Okay, I've kind of given up on reality talent shows of late, but I thought the fact that Divas Britney Spears and Demi Lovato had just been revealed to be taking up positions on season two of X-Factor (US), it was worth posting on.
After jettisoning his own "friend", Cheryl Cole from series one, it was clear from the outset that no one was safe from Simon Cowell's chopping block and his evil quest for ratings and the success of his own talent show format.
Clearly unhappy with the state of things at the end of the first season, Cowell then turned his axe on Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and presenter Steve Jones in a radical move that left two bloodied seats on the panel up for grabs. Seats which Britney Spears- who collects a cool $15 million- and Demi Lovato will now occupy.
Why chose Britney and Demi?
I can see why Simon Cowell chose Britney Spears. Despite recent years being somewhat turbulent for the entertainer, no one can deny not only the influence she has had on the music world but her many accomplishments-including massive album sales, awards and extensively touring.
Hopefully, Britney will be engaged and switched on enough- unlike that which we've seen in recent interviews- to offer her seasoned opinion on the new crop of hopeful singers. I do worry that even if awake, she'll be too nice to truly be useful. But she's cashing that check anyway so she'll be laughing however it plays out.
And where as Britney brings the experience, Demi Lovota- who lets be honest, is no slouch herself when it comes to experience in the "industry"- brings the vocal chops and a younger, fresher voice to the panel. Its a smart move- though I say so through gritted teeth. Not only will it highlight the more ..."advanced" age of the American Idol panel (X-Factors biggest rival), but will more importantly grab the tween/teen audience and their money generating votes.
I'm not sure this new panel will tempt me to watch the series of X-Factor. But even if I don't watch, I'll have my fingers crossed that this will work out well for my imaginary, older-than-I-am daughter, Britney Spears.
Update: I've just seen a picture of Britney Spears' chewed up nails from the press conference. I'm now officially worried about how she will cope with the stresses of this show. Who is making these awful decisions for her!
horrible choice
ReplyDeletetheres no deying britneys accomplishments but considering most of her recent interviews have been heavily monitored and rehearsed-idk if she will bring anything good
she might be entertainer but i feel shes too nice
also demi lovato??? shes too young to be a mentor
the x factor was crap the first season and it looks like it will be even worse this season
simon should have stayed on american idol
I just uploaded a new picture of Britney from the press conference. Am now officially worried for her. They need to pull her from the show. She doesn't need the money, or the stress.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't be more surprised at the addition of Demi Lovato to the judges panel. Really? Obvious catering to the younger audience. I feel like both Demi and Britney will fail as judges, but we'll have to see. I most certainly be watching just to see how this plays out. You'd think Simon would get people who can actually deliver constructive criticism to be judges and not just judges who will bring in more ratings. I don't think The X Factor will last here in the US, there's just to many singing competitions and American Idol and The Voice have the ratings.
ReplyDeleteLike I was saying in the chatbox, what if Demi had to mentor the Over 30s? That would be like a slap in face. Demi should have a mentor!
Also, Simon should have fired LA Reid along with Paula and Nicole. Last season he proved himself a worthless judge. But I'm glad that Simon saw the failure of last season and is trying something new.
Yeah, it will be interesting to see how Britney handles the stress, those nails look horrible!! Also Demi has her own stress-related mental health issues that hopefully she can work through. I'm pretty sure she's touring this summer too.
Oh yeah, i remember reading about Demi's issues. I really think both of these choices, though right in theory, are totally inappropriate. I can't help thinking Simon cowell has picked them with the hope that they do have some kind of breakdown. That man only thinks about ratings and not the people on the panel, or the contestants.
ReplyDeleteAs for the over 30s thing , perhaps they'll change the groups this time round, because that would look silly.
Yeah, they need to put their health first. Demi is touring this summer and doing The X Factor? She was just touring during her breakdown; I hope she can handle both. Hopefully they don't have breakdowns (even though it'd make great television).
ReplyDeleteI just saw a video of them all confirming the news and making their statements about the show and Simon really thinks this season will work. He was like The X Factor is the biggest singing competition blah blah blah and this will be the best season ever, we'll see. I wonder when it's premiering...
Oh yeah, you think of Britney as your daughter, hahaha?
yeah, its weird. Just feel protective over her for no sane reason at all! lol
ReplyDeleteI am really conflicted about this situation. I feel that while obviously for the money spinning machine that is Mr Cowell this is a major coup, and I know that where Ms. Spears is concerned she can bring experience and knowledge of the industry. Vocally though as I said to Hannah in the chatango thingy, I fail to see what she can teach anyone, maybe I am being cynical but she is hardly the most gifted singer, incredible overall performer, but she is no Mariah!
ReplyDeleteSecondly as Hannah also stated Demi could probably do with some coaching/mentoring herself! Also as said if she did get the overs cat that would be incredibly inappropriate. However she can bring experience too and can sing (to a certain extent) but again I cannot see what she could teach anyone really. Her addition really does puzzle me, I cannot get my head around it. I know they want younger generation but she is harldy the superstar level of the other three judges.
I think this announcement really summed up what I think of this show in particular, it really is nothing to do with finding and nurturing new talent, its more to do with upping the judges and keeping them relevant by using others to play off eachother and using the show as a launchpad for their own careers.
In a way I just wish that these shows would be done with and let those who really fight tooth and nail mastering their craft, building up their own following and bringing themselves with a bit of mystique and integrity shine through!
couldnt agree more - i feel when simon was on american idol he really cared about finding true talent and the vibe and chemistry of american idol with randy, simon, and paula made the show watchable - now i feel with the x factor all simon cares about is money and ratings
ReplyDeleteidk what he is trying to accomplish with britney and demi here
i think he shouldve picked mariah and there were also rumors beyonce was being considered and i think that would have been so much better considering mariah and beyonce are veterans in the music world
but either way i dont care because if you've payed attention none of these singing shows in the US- none have really produced singers/artists that top the billboards or have really made an impact (with the exception of kelly clarkson and carrie underwood) - so i think its a lost cause either way and people really only watch these shows cuz theyre entertaining but the winners lose support and relevancy shortly after they are crowned
Great point in the last paragraph. The winners of these singing shows barely go anywhere. I mean Kelly scored her third (I think) number 1 with "Stronger" and Carrie currently has the number 1 album but the others just have not come close to the success everyone thought. I mean, Kris Allen who? Taylor Hicks who? And on The Voice US, the winner's album charted at 129 on the Hot 100. I agree that it's more about the entertainment of the show rather than the artist having a substantial career.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch these shows myself but does it really matter who is in the jury? I did do some research as to what happened to some of the winners of such shows and indeed, as Juiseppe says, not much actually.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the only interesting point of such shows a chance for aspiring folk to be seen by an audience the size of which years of gigs could not reach?
Can I just say.. no talent show in the world compares with the INSANE talent on The Voice UK right now. x Factor UK was always good, but the Voice takes it to a whole different level. I was a skeptic at first, because The Voice US and The Voice Australia were so mediocre, but the Voice UK has just blown me away. The UK always has amazing artists and singers - currently, think Florence, Jessie J, Adele, Emeli Sande (who, btw, if you haven't seem her performance of My Kind of Love on the Voice UK you are missing out major! Get that gal a vocal profile on here, pronto!), Ed Sheeran etc, not to mention all the old artists from the UK, and the voice has brought some SERIOUS vocal chops.
ReplyDeleteThink, X Factor UK, Leona Lewis was an absolute standout. Here she would be good, but she wouldn't stand out at all. She'd be matched easily. Ruth Brown is an Aretha Franklim on the rise - she does this crazy vocal riff in here performance of Get Here which ends up in the 6th octave somewhere. Leanne Mitchell has as big a voice, but a mountain more control. Watch her performance of I Put a Spell on You. Then the guys, especially Vince Kidd. Boy has so much talent. Watch Always on my Mind, or Like a Virgin by him. He's a male Jessie J, but instead of belting, he soars way up into his, extremely developed and colorful falsetto.
If you have a spare ten-fifteen minutes
If you have a spare fifteen minutes and YouTube, DD, you would love ALL of the videos I just mentioned. I know you would heh. It's vocal chops at her best. Obviously Emeli Sande is amazing, she's a superstar, but those The Voice UK contestants are insane.
ReplyDeleteAdd on to that, you have Jessie J performing as a judge every couple of weeks. The Voice Uk is the talent show to go with. It'll produce some real stars.
I know this isn't COMPLETELY related to X Factor US, but I've wanted to post about this for ages. Hope you enjoy those vids DD, let me know! X
EDIT: Also watch Ruth Brown - Next To Me. Not as good but still AMAZING.
My iPad was stuffing up. Hence posting in two parts. Sorry.
Well, artist as good as Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson have come from shows like these. What it's more, they have successful careers and are well know worldwide.
ReplyDeleteYou on my case Nahu? ;)
ReplyDeleteBut yes, you made my point. Considering how many shows there are in the UK and US combined and how many seasons of each show. Plenty of winners and runners up. When all's said and done just a few made it big and some of those weren't even winner or runner up. Like I said, it is MOSTLY interesting in that it gives artists a shot at getting their name out there in a more effective way than years of small gigs would achieve. But who the jury is or who ends up in what place...doesn't seem to be of much significance.
Emeli sounds a bit limited though in those video "live at WFUV" Struggling a bit at times.
ReplyDeleteI agree Vince Kidd and Ed Sheeran sound pretty good. So does Ruth Brown but I think she's going to have to change her name. Seeing as there already is a famous R&B singer called Ruth Brown.
But of all the names you mentioned the only one I was interested in hearing more of was Leanne Mitchell. She sounds like she might do something more individual and interesting . That rendition of Pink's "Who Knew" was excellent!
the voice UK is brilliant i am jealous as an american
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the voice Korea? It's phenomenal!! An example of the talent:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc4YLaQvEZI I felt like they were evenly matched. THIS is how it should be. But I agree that the voice UK is FAR more entertaining than the U.S the voice. Most of the performances on the U.S voice are awful. Not as bad as American Idol though. Those performances are cringe worthy.
Give me an example of what you consider awful on The Voice US.
ReplyDeleteOkay Emo Katy Perry (Lindsey Pavao), was often horrendously off key. Erin Martin, I would hardly call the noise that comes out of her mouth singing. She has an extremely limited vocal range, and screeches notes when they are outside of her range.Not to mention she develops this weird accent when she "sings" and enunciates words strangely. (What's love got to do). Erin Willet's performances of Without You and Set Fire to The Rain ,she missed a lot of the notes, she was off key, she has horrible breath control, her phrasing was weird. She was just not very good overall. Ashley de La Rosa, She had potential, but she was off key a LOT (No Air, group performance of Fighter).
ReplyDeleteon the voice US the coaches seem to care more about the "unique" tone and sometimes they overlook the fact that the contestants cant stay in tune - lindsey was a perfect example
ReplyDeletethe voice UK is just so much better and i kinda like the coaches on the UK version as well
Thanks! I loved Lindsey, though. I'm not gonna argue with you on this because I'm new to this singing stuff and I'm not completely sure what it means to be "off key (if would be totally awesome if you could explain)."
ReplyDeleteEveryone seemed to hate Erin Martin! I didn't like her either.
Who'd you think was the best? Do you think Jermaine deserved to win?
I get what you're saying. They did seem to be more focused on uniqueness (Erin Martin, Mathai, Lindsey).
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and RaeLynn was horrible as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm no expert when it comes to these thing either , so I'm not going to pretend to know what I'm talking about. I do, however, know when I hear a variance from the key signature (It doesn't take a lesson in music theory to detect this). What I mean is that they aren't hitting the notes that they should be ( The notes that the song calls for), and they're singing in an incorrect pitch. Which reminds me, Mathai was pretty bad as well.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't hate Erin. I found her to be entertaining, just not a good singer. Her performances were always bizarre and I couldn't help but laugh at how deluded she was. She sincerely thought she was a great singer, and blamed Cee-lo for her elimination. I also found Rae-Lynn to be entertaining as well, but again, not a great singer.
I really didn't Like Erin "Whaleit". I understand her father died and that it was very hard on her, but she was pimping his death and using it to milk sympathy votes. Also, she wasn't a very good singer at all IMO.
Jermaine wining actually surprised me. I didn't expect it at all. I actually didn't find anyone on the voice incredibly talented. I thought Jermaine was decent when he toned it down, but once he started to go all out with the belting and screeching his performances became a bit grating. I would have loved to see Juliet Simms win, or maybe even Tony Lucca. I loved his performance of 99 problems, it was hilarious and he was throwing shade at Christina, or so I've heard.
I haven't seen much of the Voice Uk, but I've liked the performances I have seen. I also really like the Korean voice. My only problems with it are that the contestants perform too many ballads. There's nothing wrong with a ballad here and there, but I like to see uptempos as well.
@chasing pavements
I found that the Judges on the Voice U.S weren't very critical or harsh as well. They seemed to find positives in every performance and from every contestant. If they did offer any criticism is was often very light, and nothing that was ever substantial. I actually don't like the U.K voice judges. I can't stand Jessie J as an "artist", and don't even get me started on Will.I.Sh*t, as I like to call him.
Hahaha, I could not believe Jermaine won either. Whenever I thought of the contestants I couldn't even remember him! Jermaine's performances just seemed so uncontrolled and too heavy on runs. I think Jesse Campbell would have won if Christina hadn't eliminated him.
ReplyDeleteBut I disagree about Erin Whillet using her father's death to get sympathy votes. I think I'd feel the same way if her dad died before the show but during...damn that must have been hard. I don't blame her for morning publicly. And they didn't even bring it up as they could have. I liked her as a singer until she sang "Set Fire to the Rain."
Juliet was also my pick to win. I didn't even like her until she sang Roxanne. But my overall favorite was Jamar.
What did you think about Cheesa? To me, she was one of the worst. I don't even see how she made it past the battle rounds.
I also agree with what you said about the judges on the US version. Maybe they aren't harsh because they get to close to the contestants? But most of their comments were just praise and once in a while they actually said something constructive. Or something stupid like "the lyrical content of that song is derogatory towards women" when he didn't even say bitch! Really, Christina??
juliet should have won
ReplyDeleteI thought Jamar was alright. He was definitely a lot more marketable than Jermaine. I see Jermaine having about as much "Success" as last years winner.
ReplyDeleteErin's performance of Set Fire To The Rain was awful. I really wish people would stop covering that song because I have not seen one person do it justice.
hahaha I didn't like cheesa either. She was the butt of many chessy puns with me. (pun intended) bahahaha. I personally felt that she butchered I have nothing. I really hate it when people cover a song that is WAY too big for them. That performance did her absolutely no favors, and outed just how limited her voice is.
What do you guys think of us getting the USA's cast-off in the form of Nicole as a permanent judge??
ReplyDeleteI think she is a fantastic singer, dancer and performer - but a judge? I am not so sure! I would have preferred Anastacia myself, views? x