Otherwise, Normal

For the first time I watched the P&L show (called "Altfel" -- which would translate as "Otherwise", "Different") - the December 17 edition.

As it progressed, I was sinking deeper and deeper in my chair, recoiling in horror as I realized that this might very well be the first good Romanian talk show I'd ever seen.

Does it take the two most famous local intellectuals to get to this level of... normality, where Liiceanu aptly placed their broadcast interaction? And by the way, especially since they agree that what they are doing there is "only normal", they should have called their show exactly that, "Normal", instead of the elitist and, given the context, depressing "Otherwise".

The problem is the VOID around them. Their own "normality", because such a rare commodity on Romanian screens, at least, becomes "otherwise", becomes the top of the crop, becomes excellence and their "normal" opinions become... well, "the norm". After 17 years, people of their gamut (or close to it, because honestly, they may be overqualified for the jobs of talk show hosts), people of different convictions and backgrounds, holding all kinds of different views should have filled all Romanian TV screens; theirs should have been only two names of the many competing in the same class.

It is obvious that Liiceanu, who plays host, prepares before coming in front of the nation, unlike so many of the TV "professionals" in Romania. Plesu doesn't, but that's comfortably on purpose, he is the "interviewed" one, he reacts to what Liiceanu draws from the hat, thus preserving a spontaneous quality to their interaction. Liiceanu is ready to improvise as well, he's flexible and excellent in conversation. Plus, he has that masculine velvet in his voice which he modulates with flawless intonation and diction, on a par with a Iures or Caramitru. So maybe he would have made a great actor too, not only an excellent fiction writer. But he had to go and try to become a philosopher first, then an editor! Plesu's presence isn't too bad either -- although I personally dislike the "da" and "pa" pronunciation for "de" and "pe". He should control better his body language (he tends to rub his ear and touch his face in the heat of the conversation) and get his glasses fitted maybe, if all truth be told.

I enjoyed the minimalist set, but then again, their charismatic strong presences can endure and even benefit from being set up against a stark black background, whereas a Stelian Tanase & Mircea Dinescu or CTP & Hurezeanu do need something going on on the set to distract the eye from their fidgety and unimposing posturing. (What's with all these male couples formulas for shows? Intriguing...)

However, yes, that was television!

I'm beginning to get gloomy here. Maybe, after all, finding Romanian talent is not easy. Maybe too many have left. Or maybe the common sense of most "normal" people prevents them from competing with aggressive self-promoters in politics as well as in media, filled with the likes of CTP, Turcescu, Dinescu, Gheorghe, now Bucurenci.

(Eminem, in a distant voice, echoes in my head here: "So won't the normal Romanians please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?!")

The irony was that Liiceanu and Plesu were, in their turn, in awe while evoking the "normalcy" of a Dr. Sinescu whom they had both briefly seen on TV as a guest on a show.

Gee. So it's not only my imagination, or that I don't watch enough Romanian TV, it really is an event when one detects "normal", huh?

The key question is: did P&L contribute to the void around them? Because "good people" (italics in this text to be interpreted in a whisper, with the fixed look in the eyes of the kid from "The Sixth Sense", you know, the famous "I see dead people!"), "normal people" do exist in Romania! They just don't make it to the top for some reason.

Well, since nothing else seemed to work, why don't Liiceanu and Plesu go and use their freaky influence and start branding like crazy. Go detect the normal people, like they did that Dr. Sinescu, and bring them out of the darkness, and whisper subliminally to their hordes of admirers: "We see normal people"!

Oh, wait. They already did that and it wasn't quite right: Plesu just called Bucurenci "a very talented moderator" in an article (written precisely because he hadn't been given the chance to speak during the Bucurenci show) and then graced him with a "one on one" showdown. Not to mention Liiceanu with his "Romanian Kierkegaard"... So, being normal themselves, they're far from infallible and they did do all those branding errors in the past, so no, this is not a good idea. In a normal society, nobody should be in the position of dictating brands like they could, period.

Whatever the reasons, under this light, distancing oneself from the Daddy Bears acquires new dimensions. It's not like people hold on to them as a matter of pride, but as a matter of identity, of defining normality. It's really complicated to replace them when not enough normal people are being naturally brought to the public arena by the market selection process.

And maybe that's where the problem lies. Liiceanu mentioned that the need for ratings pushes the plethora of private TV stations to give air time to all those exotic creatures who then become dangerous role models via the gained popularity. In this case, public television should step to the plate, setting the standards and maintaining them.

Instead of being in the business of building them, the Romanian (Public) Television has adopted the practice of "stealing" ready-made TV personalities from private stations. They did, however, strike popular gold with Andreea Marin, but we were looking for "normal" here... Maybe there's something wrong with the selection process of "serious" TV stars?

The RTV director, Tudor Giurgiu, if one is to judge from his past organizational success with the Transylvania Film Festival, should know NORMAL. But no, Bucurenci wasn't "it".

I just realized that I'm doing it again, getting "soft" on the Daddy Bears, being a wuss... What can I do, they're cute and I'm only human here...