To be increasingly repulsed by newsreaders emoting to camera until it's their turn?

[ipanemagirl]

You know what I mean. When their copresenter is talking they nod meaningfully and emote vile sympathy, humour, knowledge, understanding, compassion with gurning and raising comedy eyebrows and looking like they're going to run at the camera and start licking the lense.
Sometimes the women positively writhe around on the nasty sofas? Why won't they stop.

The worst is if it's a serious story and they look like they might burst into tears.
sigh
I can't bear it.

No I'm hte same, silly feckers

PMSL.
YES.
And why can't they stand still?

they are literally and truly in LOVE with the camera aren't they? They can't stand still because they are vibrating with self-love and the desire to wriggle and gurn like eejits in front of millions of people.
I find the wriggling when they sit down is the worst a bit like children with itchy bottoms - yuck!
So pleased I'm not alone!

the day today is being repeated at the moment. it's too much like the real thing

I agree totally, particularly the crazy graphics.
But caring nodding moist eyed compassion takes new heights all the time!

i think they should adopt the currency cat and the currency kidney make it more entertaining. and bring in collaterlie sisters

I used to make news and telly programmes and it's a perennial problem with the "two-shot" ie two presenters in the same shot - one of them with nothing to do because the other one is speaking. It's why I don't really like the two-shot.

Your choices as a presenter are:

stare open-mouthed at the autocue, reading the other person's lines (see Ant or Dec)

Gaze adoringly at your co-presenter as they speak so it looks like you're at least listening (see Dec or Ant)

Stare off into the middle distance or tippety-tap your computer which just looks like you're not listening (and in which case, why should the viewers bother if you can't)

Also bear in mind that while presenter 1's reading his or her lines, presenter 2 probably has someone in his/her ear saying "we're skipping the next item and going straight to an interview with X... oh no we're not, we've lost the satellite... right, just fill for 30 seconds while we get them on the phone, by the way your hair's a mess and I can see your pants when you sit like that"

I just bloody hate pointless 2 shots actually.

Not unreasonable at all. The other thing I hate is the waving of arms and over emphasised head movements from reporters.

Stand still FFS.

LOL @ Specialmagiclady, especially re Ant & Dec.

oh but the worst has to be holly big boobs on dancing on ice

she is so fake it makes me want to puke

love the show though

We were watching the news the other day - where there were 2 people standing there next to each other - and DH said 'She doesn't know what to do with her arm.'

She was holding it sort of stiffly just as if she'd been told to stop waving it around so much.

Now I can't watch that particular newsreader without being completely distracted by what she is doing with her arm.

Oh and the stuff they wear!

yes kathym! this morning a newsreader had a bizarre great bow at her hip - as bizarre as La Kidman's neck bow at the Oscars. As time went on she started to hide this thing which seemed to be function free and aesthetically purposeless as if she knew it looked like she'd brought her cat to work.

specialML, of course you're right, (I used to work in telly too) the walking talking of a female presenter in high heels down a cobbled street was one of my particular favourites. The fixed grin, the white knuckled clasping of her own hands for support - it cracks me up so much.

But huge respect to anyone who does it. Most people can't do it at all and look like blocks of wood - those who can are doing a lot at once - I shouldn't disprespect them. I think it's just that it looks so insincere and as I get older I yearn for sincerity!!!!!

also specialml - the adoring gaze - that is actually so awful that it's wonderful. There's a couple on bbc breakfast (my favourite hunting ground for emoting hell - who look at each other like they're reenacting wuthering heights. I don't want them to stop doing that actually!

ant and dec are the kings of the two shot because the communicate real pleasure imo - genuine happiness to be there and ease etc.

I adore Ant and Dec and think they're fab - but watch the one with the unfeasibly large forehead (Dec? or Ant? is it just me??) mouthing the other ones words down the camera...

My pet tv presenter hates (and this would actually out me to anyone who knows me..):

KNEES - too fat, too bony whatever, unless they're totally perfect they shouldn't be on the telly

EARS - female presenters' ears should be hearing not seen. You watch, you rarely see an ear on the telly. And if I ever see an ear on a woman on telly I just become obsessed with them... odd I know.

I wouldn't be a presenter for all the tea in china - it's definitely one of those things that you can either do or you can't. I can't, and besides which, I couldn't cope with people having meetings about my hair.

specilamlady, please tell me you hate the writhing on the sofa and the sticking out of the chest (regardless of size) of some offenders - it is wrong to wriggle horribly on telly?

I like the ones that act like grown uppers and don't simper.

Others I like, Jeremy Bowen, Paxman, Attenborough.
Simon Schama - love him - I know some don't but I love his style.
I like Kirsty on Location Location, there's something no nonsense about her and she looks like she's thinking about the subject on not as if she's been entirely stepforded.

I also don't mind that woman who does the evening news on the bbc, can't remember her name although the impression of her is very funny.

Who do you like?

grown uppers?

Never mind what they do, what about what they wear?

Who is responsible for the fashion nasties that are made availale to Fiona Bruce for the six o'clock news.

What about an outfit that doesn't scream "I'm off clubbing after I've done this".

I agree! Don't get me started on cleavage at breakfast - I'm not a prude but
put
it
away!

PMSL at this ipanemagirl, are you quite new? Or is it a new name?

Ipanemagirl - you are SO right.... the cause of many a shouting at tv moment in our house.

To add to the list, we have a local newsreader who thinks he's Paxman:
"So ARE the council going to come and empty the rubbish bin?"
council worker looks tres stressed and answers "I've already told you, yes"
"So the rubbish bin WILL be collected?"
"erm...... yes"
"And I can quote you on that, CAN I?"
"yes"

In total agreement about the strange empathy from the silent presenter while the other is reading the news.

I long for the day when its back to Proper Newsreading - ie, one anchor facing the 'audience' reading the news, not two lounging on sofas expressing false personal emotions about the stories while at the same time very importantly checking laptop/newspaper.

grrrrrrrrrr

I no longer subject myself to this - i listen to the radio news instead now where the anchors can sit on bouncy castles/wear city shorts and 16 layers of lipgloss/practise meaningful glances without me having to watch!

ah. I feel better now.

OOh, I hate that on local news programmes, when you get some petty-minded GNVQ-wielding little twillop with a mad fanatical gleam in his eyes who thinks he's going to catapult himself to journalistic stardom by hectoring some shifty septuagenarian councillor about 'vandalism at the local allotments' or some such horror. Fucking twats.

Greensleeves, you've heard my dp at newstime then!

Rofl! There's not much I can add to that Greeny

But I will....when they want to know how people feeeeel after the most terrible things have happened to them. What a daft question.