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Date Posted: 00:10:17 11/06/04 Sat
Author: By Nestor Torre
Subject: Counteracting the 'clone' syndrome in makeover shows

Counteracting the 'clone' syndrome in makeover shows

Updated 08:10pm (Mla time) Nov 05, 2004
By Nestor Torre
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on page A3-5 of the November 6, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


TWO "makeover" TV shows, one local and the other foreign, are on "finals" mode this month. Channel 2's singing search, "Born Diva" is eliminating one finalist a week, while "The Swan" is pitting its own drastically "beautified" finalists against each other.

It's instructive to note that we have the same reaction to both shows: The preliminary rounds were occasionally interesting, but the finals feel trite and even anticlimactic.

This is due to the fact that, now that they've all been transformed by the same teams of "makeover" artists, the finalists look and/or sound pretty much the same.

So, after a while, it doesn't matter all that much which one of the beautiful clones ends up on top--it's the type that's been enshrined as victor.

Living Barbie dolls
In "The Swan," the finalists all have perfect teeth and breasts, and sport the "big hair" that people in the west equate with glamour and sophistication. Most of the show's former ugly ducklings look like living Barbie dolls, with plastic personalities to match.

As for the finalist singers on "Born Diva," their signature features appear to be enhanced nose bridges and breasts. As for their diva-esque voices, they're strong on high notes and weak on subtlety and genuine emotion.

A sad lot that the finalists share is their being fashion victims, no thanks to the designers who doll them up in "high" fashion flounces, furbelows and such.

Some singing voices do stand out, but they have a hard time cutting an attention-calling swath through all of the show's visual distractions.

Summing up, therefore: The viewing is no longer exciting, because the Swan has already sung its (swan) song, and the divas have been born as octuplets.

How can these two "transformative" shows reenergize themselves? Let's focus on the original, pace-setting show first:

Aside from physical makeovers, "The Swan" should focus on improvements in terms of personality, attitude, relationships with others, work ethic, creativity, and other factors that spell genuine beauty, not just in superficial terms, but also deep within.

Predictable
It's also important for the show to hire different groups of plastic surgeons, designers, stylists and psychologists, to counteract the "clone" syndrome that makes the show look and feel so predictable.

The "swans" shouldn't just look beautiful, but also unique, and true to their individual selves. That way, the program's finalists would look excitingly diverse, and truly their own persons.

On "Born Diva," the same major change should be effected, with different teams working on each contestant.

Standards
But, the biggest shift should be in the way that the putative divas are developed as singers: Their vocal and interpretive standards should be raised first, before they're given their physical makeovers.

Each contestant should train with a good singing coach for months, to make sure that all of her flaws are worked on and eliminated.

Only when the young singers in the show perform really well can viewers agree that exceptional divas are indeed being born.

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