Popstars

God, if I see that video, or hear that record again, I will go berserk. What record you may be asking? The answer is Pure and Simple, by the new group called Hearsay. Now come on, I know they might be half decent singers and they will no doubt be number one, for about 20 weeks, but is this through their singing skills, or the blatant over-publicising, this group has received? I think it’s the latter. For those of you who don’t know what I’m on about,” WHAT PLANET HAVE YOU BEEN ON” for the last few months, I mean this group has had more public exposure, than ... more

For any one who has not seen Popstars, the idea is that 3 judges went up and down the country asking for people to audition for a New Pop Group. If you managed to get through the first round, which was basic singing, you were asked to stay to the next round which was singing with a partner to see how well you interacted singing with other people. If you were good enough to get through that round you were asked to next stage which took place in Birmingham, here you were tested on singing, dancing, and working in a group, the judges just keep telling people that they are not really what they ... more

HEAR’SAY (POPSTARS) : Right, before anyone else says it, yes it does appear that I have been selling myself out with my last few opinions, with my recent spat of ‘popular’ Ciao categories being used for new writing – and this one is no different!!. Please remember when you read this opinion I’m not having a go at anyone in particular, and never was that my intention. So here I go with my opinion on the latest pop sensation Hear’say created and publicised through the ITV programme ‘Popstars’. I will be the first to admit that criticism of this opinion is more than likely due to certain aspects ... more

And so the great debate continues. We live in a commercial world, and in no market is this more evident than popular music. Like me, I'm sure you've read many reviews here on Ciao, criticising the music industry for the wave of manufactured pop bands that get churned out, and there is a general dissent that the real musicians of today are struggling to achieve commercial success, as they are swamped by cheesy teeny poop. It could be argued that the intention behind Popstars was to try and dispel some of the myths and criticisms around manufactured bands. It could be argued that Popstars is ... more

~ Brought to our screens for the first time on the 10th Jan 2001, for those who have somehow managed to avoid all the hype about it, Popstars is a fly-on-the-wall style documentary following the auditions of some 3000 wannabes, competing for a place in a new pop group consisting of just 5 people. ~ Episodes one and two saw auditions held in Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Southampton. There was a mixed bunch of performers, some obviously very talented, some simply deluding themselves. The common factor was the determination, everyone wanted to give ... more