Linking up with Thea's Sunday Sessions.
I was on Facebook last night and was reminded that Channel 10's revamp of Young Talent Time begins tonight.
We don't really watch television. We get seasons of shows that we like and we watch them in bulk, but we never actually sit down at the TV and watch normal, scheduled programming. Not for at least the last 3 years.
But I confess. A part of me is curious. a)I think Alexander would get a kick out of it and b)I'm wondering if it will be as terrible as it sounds. I just don't know that they can bring the format so beloved (by some) of the 70's and 80's and transform them into the era we live in now.
I saw my first Promo for the new series on You Tube today.
One of the things that was popular about the old format was the (seemingly - let's not discuss behind the scenes) innocence of the show and the old YTT. Will that hold up with this generation's tweens? Will they even try to? Or will they just follow current trends and sex it up?
It got me remembering the YTT of old. Young Talent Time started in 1971. It was supposed to be a 13 week filler for the football off season, but became so popular it got a slot of it's own and continued until 1988 (well, there were some re-attemtpts later but they don't really count).
My mother, just 12 when the program began fell in love with it right away. It was so her thing. I was born in 1975, just 4 years later and she and I (and later my 2 sisters) never missed an episode. Not one. It was a fixture of our family for my entire early childhood.
I was looking through some old videos on YouTube this morning to poke a looot of little fun. Instead, I was transported back. I remember every single episode of the 80's, and have vague memories of some of the late 70's. I watched video after video and the memories came soaring back - my mother, my sisters, sitting on our lounge suites. Which numbers we liked. Which ones we hated. Who our favourites were (I loved Tina Arena, Vince del Tito and Dannii (Danielle, as she was known) Minogue, with a soft spot for the tiny Courtney, who started at the tender age of 8. I remember Courtney's first show. I remember Dannielle's first show. I remember Vince's last, Joey Perrone's last, Tina's last. I remember 'meeting' Karen, Katy, Lorena, Mark, Beven, Greg, Natalie, Juanita, Vanessa....
I remember Katie singing Walking on Sunshine...which became my sister Tamara's favourite, along with Vanessa (fellow red head). I remember Natalie, burned to a crisp in Hamilton Island. I remember the number of Madonna songs Dannielle sang, always the one trying to raunch it up a little. I remember speculating over the status of the relationship of Vince and Dannielle. I remember Tina's voice, and how incredible it was, even as a young girl.
I remember the 1987 open air concert in Brisbane that my parents took us to to see them. I'd never been more excited about anything in my life up to that point. They'd managed to surprise us and I thought it might have been the greatest surprise ever.
Did you watch? Did you have favourites? Any special memories?
Bawled my eyes out!
I remember that Mark had a John Farnham obsession and one of the best male voices on the show since the 70's
We were at the Brisbane version of this concert.
The youngest started since Tina Arena, just 8 years old. I remember talking to my girlfriends at school the next morning all about it.
So. A new era starts. Will you be watching?
