Imitation they say is the sincerest form of flattery - people want to be like you. And if one judges like what au courant South African celebrity most ordinary TV viewers want to be like, it would be Bonang from SABC1's LIVE.
Not only is Bonang the celebrity being imitated most in presentation and delivery style by contestants in the My Top Billing Dream presenter search which is becoming a reality show on SABC3, Bonang is also the number one choice when it comes to a fictional celebrity the contestants have to make as if they interview in a mock-interview.
The only problem is that the wild hand gestures and "Bonang-ish" presentation style is not what the weekly entertainment magazine show is looking for.
"Other celebrities people have chosen to 'interview' have been quite varied but the most common by far have been Beyonce and Mi Casa," the Tswelopele Productions production team tells me. Contestants exude a lot of "Bonang-ish" hand gestures, pointing at the camera, pitch and tone peaks which falls and rises to often and making a lot of disturbing presentation mistakes which is not the usual Top Billing way and which the judges are actually looking for.
The longrunning show is looking for a new presenter with the Cape Town and Johannesburg auditions which are still left. My Top Billing Dream will start as a reality show with 3 one hour TV specials from Saturday 23 June at 13:00 on SABC3, after which the normal Top Billing timeslot on a Tuesday from 3 July at 20:00 will become the My Top Billing Dream reality show for a few weeks.
Contestants who are planning on attending the upcoming Cape Town and Johannesburg auditions would do better to take the following advice from the producers who have seen thousands of contestants so far. "The things the judges can see almost immediately and which are not to the contestants advantage include that the person does not watch Top Billing," production crew tells me.
"The person is very shy and will speak very softly. How would they cope interviewing celebs on the red carpet if they are unable to deliver a practised piece to the judges? A lot of them also show extreme nerves. Nerves are to be expected, but what the judges are looking for in the My Top Billing Dream presenter search is someone who can control those nerves and deliver."
"Things that make contestants stand out immediately and are to their advantage are a great personality that shines through despite the nerves, a well-prepared link they present and the ability to think on your feet and deliver and impromptu feet. And smiling and engaging the camera and the audience" says the production.
"The process so far has run extremely smoothly. We have a good system in place,"I'm told. "The Protea Hotels have been great and we've had no complaints about the venues. There was an unforeseen taxi strike which started when we arrived in Durban and we had a few complaints that people were unable to get to the venue but there was nothing that we could do to remedy the situation."
"The talent has been incredible so far and we can't wait to see what Cape Town and Johannesburg still have to offer in the My Top Billing Dream presenter search."
ALSO READ: Janez Vermeiren, Top Billing presenter, who is a judge in the My Top Billing Dream presenter search and what he will be looking for in a new presenter.
ALSO READ: The My Top Billing Dream Bloemfontein auditions.
ALSO READ: The My Top Billing Dream Durban auditions.
