Published on October 03, 2005

Is reality TV a guilty pleasure or a healthy addiction? Rojana Manowalailao wonders why she’s hooked

If “Academy Fantasia” is really about finding the Kingdom’s next singing sensation, shouldn’t the contestants be able to hold a note?

For someone who’s survived almost two seasons of the show without feeling the urge to watch – mainly because of the really bad voices – I find it hard to believe that I’m glued to the screen when the contestants perform on stage.

But I am curious. How are these youngsters chosen? And is “Academy Fantasia” really the nemesis of the music industry? I decided to consult the experts.

Assoc Prof Sugree Charoensook, director of Mahidol University’s College of Music, shares my view. He also winces at the less-than-tuneful voices and feels the programme denigrates the profession.

“Out of the 12, nine sing out of tune. And they want to be singers!” he laments.

They must have something, though. The 12 youngsters were chosen from 8,000 contenders. They’ve been living together under the day-long watchful eye of cameras and have undergone rigorous training.

I just don’t think it’s possible to become a singer in three months; developing a voice takes a lifetime.

UBC’s senior director of programming, Attaphon Na Banxang, says the show is all about hooking viewers.

“It’s a game show with singing as its theme. The singers are the by-products.”

Viewed from that perspective, he’s onto a winner. Some 600 dedicated fans were given free tickets for the first four concerts in this series. Now the show’s moved to a bigger venue – Muang Thong Thani’s Thunder Dome, which accommodates 4,000, and there’s never an empty seat.

Each week the contestants are assigned 12 different songs. When they perform every Saturday, viewers vote by SMS and the one with the least votes gets shown the door. It’s a formula the accountants love, so much so that this season the programme has been extended to 12 weeks from nine last year, when it drew some three million votes.

The voting system bothers me, too. Shouldn’t professional judges have the final say? With viewers doing the voting, those with shockingly bad voices often manage to cling on for weeks. The voting arrangement also annoys Sugree.

“This is not about art. It’s about business,” he says.

I mention the conundrum to Attaphon and he reminds me of the programme’s primary aim – to build a relationship between viewers and contestants. Besides, the viewers should love the winner for his or her character, personality and habits, not just the ability to perform on stage.

Both Sugree and Attaphon make valid points. So where does that leave me? As the old Thai saying goes, one person alone is foolish, two together is like traversing a tightrope and three is safe, which effectively means the more, the better.

The counsel of a third person seems wise, and who better to give an opinion than Yuthana Boonorm, managing director of Click Radio.

Yuthana feels the singers should have a great good voice and a terrific personality. With just one of these attributes, they won’t last in the business.

“Just enjoy the show,” he suggests. “Don’t expect to hear operatic voices. Relish the drama of reality TV.” He compares “Academy Fantasia” to a soap opera, pointing out that viewers will connect with certain characters.

“If you want to witness a contest for powerful voices, go to the KPN Music Awards. If you want to be entertained, tune in to ‘Academy Fantasia’,” he says.

Well, that explains why many of my friends are glued to their sets. It also describes my addiction. I do want to know who’s singing what each week, although I still kill the sound when the really bad singers come on.

I know I’m leaving myself open for condemnation by some of the show’s die-hard fans. They’ll defend their beloved contestants and argue that no one is perfect and that I too have a bad voice.

But I know that already, and that’s why I’m not on TV.

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