If you're only going to watch 3 minutes and 30 seconds of Television this week….

And Charlie Brooker Wins again!

I talk about the recession to people, mostly because I’m fascinated by TV production and the way the trickle of finance influences a cultural product. Now, TV is giving me the shits talking about the economy. It’s a dog chasing its own tail.

Also, TV Rev crush object Jason Mittell has a great piece up: A little cynicism about the Susan Boyle phenomenon

In fact, anyone who knows BGT or its previous spreading video of Paul Potts should have expected Boyle’s performance. Potts was a similiarly unassuming working-class, middle-aged singer with an impressive voice who wowed the crowd and judges, going on to win the first season of BGT. I remember seeing Potts on YouTube, and being surprised by his performance – less because an unattractive person was singing well, but because his working-class demeanor didn’t fit with his preferred musical genre of opera. Potts established the narrative hook for BGT that distinguished it from the Idol franchise: highlight people based on talent instead of celebrity/stardom potential, and craft feel-good narratives of people who seem truly commonplace with exceptional abilities.

Boyle fits with this narrative too well – so well that the surprise on the judges’ faces seemed disingenous.

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What I don’t understand is why so many people have embraced this as a marker of the triumph of the human spirit. For me, it’s a confirmation of how the media creates untenable beauty norms and ideals – the judges and crowd’s dismissive tone toward Boyle before she sang confirmed the ridiculous assumed linkage between conventional beauty and talent. Their shift in attitude was not Boyle’s triumph, but an indictment of this assumption – which will certainly last no longer than Boyle’s run on the show. Boyle herself is irrelevant to this narrative – it’s not about her talent (which, to be honest, is fine but not truly exceptional) or her story, but rather she is just a vehicle to make us feel good about how open minded we can be about frumpy people.

If I ever convince the missus into re-enacting Big Love, Jason, will you be my wife number two?