Several of the acts competing for contracts on the latest iterations of the TV series The X-Factor in various countries are being shown not as retreads from other shows, but so blatantly connected to the music industry that they have no business competing on shows where it is (almost-certainly falsely) represented that anyone feasibly has a shot:
- The Australian series is already three weeks into their "live shows" finals. Though not the favorite to win (if you are so inclined, check out Dami Im, a legitimate outside-of-reality-TV (awards from conservatories and piano competitions, etc.) music talent, just walking the field at this point), Jiordan Tolli played a child on the long-running Australian television institution Neighbours for the first seven years of her life.
- MJ's Big Blog likes to catch shows like American Idol and The X-Factor in the act. And, just a week into the US audition phase, they've got several corkers. First up is Lillie McCloud. 54 years old, she'd be in the Overs group. Huge soulful R&B audition, and she made it to the next round after the auditions. The problem is that it's not Lillie... It's Nicole McCloud, and, if you were a fan of dance music in the 1980's and 1990's, you've probably heard of her. Signed to Epic Records, Nicole has had 10 singles on the US Billboard Dance Charts Top 10. In 2010, she actually performed the title song for the Slovakian version of Simon Cowell's talent series <insert country here>'s Got Talent. She has lived in Slovakia for some time. According to MJ's blog (SPOILER, select the text to reveal) has qualified for the live shows.
- MJ caught another one very quickly: Rachel Potter is another plant on the show. A country singer by trade, 29 years old (another "Over"), bartender in Nashville... Or so X-Factor would like you to believe... She may even be one now, but some people may have heard of this woman, on Broadway!! She was in the 2012 production of Evita with Ricky Martin, the production of The Addams Family (*snap* *snap*), an understudy in the second national tour of Wicked... This is, by no means, the type of person who should be competing on shows in which it (again) is represented that anyone can get a shot at stardom. She has already released one album. According to MJ (SPOILER), she's in the live finals as well.
- MJ has also reported that another act from week one of the US auditions has an interesting pedigree for a show representing that they are looking for a music talent from a wider range than they actually are: OK, maybe not as blatant as McCloud, but the case of Carlito Olivero has to be mentioned in light of new judge Paulina Rubio, perhaps signalling the desire to promote a Hispanic on the show. Olivera won a spot on MTV's 2007 series Making Menudo, as the network tried to re-form and re-launch Menudo, the Mexican boy band (the original era of which had as one of it's members a young... Ricky Martin). (You know you've been a child of that era too long when you see a Mexican restaurant serving menudo on the weekends and can't stop thinking of the boy band.) The retry didn't last but less than two years... (SPOILER) but he's also in the live shows, with Paulina Rubio as his category's mentor!
- And then there's the story of Roxxy Montana. Groups have not done very well on the American version (IMODO, I think they are far too engrossed in attempting to find another One Direction -- and compile failed soloists into groups to fill the group field, like they did with 1D. InTENsity, anyone -- a kid group of TEN??), but these three are going to try... These three GRANDCHILDREN of no less than MARVIN GAYE... (SPOILER) Yep, you guessed it, plant #4 in the final field.
*sigh* One of the things that pisses me off more than anything is insult to intelligence. I wouldn't mind if you left shows like this to the professionals as long as you advertise as such (and, believe me, it could well improve the shows). But to continue to represent these shows falsely is one of the reasons The X-Factor is a victim of fatigue of all this and is probably about to die.
If this is any indication, not a moment too soon.
This ARTICLE is fraud, and is an insult to our intelligence far more than the X-Factor is. It's pretty insulting to assuming that we viewers are stupid in the first place.
ReplyDeleteOf COURSE Ms. McCloud had previous recording experience, and of COURSE Rachel Potter has experience in the music industry in Nashville. Where is the fraud that you claim? I knew this within minutes after the show aired from a simple Google search. There is absolutely no representation being made that every X-Factor contestant is a rank amateur with no experience; in fact, nearly very single decent auditionee -- just as on Idol and The Voice -- has some sort of music experience or other, ranging from private vocal lessons to church choir training to semi-professional club gigs to having recorded D-List records years ago. B.F.D.! Wo Cares? One would have to be stupid NOT to realize that. And thank God for it... otherwise we would just have an endless parade of the mentally challenged karaoke singers who can't sing a note on key.
Get over it and stop trying to sensationalize something that is decidedly not an issue.
First, I'd like to thank Zob (a long-time contributor to USENET forums surrounding shows such as American Idol and X-Factor) for coming over here, though I'm not sure he really _wanted_ to, as this is information I really wanted to post over there, and, unfortunately, wanted to try to avoid some of the "SPOILER!" problems, since we are probably still a month or so (with the baseball playoffs) from some of this information getting out.
ReplyDeleteThat in mind, Zob, here's your answer:
It is THAT stupidity you speak of that shows like American Idol and X-Factor play on here in the United States.
I'd like to ask you a question: How do shows like American Idol and X-Factor present themselves with respect to the kind of people who can try out and pursue their dreams?
(Again, this is all the reality-show kayfabe, but the question I'm asking him is just what are they trying to SAY they are, in that respect?)
The problem I have is that I believe you are wrong in one very real respect: That a contestant can be a "rank amateur with no experience" and have a reasoned shot at actually being on the competitive part of the show -- something that anyone with two functioning brain cells would declare uncategorically FALSE.
(In fact, even the rather questionable contestants who make the live shows are often pre-screened: Simon Cowell openly wanted Rylan Clark on the UK X-Factor last year, as one example.)
I would have ABSOLUTELY ZERO problem with a field full of plants and professionals -- _as long as the show presented itself as such_ -- which these shows DO NOT.
THERE is the fraud. If the rest of the auditions are like the first week's, this field is going to make the professional/plant-fest of American Idol Season 7 seem sane in comparison.
It is fraudulent for these programs to purport that the rank-and-file American can try out and pursue their dreams. It is abject fraud, and they can get away with it legally, due to the (at least partial) effective repeal of Prohibited Practices in Contests of Skill or Chance.
It is DOUBLY fraudulent for them to commit to practices to pre-screening and obtaining professional contestants under the same guise.
I gave you Jiordan Tioli as one example -- another Australian example comes in the form of last year's X-Factor (AUS) winner, Samantha Jade, a former Jive Records recording artist who actually has ties with one of the four judges from the show last year!
How is that allowed?
How is that not a fraud to not only the viewers, but also to the rank-and-file auditioners who believe they should get a shot?
(Unless you are willing to say that the rank-and-files are fools to believe that, at which point I cannot disagree, but at least be honest about the point!)
And now, one of the four US people I list above is an international dance diva with 10 Billboard Top 10 Dance hits? Why don't we get Tiffany to try out next year?
The fraud is in that the show purports anyone can feasibly go after their dreams. That's the fraud.
And if you honestly think Americans are as smart as you say they are, I point you to my "El Stupido" post about the Miley Cyrus complaints.