So Matt Cardle won the X-Factor, Rebecca came second (worth it just to see smug Cheryl looking annoyed) and the five boys with bum fluff on their chins came third. And justice was served, as that Cher didn't even get on the podium!! Far be it from us to say anything nasty about an under aged child, but she is an arrogant, overly confident minx in very unbecoming make up who needs to go away and grow up and come back with a lot less attitude.
The point of this post? We invested 12 weeks of regularly watching the sodding programme only to discover we didn't really care who won as none of them were any good. As much as we championed Rebecca at first and thought Matt was quite lovely, as the show went on they were just a bit...bleeurgh (good scientific phrase).We said before that we have seen genuine, superlative talent on the West End stages, and any single one of these performers we've seen could have sung the X-Factor contestants off the stage. Not only that, but in terms of magnetism and charisma they are and always will be far more watchable than these manufactured wannabies. Let's face it; Cheryl Cole has no discernible talent other than being pretty. 'But she won Pop Idol!' we hear you shout. So what. Clever marketing, pretty girl, new teeth, lots of money, deal with a cosmetics company, Simon Cowell's bezzie mate = immediate fame beyond being the pretty one in a manufactured pop band. No talent necessary. Yet she 'judges' future talent. And anyone who says with a straight face to Rebecca ( who is clearly a girl) 'I respect you as an artist as well as a woman...' has lost it as far as we're concerned. What else could she respect her as? A pet? A flowerpot? A combine harvester??? Don't even get us started on the others (Dannii has, however, still got amazing hair).
And maybe that has answered the question; that nowadays fame and fortune can be handed out to pretty much anyone as long as they are ruthlessly ambitious and will do anything to get in the spot light. The original "Heat-magazine generation". We still maintain that those with talent, drive and ambition tend to make it with or without telly programmes. The majority of theatrical performers (we hazard a guess here), as much as they enjoy some adulation, do what they do because they are good at it and want to create art. The majority do not do it for instant celebrity, rather as a way of self expression and because it's a fantastic (if hard) way to make a living. This brings us back to our X-factor contestants; is it really only ever about the music? Hmmm. Some transitions to the West End have already happened; Gareth Gates (who made a smashing little Marius in mobile Mis) and Darius Dinesh, Cassie Compton and Diane Vickers to name but a few among many. Yes, sometimes these programmes have showcased proper talent. We heart Will Young and think Leona Lewis is doing deservedly well, for instance...So maybe this ramble is specifically about X-Factor 2010. And how yawnsome it was towards the end, and how it was more about celebrating the judges marvellousness and smugness than finding actual talent. We frequently heard contestants singing badly off key, yet they were being told they had 'smashed it'. Either the judges are feeding delusions and the general public are buying it (Emperor's new clothes...) or the judges truly don't have a musical note in their bodies and are themselves delusional. Whatever. We're beyond caring.
But rest assured we will be watching avidly, as much as it pains us, next year. Yes, we are that predictable.
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