The 'Talento' With No Talent

TURNING JAPANESE Part II

The 'Talento' With No Talent

It has been said that technologically, Japan is always ahead of America by 5-10 years. Just look at cell phones: they've been able to watch broadcast television and cable on those for years. And where are we? We are only just now implementing those technologies into our 'smart' phones, which then aren't really that smart at all.

But what about cultural advancement? What about Pop cultural advancement? Right now, due to the effects of the Great Recession, the question everybody is asking is, "Will America become the next Japan?". Japan's recession in the 80's was so severe that they call it 'The Lost Decade'.

Sound familiar? That lost decade in Japan changed the popular cultural landscape and now, all of us are resembling the Japanese more and more. This article will focus on the rise of what are called Talento in Japan, and the changing of American broadcast TV shows.

In Japan, Talento have no real talent. Their ranks are usually composed of 'retired' Idols whose fifteen minutes of fame has run out, or D-list actors and comedians who are known only for their outrageous personas or catch-phrases than for actual accomplishments. Their agencies farming them out from guest appearances on one show to another endlessly.

The demise of scripted TV shows due to both changing viewing habits and Japan's Lost Decade, caused TV producers to depend on more easily produced Reality TV shows and game shows to recoup profits. And where did they look to fill a cast with slightly recognizable faces, but without the high paychecks a real star would require? The Talento class of TV personalities was created out of necessity, growing larger exponentially as more shows are created and die off season after season.

And now in America, if you flip through your channels, you will find that Reality TV has in the past few years has gone from the exception to the new norm. And so are we growing accustomed to seeing American Talento steadily increasing in number and decreasing in talent.

The Kardashians, Dancing With the Stars, Celebrity Apprentice, The Hills, and most recently the cast of Jersey Shore.

How long will it be before the number of Talento churned out by the constant parade of reality TV shows spits out so many that new types of shows will be created to support them? In the midst of the Great Recession, Americans yearn to lose themselves in the distraction, feasting on Talento and Idols, the comfort food of the entertainment world.

The future of TV and film in America as it becomes more Japanese is the topic of my last article of this series.

Turning Japanese Part I

Turning Japanese Part I

BEFORE AMERICAN IDOL, THERE WAS JUST 'IDORU'

Without us even knowing it, we have all become Japanese. For awhile now, I have had "The Japanese In Me", but now, the Japanese is in you too. This is the first article of three that will focus on just a few of the many ways that popular culture in Japan has silently infiltrated our conciousness and is taking root. The tide has turned, the roles have been reversed, Japan is now the new trendsetter of cultural-cool.

The Idols and Talento in Japan, have reinvented what it takes to become famous -- young and female.

Inspired by the popularity the all-female French 'Ye-Ye' pop music movement in during the 60s in Japan, Japanese record companies created their own versions called "Idoru".

They were teenaged, they were fresh-faced and innocent --and they had no real talent.

All they had to do was prance around on stage, look cute and adorable, sing the pop songs written for them, and they were instantly famous.

But when fans tired of one particular idol, after they had consumed all the albums, the

magazines, the fashions imitated, then all was forgotten and they moved on to the next idol.

Over and over in Japan this process has repeated itself for decades. The Idoru genre expanding itself into TV, where 'retired' idols and B-grade movie stars mingle and milk their fame for all it's worth.

On TV they become 'Talento', or those with no talent. You may vaguely recognize their names, but you can't remember what they've done. Suddenly they're featured on every show that you watch.

And now, America too has been entranced by the Idol phenomenon.

In the 90's Japan had Amuro, Utada, Hamazaki:

In America now we have Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna:

Japanese record labels have had much longer to hone their craft; creating, packaging, and selling the public the concept of the Idol. And thanks to hugely popular show American Idol, we aren't too far behind.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_idol

http://www.chachacharming.com/index.php