Kids

In what appears to be a rather passionate reaction to Bruce Forsyth’s comment that kids shouldn’t be allowed on reality television show, Britain’s Got Talent, this years’ list of finalists has no less than five children. One might blame the judges for stacking the semi-finals so full of kids but it is clear that the audience are just as keen to see the children as part of show. The kids have consistently been voted into the top three positions all week, with Pre-Skool, Jack Carroll, Gabz, Asanda Jezile and Arisxandra Libantino all winning valuable spots on the final night. There could be another child act on the way, as the judges have a wild card slot to fill, although personally I think they will go with another grown up in order to round things out a little more.

With all of that in mind though, there can still only be one winner. There certainly is a lot of talent represented in the finale, there is no denying that, and given that a dog won the entire thing last year, an unconventional or surprising performance could still sweep the entire competition. Still, I think some acts have a better chance than others, so let’s review.

Richard and Adam

You would be forgiven for thinking that it was actually their Nan who was auditioning with some kind of comedy act, especially since Ant and Dec never delay in reminding us about their Nan, but no, Richard and Adam are a brotherly duo of operatic singers from Wales. They are pretty good too. Not as good as Jonathan from last year’s finale but better than his partner Charlotte. The singing was certainly stronger in the semi-final but I think their audition choice of ‘The Impossible Dream’ was better than West Side Story’s ‘Somewhere’. Song choice will likely be a major factor in how close they come to winning but they are definitely in the running. Operatic singers do tend to do well in this show, although only Paul Potts ever won.

If they win, maybe they can finally get out from under their Nan’s shadow.

Arisxandra Libantino

The first of the children to go through and though she is also a singer she’s in a completely different category to Richard and Adam. She is good too. For such a young singer, her voice is tremendously powerful and I don’t think she has even reached her full potential. In a similar vein, however, I think her voice isn’t quite polished enough for her to win. She is great for her age but comparatively, I believe the viewers will vote for a more complete act. Again, song choice will be a decider though, because the right song might hide some of her vocal flaws and swing the show in her favour.

Jack Carroll

Jack Carroll certainly has the potential to be the first comedian to win Britain’s Got Talent. He is so genuinely witty and doesn’t rely on gross out humour, which has become very popular in the past few years. A few of his jokes were a little cringeworthy and he does perhaps need to allow for more time for the audience to laugh between jokes but overall I think his routine is hilarious. If he can keep it going in the final, he probably place in the top three for certain.

Gabz

Does Gabz own any other clothes apart from onsies? It doesn’t seem like it but of course her talent doesn’t lie in fashion anyway. Her real talent is song writing, which is why it is actually rather unfair to base any decision on her performance around her piano playing skills or her vocal prowess. Both have improved since the audition but if we were to rate her based on those then she would be woefully out of her depth compared to the other contestants. But her real talent is song writing. I’m glad to hear that she is preparing a new song for the final. Singing ‘Put Your Lighters in the Air’ for a third time definitely wouldn’t have gave her much of a chance. Now everything is really riding on this new song. If it is as good and as catchy as ‘Put Your Lighters in the Air’ then I think she might have a decent shot at winning.

Even fashion wise, J.J. looks out of place.

Luminites

More singers but it is a group in this case. I liked their blend of easy listening and hip hop. It soothing and full of energy at the same time and more than anything else, they just stand out against all the other singers and artists in the competition because they aren’t the traditional singing group. That said, I’m not sure about J.J. Steph can clearly carry the vocals by herself and LMFAO Juniors pull off the guitar and rap superbly, so really, I’m just not sure what J.J. adds to the group. He is a decent singer but nothing about him wows me.

Pre-Skool

Following in the footsteps of last year’s Nu-Skool, this is the only dancing act to make it to the finals. Ever since Diversity’s surprise win over Susan Boyle in Season 3, dance troupes have auditioned every year but the solitary dance act in this year’s final may suggest that viewers are just burnt out from too many dance acts. Unfortunately, that also means that Pre-Skool is not likely to win which is disappointing because their semi-final performance was extremely fun and precise. These are kids that are even younger than Arisxandra and they were just so on point that it was very impressive.

Francine Lewis

As an impressionist, she was certainly funnier than Monday’s Philip Green. Unlike Green, she includes a few favourites from the audition as well as introducing a few newer impressionists that were just as uncanny as the others. The audience really seems to find her endearing as a person too so there’s no doubt that she will probably rank highly in the final. I’m doubtful that she will pull a win out of the bag because there are a lot of other talented acts and she can’t be seen to rely on the same impressions too much. If she still has a few new and impressive impressions up her sleeve and some of the other acts rest on their laurels then she might have a chance. I wouldn’t bet on it though.

The facial expressions elevate the act to a whole new level.

Asanda Jezile

The last of the child acts is also another singer. My feelings about Asanda Jezile are much the same as Arisxandra Libantino. They are both young and impressive for their age but objectively both of their voices need a bit more work in order to really flourish. Arisxandra’s voice is more powerful but Asanda makes up for it with use of style and technique. Perhaps a little too much technique at times. Randy Jackson always talked about vibrato and Asanda definitely over used it. Similarly to Arisxandra though, her chances really depend on her song choice in the final.

Jordan O’Keefe

Maybe I should be expected to support Jordan O’Keefe because we share the same broad geographical location but honestly, I think this is probably just the wrong show for him. Guys with acoustic guitars seems to something of a trend these days so he definitely has the kind of sound that will probably do well but the talent itself is rather mundane. Maybe he sings and plays the guitar better than most but the acts that tend to win Britain’s Got Talent aren’t your run of the mill performances. Perhaps he should have waited and auditioned for The X-Factor?

Attraction

My personal favourites and the act that I truly believe have the best chance of winning the competition. Mind you, I said the same about Aquabatique last year and look how well that worked out. Attraction are something that just hasn’t been seen on the show ever before and their performances have been consistently engaging and emotional. If they have another story prepared for the finale that can enrapt the audience as much as their previous performances then I think they will be a strong contender.

Who knew looking at a screen could be so heart wrenching?

Wild Card

It is extremely tough to predict which act will be selected as a wild card. Tempting as it is to suggest MckNasty, I don’t think the judges will vote in that direction because of the already existing controversy that MckNasty was put through to the semi-finals because of his brother, Labrinth. If they wanted another child act, I guess they might put through Youth Creation and it would also round out the final performances with another dance act. If they desire something classier, they could put through solo dancer, Joseph Hall. It is really difficult to know who will go through but one thing is certain. Given the calibre of talent already in the final the wild card will be fighting an uphill battle to win.

That is the list of finalists for another year of Britain’s Got Talent. Unusually, rather than airing the final tonight, the final will instead air live this coming Saturday, the 8^th of June 2013. It is an odd change but I do like it. Not only will it give the acts a full week to prepare but it gives the viewer the chance to mull over the talent and decide who really deserves to perform in front of Her Royal Majesty, the Queen.

Great

To call Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby a great movie would be akin to saying that Microsoft’s new X-Box One is a revolutionary new console. Sure, the casing has been given a sleek new design and comes with improved specifications such as an 8-core CPU and a 500 GB hard drive, but the outer appearance and the technical aspects, the machine leaves a lot to be desired. The machine requires Kinect in order to play any game, even if the game in question doesn’t use the movement sensor, Microsoft are heavily promoting internet use and connectivity so while it may not strictly need to be connected at all times most games will probably make use of the function which will in turn require constant internet connection. Finally, there is a lot of confusing discussion about used game fees which basically seems to boil down to paying sticker price to play a used game unless someone is using your account or through Microsoft approved online trading, the specific details of which are still to come.

Likewise, The Great Gatsby is very much all style and no substance. Luhrmann certainly seems to enjoy making a spectacle out of F Scott Fitzgerald’s work but tends to get carried away. For instance, when Nick Carraway, played here by Toby Maguire, first attends Gatsby’s party there is some eccentric loose descendent of Beethoven playing on a organ high above the party, while dancers  shake and jive on stages and then just as Nick meets Gatsby finally it is to the backdrop of a long and powerful firework display like a parody of a meet cute in a Romcom. That isn’t to say that it isn’t impressive but rather that the Luhrmann moves from one spectacle to the next without really allowing any of it to sink it.

Debicki manages to out perform 4 out of 5 of the main cast.

In the novel the parties are just as rambunctious. There are multiple rounds of drinks, two suppers, a full orchestra, a celebrated tenor and the playing of a famed Jazz composition. What is clear, however, is that Luhrmann has read the book but not quite understood that all of the above is merely a backdrop to Gatsby. He fires the party at us in massive sweeping images, trying to encompass the atmosphere of the party but in doing so loses the fluid movement and ethereal feeling of Fitzgerald’s words. Gatsby’s parties were like a wonder dream in the novel but Luhrmann presents them as cars would be presented in Fast and Furious 6. There is a clear appreciation for the subject but little subtlety.

Leondaro DiCaprio on the other hand helps to bring Jay Gatsby to life. The same boyish charm that made him charismatic and enigmatic as Frank Abagnale in Catch Me If You Can presents itself again. It is a pity though that the screenplay and direction aren’t as powerful to create the same compelling drama in this film. Despite being hampered by Luhrmann’s narrow, attention deficient disordered direction, DiCaprio still manages to bring some of the same mystery and poise awarded to Gatsby in the novel. Some have suggested that DiCaprio will get an Oscar nomination for this role. While it is entirely possible that he will get a nomination I would be extremely surprised if he won. He was good but this is far from his best work.

The only other character that really did justice to their character is likely the least known. Elizabeth Debicki hasn’t been in very much at all but her performance as Jordan Baker is just as frivolous and bubbly and confident as the character warrants. She is nothing short of superb and for an unknown actor that really is quite terrific. Amitabh Bachchan is similarly unknown, at least outside of India, but also manages to be more sinister in two lines of dialogue compared the to the lack of emotion most of the cast can squeeze out of the entire movie. The flighty nature of the film means that most of Fitzgerald’s significance seeps out of his words.

Of the other cast members there is little to be said. I am not Carey Mulligan’s biggest fan but she has impressed me on occasion, such as in Steve McQueen’s Shame, alongside Michael Fassbender. However, I think she acted better in the one episode of Doctor Who, Blink, than in this entire movie. Again, I feel that some of that failure can be contributed to Luhrmann not quite understanding the source material. Daisy appears rather innocent in the film and it is easy to sympathise with her as she seeks solace in an old flame because her husband is having affairs. But that characterisation lacks the same complexity of Daisy from the novel that married Tom to gain independence from her family and seemed on the verge of an affair before Gatsby is even introduced. Luhrmann appears to touch on these aspects when Gatsby is told that Daisy cares about money and that she just wants to run away but in an ideal of example of the film’s downfall, he fails to deliver these aspects in any real depth.

And who has to water all these flowers when Gatsby leaves?

The rest of the characters are very flat. Nick is just a fly on the wall, as is his character from the novel, but not even the added dream of being a writer can make him more interesting. Tom is just a bully and Isla Fisher is completely wasted as Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle’s death in the novel is intended to signify the end of the Jazz Age, the cut off of a decade long party but Luhrmann manages to turn even that into a spectacle. Myrtle’s body is flung like a rag doll across the sky, falling like a feather to the backdrop of the so called eyes of God, an advert for an optometrist.

The entire film feels flung together as Luhrmann speeds from one scene to the next and in doing so makes adapts a strange and interesting social commentary on over indulgence into a dull film that doesn’t even seem to want to say anything about anything. Even each track from the mediocre soundtrack is given the briefest play before the next song is shoved into the background. Only on two occasions does the film really pause to give the actors time to really convey meaning to each other and the audience and on both occasions it is between Nick and Gatsby. Arguably, Gatsby is the only character that deserves such moments of importance and emotion but given the source material there are so many more occasions for all of the characters to come across with more depth and significance. Instead, Luhrmann chooses absolute style and brass unrelenting spectacle over any substance or meaning at all.