Posts by Derek Freeney

by Derek Freeney on Aug 27th, 2013 - 4802 Views

A little over four weeks ago, RTE unveiled a new musical reality show with a difference. Called “The Hit”, it gives up and coming songwriters the chance to have their original songs recorded and released by established Irish artists from differing music genres. Each week six songwriters pitch their... 

by Derek Freeney on Dec 24th, 2010 - 7182 Views

A return trip to Lapland? €550. The average bail-out fund? €80 billion. The look on Simon Cowell’s face when ‘One Direction’ failed to make it into the final two on The X-Factor? Priceless. But for any eagle eyed viewers the suspicion that, regardless of who won X-Factor, ‘One Direction’... 

by Derek Freeney on Oct 28th, 2010 - 2603 Views

An occasional column for the connoisseur who yearns for TV as it was, should be, but never will be… HOT METAL During the 1980s the British Fleet Street tabloid war began to spin out of control. In the battle for circulation supremacy, more and more fantastical, sometime lurid, oftentimes jingoistic,...