A range of local talent — good, bad and boring

Press, 22 July 1986, Page 23

A range of local talent — good, bad and boring

Seven o’clock on Sunday evenings is currently presenting an unusual choice. On One is “Telequest 86,” the amateur hour on television, a live programme in which anything could go wrong. However, since it is impossible to know what is right in this programme, it is hard to know when a mistake is made. On Two is the new series of “Heroes,” which, by contrast, is very professional. This week, “Telequest” concentrated on singing and dancing. Amateur singers sometimes contrive very odd accents, a conglomerate of American, British and New Zild. In spite of some talent lurking there, none of the singers got everything right. One with a good voice, spoilt the. effect by apparently wearing a cross between a cake frill and lamp shade. Not surprisingly the audience looked entirely bemused, the camera showing us the same few people clapping desultorily after each act. Perhaps it was amateur applause. In spite of Mark Leishman’s attempt to inject some verve, there were few memorable moments. One, though, came when a young woman competing in the announcer’s category, said "there are more Billies in show business than Willies.” Did she know what she was saying? Could she have? If she did, she was cer-

talnly wrong, but it is a phrase that could work its way into announcing folklore.

The dancing was reasonable. One group was quite good in a sinous, slinky Hot Gossipy sort of way, or perhaps they were just well choreographed. Then there was a truly amazing body mover from Taihape, who almost made the programme worthwhile. Later a brother and sister did a top hat dance. How do such acts begin? They must start up one day in a living room somewhere and get egged on by doting parents so that their audience eventually widens. A top hat dance though. “Telequest” may be full of people trying their best to do things which are important to them, but it is not the best of television. It has the feeling of children being encouraged to perform their party pieces for the amusement of adults. It is all quite innocuous until one realises that one is slumped in front of the village hall, and that is not what television is for. Next week, they are actually featuring children, a programme which should be avoided at all costs.

There are not that many New Zealand-made programmes, so it is odd that the programmers should make two of them clash in this way. Presum-

ably, their belief is that very few people would wish to see both. Perhaps they are right. “Heroes” is another of those very well made series which concentrates on the seamy side of life, but in this one, at least, it is not gratuitous. Some very good contrasts are drawn between the smug, talentless small minds of middle-aged complacency and the talented, larger minds of the young who are hungry to be accepted for their music.

The music is good, the characters interesting, and the whole thing has a professionally understated feel to it Even the camera work is impressive. The one problem with “Heroes” is that it tends to have too many of those long meaningful looks which don’t actually mean much to the onlooker. They end in conversations like “What you genna do?” Interminable pause, then “Dunno.”

Those who rise to such conversational heights, perhaps need some eyework to keep each other interested. Still, “Heroes” is streets ahead of "Telequest,” which proves the programmers have got it right as far as one viewer is concerned.

Another part of Sunday evening’s New Zealand offerings is the, ever professional “Country Calendar,” a programme which is the essence of New Zealand and the backbone of TVNZ. It is always splendidly contrived, but at the risk of sounding sacriligious, it is not always perfect In a still, small voice, it should be said that last Sunday’s tale of moving a farm from the Waikato to North Otago was a bit boring. Long sequences of tractors driving at 25km/h along the road' stretched one’s loyalty a hint However, after top hat dancing, it was a breath of sanity. It was, wasn’t it?