Sunday, November 18, 2007

TV Review: Le Palmares de la Chanson (TV5)

This was yet another one of France 2's Saturday night entertainment extravaganzas shown in the UK on the TV5 satellite channel. Allegedly it was some kind of chart show where people had to vote for their favourite songs, it was an excuse to exhume various old French stars of chanson. Like Michel Delpech for instance, whose songs like "Pour Un Flirt" and "Le Loir et Cher" used to turn up in Star Academy a lot. "Wight is Wight" (no, not a spelling mistake - it's a song about the Isle of Wight festival!) was voted his best song.

Dave: I take it for a man his age, he's not a natural blond. "Du Côté de Chez Swann" turned up on Calogero's "Live 1.0" CD, but this was the original cheesy version.

I say original, because everyone on this show was miming. Like Desireless (who now resembles an old hippy in Hare Krishna style robes) and Julie Pietri, who both lip-synched their 80s classics "Voyage Voyage" and "Eve Leve-Toi" perfectly.

Maurane also appeared. Even in her heyday she didn't look like a popstar. Now she looks more mumsy than ever, but you can't deny that she always had a great distinctive voice.

Dany Brillant: is he the cheesiest man alive?

The stars of today were also represented. Emmanuel Moire, for instance, oh swoon swoon swoon. Lovely voice, gorgeous man, the only person who ever looked hot in a Louis XIV wig. Now he is out of the wig and in the midst of a solo career but he doesn't seem to be as popular as his "Le Roi Soleil" co-star Christophe Mae, who also appeared on this TV show. His voice is annoying me now. Catchy song though ("On S'Attache") kind of acoustic funk. The original Nouvelle Star runner-up Thierry Amiel sang "Coeur Sacre" which is an electro-pop number from 2006 which I still like.

Needless to say Pascal Obispo also made an appearance (who said anything about the opening of an envelope?)

Other guests: Aaron, Zazie, Hugues Aufray, Cookie Dingler and Kaolin.

Good show with dangerous levels of cheese, but a bit of live singing wouldn't have gone amiss.

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