Marcia Hines explains why she's nice on Australian Idol
FOR the past seven years, Marcia Hines has copped it for being too nice on the set of Australian Idol. She explains why being nice is the new nasty.
Marcia Hines has never been keen to be as mean as other reality-TV judges.
The accomplished singer mostly sat in shocked silence as current and former Australian Idol judges Mark Holden, Kyle Sandilands or Ian ‘‘Dicko'' Dickson tore strips off wannabe performers or made outlandish comments about contestants' weight, looks or dress sense.
Hines has been branded a fence-sitter by some; others, including those who've shared judging duties with her on the reality show, have harped on about her being soft. The soul diva is having the last laugh.
Fair, honest and armed with expert knowledge of life as a recording artist, Hines was around long before MasterChef Australia judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston began offering thoughtful, constructive observations on food.
The success of MasterChef underlines her belief that, in the world of reality TV, bully tactics from judges are out and her approach is in.
Hines, 56, feels mean-spirited comments, such as Dickson once giving Paulini Curuenavuli a dressing down for donning a figure-hugging gold frock, will no longer be tolerated by audiences.
‘‘The biggest thing I got from MasterChef is that no one was mean to anybody and I love that,'' Hines says.
‘‘I remember my husband talking to me about So You Think You Can Dance and he believed the show was popular because nobody was nasty.
‘‘They're all nurtured because if you nurture, you're going to get so much more from the people you're working with. I didn't get dogged (when she began as a performer) and if I was around negative energy I'd find a way to sidestep it. Constructive criticism is cool, but criticism just for the sport is not. You don't do that to people. That's one of the things we'll have to watch because I think mean reality is over.''
However, Hines is no wallflower.
Over the years, she's reacted to contestants who've rubbed her up the wrong way.
The key, she says, is to make remarks that are warranted.
‘‘You've not heard anything nasty from me,'' she says. ‘‘The only thing I won't suffer is a fool or people who think they're better than they are.
‘‘The only way you get to be something is by listening to others or even just taking a little bit of the knowledge. I know it must really hurt the kids sometimes when they've sung and then have to walk forward and get criticised, but having said that, you know when something stinks you don't need someone to tell you.
‘‘You can offer something like, ‘I did something like that once, I know how it feels, but the best way to go about it without making that mistake again is by blah, blah, blah'.
‘‘Aren't you going to take that and put that in your pocket instead of flushing it down the toilet? I know I would.''
Ten's programming chief David Mott adds: ‘‘The judges, yes, they can be quite direct at times in terms of a particular performance, but that's only to make them consider their song choice and the only way you can do that is by being direct.
‘‘We haven't asked them to act any differently. Tonally I don't think we need to do much there because you have a lot of light and shade. You need those dramatic moments anyway. Invariably what the judges are saying is what people are thinking at home anyway.''
Scouring the country for talent has this year caused friction between judges. Dickson walked out of Melbourne auditions because he believed his counterparts weren't pulling their weight.
‘‘He had a hissy fit and I think it might have been the male time of the month,'' Hines says with a laugh. ‘‘He just got angry because he thought we were being a bit too light on the kids. We had Brian McFadden in Melbourne and he and I really did see eye-to-eye when it came to singers. We would just smile at each other when a good singer came into the room.''
Australian Idol, PG
Channel 10, Sunday, 6.30pm
Search for a singing star
Duration: 2 hours
source; http://www.news.com.au
Marcia Hines has never been keen to be as mean as other reality-TV judges.
The accomplished singer mostly sat in shocked silence as current and former Australian Idol judges Mark Holden, Kyle Sandilands or Ian ‘‘Dicko'' Dickson tore strips off wannabe performers or made outlandish comments about contestants' weight, looks or dress sense.
Hines has been branded a fence-sitter by some; others, including those who've shared judging duties with her on the reality show, have harped on about her being soft. The soul diva is having the last laugh.
Fair, honest and armed with expert knowledge of life as a recording artist, Hines was around long before MasterChef Australia judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston began offering thoughtful, constructive observations on food.
The success of MasterChef underlines her belief that, in the world of reality TV, bully tactics from judges are out and her approach is in.
Hines, 56, feels mean-spirited comments, such as Dickson once giving Paulini Curuenavuli a dressing down for donning a figure-hugging gold frock, will no longer be tolerated by audiences.
‘‘The biggest thing I got from MasterChef is that no one was mean to anybody and I love that,'' Hines says.
‘‘I remember my husband talking to me about So You Think You Can Dance and he believed the show was popular because nobody was nasty.
‘‘They're all nurtured because if you nurture, you're going to get so much more from the people you're working with. I didn't get dogged (when she began as a performer) and if I was around negative energy I'd find a way to sidestep it. Constructive criticism is cool, but criticism just for the sport is not. You don't do that to people. That's one of the things we'll have to watch because I think mean reality is over.''
However, Hines is no wallflower.
Over the years, she's reacted to contestants who've rubbed her up the wrong way.
The key, she says, is to make remarks that are warranted.
‘‘You've not heard anything nasty from me,'' she says. ‘‘The only thing I won't suffer is a fool or people who think they're better than they are.
‘‘The only way you get to be something is by listening to others or even just taking a little bit of the knowledge. I know it must really hurt the kids sometimes when they've sung and then have to walk forward and get criticised, but having said that, you know when something stinks you don't need someone to tell you.
‘‘You can offer something like, ‘I did something like that once, I know how it feels, but the best way to go about it without making that mistake again is by blah, blah, blah'.
‘‘Aren't you going to take that and put that in your pocket instead of flushing it down the toilet? I know I would.''
Ten's programming chief David Mott adds: ‘‘The judges, yes, they can be quite direct at times in terms of a particular performance, but that's only to make them consider their song choice and the only way you can do that is by being direct.
‘‘We haven't asked them to act any differently. Tonally I don't think we need to do much there because you have a lot of light and shade. You need those dramatic moments anyway. Invariably what the judges are saying is what people are thinking at home anyway.''
Scouring the country for talent has this year caused friction between judges. Dickson walked out of Melbourne auditions because he believed his counterparts weren't pulling their weight.
‘‘He had a hissy fit and I think it might have been the male time of the month,'' Hines says with a laugh. ‘‘He just got angry because he thought we were being a bit too light on the kids. We had Brian McFadden in Melbourne and he and I really did see eye-to-eye when it came to singers. We would just smile at each other when a good singer came into the room.''
Australian Idol, PG
Channel 10, Sunday, 6.30pm
Search for a singing star
Duration: 2 hours
source; http://www.news.com.au
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