I'm a longterm fan of X factor. Over the years I have seen some great performances, but tonight's performance by Alexandra of Leonard Cohen's great Halleluia was breath-taking. I was suprised when I heard during the week that that song (one of my all time favourites - Jack L did a stunning version once) was to be the winner's song.

But Alexandra's version was astonishing. I didn't intend to post anything on X factor here but after hearing her version I had to. She must be one of the most amazing finds in any competition. She just gets better and better.

Glad you started the thread Papal Knight. I watched a bit of the X factor over the last few weeks and have enjoyed some stunning and very entertaining singing. I remember Alex collapsing in a heap on the floor a couple of years ago when Louis Walsh was asleep on the job and sent her home. Go Alex!

I'll bow to your superior knowledge on the subject folks.

I can't stand the show

all things considered I'd rather take swimming lessons from a school of piranha.

Edo wrote:

I'll bow to your superior knowledge on the subject folks.

I can't stand the show

all things considered I'd rather take swimming lessons from a school of piranha.

That could be interesting too...

cactus flower wrote:

Glad you started the thread Papal Knight. I watched a bit of the X factor over the last few weeks and have enjoyed some stunning and very entertaining singing. I remember Alex collapsing in a heap on the floor a couple of years ago when Louis Walsh was asleep on the job and sent her home. Go Alex!

It is a brilliant series. Any show that can find talent like Leona Lewis and Rhydian is top class. This year has been remarkable. Usually in the early show it becomes obvious who is in a different league. But this year there were at least 6 acts who I could see winning. Until tonight I didn't have a favourite, but Alexandra has been growing on me more and more as someone with incredible ability. But that performance of Halleluia sealed it for me. She was singing one of the hardest songs to sing, a song on paper that should not have suited her. But she turned it out a performance that drew my breath away. That woman is remarkable. To find one talent like Leona Lewis was an achievement for the show. To find a second talent like that in three years is amazing. She is better than most singers in the charts, by a mile. Whatever happens that woman will be a success in the music industry. Her voice is stunning.

She has won. Well done. A star is born.

Papal Knight wrote:

She has won. Well done. A star is born.

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

I thought that was "I'm a Celebrity..."

cactus flower wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

I thought that was "I'm a Celebrity..."

But I'm a celebrity doesn't have Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell on every episode

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

I thought that was "I'm a Celebrity..."

But I'm a celebrity doesn't have Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell on every episode

But it does have those two funny little men and is very, very cruel to bugs and sometimes to intelligent mammals, including rats.

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Then you'll be glad to hear that Cowell and Walsh are retiring next year and the producers are getting Pat Kenny.

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Superficial and ill-informed. Are you sure you didn't mean to post that on politics.ie? That is the normal home of superficial and ill-informed posts.

Well, I just like the singing ...

Papal Knight wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Superficial and ill-informed. Are you sure you didn't mean to post that on politics.ie? That is the normal home of superficial and ill-informed posts.

Good Gods. Are you for real?

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

Papal Knight wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Superficial and ill-informed. Are you sure you didn't mean to post that on politics.ie? That is the normal home of superficial and ill-informed posts.

Good Gods. Are you for real?

Is it really that different from the fleadh, or the eisteddfod, SeathrúnCeitinn? Competitive singing goes back a long way.

Auditor #9 wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Then you'll be glad to hear that Cowell and Walsh are retiring next year and the producers are getting Pat Kenny.

They should try that...it could kill the format forever

Must be honest, don't usually watch all these Sat. night talent shows, however saw that performance of Hallelujah tonight. Have to admit, it was a good performance. It's not an easy song to perform well so hats off to anyone who does.
Such a wonderful song; my own fav. performances of it have been Rufus Wainwright and kd lang. If I rem correctly, Jeff Buckley and Diana Krall have also done good versions.

A P.S. to X Factor - one of Gordon Brown's more cringeworthy moments earlier this year was, apparently seriously, trying to float what they called an X-Factor policy of encouraging talent -needless to say, the media had a field day and laughed him back into his Downing St. cellar.

Atticus wrote:

Must be honest, don't usually watch all these Sat. night talent shows, however saw that performance of Hallelujah tonight. Have to admit, it was a good performance. It's not an easy song to perform well so hats off to anyone who does.
Such a wonderful song; my own fav. performances of it have been Rufus Wainwright and kd lang. If I rem correctly, Jeff Buckley and Diana Krall have also done good versions.

A P.S. to X Factor - one of Gordon Brown's more cringeworthy moments earlier this year was, apparently seriously, trying to float what they called an X-Factor policy of encouraging talent -needless to say, the media had a field day and laughed him back into his Downing St. cellar.

So you wouldn't use Simon Cowel for candidate selection purposes ?

Ant and Seb, all the way. 'Da woman dat I luv'...

cactus flower wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

Papal Knight wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Superficial and ill-informed. Are you sure you didn't mean to post that on politics.ie? That is the normal home of superficial and ill-informed posts.

Good Gods. Are you for real?

Is it really that different from the fleadh, or the eisteddfod, SeathrúnCeitinn? Competitive singing goes back a long way.

I don't think that the judges at these events ever creamed millions off people.....

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Then you'll be glad to hear that Cowell and Walsh are retiring next year and the producers are getting Pat Kenny.

They should try that...it could kill the format forever

I don't watch it but I've gotten a blast of it now and then from a thread here and houses I visit who are watching it. Even though I don't switch it on (there's no financial or oil news on it like on Bloomberg on the next channel) I'd be sorry if I missed it or I'm not unhappy that I know some of the characters on it.

People like it and they like to spend a textvote on it - so what ? It's hardly the Colosseum where people enjoyed pure brutality. Like in Big Brother, like. Which I got addicted to one summer ...

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

Papal Knight wrote:

SeathrúnCeitinn wrote:

X-Factor is the most disingenuous and manipulative money making racket that any medium of communication has ever vomitted upon it's willing consumers/victims.

I truely despair for humanity.......

Superficial and ill-informed. Are you sure you didn't mean to post that on politics.ie? That is the normal home of superficial and ill-informed posts.

Good Gods. Are you for real?

Is it really that different from the fleadh, or the eisteddfod, SeathrúnCeitinn? Competitive singing goes back a long way.

I don't think that the judges at these events ever creamed millions off people.....

I'm sure that true. The judges are above reproach. Simon Cowell is a rich and cynical bastard.

Can you imagine the judges' comments if Joy Division or Cabaret Voltaire or The Fall were auditioning on the show? It's cheese, and it's not even good sturdy cheddar, it's plasticky Kraft Singles. I only watch because Holly Willoughby is a fine specimen of child-rearing age...

toxic avenger wrote:

Can you imagine the judges' comments if Joy Division or Cabaret Voltaire or The Fall were auditioning on the show? It's cheese, and it's not even good sturdy cheddar, it's plasticky Kraft Singles. I only watch because Holly Willoughby is a fine specimen of child-rearing age...

I'd like to see Cowell tell Mark E. Smith he had no talent.