The X-Factor

[luke2177]

I apologise for my remarks about Reegan & state that if he should win then it is only due to his talent, not because his father is in the industry.

Just because I don't rate him, doesn't mean he isn't really talented.

I guess we'll find out in a few weeks, eh?

Read an interesting article yesterday regarding the UK version of X-Factor, and apparently how it wasn't exactly an out-and-out success.

Hope the Aussie version pulls through..

 

[choc_a_holic]

I was surprised at the very last selection - the dark haired country singer getting in over the blone haired girl. Oh well.

I know! Shocking stuff..Maybe they wanted somebody different, Kate needs a different genre I guess.

 

[luke2177]

I know! Shocking stuff..Maybe they wanted somebody different, Kate needs a different genre I guess.

I guess, we'll see how it goes - I couldn't see the dark haired girl making the final 3 in the 16-24 group, though..

I just realised I'm one of the main contributors to this thread. How sad.

 

[choc_a_holic]

Me either..and I think you mean you are THE contributor to this thread

 

[CrackerJack]

someone get it off the air

 

[luke2177]

Me either..and I think you mean you are THE contributor to this thread

I think you're right, and you could possibly be a close second?

Maybe I should lay low for a while to save my reputation around here...

 

[bunsen burner]

I've actually been watching this show. I think it's reasonably obvious who can and can't win. A few points:

- That Reagan/Nick Cave wannabe is a hack
- The guy in Kate's group who got knocked out just before the masterclass who wore cot off sleeves is a hack and can't sing. Can hold a note for all off 5 seconds until a slight change happens in the song that he can't cover. Also runs out of breath. Kate's always raving about how "hunky" he is. He looks like a complete tool to me. Not sure why Kate never asked him to sing for longer time spans. He never went for more than 10 seconds.
- No one in John Reid's group can win. The asian/philippino girl is the best but although she has a good voice she doesn't have x factor
- The only ones I think can win are the 5 piece r&b group, the black ****y guy in Kate's group, and the 4 piece bare feet girls (although they're getting a bit one dimensional and that style might be seen as hard to sell a swag of records). Smokies would be the beat box boys and the country girl. The beat box boys need to be able to drop the beat box and do straight rap, and the country girl should be singing country.
- The 45 sheriff guys are a bunch of pretty boys. But I guess that counts in this industry.

 

[luke2177]

So with the "hard" decisions to be made on tonight's show, I thought I'd have a crack to guess who is going through to the Arena shows...!

16-24 group
1. Victoria McGee - has turned full circle (well I have anyway), great sounding voice.
2. Jacob Butler - best of the 16-24 males?
3. Gemma Purdy - great package - has the looks and a good voice.
----------------
4. Vincent Harder - tough decision between Vincent and Gemma.
5. Jack Byrnes - too young.

25+ group
1. Roslyn - easily the favourite in this group so far.
2. Russell - best of the males.
3. Cavan - should sneak in ahead of Jennifer, tough call though.
----------------
4. Jennifer - nice voice, not outstanding, borderline with Cavan.
5. The new contestant brought back last night - should've stayed home I'm afraid.
6. Reegan - how did he get past auditions?

Vocal groups
1. Random - the way they're going, could win the whole thing.
2. Kaya - very consistent, nice sound.
3. Beyond Society's Kontrol - wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for Mark.
----------------
4. 2XL - I like them, but just can't see them going any further than Masterclass.
5. The Philipou Brothers - bombed last night, should be eliminated.

Thoughts?

 

[bunsen burner]

So with the "hard" decisions to be made on tonight's show, I thought I'd have a crack to guess who is going through to the Arena shows...!

16-24 group
1. Victoria McGee - has turned full circle (well I have anyway), great sounding voice.
2. Jacob Butler - best of the 16-24 males?
3. Gemma Purdy - great package - has the looks and a good voice.
----------------
4. Vincent Harder - tough decision between Vincent and Gemma.
5. Jack Byrnes - too young.

25+ group
1. Roslyn - easily the favourite in this group so far.
2. Russell - best of the males.
3. Cavan - should sneak in ahead of Jennifer, tough call though.
----------------
4. Jennifer - nice voice, not outstanding, borderline with Cavan.
5. The new contestant brought back last night - should've stayed home I'm afraid.
6. Reegan - how did he get past auditions?

Vocal groups
1. Random - the way they're going, could win the whole thing.
2. Kaya - very consistent, nice sound.
3. Beyond Society's Kontrol - wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for Mark.
----------------
4. 2XL - I like them, but just can't see them going any further than Masterclass.
5. The Philipou Brothers - bombed last night, should be eliminated.

Thoughts?

Pretty much the same.

- Glad those Sheriff 45 pansies are most likely going to get the ass. What are grown men singing in boy bands doing?
- 2XL are over rated. Should have been booted much earlier
- I still don't think anyone in the over 25s can win. The girl who got redeemed will come 2nd or possibly even first in her group.
- Jacob Butler is an outside chance be I think he's a transparent Robbie Williams wannabe.

To win: (assuming the top from each group goes into the final)

1. Random
2. Victoria
3. Roslyn

Smokeys Kaya, Jacob Butler.

 

[luke2177]

Everytime I come on here, I expect there to be a heap of new posters contributing to the thread.. but alas, it's still the usuals...

After last night, all I can say is that I am livid ( ) that the FINAL decisions were not made last night. What a debacle. So they told us 2 of the 3 finalists in each group, big deal - that doesn't make up for the fact they've been promoting for a week that the final decisions were going to be made last night.

Shocking effort, Channel Ten. You would almost think they're trying to lose their 3 or 4 loyal X-Factor viewers.

If next week's shows are going to be filler - that's fine - but don't feed us crap that you're not going to follow through on. They could easily have "given away" the last finalists last night, without effecting next weeks respective shows.

So here's what we know:

16-24 group
1. Jacob Butler - expected.
2. Vincent Harder - I didn't pick it but not totally unexpected. He could really be something.
3. ?
----------------
In contention: Gemma Purdy, Jack Byrnes.

OUT: Victoria McGee - personally, a bit of a surprise.

Prediction: It seems too obvious - Gemma. Especially after her performance last night, it was amazing. A sure choice in my book.

25+ group
1. Roslyn - expected.
2. Russell - expected.
3. ?
----------------
In contention: Cavan and the new girl.

OUT: Jennifer, Reegan - no real surprise, especially Reegan.

Prediction: Hopefully Cavan, I just can't see the new girl "wowing" the audience in the arena shows. And also, given the new girl wasn't good enough (according to JR) to make it through to masterclass, why should she be all of a sudden now good enough to make top 3? Give it to Cavan.

Vocal groups
1. Random - expected.
2. Kaya - expected.
3. ?
----------------
In contention: 2XL, The Philipou Brothers.

OUT: Beyond Society's Kontrol.

Prediction: 2XL. But both groups are a bit of a gamble here. The Philipou's are too similar to Random, so if they want three contrasting groups, 2XL should get the nod here.

Thoughts?

Also, how poor of Channel Ten to build up that "shock" in JR's group, when it was just a practical joke. That was lame, lame, lame, and I can't believe they built it up for 30 minutes just to give us that.

Lastly, I can't foresee Channel Ten being able to fill the arena shows to capacity for 8-9 weeks. If, as they say, there are 15,000 seats - no chance. Either that, or it will be very selective editing by the production crew to make it look packed!

 

[choc_a_holic]

The ones I am going for are: The kinda stocky dark guy in the 16-24 group who got through, I think he's called Vincent Harder from looking at Luke's list above..or is Vincent the one who is a real character?

I hate the over 25s - not winner material

And for the groups, I'd like Random to win

 

[luke2177]

The ones I am going for are: The kinda stocky dark guy in the 16-24 group who got through, I think he's called Vincent Harder from looking at Luke's list above..or is Vincent the one who is a real character?

Nah, you were right the first time mate (stocky dark guy) - the guy who has been in The Lion King.

 

[sante]

Cashmere should have won

 

[luke2177]

Good to see that the X-Factor bug is sweeping the nation, not to mention the discussion in this thread at an all-time high..

So anyway, attended the better halfs school reunion last night - and one of the blokes there has a partner who is working with Channel Ten and the X-factor specifically on their live "Arena" shows (starting next week)..

He mentioned that most of the "Arena" is going to be blacked out (with curtains I suppose) and there'll be about 600 seats or something available to the public... so in the end, it's barely going to be bigger than the Australian Idol "performance show" crowds...

So much for it being the "biggest ever" live performance show in Australian TV history.. (note: despite sarcasm, I'll be glued to the TV set).

How these performance shows for X-factor come across on tele will ultimately determine the success of the show. Even Popstars Live gained a cult following so surely this one will too?

Didn't ask for too much gossip about the show or anything, didn't want to seem like an X-factor geek... bit late for that on these boards though, I think - my reputation is gone...

 

[puddingfactor]

I think the idea of the show is alright. There is a good scope for the 'storytelling' element with groups and over 25s.

The problem is that it has moved so slowly since the audition stage, the patience of even the most loyal X Factor fan would have been tested greatly.

Rather than wasting what seems like at least a month with 'lockdown' and master class', they should have had one week of lockdown/masterclass. Then, the contestants could be singing live in a 'semi final' stage to decide the final 9.

And yes I know it sounds exactly like a copy of Idol. Remember though, this is television!

 

[choc_a_holic]

As in post #61 I stated my faves, I'll just say that I guess I do have a favourite in the over 25s, the kiwi woman!

 

[luke2177]

The problem is that it has moved so slowly since the audition stage, the patience of even the most loyal X Factor fan would have been tested greatly.

As the leading contributor to this thread, I'll field this question...

Totally agree, it's dragged out far too much leading up to this "Live performance" stage. And your suggestion would have been much better, to have the contestants actually sing to earn their spot in the final 9.

I was surprised at the way the contestants were cut back from 5 to 3 in each category - I mean really - they only sang about 20 seconds of lyrics (the rest was babble), and that was supposed to determine who got through to the final 9? Puh-lease...

Mark Holden was probably the only "main" judge to make his groups/contenstants sing regularly... I think the young'uns and the oldies sang about twice for a combined 45 seconds after the audition stage.

 

[luke2177]

So what's going to happen on Sunday, when X-Factor presents it's first "Live" Arena performance show.

Feel free to vote:
a) It will go off, a brilliant show.
b) About the same as Idol, nothing flash - a few good performances.
c) Rather average, could be much better.
d) Ordinary, amatuerish production.
e) I'm never watching again.

I's guess somewhere been b) and c). I don't expect it to be outstanding, but it shouldn't be too shabby either.

I guess time will tell.

 

[choc_a_holic]

Meh, I'll be watching MRR, if it's on. I'd vote for..B

 

[Pantsless]

What a load of old bollocks!

"The Brothership" were just plain awful...what a bunch of losers...

The chick singing Bjork is OK, too bad the audience doesn't know what the hell she is singing....until she started talking telling the crowd they were "awesome".

Guess what honey...only 4 people watching the show knew that song....

 

[bunsen burner]

I didn't watch it but one thing I have noticed is about Butler the Robbie Williams clone. He and Kate refer to him/himself as the rock guy? I'm more thinking pop guy. Robbie Williams and the rest of his image is not rock. It's a shame when people are under the impression that his sort of taste and image is rock.

 

[choc_a_holic]

Random kick ass

 

[Roobunny]

Egad that was truly dreadful. It made Popstars Live look good.

 

[luke2177]

My take on the show was that it was pretty average, to be honest. What I will say first is that Daniel McPherson did a pretty good job as host, for his first "live" show. He was solid, and looked pretty comfortable most of the time. Assuming he gets better as the weeks go on, he will be a really good host.

Now for the performances.

The Brothership. Ordinary, though it would have been difficult being the first act. That being said, it wasn't a great performance. I think they are really lacking vocally, even if the girls think they look great. Will be a travesty if they advance more than a few weeks. Were they even playing those guitars?

Gemma. Probably my favourite performance, she did a great job to perform such a difficult song/artist in the first week - a sign of things to come perhaps? I really want her to show us what she's made of, vocally. So hopefully in future weeks we'll see the very best of her.

Russell. He was... okay. A bit shaky and not quite sure of himself in parts. Though, he's been one of my favourites throughout the competition so far and I can't see him being kicked out anytime soon.

Kaya. At the start of their performance I had a bad feeling that it was going to be very, very awkward - I'm just not sure Australia are going to buy this act. But, to their credit, it was a pretty good performance. They just have to be careful not to be too "out there". If they keep it as mainstream as they can, they could be very good.

Jacob. I didn't think the "rock kid" was that impressive, and I totally agree with Mark in that it was just an impersonation - it wasn't showing us what Jacob is all about. It just shows us he can do good impersonations. And was it just me, or was Kate pushing for too much of Jacob as compared to the others? She seemed to indicate Jacob was "the one", as opposed to her other two (Gemma and Vince).

Janie. Not a big fan, sorry. Nothing against her personally, but I just don't think she has the package neccessary to be marketable. She could prove me wrong, who knows. I guess also, her voice wasn't really outstanding anyway. Not the worst performance of the night or anything, but it just didn't grab me.

Random. As Randy Jackson from Americal Idol would say, they were just "A-ight" for me, just "A-ight". They didn't tear the place up, but I can see why a lot of people would like them. Vocally, I thought, they could have been much better and even their appearance could be a lot better, so if they get their stuff together they could be the likely winner come 8 weeks time.

Vince. Showed some real glimpes of being a talent, and was probably my favourite heading into the live performance stage. But he was just too all over the place for my liking. I'd prefer he be a bit more centred, and not running so much from side to side. Good voice, but just needs to slow down a bit - I was getting dizy watching him.

Roslynn. Vocally, the best performance of the night and another of my favourites heading into last nights show. I wasn't exactly sure about the outfit and she's not exactly a "mover and shaker" but in time (by the end of the competition) she could be really good. One wonders if she'll receive many votes up against the young'uns as well as the groups like Random and god forbid, the Brothership - but I do hope she remains in the competition a while!

My top 9 for week 1:
9. The Brothership
8. Jacob
7. Janie
6. Russell
5. Random
4. Vince
3. Kaya
2. Roslynn
1. Gemma

Thoughts?

 

[Roobunny]

To be honest I thought Gemma just did a reasonable Bjork impression...Mark said Jacob appeared to be on StarStruck but I felt the same about Gemma.

The Brothership were truly terrible, woefully bad. Watching them appear to mime guitar playing did not help.

I've never had time for Kaya, just because I hate "hippies" and that's what they remind me of (the Waifs for example) - it's the shoe thing. I also believe that the despite the judges prattling on, the reality is this show will not expand Australia's music taste, so I don't see their style as marketable enough to win.

The thing that annoys me the most about the show is the judges "selling" us their artists, if they are as good as they believe why can't they sell themselves?

And yes I do agree that Kate is really selling Jacob, she really couldn't be much more of a teenage girl when she's around him.