Talent shows are a quite popular and successful TV genre worldwide. Ukrainian television has been offering this kind of entertainment to viewers for a number of years now. But this spring the talent show trend turned into a massive attack on audiences.
Four major Ukrainian channels each launched one almost simultaneously. Those are “People’s Star” on Ukraina, “Superstar” on 1+1, “Star Factory” on Noviy Kanal and “Ukraine Got Talent” on STB. I find the number of talent shows overwhelming. Naturally, such fierce competition for viewers’ attention may generate improvement in quality. But does it really?
All the shows are easy to compare since they are similar in many respects. Each has three celebrity judges and one or two hosts presenting performers onstage, plus one more reporting from behind the scenes. Each started with a major open audition held in a number of big Ukrainian cities with a final selection in Kyiv.
The group of the lucky chosen was then handed over to producers who give them songs to sing, choreographers to stage their numbers and stylists to create their look. Then comes a series of concerts, allowing the contestants to show themselves from different sides before a jury and an audience, until the big winner is finally selected.
‘People’s Star‘
Ukraina channel’s “People’s Star” (Narodna Zirka) is the least popular show in the genre. The jury here is Slavic rather than Ukrainian, featuring Barbara Brylska, the Polish actress who became a Soviet screen icon for the all-time favorite New Year’s romantic comedy “Irony of Fate,” Russian actress Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, best known as the star of the Russian sitcom “My Beautiful Nanny,” and Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Bystryakov. The show is hosted by Snizhana Yehorova and Maksym Nelipa, who both took part in the "Dances with Stars" talent show. The contestants were selected based on their vocal talent alone. However, for their onstage performances, they were paired up with celebrity stage partners such as Olya Polyakova, Vasily Bondarchuk and Fagot of the TNMK band. “People’s Star” is now in its second season.
‘Superstar’
“Superstar” (Superzirka), modeled after the Dutch show "PopStar," was launched this year by 1+1. Overall it makes a rather shallow impression. The jury has one professional member – Yury Ziberman, pro-rector of Gliera Kyiv Musical Institute. Balancing his academic approach are rapper Potap (of Potap and Nastya Kameskikh duet) and pop star Vera Brezhneva, former member of Via Gra girl band. Potap may be a good producer, but his simple-minded comments and teenage boy’s vocabulary make him an unconvincing talent judge.
Even less convincing is Brezhneva – a mediocre singer and a boring personality, who seems to have been included in the jury solely for her blond bombshell looks. The show is hosted by Yury Horbunov – 1+1’s best known showman, who has led all the three seasons of mega-successful “Dances with Stars” on the very same channel. The age range of “Superzirka” contestants is wide – from 14 to 35 years. However, it’s also quite uneven in terms of talent. Some of the superstar wannabes can boast original onstage personas, but are unimpressive as singers, while others are strong vocalists.
Interestingly, Ukraine’s representative at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, singer Alyosha, auditioned for “Superzirka” and didn’t pass. Ironically, she recently performed at one of the “Superzirka” gala shows as a specially invited star.
‘Star Factory: Superfinals‘
The “Star Factory” format was originally transferred to Kyiv in 2007 from Moscow, where seven seasons of the show have already taken place.
The ongoing “Star Factory: Superfinals,” showing on Noviy Kanal channel, gathered the winners and runners-up of all three previous seasons of the Ukrainian “Factory.” It’s being produced by Konstantin Meladze, famous songwriter and producer of the Via Gra girl band and his own brother Valery Meladze. Meladze is also the show’s judge, sharing the honor with singer and producer Natalia Mohilevska. The third judge is an invited celebrity – a different one at every show. And the concerts are hosted by Masha Yefrosinina – a TV star and a queen of phoney if you ask me.
Originally, “Star Factory” contestants were selected mainly for marketable looks – young, cute and skinny. And since all of the current participants have received their share of accolades during the previous seasons of the show, many of them have their heads in the clouds and behave like big stars. It’s especially funny to watch the jury scold them for that – after all they have created those little “monsters” themselves.
Quickly learning the ropes of the showbiz world, they readily adapt the most extravagant and even shocking behavior just to get that extra bit of attention. For instance, third season’s finalist Maksim Barskikh slashed his veins during an onstage performance, allegedly because pop star Svitlana Loboda rejected his advances. Another contestant, Boris Aprel, attracted lots of attention thanks to his image as a virgin who is still undecided whether he wants to be a girl or boy, wearing blond hair extensions, lots of makeup and girly glamorous outfits.
Aprel’s androgynous style is his main weapon since he’s an average singer. Moreover, the life is easier for factory kids compared to participants of other Ukrainian talent shows, since they are allowed to freely use phonograms, only seldom performing live. Naturally, some of the contestants do stand out for their talent, but all of them are being coached, prepped and styled by the same specialists, who leave little room for self-expression. In the end, they all look like the characters of one and the same teen TV drama.
‘Ukraine’s Got Talent‘
Ukraine’s most successful talent show to date, “Ukraine’s Got Talent,” returned for a second season on the STB channel on March 5. With auditions already held all over Ukraine and 40 finalists selected, “Ukraine’s Got Talent” is ready to present its first gala concert on April 16. The popularity of the show is easy to explain; it has elements that others don’t.
With talent as the only criteria, performers of all genres – dancers, gymnasts, knife-throwers, equilibrists, parodists and, naturally, singers and bands of all kinds – have the chance to audition. Moreover, contestants have the final say regarding their numbers and are not limited by producer demands. The jury consists of choreographer Vlad Yama, experienced TV host and radio DJ Slava Frolova and host of the “Karaoke na Maydani” street talent show Ihor Kondratyuk.
A gymnast auditions for the “Ukraine’s Got Talent” show in Dnipropetrovsk last fall (top). One of the many colorful characters that auditioned for “Superstar” show in Simferopol, Jan. 16. (Ukrinform)
The show’s backstage host is Oksana Marchenko. The first “Ukraine’s Got Talent” winner, sand artist Kseniya Simonova, became an Internet sensation worldwide, heightening curiosity about who will make it to the top this time.
In fact, STB has just launched yet another talent show – “X-Factor” of the famous British franchise. Knowing the international popularity of “X-Factor” and STB’s knack for quality programs, I’d like to see what it turns out to be.
At the same time, "X-Factor" is yet another singing competition. Do we really need that many? Can’t some money get spent on creating original programs? It seems that Ukrainian producers and investors take the easiest and most risk-free approach, living by the motto: “If something sells, let’s create as many duplicates of it as we can, until people get completely fed up with it.”
They take the same mainstream approach everywhere in Ukrainian show business. That’s why we get dozens and dozens of talentless singers, girl and boy bands which have the same styles, same voices and same lame pop songs. And all the talent shows mostly do is multiply such characters instead of bringing us some genuine, original talent.
Kyiv Post lifestyle editor Alexandra Matoshko can be reached at [email protected]
“Ukraine’s Got Talent” – STB, Sat at 10:25 p.m., Sun at 4:30 p.m.
“Superstar” – 1+1, Tue-Wen at 20:10 p.m., Sat at 10:40 a.m., Sun at 11:25 a.m.
“Star Factory: Superfinals” – Noviy Kanal, Sat at 4:40 p.m., Sun at 8 p.m.
“People’s Star” – Ukraina, Sat at 20:30 p.m., Sun at 9:15 a.m.
