Arts-o-tainment?

I was a huge fan over the past two years of the now defunct ABC arts panel show Critical Mass, which was a lively and intelligent review show hosted by the wonderful Jonathan Biggins.

Obviously the show didn't rate (which I always thought didn't really matter to the ABC if it was producing quality TV.... I digress...), and was shelved indefinately. Now a new arts panel discussion show, Vulture, has appeared. It tries to steal a style and format familiar from several popular ABC shows of the recent and not-so-recent past - including Good News Week, the Glass House and Spicks and Specks - an entertaining host gives hilarious intros and outros to discussions, and the show is peppered with little pre-taped comedy routines and even a comedy 'news bulletin'. I guess the point is to make 'difficult' arts-talk into a funny romp for the whole family! Guests included the wonderfully gruff old conservative arts critic, Peter Craven, and three young, hip post-modern arty types. Despite the 'fluffy' format, the discussion was surprisingly interesting, although it involved the usual arty hypocricy (after slamming Shakespeare as old-fashioned and unintelligible - 'never liked him anyway' - one of the panellists later in the show went on an unintelligible and traditionally pretentious rant about contemporary art). Well worth checking out next Tuesday at 10pm.