A person who does not cry these days may be considered a heartless person. The norms have been updated and softened, and today it is permissible to cry from everything - a TV interview, a video on TikTok or a statement by the IDF Spokesperson. The triggers are multiple and the barriers have been removed. It's so legitimate to cry suddenly, even on news broadcasts, that every studio has handkerchiefs on hand. So why, if tears are so easy, is a show like "The Next Star" sweating from efforts to move and embrace?
As prime time fills up with talk-shows, "The Star" is an unusual attempt to bring us back to the hotbed of reality TV that existed before. Its name was changed from "Next Star for Eurovision" to "Special Edition", but the format was retained. Singing behind a raised screen in a colorful, illuminated studio in front of empty chairs and no applause. They talk Eurovision, but they deal with the situation and link everything to the war. Like yesterday's contestant who dedicated a song to his cousin who was murdered on Black Saturday, and earned votes.
At the center, there are still too many judges who subtly filter out contestants who represent the people of Israel in all its sectors and colors. Retired soldiers or singers, graduates of singing programs, sons and daughters of musicians. A collection of different characters, all singing melting ballads and squeezing tears. You don't want to cry.
A higher than usual percentage are religious singers who signed up for reality TV to fight for a ticket to Eurovision. It's an unfair game with a dead end because it's known that you can't participate in the European Song Contest without desecrating Shabbat. For those who remember, Shalva withdrew from the semi-finals of "The Star" (despite being marked as the favorite to win) after realizing that there was no escape from desecrating Shabbat at the Eurovision events.
Everyone is aware of the catch, yet Yehuda Saado, Adele Seltzer and others choose to compete. Are they aiming for victory or just riding on publicity? What I'm trying to say is that even though "The Star" in its current incarnation is called "Special Edition," it still carries the trite ills of reality TV, even if you try hard to hide them.
Assi and Rotem are trapped in the concept,
If October 7 is our national trauma, then the "star" is PTSD. It is the obnoxious conception of the outdated Israeli reality show, which, despite the situation, continues to use familiar tools on us. The colorful casting, the squeezing of emotions and tears, the connection of escapism to reality, fake unity, and a competition in which the production determines everything anyway.
After October 7, the country will not return to what it was before. After October <>, Israeli reality TV should not remain trapped in the same concept. It must be retuned and changed tone and essence. We've cried enough already.
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