NOBBY'S DIARY: ANDY'S JUDGING IN BUENOS AIRES, DAY 2

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia executive creative director David Nobay is in Buenos Aires, judging the Andy's, along with a star-studded panel of the best creatives in the world, including Mother´s founder, Mark Waites, DDB Chief Bob Scarpelli, Leo Burnett's Mark Tutssel and Crispin´s ECD Andrew Keller. Here is his report on day two...

I swapped a night of Tango lessons last night for in-room dining and a decent kip. Given the state of Mark Waites from Mother this morning, it was probably a wise decision, though the pressure is on me tonight to perform (Latin Karaoke, if you can believe it). So, I’ll make this quick.
Most of this morning was spent squeezing between 40 foot tables laden with the print entries, which I prefer judging. For starters, you can move around, which is preferable to dozing off in a small overheated room in front of 2,000 spots. We were joined by Paul Shearer, founder of Nitro and, among other claims to fame, an old college mate of mine from my Newcastle days almost twenty years go. Over lunch, he entertained the table with tales of how cool and good-looking I was on campus back then, which I quickly came to realise was his way of hiding his stunned amazement at how bloated and knackered I look twenty years later. Advertising can do that to a man!
The print standard was actually pretty good. We saw plenty of usual suspects that were already familiar from last year's shows, but also a crop of new stuff clearly destined for big things this year. While most came from the States, this is clearly an international show and I spotted great entries from every corner.
We’re a full day in, and already the jury has become easy-going and casual with each other, which makes a long day a lot shorter. The standard of judges that Mark Tutssel pulled together is seriously impressive (me aside!), which makes for an instant rapport. Generally speaking, guys with these kind of reps have little to prove and so are much more open about the work and far less bitchy. It would be nice if we could do the same locally!
We spent the afternoon in a huge, ridiculously over-lit ballroom, screening yesterday’s TV finalists. The stuff I saw was of a pretty high standard and there was a welcome lack of complete stinkers which usually finds their way into the first round of finalists at Cannes.
As for trends, I’d have to say I’m starting to get seriously jaded with the dead-pan office comedy spots, featuring anemic salary men. The formula seems to fit every category, from FedEx to fast food. Never thought I’d say it, but Ricky Gervais has a lot to answer for.
That’s it for today’s entry. Got to grab a shower and loosen up the tonsils with some warm salt water for my karaoke debut. Just hope they have the full book of Neil Diamond classics. Now, if anything deserves an award...