Be Excellent To Each Other

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j7c4HNX3TU

Actually shed a few tears over that.

I think he's too good for the Xfactor, or at least doesn't fit the criteria. I mean, he can sing, he's not pretty and has class.

He meets all the criteria apart from being perhaps too ugly. He sings rubbish songs in an incredibly bland transatlantic accent and has a "back story". Fucking terrible.

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Too good for the x factor: A guide

You are too good for the x factor if you are a musician, and/or a singer with more than a shred of integrity.

Fín.

I absolutely adore The X Factor.

Smashing telly.

Yes, but, integrity, and um, stuff, you know!

There's nothing wrong with laughing at the mentally ill - it's what the x factor and other circuses have thrived on for centuries. But it's got nothing to do with music or talent or artistry. Anyone who decides to go on there by definition is not "too good" for it, because they've volunteered to be a tool for slightly enlarging some rich nobheads' wallet before they even get on stage.

I like The X-Factor, but the audition shows have been rubbish this year. Hopefully the live shows will be decent.

Just because it's been going on for hundreds of years doesn't make it right. If I wanted to watch a freak show I'd go to the Barrowboy and Banker on Friday a carnival.

But we're enlightened, civilised people! It's not the same, because... um, because it's on telly. Yes, that'll do.

Accuracy fail.

Don't you get carnivals anymore, then?

I dunno. Some of them have been good. Some excellent "Oh... wow" moments, most noticeably with Danyl. Plus Cheryl looks amazing and I love her.

The 'laughing at fools' hasn't seemed as entertaining this year. It's been a bit easier to spot them coming, and few have been of the 'arrogant git' variety that gives the greatest pleasure.

Sir Franking of the Boyle: "Cheryl Cole looks like someone's been cleaning the hair out of their plughole with a twiglet."

*Makes a Cheryl Cole out of old hair and a twiglet*

X-Factor makes the world a worse place. And is tedious, tedious television.

(Also, I haven't watched the video - but from this threads title I predict that the view count of that video will lead to them giving him a second chance or something. A bit of pretend, pre-planned, story building.

I used to enjoy the predictably formatted early rounds of the x factor, but now it's utterly ruined due to the jeering plebs in the audience. I wonder how far Gareth Gates would've got if they were there for his opening audition.

I disliked the first episode of this series of The x Factor because the audience seemed to be too quick to jeer and I thought they were mean but after the first episode it hasn't really happened much. i love the X Factor. Sure it is formulaic and predictable and there are sob stopries and wahtever but generally there are some likeable people on it and a fair few of them have genuine talent. It is easy enough to scoff at them but if I could sing and hadn't been signed then damn right I'd try a talent show.

Hell yeah.

Did you see the one recently who could have been her twin sister?

Blimey.

TBH I don't think a lot of Brits really understand just how fucking great T.V is here.

Take it from someone who lived in the U.S.A for years, we have the best T.V in the entire world. Things like X factor and Strictly are pleasures not something to complain about.

The day that shit like the x factor is a champion of british tv over, say, monkey dust, spaced, Time Team, QI, the Office (yeah, I know I hate it, but still, it was original) or Outnumbered, is the day I urinate myself to death. Cheap to make 'reality' shows aimed at removing the costs of writers, actors, costume designers directors and musicians in the name of lining some rich cunt's pockets are exactly what's dragging it all down the toilet.

I don't like X Factor but I love Strictly.

Did anyone see Ricky Groves on Saturday? WTF was he doing with that mouth!

Why can't we have both! I love to camp it up on a Saturday night during X Factor season when I have all my friedns round to watch X Factor and we get drunk and then play Singstar. I also love to watch awesome British TV series like Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Spaced, Black Books etc. Also, as has been mentioned a few times now, Cheryl Cole for gods sake! Hell yeah.

Hmm gonna have to say no to this one. Americans also have both those shows and on top of that they have/had The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Fringe, The Mentalist and Dexter.

U.S TV FTW!

USA does not have the Xfactor AFAIK. America's got talent is woefully shite compared to Britains got talent too. Strictly? stole it from us. DOND? stole it from us. Family fortunes, American Idol, etc, etc etc. Not only did they steal it from us but it's also nowhere near as good.

When it comes to sitcoms (the office, they stole that too) and drama nothing beats UK TV.

The have American Idol, of course. They felt no need for a re-brand.

Well I have seen something that looked a hell of a lot like American's doing X Factor. Maybe it was Pop idol same stuff really.

I think the U.S make more original drama, we just remake Miss Marple with another person who isn't Joan Hicks and is therefore irrelevant.

Simon Fuller owns American Idol.

Born 17 May 1960 (1960-05-17) (age 49)
Hastings, East Sussex, England

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Fuller

He also owns Australian Idol, Canadian Idol, Deutschland sucht den Superstar, Indian Idol, Nouvelle Star, New Zealand Idol and World Idol.

This is the thing I was trying to point out earlier. When you do some digging it's usually a Brit behind the scenes of most of their T.V.

Taggart, Heartbeat, Eastenders, Corrie, Marple, Poirot, etc, etc. We are kings of it dude serious. We're also the kings of comedy tbh.

As I say, it's very easy to over look and under rate the T.V. here but it really is the best on the planet.

One thing I will give to the yanks is their reality TV. Stuff like The First 48 and their real life documentary shows are brilliant. Also crime but that's not really fair seeing as they have more to film that we do lol.

4,107 people?? Surely there are better things to complain about?

Sorry. Ola put me into a trance and by the end of her dance I was grinning like an idiot. Too far gone to actually notice anything else haha.

You're saying that America stole Family Fortunes from the UK, JC?

Not sure. They have it, and they call it Family Feud. Not sure who had it first.. /checks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Fortunes

Actually we pinched it from them. Makes a change then.

Late to this. I've not watched most of the auditions for X Factor this series, but I'm fairly sure that the live auditions will have damaged the actual live shows. Half the interest in the beginning of the live show is seeing how they cut it performing live for the first time. They've already done that now. Charlie Brooker wrote a great article making the same points a couple of weeks back.

Also, holiday this year means we miss three of the first four live shows. The live shows are fun (for me) as it is autumn wind down time, and weekends will often feature saturday night at Someones House + Booze + Good Food with the 'aim' of watching the X but actually pretty much ignoring it. I blame Andy Bear for ruining my autumn by making me go to the sun, visiting places I've always wanted to go to and enjoying myself and making my own entertainment rather than relying on Simon Cowell. *shakes fist*

It makes the world a better place. Leona Lewis is talented, Will Young (not X Factor, but the same format) is talented, Girls Aloud are... ace. All make/sing music that I have enjoyed. Danyl's audition this year was amazing, and I've replayed it several times. It's superb feelgood television. People who have wanted to do this but not believed in themselves get to have a chance at becoming a legitimate star. Sure, not everyone makes it, but I'm sure if you ask any of those who get to the live show whether they think it's a good or a bad thing I can guess their answer.

I'm not really sure where all this 'moral high ground' comes from with regards to talent/audition shows. It doesn't make any logical sense to me. Should these people just know their roles and not try to become a success via this route?

It's wonderful feelgood television and it enriches us all... apart from miserable people.

So ner.





Ummm... he was put through in the video with all four judges giving him a 'Yes' vote.

I did the maths, and now I can't watch it without seeing just how rigged it all is.
On par with Top Gear, reckon.

what do you mean Grim...?

All of

Oddly it's not the winners who are usually the best and do the best apart from Leona Lewis who is, genuinely fucking brilliant (even though I don't like her kind of music she's still one of the best in the world at it )

Will Young is awesome, again not my thing but he is great.

I think this - is spot on. Unfortunately being that Britain is a country full of critical whining gits most don't really appreciate it, or our TV enough.

We have so much good TV that our standards are high..

Next time you see all the people there, just have a think at how long it would take the judges to see them all perform. Also, be aware that until the final show, the public can never vote off who they want - it's the judges who decide.

I assume he means that all of the acts that make it to Simon et al have already been vetted at least twice by producers. It's not a random selection of people who get to go and perform for them as there simply wouldn't be enough time. Which is fair enough. Doesn't make a difference to me, tbh.

I thought it was a given that they're all prescreened?

Yes a reported for the One show, said you were seen by a panel first, who weeded out the mediocre ones..

No, we have so much that is good that we become ungrateful and miserable.

I seriously cannot get my head around it sometimes. The yanks are the most upbeat cheerful cunts you can meet.

Maybe we're spoiled?

The public decide the bottom two, and if someone is constantly there then the judges will stop supporting them. It's ultimately the public's choice, and the judges want it that way, because the public are the ones going to buy the records. Generally the winner is never in the bottom two anyway (cf Leona).

To be honest, I actually like it more knowing that there are producers setting up the judges by choosing who they see and when they see them. If you see Cowell's in a bad mood, just feed him shit act after shit act, etc. You can just annoy him for shits and giggles, and it's a part of the fun to see the judges react to what the producers are up to.

Meta-baby!

I know first hand that unless you're really really good or really really awful you won't even make it to the judges. My friend's girlfriend is an OK singer. She's brilliant at karaoke and better than any of the shit people you see on X. Thing is? She's good enough to say "yeah, not bad at all" and she's not shit enough to give people a good laugh. She's pretty and an average singer. Would never win it, of course. She went to the auditions and was turned down at the first pre pre judge audition.

So basically they vet people pre judges. Anyone average or slightly above average won't get in, it's only the really truly dire (for the jollies) and the real contenders.

Which makes for better T.V IMO.

Except now where they're playing to a live crowd.

They're vetted before that. Before they're even allowed onto the stage. As I say, they're either really fucking good (or entertaining, INC the sometimes incredibly hot females who get to go on) or very very very shit, like "The Stunners" last week.

Actually my bad, it's actually Britain's got talent she auditioned for.