Kate: Hello and welcome to this week's 6 Minute English. Joining me again this
week is Neil. Hi Neil.
Neil: Hello Kate
Kate: Well Neil, I know you're quite a big music fan so I wanted to start the
programme today by asking you what you know about the TV singing talent
shows that everyone seems to be talking about.
Neil: Well, I think you mean shows like 'The X Factor', 'Pop Idol' and numerous
others. They are basically singing competitions or talent shows which are aired
on TV. Talent shows are events where people compete to show how skilled
they are in a particular area – and here it's singing. Many people who are
aspiring pop stars or performers try to impress judges with their musical talent
in the hope of getting a record deal, fame and fortune.
Kate: Yes, it seems there are a lot of people out there who want to be pop stars! But
before we find out more, here's my question for this week. How old do you
think is the oldest contestant to try auditioning for one of these shows?
a) 49
b) 84
c) 101
Neil: answers
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Kate: We'll check your answer at the end of the programme. So we know that TV
singing talent shows are very popular but what do you personally think of them
Neil?
Neil: Well it's certainly a winning format. This expression means the pattern or
structure of a show, which in this case is where people audition and the judges
and audience voters gradually eliminate them and until there is just one winner
left. This works very well so we can call it a winning format. But although
many people seem to find it compelling viewing, I'm afraid I find the music too
mainstream – it doesn't interest me at all. Mainstream means, unoriginal,
predictable, normal and accepted by most people. The type of music I like I'm
afraid doesn't really feature in these shows.
Kate: Well, the man behind one of these shows 'the X Factor' is someone called
Simon Cowell and he has sold his winning format to more than 40 countries
worldwide including Denmark, Italy, Spain, Russian, Colombia and India.
Neil: Yes he's been very successful – he is a judge on the actual shows, the owner of
the format and the person who profits from the sales of the music after the
show has ended. He is also well known for being incredibly rude to the
contestants.
Kate: Let's hear an example of how he speaks to people who are auditioning:
Extract 1
You can't sing
Not very good and incredibly annoying
I just think you should give us a chance
But achance to do what?
To improve.
Yeah - Girls we have weeks not decades
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Neil: He is pretty rude isn't he! Comments like these can be called put downs. Or
you can use this expression as a phrasal verb. You can 'put someone down'
lwhich means that you are meaning to be rude them and insult them as a person
or their ability to do something. Not a very nice thing to do.
Kate: Now let's hear what one of fellow producers, Pete Waterman says about him:
Extract 2
He's got an ego – the biggest ego in the world. Simple as that. He's driven. He sees an
opportunity and he's built it into the world's biggest format. Quite incredible.
Neil: He said he's got an ego – this is a way of describing someone with a good
opinion of themselves, a great feeling of their own importance and ability. He
also said he was driven, which means he is determined to achieve something
or be successful in a certain area. And we heard that word format again. He
said the show is the 'world's biggest format'.
Kate: So what is it do you think it is that drives Simon Cowell – money perhaps? The
desire to make great music or maybe it's just down to artistic ambition? This
means wanting to be successful in doing something creative. Let's hear what
Pete Waterman says about this:
Extract 3
Artistic ambition! Give me a break - it's about being famous!
Neil: So it is all about being famous. The process isn't about creativity or originality.
It's just about being fame.
Kate: Well – that doesn’t really surprise me to be honest. Lots of people seem to
want to be famous these days. But what about the winners' musical careers
after the show has ended? Next we're going to hear from someone else in the
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music industry. George Ergatoudis, Head of Music at BBC Radio 1. Before we
listen could you explain what a single and an album are?
Neil: A single is usually just one song and an album is a collection of songs in any
format.
Kate: So let's listen – do the artists or singers go on to have long or fulfilling careers?
Extract 4
A lot of the artists that have come through his show have pretty short lived careers. You
know, they have a bright moment following the show perhaps 2 or 3 successful singles or a
sucessful initial album and the story kind of starts to wane….'
Neil: Well, they certainly don't go on to have long and fulfilling careers. He said
their careers are pretty 'short lived' which means they don't last long at all. He
said they might have two or three successful singles or one album but then the
public interest in them begins to wane or decrease.
Kate: Well this doesn't seem to stop people wanting to take part in the show and
watch it. But we're nearly out of time I'm afraid so before we go, let's go over
some of the vocabulary we've come across today.
First of all we had: 'talent show', 'winning format' , 'mainstream', 'put downs',
'ego', 'driven', 'single', 'album' and 'short lived career'.
Kate: And lastly the answer to the question I asked you earlier. What age was the
oldest person to audition for the X Factor?
Neil: I said 101.
Kate: I'm afraid they weren't quite as old as that. The oldest person was actually 84
which is still quite good going. That's all for today. Thanks for joining us
today. Until next time. Goodbye!
