Gary Barlow’s X Factor Video Diary 2
October 3, 2011 Leave a Comment
Stuff I Watched: Show Me The Funny – Week 3
August 3, 2011 Leave a Comment
Having not been in when this screened on Monday night, it might have been the perfect excuse to give it a miss, but thanks to Sky Plus and a misguided sense of completing what I started, it’s time for this week’s recap of Show Me The Funny.
This episode’s gimmick audience were school kids and the task involved the comics being split into teams to give lessons to the kids. It was probably the strongest challenge to date: performing to kids would really force them to tailor their material and not fall back on old stuff, and preparing the lessons at least required some creativity.
Since I was semi-interested in this week’s task, I guess I paid more attention and this highlighted one of the main flaws in the format: the one hour running time just isn’t long enough. There’s too much to cram in, so it has to rattle along at such a rate of knots that you don’t actually get to focus on anything and so it all becomes a bit meaningless. Anyway, just so I don’t sound completely negative, the task part was at least mildly entertaining this week. It still didn’t seem to relate too much to comedy, but you can’t have everything.
“It’s writing day,” announced Jason Manford. As an aspiring comic, my ears pricked up as this could be the most interesting and useful section. It’s lasted exactly a minute. I know this because I timed it. What are you going to learn in a minute? (Answer: not a lot)
Ross Noble was the guest judge. He had some interesting points to make in the 15 second talking head that he was allotted.
The performance section was really interesting, in that pretty much all the acts struggled. The only one that seemed to win the crowd over was Patrick Monaghan, who essentially just spat water over the kids. It made them laugh, but really? Rudi was the act who struggled most, which was strange given that he was the most experienced. He started by just listing TV shows (“Hey, who likes X Factor?”), then seemed to recover before completely imploding – he visibly talked himself into dying. It was quite an eye opener given how experienced he is.
Tiff and Pat were called back to the judges for feedback. It’s didn’t come across as the “best two” this week as it wasn’t all positive, but it was at least constructive. Interestingly, Pat was praised for getting through his material, instead of the larking around that he has done in previous weeks. This was strange given that we basically just saw him spitting water pretending to be a whale. I guess it just highlights how stuff can be edited together to give the impression that the producers want to give. We’re still only seeing 60-90 seconds of each 5 minute set, so it would be easy to pick and choose from these to tell whichever story they want to.
The “bottom two” were Rudi and Cole. Ross Noble gave Rudi what seemed like heartfelt advice, basically saying that he’s really got to push himself if he’s going to get out of the rut he’s in. It’s moments like this that give a glimmer of what the show could be. Kate Copstick said that Cole was shit. She literally said he was shit. Under those circumstances it was no surprise that he was the one that went.
Strangely, by the end of the episode, I found myself drawn into it much more than I thought I would. I certainly didn’t see that happening.
Stuff I Watched: Show Me The Funny – Week 2
July 26, 2011 2 Comments
It was with some trepidation that I went into the second episode of Show Me The Funny – I wanted it to be so much better than last week but had little faith that it would be. On the plus side, the guest judge this week was Bob Mortimer, so it couldn’t be all bad.
The theme this time around was “perform for some soliders”. It begged the question why they didn’t get squaddie’s favourite Jim Davidson as the guest judge. Hmmm, maybe that question answered itself. The gimmick was that the comics were split into teams of three and the “winning” team – those who most impressed the soldiers at a series of army training tasks – got to choose the running order of the gig. I forgot to mention this last week as the justification for performing the tasks.
The tasks were utterly pointless and it just seemed like they were taking part in another reality show. What relevance did any of it have to the comedy? I guess that if they managed to get some material from the experience, you could sort of see the point, but we see so little of the actual stand up that it’s hard to judge.
To be honest, I fast forwarded through some of it because I want to learn about creating comedy not running around in a field. There was brief section about writing the week’s material but this lasted for about 30 seconds for all 9 acts. Really disappointing.
They showed very little of the actual stand up sets again – around 90 seconds maximum for any comedian. For some acts – like least-experienced comic Ellie Taylor – we got to see one or two lines, so it’s really difficult to judge how they really did. Anyway, the “bottom two” were Prince Abdi – who did another terrible accent and a baffling anecdote - and Cole Parker- who has pissed off some of the soldiers and so was barracked from the onset (pun intended). The two chosen for praise Dan Mitchell – who did manage to use the week’s experiences as the basis for his set – and Rudi Lickwood – who actually got criticised for laziness in his praise (?).
Prince Abdi was, unsurprisingly, voted off. Although, I say unsurprisingly when we perhaps didn’t see enough of the others to really judge. It’s also noticeable that I don’t feel like I know anything about any of the acts yet, which is a failing of any reality TV format.
I’ll probably stick with it and hope that we get to see much more comedy as the contestants thin out.
Related articles
- Stuff I Watched: Show Me The Funny – Week 1 (poursomegravyonme.co.uk)
- Show Me the Funny – and the unfunny (guardian.co.uk)
Stuff I Watched: Show Me The Funny – Week 1
July 19, 2011 3 Comments
So, as an aspiring comedian, it’s no surprise that I watched Show Me The Funny – a reality show about competing stand-up comedians – despite it being on entertainment-vacuum ITV1, a channel that seems to be the show’s least likely home. Luckily, ITV did their best to make a hash of the show, so my faith in their ineptitude was restored.
I didn’t know anything about the show beforehand other than its basic premise and that Jason Manford was the host, so I was surprised to find out that the winner would get £100,000, a “nationwide tour” and a DVD release before Christmas. It’s certainly an impressive prize, but seems an awful lot of pressure for the winner to live up to.
I’m not sure quite how they chose the contestants. They ranged from seasoned pros like Rudi Lickwood and Patrick Monahan – both well-established comics from the circuit – to newcomer (and “ex-model”) Ellie Taylor, who’s only been going for 18-months. On the face of it, this seems like a hairdressing contest that pitted a 17-year old apprentice against Vidal Sassoon.
The format is that every week each comic will perform a 5-minute set of new material, which is tailored towards the week’s “tough audience” (this week a group of scouse women). They are then judged by a panel – Alan Davies, Kate Copstick and a guest (this week Jimmy Tarbuck) – and one is voted off.
So, was it any good? I guess you have to judge it on two levels: did I learn anything about comedy and did it work as a reality show?
The reality show aspect was a bit of a mess. They had the contestants completing “tasks” – finding someone called Michelle, arranging a blind date, working in a hairdresser’s and other traditional scouse activities – which were completely irrelevant. The scant justification for the tasks is that it’s supposed to generate material – and some of the acts managed to do this – but it felt completely tacked on to make it more like The Apprentice.
The other major problem is that not enough time was spent watching the routines. We probably saw 60-90 seconds of each, and this was chopped up to ruin any flow. A comedy set has a structure and it’s important to see all of it to know how each comedian really did. Perhaps this will change in subsequent weeks. A couple of the acts did so badly that it would have been painful to endure the full five minutes. It was interesting to see comedians do badly on TV and should hopefully demonstrate how difficult a task it is. I hope this so that people stop asking to come and see my gigs expecting me to be funny.
For me, it would have been much more satisfying as a programme if we’d seen all of the performances and if, instead of the “tasks”, we’d spent some time seeing how the acts developed their material.
I obviously asked myself how I’d do on the show. Apart from the fact that I’d be completely out of my depth, it struck me that because they’re asking to generate material in a specific way, it only really lends itself to observational-type comedians. In essence, I’d be completely boned. I suppose it’s an understandable approach as they need their winner to appeal to as mainstream an audience as possible.
And so to the result. Unsurprisingly it was a couple of the least experienced acts that struggled most – although not the seemingly sacrificial lamb Ellie who probably tailored her material to the audience most successfully. You wonder if they picked some inexperienced acts on purpose, to make it more “dramatic”. I’m struggling otherwise to think of a reason why there is such a disparity in experience. The judges picked 4 acts to give feedback to – 2 good, 2 bad – and it was really obvious which was which. The two up for the chop were Prince Abdi and Ignacio Lopez. Ignacio went home with all 3 votes, despite the judges seemingly agreeing that Prince was worse on the night. The judges’ feedback was among the most interesting parts of the show, and even this seemed cut short. Poor Jason Manford seemed totally redundant.
Anyway, I seem like I’m being really harsh on it, but that’s probably because I wanted it to be really good. It was enjoyable enough, and I’ll stick with it for now. Hopefully they’ll be able to grow into the format as the acts start to thin out.
If you take anything away from the programme it should be this: anyone who even tries stand up is totally amazing.
The X Factor Finals: Week 2
October 19, 2009 10 Comments
Well, another weekend has passed and another X Factor contestant has been booted off the show. It’s also another chance for me to write far too much about it all. Here’s what happened:
Saturday
Running Time (including the Xtra Factor): 180 minutes
Time I watched it in: 77 minutes
X Factor Ratio: 42.8%
Before I started watching, my mate sent me a text saying: ‘ Jon and Edward! Amazing!’ That certainly built up some anticipation; were John and Edward actually capable of being amazing? This text was followed by a more detailed description: ‘Red leather/pvc suits – hotel porter trollies – and oops i did it again by Britney! TV has found a new level!’ I decided to prepare myself for a ground breaking piece of television.
Louis was not in attendance, for sad reasons, so it was interesting to see how that might affect the final outcome.
Lucie – I don’t know whether I liked it or not; she’s a pretty good singer but it seemed slightly half-hearted. There is something about her though, and, as Simon likes to say, she has potential.
Olly – The Whitney Houston bits seem mental so far. Apparently, Olly was singing a Tina Turner song, but I’d never heard it before and had no idea what it was. He was pretty good and performed well, but there is still terror in his eyes. Cheryl said that it was his ‘best performance so far’, since it’s only week two that doesn’t mean very much.
Two acts down and I’m already missing Louis’ funny faces.
Miss Frank – There were some ropey bits during this and they still don’t seem to be a performing as a group. Actually, there were lots of ropey bits, and I think that they could be in trouble this week, even before I’ve even seen the other 8 acts. Simon said it was terrible and had a go at Cheryl; he reckons they might be in trouble too. He’s just copying me.
Cheryl looked pretty nice tonight, although that probably won’t come as a revelation to anyone. And when I saw she looked ‘pretty nice’, I clearly mean that she looked amazing.
Rachel – She began her performance lying on her back on the stage; I’m no expert, but surely that would make it harder to sing. Still developed a nice range of facial over-acting during the song, so that was quite funny. She has a good voice but I wasn’t at all convinced by her and there were a few rough bits. It seems a hallmark of this series that many of the contestants have decent voices but not enough of them have any ooomph, so far.
Joe – I thought that Joe should have been in the bottom two last week, but I tried to have an open mind going in to this performance. I suppose he’s not got a bad voice, but I think it would work better if he was a drag act. Again, the judges loved him; I think I’ll just have to accept that he’s not my cup of tea.
Danyl – Like Rachel, he employed a great range of facial overacting to ‘enhance’ his performance. I don’t think the song did him any favours, but he’s a cracking singer. The main problem I have with him is that he’s looking so strong that if he goes on to win the competition, it will just be really boring.
Lloyd – Whitney’s words of advice for Lloyd were the ramblings of a mad cat lady - I’ve no idea what it she was on about so I can’t even try to analyse it. I enjoyed this performance, and he made the song his own, except for the chorus which was ridiculous in its ineptitude. And wouldn’t you know it, both Dannii and Simon agree with me. If only I could convince them about Joe. Simon had yet another go at Cheryl; what a nasty man. Cheryl started crying and Lloyd hugged her. Lucky Lloyd. Anyway, I thought Simon was overly critical of Lloyd and I think he did more enough with the verses to stay in comfortably.
John and Edward – They had a lot to live up to, based on the texts I received earlier in the night, and the performance was suitably mental. Absolutely mental. And then, just when you thought they couldn’t get any more mental, they did the talking bit. If you’ve not seen it, you should go and find it, and prepare to watch through your fingers. And, they really did sing ‘Oops I Did it Again’ by Britney Spears, dressed in red PVC, being spun around on porters’ trollies. They’ve clearly given them absolutely ridiculous dancing and outfits and gimmicks because they’re such appalling singers. In a strange way, that just makes me want them to stay in, so I can see what they are made to do next. Simon said it’s the worst performance he’s ever seen; in a way, that’s quite a compliment.
Rikki – He could quite easily join Joe’s drag act. Again, he’s not a bad singer, but it wasn’t great. I could see him struggling unless the alleged Scottish block-vote saves him.
Jamie – I wasn’t convinced by him last week, but he was excellent this week. Somehow, though, he bores me slightly.
Stacey – She has an amazing mutant-like ability to look different every time you see her. They decided to put her in a frock this week, but it still wasn’t very flattering; at least they disguised the fringe. I do like her voice and find her performances more compelling that they somehow should be. She seems a bit under the radar at the moment and I have a sneaky suspicion that she could be a dark horse. Unrelated to her singing ability, I am becoming increasingly convinced that she is actually 1970s sitcom character who has travelled to the real world.
Over on The Xtra Factor, they had a new feature, Dermot’s Debrief, which felt like an attempt to get Mr O’Leary more involved. I realise that I haven’t mentioned him since my thoughts on the first show, on the 23rd August. Despite him presenting the more profile programme, I can’t help but feel that Holly is the main presenter; as I’ve said before, hosting the ITV1 show is actually a rubbish job.
Predictions -
Last week, I did say that Kandy Rain would be in the bottom two, but other than that I was completely wrong. I think it’s even tougher to pick this week, and there’s a few that could/should be in trouble. I’d love to see John and Edward stick around, but they are actually rubbish.
Should be in bottom 2: John and Edward + Miss Frank
Will be in bottom 2: Miss Frank + Rachel
Sunday
Running Time: 135 minutes
Time I watched it in: 47 minutes
X Factor Ratio: 34.8%
After last week’s cringe-fest, I was dreading the opening group song, but, while it was still pretty embarrassing, it wasn’t quite as bad as last week. Not quite. Stacey looks completely different again, but, to be fair, they’d dolled her up well this time. I did have to wonder whether or not, ‘Queen of the Night’ was the best song choice they could come up with; it hardly seemed appropriate.
There was a lot of talk, beforehand, about whether or not Cheryl would mime etc etc. I’ll have to be honest, I fast forwarded through it all, so I can’t actually comment. Needless to say, I definitely fast forwarded through Whitney.
After the usual, painfully drawn-out reveal, we got down to the the final two: Rachel & Rikki. Rachel was certainly no surprise and, with Rikki there, it looks like the Scottish voting thing is a myth. Because there was no Louis present, it effectively meant that the final decision, on who went home, would be Simon’s.
Rachel sang With or Without You by U2. I hate to repeat myself, but I will; she has a good voice but I still wasn’t convinced by the performance.
Rikki sang a rubbish Westlife song. I thought the same about him as I did about Rachel.
I wasn’t sure who Simon will go for, but he went for Rikki. Fair play to him that he didn’t just pick Rachel because she’s been in the bottom two both weeks. Cheryl says that she can’t believe that John and Edward are still in: technically, she’s 100% right. They may be funny but they shouldn’t really still be in.
In conclusion
Miss Frank and John & Edward dodged a bullet this week and Rachel is going to have to be spectacular next week, in order to stay in. Rikki was never going to win the competition, so I’m glad that I get to see at least one more J&E mentalist classic performance.
Total Duration: 315 minutes
Total time I spent watching it: 124 minutes
Overall X Factor Ratio: 39.4%
The X Factor: 2009 Finalists Vs 2008 Finalists
October 7, 2009 2 Comments
Well, I’ve only just posted about The X Factor, but, a comment from my friend, CJ, has made me question the assertion that this year’s finalists seem the strongest line up so far. I was going to address this point in the comments section of that post, but it seemed entirely fitting for it to be a post in its own right. So, here it is.
It was certainly my gut feeling that the standard is overall higher this year, but then, as I’ve said a few times, I always tend to think this until you get to the live rounds and it’s only then that you really see who is actually good. But, is there any basis for thinking that this year are stronger? I thought it might help me to decide if I compared this year’s finalists to last year’s. This isn’t an entirely fair comparison as when you think about the 2008 contestants you have in mind their actual live performances from last year, and not just the few auditions we’ve seen from the 2009 bunch. I’ll give it my best shot though.
Girls
2008 – Diana, Laura & Alexandra
2009 – Lucie, Rachel & Stacey
From the 2008 auditions, Laura & Diana definitely stood out more than any of the girls from this year, but I’m not sure this means that they were actually better singers. Interestingly enough though, Alexandra wasn’t even on the radar at this stage, and yet ended up being the obvious winner. I’d say that although not being particularly memorable (yet), this year’s girls could have the potential to hold their own. I’ll have to give the win to 2008 because of how good Alexandra turned out to be, even though this is probably unfair.
Boys
2008 – Eoghan, Austin & Scott
2009 – Lloyd, Rikki & Joseph
One fairly drab lot of boys has been replaced by another lot. I think Lloyds is quite interesting as his voice is quite different, but, overall, I’ll call this one a draw.
Over 25s
2008 – Ruth, Daniel & Rachel
2009 – Danyl, Olly & Jamie
The 2009 lot are so much better than their counterparts from last year that it’s not even funny, and that’s even after you’ve taken all the awful histrionics in to account. A clear win for 2009.
Groups
2008 – JLS, Bad Lashes & Girl Band
2009 – John and Edward, Kandy Rain & Miss Frank
Kandy Rain have the potential to be as awful as Bad Lashes and Girl Band, while Miss Frank have the potential to be better than all of them. Only the potential though, they’re currently awful too. John and Edward are so bad that I actually quite like them now, but I don’t think that counts. JLS stand out from nearly every other group in X Factor history in that they managed to achieve the level of being ‘OK’. 2008 will have to win because of JLS.
Conclusions
Based on this rough comparison, it looks as though my gut feeling is wrong and 2008 was perhaps a slightly stronger year. Perhaps. As I’ve said before, and as I’ll keep saying, you can’t really compare until we’ve seen the class of 2009 perform live. We should have this conversation again after the weekend. Bring on the finals!
The X Factor: Judges’ Houses
October 7, 2009 9 Comments
Well we’re getting very close to the live shows on The X Factor, this week sees us visit the judges’ houses (which are obviously not their real houses, so I don’t know why they call it that). Here’s what happened.
Saturday
Saturday’s episode starts with perhaps the biggest shock in X Factor; Louis was in Italy not in Ireland! I needed a lie down to cope when I found that out. We then meet who each judge has drafted in to help them. Louis had Ronan Keating, the Irish Gary Barlow, so it looks like the two of them are finally talking again. Cheryl had Will young who is so posh and sincere that I could listen to him all night. Sadly, Simon had Sinitta helping him yet again. I can only assume that she must have some incriminating photos of him. Over in Dubai, Dannii has the somewhat more impressive Kylie to help her.
I was a little underwhelmed by the ‘Boys’ category, although they seem pretty solid throughout and with young male singers, their looks play as big a part as their voices. I was slightly baffled by Daniel Fox, but I wouldn’t be shocked if any of them got through.
The ‘Groups’ category is notoriously rubbish, and this year is no exception. Ronan and Louis seemed to criticise every single act after they sang, and didn’t have a good thing to say. You’d have to say that that was quite worrying for Louis’ chances of winning. I don’t think it actually matters to the outcome of the show which three acts they pick. Unsurprisingly, Louis still managed to find time to defend John and Edward. More surprisingly, and despite slagging all the acts off, they still audaciously claimed that they have a potential winner.
Simon seems to have the most difficult job in selecting which of the ‘Over 25s’ will go through, the category looks to be very strong. It’s actually a bit of a joke when you compare this group to what Louis has to work with. The most disappointing moment of the week was when Danyl sadly didn’t reprise his hilarious cover of ‘Holding Back the Years’.
The ‘Girls’ category is definitely stronger vocally than the boys, and they certainly look better in bikinis (was it not a bit gratuitous that they sent them down a water slide?). I’m not sure which ones are the best singers, but I definitely fancy Stacey McClean most.
I realise that at this point that I haven’t picked any of the contestants to go through; it just seems too tight to call this year and I’d struggle to single anybody out. I also realised, as I was watching it, that the episode seemed endless; this was because, unusually, I actually watched most of it.
Have I mentioned this week that The Xtra Factor is the better programme? I’ve come to the conclusion that I big part of the reason for this is that you actually get to see the personalities of both contestants and judges; you don’t just get sob stories and cheesy soundbites as you do with the ITV1 show. It also doesn’t hurt that Holly is almost unbearably lovely.
Sunday
I was a bit apprehensive about watching this episode beforehand as it tends to be full of people crying and I find it totally unbearable. To be fair to them, it’s not surprising that they cry considering the way that they drag out the reveal as to whether they’re going through or not. It’s bordering on animal cruelty.
The ‘Girls’ were the first group to be revealed, and Lucie Jones was the first contestant through through. She has that girl next door type appeal, so she could do pretty well. Sadly, Stacey McClean didn’t get through. Typical. Next through was Rachel, who I could tell you exactly nothing about. The last girl through was the other Stacey; I though that this was a good decision as has distinctive voice and a likeable, goofy personality.
The dreaded ‘Groups’ were up next and I couldn’t have cared less, other than the vague hope that John and Edward would get through for comedy value. First through were Miss Frank, who, if I was being cruel, I might rename as Miss Take. Next through were Kandy Rain, the girl band consisting of ex-strippers. They should be popular with the largely female voters then. Last, but by no means least, came The Twerps, sorry I mean, John and Edward. This pair of idiots were somehow the most nailed-on finalists in the whole competition. I won’t pass comment on Louis’ possible motivations for this. That said, you can always rely on Louis for a mental decision to keep the show interesting.
The slightly lacklustre ‘Boys’ were next and first through was Weirdy Eyebrow Man (Rikki), quickly followed by Lloyd, whose voice I probably like most in this group. Before the third finalist was revealed, we had a bit of drama with Cheryl having to stop in the middle of her decision over Daniel Fox. I’d like to think that her dilemma was genuine and not done to build up the tension. Since I fancy her, I’ll assume that it was genuine. Last through was the totally unsurprising, Little Geordie Joe. It seems to be the rule that you put through people who are from vaguely the same geographical area as you.
Finally, we got to the ‘Over 25s’, and early bookies favourite, Danyl goes through. They’ve been slightly critical of him since boot camp, but I think this was mainly to not make him seem like the dead cert to go through that he was. Next through was slightly quirky Olly and finally came Jamie. I was a little bit surprised by Jamie, not because of a lack of talent, but because I thought Simon would put through at least one of the girls. They still look the strongest category.
And that’s nearly it for this week, apart from The Xtra Factor. Have I mentioned that The Xtra Factor is…oh, I have. Well, what about Holly…oh, I’ve done that one too. Never mind. The most interesting thing was that Holly also thought that Simon would put at least one girl through, proving that great minds think alike.
And that really is that. I’m actually looking forward to next week, as the live finals really separate the men from the boys (so to speak). See you there (not literally).
Has It Got The X Factor Back? Part 2
September 28, 2009 10 Comments
After writing about day one of boot camp it seemed only fitting to have a bash at day two. Sadly, I don’t have any great insights to offer. Sorry about that.
I quite enjoyed it, although I did whizz through it all rather quickly. The points of interest were:
1) Simon did a lot of nodding.
2) ‘No one wants it more than…’ This phrase was used to describe at least thirty of the final fifty. Surely, it can only be used once.
3) John and Edward went through. Louis got the groups. These two facts cannot be a coincidence.
4) Simon is going to take some beating with the over-25 category, they look very strong.
5) Have I mentioned that The Xtra Factor is the better show? Get watching it.
6) There was literally no tension when they brought the acts on stage to see who went through. It was blatantly obvious which ones were which.
Next week is judges’ houses and I’m vaguely looking forward to it. Result.
Has It Got The X Factor Back?
September 27, 2009 6 Comments
Despite being an fan of The X Factor in previous years, this time out has left me cold. I half heartedly watched the first two weeks and then for the next three I didn’t watch at all. I’m not entirely sure what that is down to; the change to having a live audience at the initial auditions was a terrible decision, which changed the whole feel of the show, but I don’t know if it is down to more than that. I think I’ve just about reached my limit of being able to watch bad auditions and seeing people being humiliated; this happening in front of a baying crowd has only highlighted the cruelty. Perhaps, I’ve just fallen out with the show all together.
Last night’s episodes were the first of the boot camp stage and so it felt an appropriate time to give it another go and see if I could salvage my love for cheesy talent shows. It’s not a good start. There’s a full ten minutes of padding before anything actually happens and I’m thankful that I had Sky Plussed it. This is perhaps a bit of a harsh criticism as it’s always been full of padding. In my post from last Novemeber, X-Rated, I revealed that I managed to watch the four televised hours of X Factor shows one Saturday night in 90 minutes – and that was with me paying attention.
Eventually, they did get around to some singing, and the first batch of auditionees that they showed were absolutely awful. How they got through the first round is anybody’s guess. I can only assume that presence of the live audience skewed the judges objectivity. With the dross out of the way, we did manage to see some better singers, although not recognising many of the contestants meant that I didn’t feel very invested in whether they went through or not.
It was vaguely amusing to see John and Edward again, but within about 30 seconds the joke fell flat, they’re just a pair of cocks. It’s one thing to be ‘shit but funny’, but the identical twins were just plain old shit. Remarkably, they didn’t get booted out right away because Louis liked them. Unsurprisingly, they were Irish.
At this stage, I was still pretty uninterested and a fair amount of fast forwarding happened. Before I know it they announce who is in the top 50. Like every other year we get to see scenes of the successful jumping up and down like chimps and the unsuccessful crying like they’ve just been told that their dog is dead. These bits are equally annoying every year.
Over on ITV2, The Xtra Factor remains the superior show and Holly Willoughby remains exceptionally lovely. Apart from her obvious loveliness, I think that she is one of the best presenters currently on TV and has made the show her own. She’s so good that I’m getting increasingly worried that she’ll be promoted to the main show, which would be good for her bank balance but would be the viewers loss; the presenter of the ITV1 programme really has so little to do.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed ‘Boot Camp’ more than any of the earlier shows, so perhaps things are looking up. There does seem to be some very strong competitors this year, but then it seems that way every year and by the time it gets to the live shows most of them turn crap. We’ll have to wait and see. Part two of boot camp is tonight, so I’ll see you there.
Missing The X Factor
August 23, 2009 1 Comment
So, I went round to my brother’s house last night, just after seven, and as I glanced at the TV I thought, ‘Hmmm, that looks like The X Factor’. And it was The X Factor. Why had I not been informed that it was starting again?
If I was being snobby I’d call The X Factor a guilty pleasure, but I’m not, so I won’t. It’s an out-and-out entertainment show, and should be judged as such; it should not be compared disparagingly with great works of fiction. That said, as I watched it last night (without the benefit of being able to fast forward using Sky Plus), I was completely underwhelmed. Sure, there were still moments of great comedy, such as:
JOHN: I’m John!
EDWARD: I’m Edward!
JOHN & EDWARD: Together, we are… John and Edward!
There was also classic cases of exploitation such as the sisters with tiny faces on fat heads, one of whom was auditioning for the third time. We all know that there is a preliminary round, so why are they letting the poor girl through again? This time with the added bonus of being humiliated in front of two thousand people. Luckily, they seemed too thick to notice.
But for all this, I was uninterested. I did Sky Plus the late night repeat (and The Xtra Factor), and skimmed through them this morning. I must have watched about 10 minutes of two and a half hours of programming. Maybe it’s the change to a live audience in the auditions that is spoiling it for me, or maybe the format has run its course. It’s more than likely though that I’ll be bored for a few weeks, get drawn in a bit and then be gripped when they get to boot camp. It is usually claimed that the auditions are the best bit, but, actually, I disagree. I think that people tend to say that because it’s easy to sneer and be ‘ironic’ at the auditions, and therefore it’s ‘cooler’.
The only other thing that I would point out is that The Xtra Factor tends to be a better show than the main ITV1 programme. This is in large part down to the talents of Holly Willoughby, who apart from being incredibly lovely, is extremely likeable, good at her job and brings a sense of fun to proceedings. She so clearly overshadows Dermot O’Leary (who I generally quite like), that it’s bordering on embarrassing.
Anyway, I may be around after next weeks show, or I might not! See you then (or not).
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