X marks the spot
September 2011 may seem light years away, especially in pop culture terms. But TV nerds are already blogging breathlessly: It’s when the American version of The X Factor debuts on Fox. The singing competition, a national obsession in Britain and a huge cash cow for its home network ITV, has been around for six years. In its short run, it has managed to attract audiences of up to 16.2 million. Simon Cowell, its v-neck-wearing, man-boob-sporting producer, has clearly benefited from the mania; this, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol have made him the world’s best-paid television star after Oprah Winfrey, with a fortune of £165 million according to The Sunday Times Rich List. And yeah, he wants more.
Simon Cowell’s recent split from Simon Fuller, the brains behind Idol and the man behind the Spice Girls, shows his competitive nature; Cowell launched X Factor in 2004 as a replacement to Pop Idol, the British precursor to American Idol, following legal disputes. X Factor’s push into the US next autumn will most likely redefine the viewing habits of the masses, who, since Idol’s entry in 2002, have fallen in and out of love with the reality juggernaut. If not, at the very least, X Factor USA will make Idol look hopelessly obsolete, even if the latter will be on the receiving end of a much needed facelift with the addition of judges Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
That said, both programs are set to air on the same network, but only time will tell if X Factor USA will prove to be a hit or turn out to serve more of the same crap, albeit in a newer, shinier package. The series, broadcast only in the UK and Ireland due to unresolved rights issues, works precisely because it is not American. (Cheesy, perhaps so, but it isn’t overly sycophantic or melodramatic and there are no annoying product placements unlike in Idol.) Can Simon Cowell translate something so British, bottle it, and sell it across the Atlantic?
The Judges
The only way is up: Westlife has tipped fellow boyband One Direction to triumph on this year’s X Factor.Among The X Factor’s current mentors, only two have been with the talent show from the very beginning: Cowell and Louis Walsh, the Irish music manager responsible for Boyzone, Westlife and Girls Aloud. Dannii Minogue — the younger and, some would say, less successful sister of Kylie — was recruited after the third series, joining Sharon Osbourne, who eventually quit in 2008. Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole, Osbourne’s replacement, has since become the show’s most charismatic judge, dubbed the UK’s “sweetheart” by members of online celebrity gossip community Oh No They Didn’t. The 27-year-old happens to be the ex of footballer Ashley Cole and once went by the chavvy name Cheryl Tweedy.
The X Factor is different from American Idol in that it’s okay for the judges to be biased. Each member of the panel is given a category to coach — more on this later — and is allowed to pick acts to see through until the finals. The struggle to deal with their respective groups while trying to get along with one another makes these supposed experts more human, which adds to the drama of the show, which seems to help pull in the viewers. On the alleged style rivalry between Cole and Minogue, Walsh told Heat magazine, “It’s not a love-fest. When people play them off against each other, there’s bound to be competitiveness.” Meow.
The Spectacle
Another thing that makes The X Factor better than anything else in its genre is the lavishness of its production numbers. Fireworks, back-up dancers and elaborate stage sets are the norm, not the exception, on the hit show such that every performance looks like a finale on American Idol. As X Factor creative director Brian Friedman said in Digital Spy, Idol is “kind of plastic” because it has “no dancers, no lighting and no pyro.” According to the X Factor blog, “Simon wants the show to be great and needs more money to be spent on production for the viewers at home.”
Ambitions: Joe McElderry, 2009 X Factor winner, sounds like Mika.The Acts
While The X Factor may not have American Idol’s track record in churning out platinum artists, it does have some notable alumni in its roster of finalists. Leona Lewis, the winner of series three in 2006, is the biggest name so far to rise from the ranks, followed by Shayne Ward, the 2005 champ, and Diana Vickers from last year’s competition. The first and second placers of the past two years — Alexandra Burke and JLS in 2008 and Joe McElderry and Olly Murs in 2009, respectively — are only starting their ascent to pop superstardom in the UK, and their relative obscurity elsewhere makes them seem edgier.
2010’s crop of wannabes — Simon’s groups, Cheryl’s girls, Dannii’s boys and Louis’ Over 28s — is proving to be just as entertaining. 17-year-old Cher Lloyd, who looks like a cross between Rachel Leigh Cook and Lady Sovereign — is a standout. Her live mashup of Blackstreet’s No Diggity and Tears for Fears’ Shout from the October 24th live final show was already amazing, but her rendition of Stay by Shakespear’s Sister last weekend was even more brilliant.
But win or lose, some contestants are already being groomed for greatness. One Direction, a tween boyband mentored by Simon Cowell, is hotly tipped to be the next big thing: with a growing female fanbase and tons more floppy hair, they’re Justin Bieber times five. Regardless of the result, Cowell’s connection to Sony Music will ensure an endless stream of cash and chart-topping success for his anointed ones. Will the same magic work for X Factor USA?
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