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Why Simon Cowell didn't boot Jedward out of The X Factor

By Maureen Coleman

He had the power to send them packing — but when it came to the crunch, he couldn't let them go.

Simon Cowell may have described John and Edward as “vile little creatures”, but those “vile little creatures” are perhaps the biggest X Factor story ever, taking up more column inches than the back-biting, the fall-outs, the contestants and the costumes.

When the Terrible Twins found themselves in the sing-off last night, facing the talented Lucie Jones, they must have thought their dream was over. Louis Walsh, not surprisingly, chose to save the act he had unleashed some weeks ago on an unsuspecting public, while Dannii Minogue opted to send them home. Cheryl Cole sided with Dannii and backed Lucie to stay, leaving the final decision in Cowell's hands.

The shock was palpable when Cowell announced a deadlock situation, meaning the act going home would be decided by the public vote. Poor Lucie knew then that her number was up.

The decision to go to deadlock will undoubtedly be the talk of the tabloids today. Just why did Cowell not stand by his convictions and boot the big-haired boyos off the show? Week on week he slated them for their lack of talent.

But this is why Cowell is a multi-millionaire. He knows an opportunity when he sees one and John and Edward, let's face it, are the headline-grabbers, the act that is dividing the nation, the ratings booster.

Given Cowell's criticisms of the Gruesome Twosome every week, it seems highly hypocritcal that he squandered the chance to get rid.

And surely this says something about the show and what it has become. It's not about talent anymore.

It all started going wrong with this current format, I believe. Holding auditions in front of a live audience was a bit too much like the tacky variety show Britain's Got Talent for my liking.

Somewhere along the way, The X Factor lost its soul. Cowell has sold out in his bid to be the richest, most powerful man in the entertainment industry. And last night's verdict proves that.

Let's hope another potential — and deserving — winner isn't sacrificed on next week's show to allow the Jedward juggernaut to keep rolling. Or Cowell will have some explaining to do.

Source: The Belfast Telegraph

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benfriedman123
[info]benfriedman123 wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 11:41 am (UTC)
What a joke! There was no question that they should have gone! They cannot even sing, while the girl who left was quite good!

Alli Diet Pills
[info]hybridartifacts wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 11:51 am (UTC)
I doubt it was ever really much about talent.

A show that gives unsigned bands and performers a stage to perform on and leaves it to people go find their websites and discover more about them and their music without shepherding them into recording deals might be about talent. One that earns revenue by telephone voting and deals post show deals with record companies that exploit the publicity gained by the show for the benefit of the shows organisers surely is not.

It has always been about finding and marketing a commodity (and very successfully so). Simon Cowell's response in throwing the decision out to the public vote was entirely predictable. He is a very astute businessman. He knows the difference between talent and commercial success, and as a businessman sides with commercial success and his own potential profits. Keeping an element of controversy and maintaining people who evoke strong negative reactions from viewers is a staple of all these sorts of competitions nowadays. Its part of a very well established and successful formula.

Personally, I think Simon has a good eye for talent, but he also has an even better one for a profit.
[info]benfriedman123 wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 12:22 pm (UTC)
I agree, he does have a good eye for talent, and i normally respect his opinions, but this time he went a bit too far!
[info]hybridartifacts wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 12:32 pm (UTC)
I kinda felt that way as well. I think they are terrible. Keeping them in the show will make him more money than kicking them out would though, so considering he is doing it as a business enterprise first and a genuine quest for real talent much further down the list, he made a sensible and understandable decision. He knew it as well - the smirk on his face was a mile wide...
[info]rotwatcher wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 01:58 pm (UTC)
Simon has only eyes for the main chance, and ears of purest tin.
They pull in the viewing figures.
[info]lucid1984 wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 12:46 pm (UTC)
Forgive the Americanism, but duh.
A real shame
[info]mabapa80 wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 01:08 pm (UTC)
What Cowell did last night was disgraceful. He promised to make his judgement based on the performance and yet, he let Lucy go. As Maureen Coleman says, he just let everybody know in unequivocal terms that the soul of the program is lost. Last night was my last X Factor night. No more voting and no more talking about it. This is my X factor swan song. I just wish that when the Twins come against one of Simon acts over the next weeks Danii Minogue does the same for him. After all, the twins winning the X Factor would signal the end of the show and also the end of Cowell's pumping machine. I truly hope they go onto win it. As for Lucie and Danii, good luck to both of you.
m.
Switch it Off
[info]adrianthinks wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 02:27 pm (UTC)
It has never been so transparent and obvious how manufactured our music industry has become.

Even a six year old child will have realised last night that the show is clearly not about talent, despite Simon's previous protestations to the contrary. The amount of criticism directed towards Cowell for his decision to place ratings and headlines above talent will ultimately cripple the show.

The show is peaking in popularity, boasting a string of Number 1s from past contestants, judges and guest stars. Alexandra, Cheryl and JLS have topped the charts. Predictably Liona will too by the end of this week even with what is a rather dull song. Guest stars including Whitney, Robbie, Michael Buble, Bon Jovi and the Black Eyed Peas litter the UK charts. There is still the X-Factor Christmas Charity Song and the Winners song still to come. But this success demonstrates how undiscerning this money making machine is.

It is obvious that the X-Factor is simply a staging post to launch records and for Simon Cowell to make money, regardless of talent. It is clear this is at the viewing and voting public's expense. But viewers, now disheartened seeing someone as likeable as Lucie being ejected from the show, will start to switch off in their thousands.

Hopefully so, and perhaps our music industry might scrape some dignity off the floor. New ways to give real talent an wider audience will emerge, because that is what a disillusioned public will now demand.

cowell a disgrace
[info]jordyhammonds wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 06:27 pm (UTC)
There's a great Mickey take song on youtube called SIMON COWELL'S BIRTHDAY BASH (Party Of The year)
Check it out

http://www.youtube.com/user/ThisIsJohnnyBlack#p/u/6/ToltjkwNQPk
The terrible twins
[info]tyopa_1 wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 07:16 pm (UTC)
The public could call simon's bluff by voting in droves for the twins in all remaining shows. The show isn't about fairplay anymore, maybe it never was.
So, lets vote against the real talent ( they will make it anyway) and ensure that the " vile little creatures" as Simon described them win the final. That would ensure that Simons manipulation fails him. The twins would profit in the short term but the real talent will be spotted and profit long term and Simon's grin would be wiped off his greedy face. Hopefully

tyopa
What soul? This is Hell televised.
[info]fredscribe1 wrote:
Monday, 9 November 2009 at 07:28 pm (UTC)
How is the X-Factor (and God forgive me for even knowing about it!) meant to lose its soul? This is a screamingly obvious bit of showbiz choreography, directed down to the last tear, the last argument, and Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell intend it to make money. Keeping it going as a sort of freak-show for the aspiring untalented boosts ratings. End of, as my pal Bovver would say. Already - English readers may not know this - the Irish papers have been fed stories about RTE TV and Ireland TV3 are 'bidding' for the Goon Twins to host their own shows. No, I am not making this up. A record will be out before Christmas or I'm not Brian Epstein. The real problem is the mess these young contestants will have made of themselves by the time Louis and Simon boot them unceremoniously back into the real world, which will happen as soon as the ratings stop climbing. How do you counsel fragile young people who have been told it's good to make fools of themselves at a vulnerable age in front of millions? How do you bring them back up from that when the glitter fades? When they're down the dole office or applying for that first job, how do you tell them the smirk on the interviewer's face isn't about them acting the maggot so that Louis and Co. could make money? The hype is so strangling that even here in Ireland, where we can't even vote for the contestants, the Irish Examiner newspaper was telling us today, November 9th, that we couldn't get enough of the Jedwards, or the Daleks, or the John-Joes, or whatever name they have been christened by their (temporary) owners? I am waiting - sure sign they've had it - for the red-top story of how they're both actually aged thirty and married with several kids. I feel sorry for them but I feel something entirely other for the smirking, mouthy, ego-driven Cowells and Walshs who see nothing wrong with smashing into young contestants' personalities as if they had talent themselves or could sing a note or cared. I am expecting any day now that Walsh will reveal that he is actually Simon Cowell's long-lost brother and (just as the show series finally closes) there will be a tear-drenched scene involving the scripted shouts of joy: "Louis!" "Simon!" and the kind of weeping worthy of a Danii or a Cheryl. Or is it Sheryl. Let's put an end to this charade. This frightening blood-sport. This anti-room of show-biz hell. Give the two amigos their own TV channel if you want, where they can look at themselves for twenty four hours in twenty four. In a windowless room, preferably. With meals pushed under the door. And padding on the walls. Lots of padding.

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