Simon Cowell predicts a ‘bloodbath’ for ‘X Factor’ season two
THE X FACTOR: Simon Cowell at the Los Angeles taping of THE X FACTOR airing on FOX. CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX.
Loading ...Simon Cowell isn’t stupid. He certainly was aware of the criticisms of the show.
He told People magazine: “Can we make the show better? Yes. I will never ever go into anything going forward unless I can believe I can make it better. Next year will be a bloodbath. We have to come out with something better than the rest, and that’s what we aim to do.”
A bloodbath? That’s a mighty strong word, even for Cowell.
Hapless host Steve Jones will almost certainly be given one-way ticket back over to the U.K. where he can lick his wounds and realize maybe TV isn’t his thing. Nicole Scherzinger, feeling sufficiently burned by the experience, is an odds-on goner, too.
But what else will Simon do? He recoiled at times to all the seemingly hundreds of dancers, blinding lights and back-up singers that Nicole and L.A. tended to favor. But at the same time, it’s his show so he clearly likes big production values vs. the simplicity of “Idol,” relatively speaking. He was happy to incorporate hip-hop, which is not a bad thing if you’re trying to draw a younger audience. And just like “America’s Got Talent,” Simon likes a loud, rambunctious live audience, even in the early auditions. Will any of this be toned down?
And why didn’t we see more behind-the-scenes mentoring? I actually enjoy those elements on “The Voice.”
Cowell clearly needs to fish for more interesting judges on his panel. After some early promise, L.A. ended up being more dud than stud. And Nicole was a poor man’s clone of Paula Abdul and significantly faker. Paula herself said she’ll be back and honestly, she was cogent and intelligent throughout the competition. Kudos to Paula!
We can only hope Cowell can find a group of people that mesh well on the panel and even easier, find a half-decent host.
Also, the show had trouble finding viable groups. Heck, they had to create two unwieldy ones out of thin air. In this day of solo glory, groups are out of favor. Should he even bother to keep groups? Killing that category won’t kill anybody.
Otherwise, the age groupings seem reasonable.
I’m sure Simon will be pushing Melanie Amaro to get an album out as soon as possible and hopefully generate some hit singles pronto. Success on the radio and in digital sales can only help “The X Factor.” She’s not getting $5 million to sit on her rump!
Curiously, there is no “X Factor” tour that I know of. Even “The Voice” did a modest four-city run with its top 8.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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78 comments Add your comment
DC
December 29th, 2011
11:45 am
1. Steve Jones will be fired..every failure needs a scapegoat..and he will be it..even though he doesn’t deserve half the cynicism that Rodney or half of you all give him. Judges have put him in extremely awkward situations plus the show kinda sucked…
2. Nicole wont be fired…everyone needs an emotional woman who says stupid stuff..that used to be paula..but paula is taking her crazy pills now so shes a normal woman…
3. Agree with how funny it is how people want to have the show like American Idol
4. American Idol does not need to put the age limit to 40..its american Idol not geriatric idol (truth)..
5. I would not pay to see them perform or anyone that does the cheesy pop concerts like american idol does each year…I would see Underwood though…yup.
John Cash
December 29th, 2011
11:52 am
Paula and intelligent should never be used in the same sentence. Every act by every group she was doing the same stupid teeny bopper dance at the judges table when they sang, she had the three line telepromter –”you touched our soul”, “you make people feel and beleive in your song”, ” I could feel it in my heart” blah blah blah -she needs to go back to rehab
Dick Lark
December 29th, 2011
11:55 am
I thought I missed Simon on American Idol last year, and couldn’t wait to see X-Factor. But I hated X-Factor! I quit watching half-way through and can’t wait for Idol to start.
The host was so wooden – but I’m convinced Simon wanted someone boring, so he wouldn’t have to vie for attention, as he always had to do with Seacrest.
L.A. Reid is clearly a hip-hop/R&B guy with little affection for anything else.
The contestants were horrible! Someone above said that Simon would have called Melanie Amaro “pageantry” on Idol, and I agree.
That little Rachel Crow was beyond cute – she was unbearable! With her little ribbons in her hair and her schoolgirl socks – please!
Chris Rene does not have that much talent or charisma. I think they put him through simply because of his drug recovery drama.
Where was the country singer? Where was the rocker?
The show was boring and infuriating at the same time. It managed to make Idol’s flaws seem totally innocuous.
JTesla
December 29th, 2011
12:00 pm
I used to think that I didn’t want X-Factor to be like Idol, but I realize now that I was wrong. I do want X-Factor to be like Idol at least in regards to one item. I want X-Factor to not suck.
So yes, X-Factor should strive to be like Idol and not being a sucky show.
Dick Lark
December 29th, 2011
12:00 pm
Astro was like a Chihuahua trying to be a pit bull. Josh was like a sweaty Michael Bolton. In-TEN-sity was like The Brady Bunch On Tour. Rachel Crow was like Shirley Temple on steroids. The talent sucked!
Atlanta Native
December 29th, 2011
12:17 pm
Way to tell it, Kelly Clarkson. Onward and upward with Ron Paul! What’s funny is, he is the most un-actor-like and has the least “celebrity” appeal of any of the candidates, yet has the most honest policy stance and sincere commitment to making the necessary fundamental changes in American government to get this country back on track as a free and ethical nation. Yes, indeed, I knew there was a reason I liked Kelly all these years, too…
TkH
December 29th, 2011
12:23 pm
Show ended well. Best two at top. What I didn’t like; 1. Judges competing with each other, 2. Nicole-too emotional and can’t make tough choice, 3. LA-didn’t consider any contestant to mentor outside of R&B and HipHop. 4. singoff-judges didn’t pay any attention to who did best anyway. 5. Steve Jones-simply was not good.
Would suggest: get two more judges who can be objective and clear minded.
Mar
December 29th, 2011
12:31 pm
I actually really liked Steve Jones. A little stiff in the beginning. But, he grew on me. It would be a mistake to replace him. None of the other shows would have had the guts to promote a Chris Rene. What a force he will become as long as Simon does not make him too commercial.
Negativo
December 29th, 2011
12:31 pm
Completely agree with this post from D: http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/12/28/simon-cowell-predicts-a-bloodbath-for-x-factor-season-two/?cxntfid=blogs_radio_tv_talk#comment-91751
One AGT is MORE than enough, so I will NOT be watching X-Factor again next season unless it’s drastically simplified and overhauled. Also, Cowell should beg Cheryl Cole to return to the show. She was a great judge in her limited early run before brain dead Nicole was anointed.
Idol Fan
December 29th, 2011
12:45 pm
I loved the opening rounds of X factor… but then lost all patience when I saw Cowell lounging on his chaise beside his pool in France having scantily clad singers slink in and give him a private concert (that sounds like it was pre-recorded in a sound stage.) Then, when someone was MEDIOCRE at best, he gushed at how good they were. Please. What needs a bloodbath is his ego. His critical eye is what made his presence on Idol. That was gone in X factor. The last couple of finalist shows were so very cheesy, I had to turn it off to watch “Christmas Vacation.” This coming from a crazy Idol fan who has watched every episode of every season, plus went to every concert. The X factor should be X’ed. Sorry, Simon.
Joe Blow
December 29th, 2011
12:46 pm
I just hope they don’t have another self-absorbed rapper like Alpo.
KOOL
December 29th, 2011
12:46 pm
Oooooh… a bloodbath… give me a break… what is Simon going to do, get in a slap fight with Paula.
I didn’t watch this show, but Cowell should save the sensationalism & dramatic predictions for his program. It makes him look foolish.
Kat
December 29th, 2011
1:53 pm
@DanJ: Helpful tip for you – don’t “fix” one typo if you are going to ignore the rest. If it makes sense in general, just let it sit there. We’ll wonder why you didn’t fix all of the other problems with your post. Other than that, you hit things spot-on and have good insight.
Mercedes S.
December 29th, 2011
1:57 pm
Comment read elsewhere:
“Josh appearing in a Pepsi commercial is something no one wants. He is, after all, the Real Thing.”
thatsme
December 29th, 2011
2:02 pm
For the most part, I enjoyed X-Factor. I felt that vocals of the contestants on this show were far better than American Idols (since I never watched The Voice or America’s Got Talent, I can’t speak on them). There was only one contestant that lasted longer than he should have, I attribute to sympathy votes. Sometimes the theatrics were over the top, but the theatrics of “entertainers” are often over the top, and the X-Factor was looking for not only those that can sing, but entertain.
DanJ
December 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
It’s clear I’m in the minority when it comes to XFactor. I liked it more than last seasons American Idol. I’m not sure who said it but I agree I don’t want XFactor to become an Idol clone. One American Idol is enough but if Idol wants a spinoff let it be a country version. At least then I wouldn’t feel the need to watch it nor would I.
Steven Tyler was fun to watch but for the most part the show last year was boring. It will be interesting to see what the XFactor critics will say when Idol starts putting them to sleep around the top 7 or so. I’m sure Idol will have it’s Beatles Songbook, Elton John songbook etc this year. I hope I’m wrong, I hope they get creative and try a new recipe. But I doubt they will.
JTesla
December 29th, 2011
3:59 pm
DanJ, I hope you stick with us to point out Idol’s flaws, because you know I’ll be doing it too.
Deirdre
December 29th, 2011
4:07 pm
Idol has lots of flaws. And again, XF doesn’t have to be anything like Idol to become a good show. The changes can go in the complete opposite direction from Idol BUT…it absolutely needs to change because, right now, it’s a mess.
The show feels like an enormous ego looking for validation!
JTesla
December 29th, 2011
4:43 pm
Let’s put it this way. A show does not need to be like Lost to be successful, it just needs to be less like the Charlie’s Angels reboot. And yes, Idol is Lost and X-Factor is Charlie’s Angels. Lots of ways a show can be different, as long as being garbage is not the way it chooses.
Hopefully the ego got a wake up call.
Nutmeg
December 29th, 2011
6:10 pm
I did not appreciate Ryan Seacrest or Nick Cannon, both of whom are *great* hosts, until I saw X-Factor and realized how awful a host could be.
I doubt it’s entirely his fault. It’s probably a combination of childish judges and crazy producers… but the hosting was awful, just *awful*.
DanJ
December 29th, 2011
8:49 pm
I think Simon thought American women would go nuts for a nice looking British man with an accent! I believe he was looking for someone Bondish. Jeez, I may have just created a word! Well Steve Jones in no James Bond or Cary Grant!
To give the devil his due Ryan Seacrest is very good at his job. However he’s had years to hone his craft. In all honestly he’s the Johnny Carson of hosts. I’m not saying Steve Jones given time would improve greatly, he probably wouldn’t. You either have warmth or you don’t and Steve Jones has the warmth of a popsicle. I still say a women should host the show. Whoopi Goldberg? She’s strong enough to take Simon or LA Reid on and keep the show moving. Even Billy Crystal might do well.
One thing I do know is Simon will do whatever he feels he needs to do to beat the other shows in the ratings. I’m sure the XF ratings humbled him to a degree. Look for him to bring on a super diva. Madonna? How about a Stevie Wonder? He will go to any end to win the rating war. My advice would be to tone down the bickering and production a bit and yes let bands compete in the groups category. And no more Songbook shows. Michael Jackson? Please!!!
Seth T.
December 29th, 2011
9:49 pm
QUOTE – “RX Dawg –I KNOW he had better talent to choose from. But he went with weird or different (like 13-14 olds)”.
Exactly right – as the show unfolded, except for 2 or 3 talents, it was a mistake to take the show seriously as a top-level talent show. We had to watch whatever they pushed-ahead, and some were less talented than shows you can see here locally.
There is an “inherant vice” built into a show where you have the judges also serving as mentors. They do that to play-upon the “competetive drama” , but then each judge lavishes rivers deep and mountains high of praise upon their own contestant and votes their own in a stand-off.
The Voice does this too, but in a little more interesting way. With Cee Lo, you can go to the spa and have a nice afternoon in your robe, or go to dinner with Blake while he rambles about things no one cares about, while the girls sit there stiffly, hoping it will end soon.
If Simon’s “bloodbath” to change the show for the better really means anything, they would need to make many of the changes seen on the blogs here –
they have the money package and resources to push this year’s contestants toward some type of fame and success, so if we don’t see the top 3 at least – burning into the charts soon, the factor will go from an X to a ZZZZZZZZZ.
Nutmeg
December 29th, 2011
11:05 pm
Total non sequitur, but a friend of mine (Dave Leach) won tonight’s Jeopardy! Woo!
Rodney Ho
December 29th, 2011
11:06 pm
@Nutmeg Coincidentally, I have a new blog entry posting tomorrow about “Jeopardy’!
DanJ
December 29th, 2011
11:38 pm
Good points Seth! I hope for Simon’s sake he can be objective enough or at least smart enough to hire someone who is to make the changes that need to be made. I don’t want another Idol, I’d prefer something much different. I love the fact the bottom two have the save me sing off. I don’t like the judges making the choice. I’ve said it before and no one had any comments so I’ll say it again. Let the audience decide who stays, who goes. It’s not hard to either wire a voting device in the back of a seat, armrest or hand each audience member a hand held device to be used after the last contestant sings. Take the judges out of the equation.
I’m sure the audience who hears the songs live would love to voice their opinion. It could have saved Rachel. Do any other shows do that? I didn’t see much of The Voice so I really don’t know.
Idol can and probably will stay with the format they have. It works! However like all these shows the voting process stinks. I know it sounds good for Ryan Seacrest to say we had 50 million votes cast. Well there lies the problem. Excessive voting. Every voter should get 1 vote and their phone number is blocked from calling or texting. Even 1 vote via computer and the sign in e-mail or IP blocked. It’s a joke that Sanjaya or Jasmine Trias is kept much longer than they should. I only vote once when I find a contestant I like. I only get one vote in elections. If nothing else it would even the playing field.
Those contestants who appeal to older folks like me seldom appeal to the young voters who vote multiple times.
Marci228
December 30th, 2011
4:25 am
Enter your comments here
Marci228
December 30th, 2011
4:30 am
If you don’t like X-Factor (Simon) don’t watch the show;!!! I love Simon and we need more judges like him: he tells it like it is.
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