Britain's Got Talent, second semi-final: review
Michael Hogan watches the second semi-final of Britain's Got Talent 2011 on ITV1.
Judge David Hasselhoff has looked befuddled during this series of Britain's Got Talent. Photo: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
By Michael Hogan
10:40PM BST 31 May 2011
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The second semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent saw another two musical acts voted through. At this rate, Saturday’s final will resemble a motley edition of The X Factor rather than a variety show.
Comfortable winners tonight were junior boyband New Bounce. Like New Edition meets JLS, they were immensely likeable with great stage presence considering they’re aged between 12 and 16. Show boss Simon Cowell said he could envisage “success in the real world”. Translation: “even more money for me”.
Joining them in the final will be boogie-woogie organist Jean Martyn. The larger-than-life Midlander seemed a hit in the studio, but with her range of wacky winks and sequined jackets, too much like a Victoria Wood or Peter Kay character to take seriously. She also has a reasonably successful keyboard-playing career already, which hardly seems in the spirit of a talent discovery show.
Mundanely-named conjuring duo David & Karen almost “broke the curse of magic on Britain’s Got Talent”, as Amanda Holden put it, but just missed out. Knockabout dancers Two And A Half Men can also consider themselves unlucky.
The night’s other musical act was charming enough but, like Martyn, a pub turn with ideas above his station. Cow-eyed Irish crooner Irish pensioner Herbie Armstrong got roundly patronised as “cute” but dismissed by Cowell as “a singing bloodhound”.
Willy Wonka-ish circus-dance troupe Enchanted also failed to enchant Cowell. Viewers were awaiting the moment when the returning boss would tell the other judges “I don’t know what you were thinking putting this act through” and he finally did. But not until we’d enjoyed the incongruous sight of him reasoning with a fancy-dressed ringmaster in a giant purple top hat.
He then said it again about Riverdance-with-a-twist duo Up & Over It, who he dismissed as boring. Like the cyclist and martial artist last night, their act was impressively skilled but that didn’t make it terribly entertaining.
Two cynical turns took the gloss off an entertaining show, however. First, Britney Spears tribute act Lorna Bliss, who’d received three “no” votes in the audition stages, was randomly given a reprieve. It was a shameless bid to sex up the semi-finals and made a mockery of the previous round. Shoddy.
We also could’ve done without judge Amanda Holden getting on-stage to belt out a stage-schooly number from Shrek: The Musical. Tawdry plugging at which Ofcom could well raise an eyebrow.
Still, the semi-finals continue tomorrow. Will a non-musical act make it through?
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