• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Entertainment

The X in X Factor

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  The troubling thing about Jennifer Phillips’ performance on Sunday night’s X Factor is that irrespective of her profound talent, she can never hope to win the competition. I have a number of gripes with X Factor, most of which are axiomatic and probably not worth stating here. […]

Grant Bailey by Grant Bailey
2015-10-18 21:55
in Entertainment, Music
The London Economic

The London Economic

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic 

The troubling thing about Jennifer Phillips’ performance on Sunday night’s X Factor is that irrespective of her profound talent, she can never hope to win the competition.

I have a number of gripes with X Factor, most of which are axiomatic and probably not worth stating here. But asides from it being a blatant set-up and presided over by a talentless bunch of judges, and the fact that it’s a soap opera rather than a talent show, and that it offers delusions of grandeur to young hopefuls, and that it cheapens music, and that it strangles eventual winners of the competition (woops), the thing that worries me the most is that it is inherently sectarian.

Last night marked the end of the live auditions where all contests bar one or two are given a ‘seat’ and then heartlessly booted off again just when they thought they were home and hosed. Last night, as part of a long-running agreement with my girlfriend (I’d earlier watched Newcastle thump Norwich, Argentina thump Ireland and Scotland narrowly, and perhaps unfairly, lose out on a semi-final spot against Australia), I watched the over 25s perilously negotiate the grumpy Simon Cowell and what I assume is his brainchild, the Six Chair Challenge.

Talent amongst the over 25s was hardly absent, but it was certainly threadbare. Holly Johnson made me very sad with her flat and lifeless version of ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams, “half dead” Max Stone did a half decent job of a Bob Marley track, Vicky Ann Nash sung well but she was clearly shitting bricks, Joseph McCaul covered Duffy (no comment) and Mr Nice Guy Zen Blythe got the sympathy vote with a Lenny Kravitz number.

It’s all very “prey for the future of music” stuff, until the phenomenally talented Jennifer Phillips takes the stage and confirms after several powerful auditions that she is patently a favourite for this year’s accolade. Singing ‘Up To The Mountain’ whilst strutting around the stage in leopard print boots, peach lipstick and glowing white hair she captured the audience and was the deserved recipient of the only standing ovation from the judges. But here’s the stickler. Jennifer Phillips will never win the X Factor.

RelatedPosts

Why Christianity Must Stop Treating Women As a Second Sex

The biggest band you’ve never heard of? Celtic-punkers The Dreadnoughts release new album

Sex Pistols to re-release God Save The Queen to mark platinum jubilee

Surprising twist in ‘Dot Cotton’ obituary leaves Twitter users astonished

Take a look at previous winners and there’s a notable mould. Young, well-dressed, thin, good-looking and, preferably, white, for the past X series the X Factor has been crowning the same person champion over and over again. What’s the difference between Shayne Ward, Leon Jackson, Joe McElderry and Matt Cardle? Not very much. Or Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke; one cast in the mould of the other.

Not that the X Factor is entirely culpable. The public vote ultimately decides who wins the competition, but the public has become so consumed by ‘popular’ music that we have forgot to reward those who step out of the cast. And whose fault is that?

Simon Cowell once said “Everyone who turns up on X Factor does it because a door has been closed to them at sometime in their lives, and this is the only shot they’ve got.” I would suggest that the X Factor closes more doors than it opens. Simon Cowell has a frightening stranglehold of the British charts, and it is he who shapes hopeful youngsters by shoving cover songs down their throats until they act as he pleases.

X isn’t for talent. X is for stardom, and to be a star in Cowell’s eyes, you have to fit the mould.

photo: ITV.com

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Captain Tom Moore opens Yorkshire’s new Nightingale hospital

Tory rebels considering publishing secret recording linked to ‘blackmail’ allegations

Top ten most expensive studio flats in London

State-of-the-Art Concrete Batching Plant

FA chair Greg Clarke resigns after ‘coloured footballers’ remark

Touching advice Leicester City, Stoke City & England legend Gordon Banks gave aspiring eight-year-old goalkeeper

Boris Johnson urged to ‘get a grip’ on the coronavirus outbreak

Daily Express unleashes wrath after campaign for Big Ben bong turns sour

Brits on a cliff edge as the “Big Squeeze” approaches

Brexit-caused food shortages noticed by 56 per cent of Britons, poll reveals

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.