meant to watch the show, but was distracted. I only caught a few minutes here and there in the second hour. But just because I didn’t see something doesn’t mean I can’t give my opinion on it, right?
It’s a bit rougher, sexier, and less polished than Idol, which I can appreciate. The contestants are allowed to play an instrument if they are so inclined, which mixes it up a bit.

But good lord, those kids cannot sing.

They dance like zombies. And not the Thriller kind of zombies.

Simon Cowell would tear them apart. In different circumstances, so would George Stroumboulopoulos.

It’s weird to see him in a suit, without the nose ring, given the unenviable job of dragging salacious details out of the kids about their romantic lives, then asking the irritating judges for their fawning opinions about the crap music.

I’m so used to seeing him in charge, but on this show he plays the butler.

Despite this, I think the show will do well. The point seems to be that they will teach these kids to be rock stars, and it’s still early days yet.

As for George, he should never have answered his cell, and just kept riding across Illinois.

4:54 pm addendum
Whew, those ratings are stinky. They might be better off having The National lead in to The One, rather than the other way around.
~O

27 Comments

  • Anonymous says:

    Let’s do all a favour and bring in Donald Trump for a one time 1 hour CBC special where all upper CBC managers are the contestants. At the end of the show of course are Donald’s last famous words…”You’re all F…. !”

  • Anonymous says:

    Saw them plugging The One on NEWSWORLD during the noontime news.

    Not a commercial, but 5-10 minutes at the end featuring an interview with Stoumbo and the girl who was kicked off last week, all talking about The One.

    Now, come on guys. This isn’t news!

  • Anonymous says:

    And who cares if it’s “popular” when the programming is so wretched? Isn’t that what private broadcasters are for?

  • Anonymous says:

    Women under 30. Whoo hoo. That’s a WB/now CW demographic. And it doesn’t begin to justify the amount of $$$ and resources that the Corpse has put behind Stroumbo.

  • Anonymous says:

    spare me from hipness –
    George S. *is* popular with the under-30 crowd, especially women.

  • Anonymous says:

    Just heard an extremely crass ad for “The One” on One … Radio One, that is. How low can these people sink? They are going to bring the whole works down with them.

  • Anonymous says:

    Actually, the CBC tried reality TV a few years ago.

    They had in management, the woman who brought the original Survivor to Sweden — long before Jeff Probst knew where Vanuwatu was.

    On a sidebar note, she was run out of Stockholm because one of the show’s contestants killed himself after being booted off the island. Swedish media called for her head, so she ran — into the arms of a CBC contract.

    A few years of working up north and a couple of consulting gigs later, she wound up green-lighting some reality shows for CBC, bringing Canadians such gems as Mag Ruffman showcasing screwed up teens and their even more screwed up parents.

    Last I checked, she doesn’t work for CBC any longer. Guess she went home to Sweden.

    So who knows… in time the Stursberg regime will be swept out. Question is, will the next CBC TV czar be any better?

    And here’s another question… what would be a better scenario… The One succeeding or The One flopping? If it’d succeeded, God only knows how many other horrible American knock-offs The Corp bosses would be buying into.

  • Ouimet says:

    Looks like The National gets it’s Wednesday night spot back:

    “ABC has changed the show’s schedule for next week. It will no longer repeat the two-hour Tuesday night show on Wednesdays and will instead move the one-hour Wednesday night results show from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET.”

  • Anonymous says:

    “spare me from hipness” is correct

  • spare me from hipness says:

    Somebody somewhere in the corporation thinks that the way to appeal to a younger audience is to have facile, self-consciously hip hosts like Stroumboulopoulos and Jian Gomeshi.

    If anyone’s going to get fired, it should be the managers responsible for this sort of attitude. And I can guarantee you they aren’t that young themselves.

    “The One” is a very small flash in the pan. But the ongoing dumbification of Radio One is much more pernicious.

  • Anonymous says:

    “This one doesn’t work? Regrettable. Try something else.”?ABC has “something else”. Does CBC?

    The concern is that CBC will continue with it’s hopeless, original plan, simply because they have no contingency.

  • Blistering Barnacles says:

    Anon 11:03am, George, its darn good to see you around here, man …

  • Anonymous says:

    I agree – the networks will take things in stride. It was ABC’s worst night until something else comes along and does worse, which could be next week.

    As I mentioned before – this is CBC’s first time doing reality TV. They must have known they were taking a risk. They obviously needed to be better positioned, as did ABC and will learn from the experience.

    As for those who are coming down hard on George – just wait. He’ll come out on top of this and return to doing the Hour this fall having had incredible exposure to a larger market. He offers something better than the sugar-coated reality hosts and I’m sure people are noticing. He can’t be held accountable for the One.

  • Anonymous says:

    I wouldn’t look for any high-level firings at the CBC or ABC over a summertime reality show. These people take things in stride.

    This one doesn’t work? Regrettable. Try something else.

  • Anonymous says:

    If ABC does fire those responsible, I’m sure that they can find positions for them at CBC.

  • Anonymous says:

    We’re paying 200k per episode? That cant be right. It can’t even cost that much to make, especially the “results” show. Not that I watched it.

  • Anonymous says:

    It isn’t “too early” to make up minds about “The One”, the show is over, done, kaput. It was ABC’s worst night – EVER! It will be pulled because it is a dog. That’s the way it is supposed to work. Likely, the decision makers at ABC responsible will be fired. The CBC, on the other hand, will likely waste millions more trying to save the reputations of those who made the bad call and then, when that doesn’t work, still keep those same people on. If they have any self respect or dignity those responsible at CBC will have already handed in undated letters of resignation.

    And George, nice a boy as he is, is very easily replaced. There are lots of competent, even talented, people out there.

  • Anonymous says:

    Sorry but George isnt cool anymore. Too bad CBC is too old to notice.

  • Anonymous says:

    I think it’s too early to make up our minds about whether the ONE will sink or swim.

    It’s something brand new for CBC and I think it still has a chance. Personally, I think both CBC and ABC should have tried to create more hype around the show before its launch. Demonstrating why it’s different and better than Idol, stands above the rest. I also think they should have given George and the judges a greater profile before the series began as well. The lead up promotions was ill-timed and handled poorly.

    As for George, he is extremely talented, smart, and revitalizes the CBC. We should celebrate the diversity of our personalities instead of criticing them and expecting them to appeal to only one audience type. How is the CBC going to survive past this generation without people like George??

  • hiring trend goes haywire says:

    .. and can we please stop hiring people from Muchmusic? I can’t think of anything more incompatible with the CBC.

  • Anonymous says:

    Anyone know what this disaster costs us in real dollars? I’m hearing 200k per episode, plus a million plus bucks in license fees for our Canadian version—before we (ha—I mean a-friend-of-Stursburg production company) even make one episode. Non-refundable. Is this true?

    Will our own version be able to shed the toxic stink of this one.

  • Ouimet says:

    The press on this today has been brutal: Star; GaM1; Gam2. This woman is taking it personally.

    Like you said 10:11pm Anon, it’s enough to make you weep. We sold ourselves out, but no one is buying.

  • Anonymous says:

    ABC’s going to yank it any second. It posted the net’s worst-ever series debut numbers and then went even lower on the second night.

    “It may end up the lowest-rated night in ABC’™s history among 18-49s.”

    Ouch. What a debacle for CBC. And yes, there should be high-profile firings — simply for being five years behind the reality-TV trend. The entire factual entertainment division should go.

    And hopefully this will force Stroumbo’s CBC-backers at News & Current Affairs to step back from making him the ONLY face of the next generation.

  • Anonymous says:

    Yes, surely, the resignations are pending. If not then dismissal with cause. It’s over.

  • Johnny Happypants says:

    We didn’t just air this stinker, we bought it. Paid for it with Canadian tax dollars. Can we see some resignations today?

  • Anonymous says:

    I weep for CBC Television. In 2006 it has no balls, no memory, no integrity, no innovative minds, no sense of purpose . . . nothing! No, that’s not quite right. A few tattered remnants of a glorious past hang on, and a news department that could be excellent again if it remembered it is a “news” service.

  • Anonymous says:

    I caught part of the show, it was all I could take. I actually found it embarrasing that this was on the CBC. I agree with you that the kids can’t sing – I’m trying to think of something positive to say..maybe later though.

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