weekly themes and being 'versatile'

[supernoodles!]

The judges are always banging on about how versatile a particular contestant is or how little versatility they have and I don`t understand why,how many of thr worlds most successful singers can claim to be versatile exactly?For example,
Celine Dion...sings ballads

Michael Jackson...yes he has a few slow numbers but hes most famous for his upbeat tunes.

Michael Buble...not going to be churning out rock anthems anytime soon is he?

so,instead of having weekly themes why don`t they just scrap the themes althogether and let the contestants and jusdges choose their own song,any song,every week.Surely by choosing songs not suitable for a particular style of singer this means we are not seeing the performers true potential.Yes,you may say if we scrapped the weekly themes the show may become boring but surely it will be the best way to diferenatiate between which acts have the xfactor and which don`t.
Why are the judges and some of them public trying to force contestants who aren`t dancers into dancing,as I said in an earlier thread,you do not need to be able to dance to have the xfactor,you don`t need to be an 'all rounder' and I am sick of hearing the judges ,partcularly Louis Walsh bang on about which contests are and are not 'all rounders' ,as he likes to call them.
Does it really matter?
I would rather listen to the likes of Diana for example sing songs each week that suit her style of singing rather than listen to her try and struggle her way through a song that isn`t right for her and knocks her confidence.Surely that would be more entertaining?

[XxShortyxX]

well said Laura, I agree with you! the weekly themes are just stupid, they should be singing what they are comfortable with, what their style is.

[Tom4784]

Spot on Laura Versatility is all well and good but it's not the be all and end all. It's best to be amazing at one thing then okay at several things.

[Red Moon]

The themes are just part of the show as far as I can see they have two purposes. The first is to make the show interesting by having different styles of music from show to show and secondly to challenge the contestants. I can't see why any half decent contestant would have a problem with them even if they are not singing their native style of music. You just have to be able to control your voice.

There could be times when people of limited skills or unseal styles suffer because of the themes, but when this happens it's just highlighting the limitations of the contestant and make the public aware of what they can and can't do. And if a contestant can't adapt to the themes week in and week out then may be they shouldn't be on the show.

Although I agree that dancing isn't a primary skill that an x-factor winner needs it is important when singing live to be able to move and not just stay in one spot on an almost an empty stage because to the people at the back of the studio it looks boring and dull. So being able to take basic choreography is a useful skill that the acts need on the show.

[Tom]

Broad themes are good (number ones, songs from the 90's, songs from the movies etc) because there is plenty to choose from but it gets silly when the themes are Britney Spears, Take That etc

Either have broad themes or none at all

[Z]

Originally posted by Tom
Broad themes are good (number ones, songs from the 90's, songs from the movies etc) because there is plenty to choose from but it gets silly when the themes are Britney Spears, Take That etc

Either have broad themes or none at all

Totally, I think that themes are good to an extent, but when it gets specific it's going too far. Britney Spears week is a ridiculous theme, I mean both Take That and Britney have released around 20ish songs in the UK, it's hardly a huge selection. It's also really irritating when they make the themes specific, because it's based around somebody who is performing on the show that week - these people are using the X Factor to plug their new singles. It's a pointless marketing exercise, because the acts get compared to the original artist and how they pale in comparison to them.

[30stone]

Originally posted by Tom
Broad themes are good (number ones, songs from the 90's, songs from the movies etc) because there is plenty to choose from but it gets silly when the themes are Britney Spears, Take That etc

Either have broad themes or none at all

ohh id agree with that, bigger theme to make it better for everyone..

[Tom]

Originally posted by Z
Originally posted by Tom
Broad themes are good (number ones, songs from the 90's, songs from the movies etc) because there is plenty to choose from but it gets silly when the themes are Britney Spears, Take That etc

Either have broad themes or none at all

Totally, I think that themes are good to an extent, but when it gets specific it's going too far. Britney Spears week is a ridiculous theme, I mean both Take That and Britney have released around 20ish songs in the UK, it's hardly a huge selection. It's also really irritating when they make the themes specific, because it's based around somebody who is performing on the show that week - these people are using the X Factor to plug their new singles. It's a pointless marketing exercise, because the acts get compared to the original artist and how they pale in comparison to them.

But they could still promote their songs, I men where would be the problem in 'songs from the 90's' with Take That as guests, songs from America with Britney as the guest etc?

They started off like that in series 3 but the themes are a mess now IMO. I mean Michael Jackson week with Girls Aloud as guests. Wtf seriously?

[rayheartbliss]

yerh i think, the guest should be related to the theme.

[Z]

Originally posted by Tom
Originally posted by Z
Originally posted by Tom
Broad themes are good (number ones, songs from the 90's, songs from the movies etc) because there is plenty to choose from but it gets silly when the themes are Britney Spears, Take That etc

Either have broad themes or none at all

Totally, I think that themes are good to an extent, but when it gets specific it's going too far. Britney Spears week is a ridiculous theme, I mean both Take That and Britney have released around 20ish songs in the UK, it's hardly a huge selection. It's also really irritating when they make the themes specific, because it's based around somebody who is performing on the show that week - these people are using the X Factor to plug their new singles. It's a pointless marketing exercise, because the acts get compared to the original artist and how they pale in comparison to them.

But they could still promote their songs, I men where would be the problem in 'songs from the 90's' with Take That as guests, songs from America with Britney as the guest etc?

They started off like that in series 3 but the themes are a mess now IMO. I mean Michael Jackson week with Girls Aloud as guests. Wtf seriously?


Yeah I agree with you, but for some inexplicable reason the producers decide to make the themes artist exclusive. I mean Britney Spears evidently hadn't watched the show at all, so clearly she personally isn't interested in whether people sing her songs or not - assuming that there is no stipulation to do so in an agreement: why are the contestants forced to sing the songs of one chosen artist? It's silly.