I have tried to sit with my best friend and watch "The Voice," but I have never made it through more than one episode. I used to adore "Dancing with the Stars," but found it eternally frustrating to watch outstanding dancers voted off while lousy performers with a bigger fan base, remained. On top of that, I have never liked "boy bands," which made me the most unlikely viewer of this show. So, I paid no attention to this production until I realized that Graham Norton was hosting it. I consider his show to be the only English-speaking, celebrity "chat" show in the world worth watching. All others pale in comparison. Since I do not watch other music talent shows, I can only speak about what I love about this one. The mix of judges in really refreshing and spans decades of music, but it is the editing of all the footage that really shines. Half of the time is spent on stage, watching the talent unveiled. Graham Norton comes out on stage with each performer as they begin and as they exit. Each time he is hysterically funny while being gentle and kind. The other half is spent either ease-dropping on the judges or following Mel Giedroyc, a comedian and presenter as she hangs out, backstage with the upcoming contestants. She is goofy and jolly. The end-game of the show is to find 5 males to make up the "boy band" cast of a musical created around the songs of "Take That," another boy band from the early '90s. Robbie Williams came out of that band and went on to become one of the greatest performers of my lifetime. Sadly and incredibly, his music has never invaded the shores of North America and few citizens of the USA have ever even heard of him. Gary Barlow, one of the three remaining members of "Take That", is a judge and his heart and soul is in this project. The rest of the panel is made up of the forever dashing Martin Kemp of the fantastic UK rock group of the '80's, "Spandau Ballet," which was not a boy band, "Glee"'s powerhouse, Amber Riley who is on the London stage performing "Dream Girls," and Dannii Minogue, the younger sister of Australian pop singer, Kylie Minogue. The combination of judges and presenters is a perfect recipe for viewing pleasure. I am inspired by the level of talent, moved to tears by the performances and constantly laughing out loud. If you like pop music and Graham Norton, this is for you. If you think pop music is trash and don't "get" British humor or have difficulty with the amazing range of accents spanning the United Kingdom, don't bother.
Review of Let It Shine
