Interesting Mail X factor article, what do you think?

[Crimson Dynamo]

This weekend, vast numbers of ITV viewers will tune in to The X Factor, to discover if a stunningly untalented pair of singing and dancing Irish twins named John and Edward have been inexplicably voted through to the next round. And, I have to admit, I'll be watching, too.

Some television programmes are termed 'guilty pleasures', but with The X Factor, the sensation I feel comes closer to self-disgust. For the show's current series has plumbed depths of voyeuristic cruelty that make even Channel 4's much-reviled Big Brother seem mild by comparison.

This time around, the chief victim has been Danyl Johnson, a 27-year-old drama and dance teacher whose singing talent leaves his rival wannabe pop stars floundering. The Brothers Grimes AKA 'Jedward' represent style over substance on the X Factor

The Brothers Grimes AKA 'Jedward' represent style over substance on the X Factor yet viewers still keep them in the competition

Rather than the usual wan British copy of some American idol, Danyl is totally original, with the passion - and unpredictability - that marks out true stars. Yet from the moment he stepped in front of the X Factor judges, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, he has been under attack.

While they regularly urge other contestants to be more confident and aware of who they are, Danyl's flawless performances were condemned for 'cockiness'. On one show, when he performed Jennifer Hudson's I'm Telling You, Minogue had to apologise to Danyl after telling him there was 'no need to switch the gender reference in that song' if Press reports about his bisexuality were true.

From the safe house where the contestants are billeted have come allegations of this evidently sensitive, caring man - who in the past worked with disabled children - 'bullying' female housemates. He has also had to suffer a torrent of abuse on the internet and a message on Twitter labelling him 'more hated than Hitler'.

Last week's rock-themed show should have seen him surpass himself with Aerosmith's sweeping ballad Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. Instead, a combination of technical malfunction and hostility from Cole left him in tears (and I don't mean just glitter-eyed; his whole face was awash).

Luckily, the viewers had more sense and voted him through again. But each week, in a weird inversion of The X Factor's stated aim, we are seeing a potential star eroded, not developed. The X Factor once helped to represent the fact that talent could be found in Britain in the most unlikely of places

The X Factor once helped to represent the fact that talent could be found in Britain in the most unlikely of places. When the show began in 2004, I was among its greatest enthusiasts. Never mind that judge-in- chief Simon Cowell signed each winner to his SyCo record company, virtually guaranteed hit singles by the show's huge audience - a control of supply and demand even the rapacious UK pop industry has never known before.

Never mind that, aside from the outstanding Leona Lewis in 2006, most of the winners were mediocrities who, despite Cowell's grooming, took only a few months to sink back into well-deserved obscurity.

What The X Factor at its best revealed was a Britain other than the decaying, violence-torn, foul-mouthed wilderness of daily news headlines; a place where talent existed in the most unlikely quarters, where young people still possessed ambition and dedication (not to mention charm and generosity of spirit) and families were still united, loving and supportive.
The X Factor judges have condemned Danyl for 'cocky' performances while urging other contestants to be confident

The X Factor judges have condemned Danyl for 'cocky' performances while urging other contestants to be confident. How could this welcome arena for youthful hopes and dreams - far better than old-style TV talent shows such as Opportunity Knocks or New Faces - have turned into such a theatre of cruelty?

It began with the televised nationwide auditions which kick off every series and inevitably attract large numbers of the hopelessly untalented. Instead of tactfully sending these obvious non- starters home, the producers took to choosing the more grotesque examples for the judges, and viewers, to laugh at.

Now, this humiliation of self-deluded, sad people is a cherished X Factor ritual, akin to the 19th-century 'sport' of sending groups of wealthy Victorians to tour the local psychiatric institution and have a good giggle at the inmates. Cowell became notorious for often brutal judgments which, nonetheless, were always backed by profound knowledge of the music business. But his co-judges can be almost as rough without being as constructive.

All of them experience constant vertiginous changes of mind, one week hailing a contestant as a superstar, the next excoriating him or her as a 'karaoke' singer or a fashion disaster. The internecine bickering between the judges - especially Cowell and the Irish boy-band guru Louis Walsh - may have the authenticity of a Marx Brothers film, but it frequently stops the whole show, leaving the unfortunate performer at a total loss as to whether he or she has been good or bad. Rachel Adedeji was voted off even though Lloyd Daniels had a poor singing voice

In The X Factor's transatlantic counterpart, American Idol (also masterminded and dominated by Cowell), an acerbic host named Ryan Seacrest acts as an ally to the contestants, frequently giving even the mighty Simon (who's not that good at repartee) a flea in his ear.

By contrast, our X Factor has Radio 2 presenter Dermot O'Leary, a nice enough bloke but not much of a bulwark. When the judges turn nasty, the contestants - some just teenagers, let's not forget - are up there on their own. Each stage of the contest has developed its own special torture chamber. When the individual judges interview the singers or bands they are 'mentoring' and announce who is and is not going forward to the next round, they spin it out for the camera while the poor contestant waits in anguish. 'This is a very tough contest . . . [long pause] . . . but I've made my decision . . .[long pause]. . . I'm afraid it's bad news . . . [long pause] . . . You're through to Boot Camp!'

In one peculiarly horrible variant a few weeks ago, Cole visibly changed her mind about sending a young singer forward to the next stage while he was sitting right in front of her. Before announcing her decision, poor Cheryl had to take a break to tell the camera how awful she felt. Meanwhile, the singer was not allowed to wait on her sofa but was moved away out of shot by a thick-eared minder.

For sheer, unadulterated cruelty, however, nothing matches the results show, now with a whole Sunday-night slot to itself, when the viewing public's votes are counted and the 'bottom two' acts have to perform again for the judges to decide who stays and who goes home.
Danyl Johnston was reduced to tears on last weekend's show as he floundered during a performance of Aerosmith's Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

Last Sunday, the choice was between Lloyd Daniels, a nondescript 16-year-old with a frog in his throat, and 17-year old Rachel Adedeji, who over the weeks had developed from a gawky novice into a sexily accomplished soul singer, in talent terms perhaps the only real rival to Danyl Johnson.

Cowell had the casting vote but chickened out, instead ruling that winner and loser be determined by the number of viewer-votes each had received. So limp Lloyd went through, talented Rachel went home and The X Factor had another great weepie moment.

Then there is the cruelty of a subtler kind in the weekly spectacle of the terrible untalented twins John and Edward Grimes murdering another pop classic, yet still moving remorselessly onward and upward. And if they win, as some think possible, it will be cruelty on a truly hideous scale to plunge them, however fleetingly, into the terrible realities of pop stardom.

Last week's X Factor was watched by 14.8 million people, 50.7 per cent of the national TV audience, and there's no reason to expect any drop in viewing figures this weekend. I don't like what that says about us as a nation. Hell, I don't like what it says about me.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1225366/I-used-love-The-X-Factor-So-I-feel-disgusted-watching-it.html#ixzz0Vyjj32On

[Jessica.]

Hmm, Interesting!

[Niamh.]

Good article, makes me feel terrible for watching

[Dr.Gonzo]

That's a good read. I do happen to agree with most of it. Think I'll go out on Saturday night :o

[Niamh.]

That's a good read. I do happen to agree with most of it. Think I'll go out on Saturday night :o

It would make you feel a bit ashamed for watching wouldn't it?

[Dr.Gonzo]

It would make you feel a bit ashamed for watching wouldn't it?

Yeh. I think it started when they upped the competition between judges. Now it's less about the acts winning and more about the judges winning.

[Twilight]

This article = Fail

[Dr.Gonzo]

This article = Fail


Insightful post.

[Niamh.]

This article = Fail

Do you not find any of it interesting and close to the truth Twilight?

[Niamh.]

Yeh. I think it started when they upped the competition between judges. Now it's less about the acts winning and more about the judges winning.

Yeah, Simon & Cheryl in particular are annoying me this year, It's all about them

[Twilight]

Do you not find any of it interesting and close to the truth Twilight?

No

[Niamh.]

No

Really? OK then.

[MissChelle]

I don't usually agree with hardly anything that's written in The Mail (and won't even mention THAT article) but I think they've got it pretty much spot on here.

The bickering and oneupmanship going on between the judges this year is really spoiling it for me and don't even get me started on Simon sending it to deadlock last week meaning Rachel ended up going home.

Cheryl is useless as a judge and a mentor, just had to get that in there too.

If JEdward are still there after this weekend I really don't think I can bear to watch anymore, it's just a joke that they were picked for the live shows in the first place.

[setanta]

I don't usually agree with hardly anything that's written in The Mail (and won't even mention THAT article) but I think they've got it pretty much spot on here.

The bickering and oneupmanship going on between the judges this year is really spoiling it for me and don't even get me started on Simon sending it to deadlock last week meaning Rachel ended up going home.

Cheryl is useless as a judge and a mentor, just had to get that in there too.

If JEdward are still there after this weekend I really don't think I can bear to watch anymore, it's just a joke that they were picked for the live shows in the first place.

I think it's wonderful that J and E are still in the show as they're a constant thorn in Simon's side, and I would absolutely adore it if they won the show because it would serve as the ultimate f£ck you to Cowell and his souless money making enterprise.

[Dr.Gonzo]

Really? OK then.

You lost the 'use the least characters in a post' game.

Better luck next time!

[MissChelle]

I think it's wonderful that J and E are still in the show as they're a constant thorn in Simon's side, and I would absolutely adore it if they won the show because it would serve as the ultimate f£ck you to Cowell and his souless money making enterprise.

I can't agree with that when there are people in the competition who can actually sing, and who could make an album that people actually want to buy and listen to, who would miss out because of those two wee idiots!

I don't actually think Simon would be that bothered tbh, after all he did make a record with Zig and Zag and got that to #1. :hugesmile:

[setanta]

I can't agree with that when there are people in the competition who can actually sing, and who could make an album that people actually want to buy and listen to, who would miss out because of those two wee idiots!

I don't actually think Simon would be that bothered tbh, after all he did make a record with Zig and Zag and got that to #1. :hugesmile:

Well I just think the show has lost any credibility it ever had recently so I basically want J and E to destroy the whole farce.

[Niamh.]

I can't agree with that when there are people in the competition who can actually sing, and who could make an album that people actually want to buy and listen to, who would miss out because of those two wee idiots!

I don't actually think Simon would be that bothered tbh, after all he did make a record with Zig and Zag and got that to #1. :hugesmile:

Hey don't knock Zig & Zag, they're great (even though they're traitors!!):joker:

[Dr.Gonzo]

I can't agree with that when there are people in the competition who can actually sing, and who could make an album that people actually want to buy and listen to, who would miss out because of those two wee idiots!

I don't actually think Simon would be that bothered tbh, after all he did make a record with Zig and Zag and got that to #1. :hugesmile:

Well, Zig and Zag are puppets. They have a guy with a hand up their arses. Actually, that's pretty similar to John and Edward.

Wash your hands Louis!

[Tracyjay]

I think it's wonderful that J and E are still in the show as they're a constant thorn in Simon's side, and I would absolutely adore it if they won the show because it would serve as the ultimate f£ck you to Cowell and his souless money making enterprise.

Do you really think it would be best for them if they won?
They are very young and i dread to think what the recording industry would do to them with its notorious habit of raising hopes high then dropping them when they have milked them dry of every last penny then going on to the next big thing. and that happens to those with talent!
Simon is not really bothered if they win, he will still win in the end anyway.
i hate to say it but I have actually found myself agreeing with a DM article.....Shiver.....:conf:

[MissChelle]

Hey don't knock Zig & Zag, they're great (even though they're traitors!!):joker:

I used to love The Big Breakfast and always used to make myself late for school by staying home to see Zig and Zag! :joker:

[MissChelle]

Well, Zig and Zag are puppets. They have a guy with a hand up their arses. Actually, that's pretty similar to John and Edward.

Wash your hands Louis!

LOL! :joker:

[Niamh.]

I used to love The Big Breakfast and always used to make myself late for school by staying home to see Zig and Zag! :joker:

They're Irish as well you know, they started off on The Den till they left us for England!!

[setanta]

Do you really think it would be best for them if they won?
They are very young and i dread to think what the recording industry would do to them with its notorious habit of raising hopes high then dropping them when they have milked them dry of every last penny then going on to the next big thing. and that happens to those with talent!
Simon is not really bothered if they win, he will still win in the end anyway.
i hate to say it but I have actually found myself agreeing with a DM article.....Shiver.....:conf:

They're on a different planet like Zig and Zag so I don't think any of it will effect them much, particularly when I'm sure they realise that they don't have much talent to begin with.

The show is manipulation of the highest order and I'd prefer to see Louis' two losers winning it because it would surely spell the end to the whole formula. The last two weeks have just p"ssed me off way too much, with two very talented acts leaving the show because they never got the backing of the producers or the public.

[MissChelle]

They're Irish as well you know, they started off on The Den till they left us for England!!

I never knew they were Irish! :shocked:

[Tracyjay]

I'm with you totally about the last two weeks I just wish there was another way to show contempt for the way the show has changed. I would like to have one week when we could vote off rather than vote to save..that would mix it up a bit!

[Niamh.]

They're on a different planet like Zig and Zag so I don't think any of it will effect them much, particularly when I'm sure they realise that they don't have much talent to begin with.

The show is manipulation of the highest order and I'd prefer to see Louis' two losers winning it because it would surely spell the end to the whole formula. The last two weeks have just p"ssed me off way too much, with two very talented acts leaving the show because they never got the backing of the producers or the public.

It makes me wonder what the public actually look for in "personnality" though. I mean If you take Lucie for example, I do think she's a very good singer but she doesn't seem to have much personnality, Stacey is thick as a ditch, to me Rachel had the best personnality of the 3 of them and a great voice but people didn't like her? She seemed nice, genuine, bubbly and intelligent

[Niamh.]

I never knew they were Irish! :shocked:

Yeah, the Traitors, they started developing English accents when they left too hhhhmmmmm.............

[MissChelle]

It makes me wonder what the public actually look for in "personnality" though. I mean If you take Lucie for example, I do think she's a very good singer but she doesn't seem to have much personnality, Stacey is thick as a ditch, to me Rachel had the best personnality of the 3 of them and a great voice but people didn't like her? She seemed nice, genuine, bubbly and intelligent

See I agree with you, I can't stand Stacey! She hasn't got THAT amazing a voice and her personality makes me cringe! Lucie I do like but she's not exactly Little Miss Personality either is she? Rachel was kooky and interesting and everyone on the show seemed to love her, I just don't get it.

[Tracyjay]

It makes me wonder what the public actually look for in "personnality" though. I mean If you take Lucie for example, I do think she's a very good singer but she doesn't seem to have much personnality, Stacey is thick as a ditch, to me Rachel had the best personnality of the 3 of them and a great voice but people didn't like her? She seemed nice, genuine, bubbly and intelligent

Yes I guess it in the eye of the beholder....or who the person identifies most with...guess there are alot of Stacies, and Jedwards out there:devil:

[MissChelle]

Oh and I think there should be an independant group of judges. This thing of having Simon and co mentor AND judge just doesn't work anymore imo. It's more about the judges than the 'talent' (or lack of it in some people's cases).

[setanta]

It makes me wonder what the public actually look for in "personnality" though. I mean If you take Lucie for example, I do think she's a very good singer but she doesn't seem to have much personnality, Stacey is thick as a ditch, to me Rachel had the best personnality of the 3 of them and a great voice but people didn't like her? She seemed nice, genuine, bubbly and intelligent

Yep, but they didn't give her the airtime or the back story that the public crave on these kinda shows. Rachel believed - rather foolishly in hindsight - that the strength of your voice and performances alone should determine your value and of course, as we've seen, it requires more to gain the publics interest on these vacuous, superficial programmes.

And I agree about Lucie: I don't see any personality and you can sense that in her voice. It's very dull. Stacey is over playing the dim but nice part which is blinding people to the fact that she's a hopeless performer. Rachel was the one with the real class.

[Niamh.]

Yes I guess it in the eye of the beholder....or who the person identifies most with...guess there are alot of Stacies, and Jedwards out there:devil:

Well, yeah, there must be. I mean if I had to be friends with one of those 3 girls, I'd definately pick Rachel

[Tracyjay]

me too!

[setanta]

Oh and I think there should be an independant group of judges. This thing of having Simon and co mentor AND judge just doesn't work anymore imo. It's more about the judges than the 'talent' (or lack of it in some people's cases).

Yep you're right, except for the some people's cases... I'd personally say most people's cases.

[Tracyjay]

Sadly still giggling over that quote "Lloyd Daniels, a nondescript 16-year-old with a frog in his throat" !!!!poor lamb

[MissChelle]

Yep you're right, except for the some people's cases... I'd personally say most people's cases.

Who do you actually think has talent this year? I thought Rachel was the best singer in the competition tbh.

[Niamh.]

Sadly still giggling over that quote "Lloyd Daniels, a nondescript 16-year-old with a frog in his throat" !!!!poor lamb

I thought he sounded better when he was hoarse:joker: really though!

[Niamh.]

Who do you actually think has talent this year? I thought Rachel was the best singer in the competition tbh.

Rachel, Danyl, Lucie & Olly

[Tracyjay]

No partic order Jamie, Olly, Rachel, Danyl

[MissChelle]

I thought he sounded better when he was hoarse:joker: really though!

Haha I did too! He's sounded God awful the past couple of weeks, he really can't sing that well at all. Louis is actually right about him, he's be better suited to a boy band, he's no solo artist. I think Cheryl made a huge mistake picking him over Duane.

[setanta]

Who do you actually think has talent this year? I thought Rachel was the best singer in the competition tbh.

Rachel was it for me; there's nobody else who stands out. I like Joe but he's a bit too dull and Lucie is defo hiding elements of her personality - I'd put money on it. They just don't have what Rachel has in her voice.

It's a really mediocre year now.

[Niamh.]

Haha I did too! He's sounded God awful the past couple of weeks, he really can't sing that well at all. Louis is actually right about him, he's be better suited to a boy band, he's no solo artist. I think Cheryl made a huge mistake picking him over Duane.

Yeah she should have picked Duane & Ethan over Ricki & Lloyd imo

[setanta]

Haha I did too! He's sounded God awful the past couple of weeks, he really can't sing that well at all. Louis is actually right about him, he's be better suited to a boy band, he's no solo artist. I think Cheryl made a huge mistake picking him over Duane.

She had to have a teeny in though. Duane should have been in there ahead of Rikki. I'd have had a punt on Daniel (he was the kinda operatic singer right?).

[Dr.Gonzo]

I thought he sounded better when he was hoarse:joker: really though!

Me too. He had a bit of character. A bit of Pheobe's sexy phlem.

[MissChelle]

Rachel was it for me; there's nobody else who stands out. I like Joe but he's a bit too dull and Lucie is defo hiding elements of her personality - I'd put money. They just don't have what Rachel has in her voice.

It's a really mediocre year now.

Joe is a stage performer in my eyes, not a recording artist, though granted he can really sing. He's just a bit too cookie cutter cutie pie for me though, something about him grates on me. I've said for a few weeks now that I don't think Lucie is as nicey nicey 'sweet girl from a small village' as we're made to believe. I do think she can sing well though.

Rachel was totally unique I think, real shame she's gone.

[Niamh.]

Rachel was it for me; there's nobody else who stands out. I like Joe but he's a bit too dull and Lucie is defo hiding elements of her personality - I'd put money on it. They just don't have what Rachel has in her voice.

It's a really mediocre year now.

Joe & Lucie have good voices but Rachels was more interesting. I would never buy or listen to either of those 2 even though they do have good voices, they just sound like everyother pop star on the radio where as Rachels stood out, you'd know it was her straight away

[Niamh.]

Me too. He had a bit of character. A bit of Pheobe's sexy phlem.

haha, yeah, Phoebe rocks:joker:

[MissChelle]

Yeah she should have picked Duane & Ethan over Ricki & Lloyd imo

I was so annoyed with her not picking Duane and Ethan was hot! Haha my fickle side coming out now! :joker:

Yeah that Daniel would even have been a better choice than either Ricki or Lloyd, they are so weak compared to most of the others.

[Tracyjay]

I think Rachel "has legs" as they say I hope she gets picked up by a record co.

[Niamh.]

I think Rachel "has legs" as they say I hope she gets picked up by a record co.

Maybe Michael Buble or Whitney will put in a word for her somewhere, they both seemed to love her!

[Niamh.]

I was so annoyed with her not picking Duane and Ethan was hot! Haha my fickle side coming out now! :joker:

Yeah that Daniel would even have been a better choice than either Ricki or Lloyd, they are so weak compared to most of the others.

haha, Ethan was yummy alright hehe:joker:

[MissChelle]

Maybe Michael Buble or Whitney will put in a word for her somewhere, they both seemed to love her!

That's the thing, Robbie, Whitney and Michael ALL loved her and were just meh about most of the others, I really hope she gets a record deal or something, I mean look at Laura White, she's gone and done it!

[Z]

That article says it all for me really.

How can we still have John & Edward and Lloyd over Miss Frank and Rachel? Why was Danyl in the bottom two? Ridiculous.

[setanta]

That's the thing, Robbie, Whitney and Michael ALL loved her and were just meh about most of the others, I really hope she gets a record deal or something, I mean look at Laura White, she's gone and done it!

Laura White loves Rachel too.

[MarkWaldorf]

I don't really agree with the Danyl support in this article. It seems like the writer is trying to make us feel sorry for him after last week. The truth is, he WAS bad this week and Cheryl was just doing her job on the panel and telling him the truth. I don't think she intentionally meant to send him into tears.

[WOMBAI]

As I have said before - in the end - true talent will win the day. Jedward's days are numbered - and rightly so.

[WOMBAI]

I don't really agree with the Danyl support in this article. It seems like the writer is trying to make us feel sorry for him after last week. The truth is, he WAS bad this week and Cheryl was just doing her job on the panel and telling him the truth. I don't think she intentionally meant to send him into tears.

Put it this way - Danyl is a much better singer than Chery. He is true talent - she was just lucky!

[WOMBAI]

It makes me wonder what the public actually look for in "personnality" though. I mean If you take Lucie for example, I do think she's a very good singer but she doesn't seem to have much personnality, Stacey is thick as a ditch, to me Rachel had the best personnality of the 3 of them and a great voice but people didn't like her? She seemed nice, genuine, bubbly and intelligent

It's all the youngsters who don't know the first thing about talent - and who think they are being cool and controversial - voting for the least liked act by the adults (teenage rebellion - very predictable really) - voting for the young contestants like them. They don't give a damn about talent. The meaning of the show is lost on them.

[Niamh.]

It's all the youngsters who don't know the first thing about talent - and who think they are being cool and controversial - voting for the least liked act by the adults (teenage rebellion - very predictable really) - voting for the young contestants like them. They don't give a damn about talent. The meaning of the show is lost on them.



Yeah, true, Rachel came across as being older than she was and alot older than the other 2 in her group maybe thats part of it too

[Crimson Dynamo]

As I have said before - in the end - true talent will win the day. Jedward's days are numbered - and rightly so.

yes just like many of the winners of pop idol, xfactor and BGT we could mention...

[Niamh.]

yes just like many of the winners of pop idol, xfactor and BGT we could mention...

Will Young was the only winner of any of those shows that I actually put on my IPod!

[Crimson Dynamo]

Will Young was the only winner of any of those shows that I actually put on my IPod!

I heard his new song today and kind of liked it. mind you I like SuBo's one too.

[Niamh.]

I heard his new song today and kind of liked it. mind you I like SoBo's one too.

I think he's great. Yeah, Wild Horses is it? it's quite good

[Shaun]

Pretty much agree with everything apart from Danyl's talent - though I do realise he's being made to be an unworthy hate figure.

[Jords]

Im not ashamed of watching it, its a good TV programme with some good talent, however it is being corrupted by gossip and them pair of twits. So other that that, very interesting reading. Just think its a tad dramatic to say you are ashamed of watching it :joker:

[Niamh.]

Im not ashamed of watching it, its a good TV programme with some good talent, however it is being corrupted by gossip and them pair of twits. So other that that, very interesting reading. Just think its a tad dramatic to say you are ashamed of watching it :joker:

LOL, they made it sound so evil in that article though:devil:

[WOMBAI]

Im not ashamed of watching it, its a good TV programme with some good talent, however it is being corrupted by gossip and them pair of twits. So other that that, very interesting reading. Just think its a tad dramatic to say you are ashamed of watching it :joker:

It's not even really those pair of twits - it's the silly young twits that keep voting for them. They are the real TWITS!

[Fom]

Jeez I think this article takes it all a little too seriously, it isn't that cruel, the contestants are living in luxury at the moment, behind the camera. They have the biggest opportunities of their lives, and all these really bad auditions... well those people even get a bit of fame thats dragged throughout the whole show, probably getting them a lot of money.

It really isn't that cruel... and compared to human entertainment we have had in history, this is mild. The writer of this article has clearly never been in the performing arts industry, because it gets a hell of a lot harder than any puny X Factor, the contestants get it easy... a hell of a lot easier than anyone trying to make it on their own.

[setanta]

Jeez I think this article takes it all a little too seriously, it isn't that cruel, the contestants are living in luxury at the moment, behind the camera. They have the biggest opportunities of their lives, and all these really bad auditions... well those people even get a bit of fame thats dragged throughout the whole show, probably getting them a lot of money.

It really isn't that cruel... and compared to human entertainment we have had in history, this is mild. The writer of this article has clearly never been in the performing arts industry, because it gets a hell of a lot harder than any puny X Factor, the contestants get it easy... a hell of a lot easier than anyone trying to make it on their own.

Have you ever considered the long term psychological effects that a show like this can have on both the finalists and the bad auditionees who, having been plucked from obscurity and exposed to millions of critical viewers, could carry the ordeal - and it is an ordeal for many them, particularly the also rans - with them for the rest of their lives?

Struggling to gain recognition on your own and being pushed into a media frenzy such as the contestants are subjected to, where every minute detail of their lives is scrutinized and ridiculed, are on different planets alltogether in terms of pressure. They didn't work for their celebrity and it comes and goes in a blink of an eye, with many of their experiences not worth remembering.

You're looking at this through your own eyes right now and not taking the time to analyse from a social stand point. The X Factor serves to illustrate the kind of society that we're living in right now.

[Fom]

Have you ever considered the long term psychological effects that a show like this can have on both the finalists and the bad auditionees who, having being plucked from obscurity and exposed to millions of critical viewers, could carry the ordeal - and it is an ordeal for many them, particularly the also rans - with them for the rest of their lives?

Struggling to gain recognition on your own and being pushed into a media frenzy such as the contestants are subjected to, where every minute detail of their lives is scrutinized and ridiculed, are on different planets alltogether in terms of pressure. They didn't work for their celebrity and it comes and goes in a blink of an eye, with many of their experiences not worth remembering.

You're looking at this through your own eyes right now and not taking the time to analyse from a social stand point. The X Factor serves to illustrate the kind of society that we're living in right now.

I don't think X factor is too blame for all this, they know exactly what they are getting themselves into. And I really doubt it is as bad as they are making it sound, the comments firstly are nothing, and I have had heard worse personally, in a professional atmosphere. The fame is obviously going to happen and they should of expected it, they are not forced on stage all of this was choice. They have probably got a contract now but they were not forced to sign it.
This paper makes the x factor sound like a devil and that we as viewers are ripping them apart, we are not... we are watching entertainment, how about all those performers booed off stage, bottles thrown on stage yaddy yadda, maybe that should be talked about more? As I said the X Factor contestants get it easy, the hardest thing to cope with is fame, and they have themselves to blame for that.

[setanta]

I don't think X factor is too blame for all this, they know exactly what they are getting themselves into. And I really doubt it is as bad as they are making it sound, the comments firstly are nothing, and I have had heard worse personally, in a professional atmosphere. The fame is obviously going to happen and they should of expected it, they are not forced on stage all of this was choice. They have probably got a contract now but they were not forced to sign it.
This paper makes the x factor sound like a devil and that we as viewers are ripping them apart, we are not... we are watching entertainment, how about all those performers booed off stage, bottles thrown on stage yaddy yadda, maybe that should be talked about more? As I said the X Factor contestants get it easy, the hardest thing to cope with is fame, and they have themselves to blame for that.

You're not really getting it here at all. This isn't just about the contestants; it's what the X Factor says about us and about the people who started it. We're all complicit in creating a show that chews up and spits out human beings for entertainment purposes, with only a few people reaping the monetary rewards. The fact that the producers openly pursue controversy in order to gain more exposure makes the whole thing even more loathsome.

[Tracyjay]

hmmmm...its one thing to "know" what fame will be like but I suspect (and know people who have been through it) that when it actually happens and the phne is constntly ringing and media are outside your, your family and friends doors it is different seeing it from the inside...just look at the many casualties

[alc09]

For the show's current series has plumbed depths of voyeuristic cruelty that make even Channel 4's much-reviled Big Brother seem mild by comparison.
Brutal :joker:


Rather than the usual wan British copy of some American idol, Danyl is totally original, with the passion - and unpredictability - that marks out true stars. Yet from the moment he stepped in front of the X Factor judges, Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, he has been under attack.

The internecine bickering between the judges - especially Cowell and the Irish boy-band guru Louis Walsh - may have the authenticity of a Marx Brothers film, but it frequently stops the whole show, leaving the unfortunate performer at a total loss as to whether he or she has been good or bad. Rachel Adedeji was voted off even though Lloyd Daniels had a poor singing voice

Both above are very true.





In one peculiarly horrible variant a few weeks ago, Cole visibly changed her mind about sending a young singer forward to the next stage while he was sitting right in front of her. Before announcing her decision, poor Cheryl had to take a break to tell the camera how awful she felt. Meanwhile, the singer was not allowed to wait on her sofa but was moved away out of shot by a thick-eared minder.
Quality :joker:


Last Sunday, the choice was between Lloyd Daniels, a nondescript 16-year-old with a frog in his throat, and 17-year old Rachel Adedeji, who over the weeks had developed from a gawky novice into a sexily accomplished soul singer, in talent terms perhaps the only real rival to Danyl Johnson.
Absolutely ****ing brilliant. :joker:

Pure quality.

Great article, fair play to whoever wrote it, absolute class and all very much the truth.

[alc09]

This article = Fail

Whys that?

Because they don't like little Lloydy?

awww.