Problems it appears for itv's top-rated show.
I watched most of the last series and enjoyed most of it.
This time round it's not held my interest, although I'm not sure why.
Ratings have dropped, so it seems others agree the show's not what it was.
Interesting quotes here from Gary Barlow:
tinyurl.com/6xqxx4b
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I stopped watching some years ago until this series, quite like the new judges, its got me watching it again, quite like Barlow although he must be incredibly dull company, still, his frustration at useless acts makes for a few laughs.
Dont much like Tulisa, shes ok but hmm. Rowland, shes ok but has 'american' moments when she is way too gooey.
The acts have some interesting variety this year atleast, a couple of them I really look forward to hearing.
Its a new format, big changes, id give it another year before I changed things, 11 million viewers is still a vast chunk of the population.
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I agree 11million is a huge audience in today's multi-channel world.
Part of my problem with the Saturday show is nothing happens because no one is voted off.
Credit to Barlow for taking the job seriously in a musical sense.
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As a concept - a great idea (hardly new though)
In practice it's simply a vehicle that makes Cowell et al huge sums of money, and while masquerading as a comeptition where an act will win, is simply a tool for Cowell et al to sign up any act that seems to be popular whether or not it reaches the top of the table.
Basic Saturday night TV drivel for the masses to watch without the need to engage brain while eating their takeaways.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sat 22 Oct 11 at 17:24
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...Basic Saturday night TV drivel for the masses to watch without the need to engage brain while eating their takeaways...
We have a fine tradition of Saturday night light entertainment TV in this country.
Plenty of room for the worthy but dull programmes elsewhere in the schedule.
I'd enjoy the X-Factor more if I allowed myself a pizza and a four pack with it.
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At no point did I exclude myself from the masses ;-)
...but I draw the line at X-F, BGT, the Wall-thing on the beeb, and anything sponsored by the Lottery.
My limited experience of overseas TV largely backs up Iffy's point... in the US the adverts are every 10 minutes or so, and invariably include at least 2 or 3 products for constipation and/or indigestion.
Whodda thunk it from the fattest country in the world??
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> My limited experience of overseas TV largely backs up Iffy's point... in the US the
>> adverts are every 10 minutes or so, and invariably include at least 2 or 3
>> products for constipation and/or indigestion.
>>
I have timed the ad intervals some in popular ITV dramas and can tell you that the first ad break on many is just over 7 minutes into the action. Thereafter one gets around 9 minutes before there is yet another screaming, hectoring, double-glazing advertisement.
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"We have a fine tradition of Saturday night light entertainment TV in this country."
Been downhill ever since 3-2-1 and Ted Rogers if you ask me.
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3-2-1 involved a rather appropriate dustbin ISTR!
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And some fabulous prizes.
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We're regular watchers, and on the whole prefer the new judge line-up. I would like to think the general public are getting fed up with seeing people in the auditions who can sing, then they get to the live shows and are overwhelmed with thousands of dancers and backing singers (no live instruments), and forced to wear horrible garish costumes.
Ok it's about producing 'pop stars' and that's means more than having a good voice, but it's still frustrating. American Idol was much better IMO in that respect - live studio band and real singing.
Having said that, we'll be watching it again tonight - still very entertaining.
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Too pop for me. Though my passion is music and not entertainment, the X factor is about entertainment and not music.
I was 'informing' my mother before that Cliff Richard is not a rock star, but just a family entertainer and that is what X factor is. Nothing wrong with that, but for me the only good bits where the crap acts, so I haven't watched it for years.
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Only about half of the finalists have even passable voices.
Frankie is next to useless, he just looks the part and sorry but the core part of being a singer is, er, singing and no amount of gel in the hair will make him sound good on the radio. Barlow should have known better on that one.
Of course there are some that clearly have a chance to win and those put in the final to direct the voting. Cowell thinks the viewers are too ignorant to spot that, but then he appears to have gone mad with botox and looks like that clown in IT, so what would he know.
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That waif-like girl with the funny voice gets on my wick.
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I was sorry to see the scaffolder bloke go the journey, even though he sounded like a pub singer.
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Id picked you out as a Johnny fan Focus.
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I just realised, we are discussing the X-factor. A new low has been reached. I only watch it cos the wife makes me, honest!
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It isn't good but don't scramble your brain with Deal or No Deal then! Fat people opening boxes and kissing each other regardless of their sex. I have to be in the room with it but I can take my hearing aids out and ignore the pictures and the grisly Noel E and his toupee.
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Went to school with Noel Edmunds. Used to cry a lot and always sat with the girls
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>> Id picked you out as a Johnny fan Focus.
Not sure how to take that... :)
Actually he falls into the 'nice voice, shame about the production' category I alluded to earlier. And he does appear to have a bit of X-factor, judging by his 'it costs a lot to look this cheap' retort to Gary (and another one last week IIRC). Good luck to him.
Pity those 2 Essex girls didn't make it to the finals - they might have livened things up a bit as well.
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I damn near wet myself at some of the things Johnny boy has said.
I actually wish they would give him a BeeGees song which may suit his voice better, I wann ahear it as I dont feel ive heard it properly.
I have a soft spot for janet ill admit, I know it wont happen, but I think she could induce tears if she sang Fields of Gold, its the sort of thing suited to her sound.
Liking Mischa, she has talent although im not sure if her vocal range is being hidden, but regardless, she can 'bring it' and has real character.
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I quite look forward to seeing what that bonkers theatrical girl is going to do.
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Oh yes Kitty, I just wish she could sing better as she is certainly a performer.
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What is the difference between an Essex Girl and a walrus?
One is fat with warm slippery skin, breath smelling of fish and a moustache - the other is a Walrus!
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>> What is the difference between an Essex Girl and a walrus?
What is the difference between an Essex Girl and Radio 5 live?
You can pick up an Essex Girl any time of the night!!
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It is a bit ironic that it's called 'X-factor' - if someone really does have the X-factor then it's unlikely they'll need a television show to get them noticed. Hence many disappear without trace.
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Its undeniably a fantastic platform on which to launch a career though, alot of people invest emotionally in the characters.
I was looking at the Ronan Parke facebook page the other day ( wife is a fan him being a Norfolk export ) and the way they have marketed him to teenage girls has been very powerful and effective, with heavy use of social media interaction which teens live by.
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I see Lygonos has cleared off to have an intellectually rigorous conversation about Greek debt.
We'll see which thread gets more posts and views.
Populism rules. :)
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Strictly's on.
Populism and Saturday night TV = double whammy on the UK's IQ.
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...Strictly's on...
That's one I've not watched.
I heard one of the judges being interviewed on the radio about his first driving lesson.
It made an entertaining few minutes, the guy has a sense of humour and doesn't take himself too seriously.
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Actually Strictly (which we also watch) is probably better than X-factor for 'real' music - they all dance to the live band, and they're pretty good. Just the opening number is quite entertaining, hearing the trumpets get up to the last note.
Last edited by: Focus on Sat 22 Oct 11 at 19:11
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>> Actually Strictly...
...and being 'celebrities' the dancers do generally have some sort of X-factor, which tend to make them reasonably interesting to watch.
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I wonder how many men (of my older brother's age, for example) only watch Strictly for the female flesh on view.
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>> I wonder how many men (of my older brother's age, for example) only watch Strictly
>> for the female flesh on view.
Like Edwina Currie? :)
Probably wouldn't watch it if Mrs F didn't, but I do quite enjoy seeing how they all progress. And some do go through real changes - Mark Ramprekash really came out of himself and ended up winning a few years ago. We're not big Tess fans though.
I probably do pay more attention to what Holly Valance is doing than Audley Harrison :)
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Sorry, but the X-Factor died for me when Stacey got thrown out last series or two back.
Thick as a tree before it got cut into planks, but what a genuine girl with no pretentiousness of any kind, what you saw was what you got.
Its a strictly house here, Brucie has done out Saturday night entertainment for donkeys years and will till he dies.
I hope the Dolly Dealers carry his coffin.
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Much better singing from Johnny tonight - live falsetto can be very dodgy but he pitched it well.
However the consensus in this household was that Mischa B walked it, although following Louis's comment that she looked a bit like Tina Turner in Mad Max 3, Mrs F did say 'more like thunder thighs than Thunderdome' :)
Lots of judge bickering tonight - perhaps trying to recover some of those lost 2 million viewers?
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Johnny really went up in my estimation tonight and the crowd reaction was prob the best of the night, I think people find him very accessable as a person, he isnt at all full of himself.
Frankie barely improved and im afraid his womanising isnt as attractive to women as he thinks it is - he doesnt have the talent to be a twit.
Mischa, nailed it, but oh my, arrogance isnt going to endear the public so hopefully she will look at herself and keep her head down and bring it next week - I dont think shes in too much danger - Sophie was awful enough to save everyonelse.
The backstage stuff was already in the public domain, so no real secret, but it was entertaining atleast.
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For what it's worth I've always enjoyed the X factor until this series, but not anymore.
Gary Barlow should stick to singing where he manages to show some personality and charisma, as a presenter he's simply wooden and booring.
Seeing some great Rock songs turned into big ballads last night was the last straw for me and I gave up after Frankie when I realised that we'd seen just one act between what seems like an age of adverts.
It's a 2 hour show but I bet there is less than one hour of the show and the rest of it is just advertising.
Pat
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>> It's a 2 hour show but I bet there is less than one hour of
>> the show and the rest of it is just advertising.
Watch Strictly and Merlin live, and record X-factor so you can skip the adverts. Or just record it anyway.
Yes, if you didn't know you might not have guessed last night's theme was 'rock' based on some of the songs/performances. 'Crazy'? 'Tik Tok/Push it'??
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I always time lag The X Factor to fast forward the adverts and dull bits - couldn't watch it otherwise.
If that was rock I'm Lord Byron, but the theme did provide some much-needed oomph to the performances.
I thought the bit about Misha being a bully was new, and there was a guilty look on her face when they were talking about it.
The girl band look closest to the finished article to me.
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Trash TV = Strictly Come Dancing, X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here: feel free to add your nominations!
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Was a casual watcher, bu they lost me as a viewer when they ran an audition for 7 minutes of some poor old dear who had no hope and was back for the umpteenth time.
It was clear to me by her distress that there were underlying mental health issues, so to mock her on prime time TV was unforgivable.
Dont get me wrong, I have no issues with the people who come on for a laugh etc, and it does make good trash TV, but when it drifts into taking advantage of the vunrable.......
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>> The girl band look closest to the finished article to me.
They're certainly a lot better than you might expect, and should do well. You can tell that because in last night's performance you could actually here them all singing, at least for the first verse - usually with groups all you can hear is all the (recorded) backing singers to cover up/replace the poor harmonies. The producers must rate them.
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Who is going to be leaving tonight?
I reckon the boy band are something and nothing, so it could be them.
Sophie Habibis, the Scouse lad, and as an outside bet, Frankie, are the others I think are at risk.
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Looks like the bookies are calling it Frankie, then Sami and the girl band Rhythmix.
I'm surprised Sami and Rhythmix are in the frame.
www.oddschecker.com/specials/tv/x-factor/next-elimination
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Frankie, two weak weeks in a row, but neither of the other two you mention are likely to win, so, whatever :-)
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I love these reality TV programmes for the same reason I love soaps - my missus is an avid viewer and that means I can disappear without any whinging fromn her.
So Sat nights are now typically a night out with a few drinks with the mates and not feeling guilty!
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>> missus is an avid viewer
Yeah what is it with women and rubbish TV? My wife is a very well educated and intelligent person but she still loves carp TV programmes and feels deprived if she doesn't get to see them.
Mars / Venus thing I suppose.
Last edited by: Webmaster on Mon 24 Oct 11 at 13:17
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'Light entertainment' and 'well-educated and intelligent' are not mutually exclusive, although the latter two often are.
Of the X-Factor's 11m viewers, there will be plenty of well-educated, intelligent people of both genders.
There will also be a proportion of duffers.
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>> Televisual Soma
>>
>> www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html
Stoma more like!
>>
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The program has become tiresome. Whoever "wins" never seems to extol any X factor once the show finishes.
I'm fed up with the padding around the two hours on a Saturday. The amount of adverts, the links. The continuous screaming from the audience in the studio, which makes the judges have to shout all the time. Why can't they tell them to shut up!
The poor sound quality of the "miming" singers. The current engineer wants shooting.
The current crop are not good enough and the TV audience knows it. Especially when those that are crap still get through to the next week. You start to think the whole thing is fixed and the winner is pre ordained in week one by the producers.
We've gone from watching it as a family, to watching the last 15 minutes of the vote off. And even as the list of contestants gets smaller, they still drag the show over 2 hours. The whole programme could be trimmed down.
These yearly fests need a rest. Year in year out we get the same. X Factor, BGT, Get me out of Here, the list grows on. The same programmes over the year. I am tired of the same formats being trotted out as entertainment. Maybe if they were put on every other year it might be something to look forward to.
It's not the absence of Cowell either. The thing has lost it's appeal. And going on the feeling of the teenagers my daughter chats to on facebook and twitter, so have they.
The way for the BBC to demolish ITV for ratings is to have a Saturday family schedule to soak up the viewers and give them something new. In the days of Dr. Who, Two Ronnies, Parkinson, Match of the Day and a late night film, the Beeb wiped the floor with ITV. If they just put their thinking caps on they could pull it off again.
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>> Whoever "wins" never seems to extol any X factor once the show finishes
My kids would disagree - JLS have been flavour of the month for over a year, One Direction for the last few months and Olly Murs's last hit has been the soundtrack in my house for quite a while too - to the point where I can provide a reasonable rendition of it on piano.
I agree that X Factor is just a vehicle for Cowell to exploit worthwhile mass-market talent, which he seems to have been doing quite well.
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I did say "wins" Dave.
What about: Brookstein, Ward,Jackson, Burke, McEldery, Cardle. Okay I'll give you Lewis. The ones you highlight are the runners up or just right for the market which ruins the reason for the show in the first place. You might as well just showcase new pop acts and let the public decide. At this point the public vote, but the judges decide who to go. Not good in my view. I still maintain the show has lost its way.
As for the BBCs the voice. It is a US show already. And quite successful. The judges, AFAIK, hear the voices without making judgements on appearance or age. The Beeb are starting to win veiwers back. Maybe a decent evening family film after 9.00pm would draw more.
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>> The way for the BBC to demolish ITV for ratings is to have a Saturday
>> family schedule to soak up the viewers and give them something new.
They're doing that to some extent - I think Saturday's Strictly, which is a family show, managed to just beat X-factor in the ratings, hence the 'fuss' about the lost 2 million viewers. Then that's followed by Merlin, which is pretty high quality drama, aimed at a family audience. Dr Who is perhaps stronger than it's ever been, although I suspect the money and effort required to produce each episode means a series doesn't run for as long as it used to (fact or poor memory?). Before Strictly started there was that John Barrowman light entertainment show - didn't watch it, but I don't think you can accuse the BBC of not trying.
The problem for them is that X-factor is a very popular programme, not just because there's nothing else on, but because millions of people like it for what it is. Coming up with something to beat it in the ratings isn't that easy.
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...Coming up with something to beat it in the ratings isn't that easy...
I read somewhere the BBC is working on its own talent show for Saturday nights.
Perhaps it will start when Strictly finishes.
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>> I read somewhere the BBC is working on its own talent show for Saturday nights.
That's right - they were doing trailers or requests for contestants a few weeks ago:
www.bbc.co.uk/thevoiceuk/
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Given the long-term success of The X Factor, it's taken a while for the BBC to come up with The Voice.
Publicly-funded bodies are not known to be quick on their feet.
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>> Given the long-term success of The X Factor, it's taken a while for the BBC
>> to come up with The Voice.
They have had a couple of other singing shows - there was 'Fame Academy', which produced Lemar (this is one of my favourites):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrXB31Znxpk&ob=av2n
and there was one for celebrities whose name escapes me. So they do try.
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>> and there was one for celebrities whose name escapes me.
'Just the two of us' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_the_Two_of_Us_(TV_series)
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The other problem the BBC has regarding beating X-factor in the ratings is that it isn't supposed to just go for ratings; it doesn't have advertisers who only want to know how many people their adverts are reaching.
BBC charter here:
www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/about/how_we_govern/charter.pdf
eg.
"5. How the BBC promotes its Public Purposes: the BBC’s mission to inform, educate
and entertain"
So while you couldn't call Strictly 'highbrow', I'm not sure they could get away with something too similar to X-factor without coming in for lots of stick on Points of View. Of course that doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to produce popular programmes, but I guess it does mean they have to be a bit more careful about their output.
Last edited by: Focus on Mon 24 Oct 11 at 15:42
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The 'inform, educate and entertain' phrase is open to interpretation.
I think it means not all at the same time, so a programme which does only one of those things meets the terms of the charter.
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>> The problem for them is that X-factor is a very popular programme, not just because there's nothing else on
>> but because millions of people like it for what it is. Coming up with something to beat it in the ratings isn't that
>> easy.
Wasn't that the reason they gave for only running two short series of Top Gear per year now? To fit around X Factor and BGT I think it was.
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Just been watching American X-factor on ITV2, which Cowell has started up over there and is a judge on (previously did American Idol). Pretty similar to what we get, although perhaps a bit more 'real' singing, the outfits didn't look quite so daft, and there aren't any acts quite like Johnny (not sure if that's good or bad...). Simon's strongest act is not dissimilar to our Janet Devlin.
BTW it's a Halloween-themed night on Strictly tonight, so you can probably guess some of the music choices (and stage sets). I'm curious to see how the dance to 'Psycho Killer' turns out...
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So who's for the chop tonight? Thought The Risk weren't much cop, despite what the judges said, but they should be safe if all the girlies vote for them. So perhaps Sophie (although I liked her song), or Kitty?
Last edited by: Focus on Sun 30 Oct 11 at 19:33
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Sophie's gone - I thought she was OK, but non-descript.
Agree The Risk aren't up to much, but they are among the favourites to win the competition.
Did anyone see the post-performance interview with Nicole Scherzinger?
I thought she looked to be under the influence of something.
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>> Did anyone see the post-performance interview with Nicole Scherzinger?
>>
>> I thought she looked to be under the influence of something.
Yes, I thought she acted a bit odd - appeared to be trying to get as far from Dermot as possible at one point. Might just have been nerves - she's perhaps best known in the pop world for being at the front of the Pussycat Dolls, which weren't really a vocal act as such. So doing a live performance on her own in front of the 10m(?) X-factor audience must have been a bit daunting, and she was probably pretty relieved to get through it. Or you might be right.
In fact I don't really understand why she's so 'big' - it's not like she's got a bulging back catalogue of quality material. However I did think she sang quite well.
Last edited by: Focus on Mon 31 Oct 11 at 11:21
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The Dermot distance thing could have been explained by nerves, or she was possibly unsure if she was meant to leave the stage before Dermot did his next bit.
I thought she did a decent job as a judge, showed a bit of enthusiasm, but doing that must be a long way from singing live on the nerve meter.
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>> I thought she did a decent job as a judge
...on American X-factor?
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....on American X-factor?...
She was on the last UK series, it's the only other one I've watched.
It was only as a guest judge for a couple of the live shows.
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I thought it was Alexander Burke on Saturday night?
Pat
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>> I thought it was Alexander Burke on Saturday night?
No, it was his sister, Alexandra :)
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If that was said by anyone else but you Focus, I would flounce:)
Pat
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>> If that was said by anyone else but you Focus, I would flounce:)
Sorry Pat - it's the others, they're a bad influence :)
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Thank goodness for early doors drinking.
Youngest step daughter seems addicted to it and is getting square eyes. Mine, on the other hand, are merely glazed.
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www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15637929
Frankie Cocozza leaves X Factor after 'breaking rules'
The exact reason for the teenager's departure has not been revealed but he said in a statement that he "no longer deserves his place" in the series.
No longer?
An X Factor spokesperson said in a separate statement: "Frankie is going to take some time out before continuing his career as a singer.
Continuing??
:)
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Rumours on social networks, my daughter looked at, suggests the nasal white stuff.
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>> Rumours on social networks, my daughter looked at, suggests the nasal white stuff.
Ah, that would explain it (if true). Silly boy.
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Amateur stuff, a proper old hell raiser shows how to really be a bad boy here (WARNING contains grown up language) -
www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-%26-entertainment/resurrected-who-drummer-tells-everyone-to-calm-down-201111094518/
Last edited by: Robin Regal on Wed 9 Nov 11 at 14:30
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>>>Keith Moon will meet with music industry bosses later today to set minimum standards of what constitutes bad-boy behaviour and is expected to suggest that ‘Not combing your hair for a supermarket commercial’ is definitely not one of them.
Yes really excellent.
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What's happened to The X Factor? - Stuu
