Who the hell watches crap like The X-factor or Strictly come dancing?

[Gandalf]

I am going to have a little rant because I am sick and tired of god awful, low quality television programmes of this ilk. I don't watch them, I refuse to watch them. However, I know about them because my wife watches them. If she is watching them then that means that I have to hear them and it is just unbearable.

First off what is the deal with this X-factor drivel. As far as I can tell it is a karaoke show with a bunch of Big Brother rejects trying to sing. Now what is the appeal of that? All the lights which look like a Vitali Klitschko ring entrance and a bunch of judges deciding on the quality of the voice? What is it all about? I find it offensive that I have no proper music on my television and I am forced to endure this awful mediocrity. Bob Dylan would never make it on a show like this. Neither would early Bowie or The Rolling Stones. And yet these 'people' would somehow triumph and sell a lot more records? What I want on my TV is the latest series of Jools Holland, but I don't have it and yet I am forced to endure this. I don't understand why people watch this rubbish. It is pap, it is the lowest common denominator drivel. And yet these types of shows are taking over the world. Korea has even introduced its own version of the show which will no doubt make me go mad. Further cementing my misery is that I have read that these people will be covering Bowie's "Heroes" for charity. I would much rather they didn't and people were given the choice to give to charity in order to stop them releasing it. Not that I don't like "Heroes", it is a classic, but I really don't want to see it murdered by a bunch of nondescripts.

And also what is that ridiculous dancing thing all about. They are dancing like the bunch of horrid luvvies that they are. What is the appeal in watching a bunch of middle aged celebs tango on the dancefloor? Bruce Forsyth looks as though the ancient Egyptians used some magic spell to keep him living and you have all these orange people dancing about and getting cheered and clapped for reasons totally beyond me. Is that what people call fun? Utter crap as far as I am concerned.

I thought I would start a thread about it and stay silent at home as the wife is a bit sensitive this time of the month. So do any of you watch these programmes?

Any opinions on them?

[Memphis]

I guess the answer is lots of people, or they wouldnt exist.

Go out?

[Gandalf]

I guess the answer is lots of people, or they wouldnt exist.

Go out?

I could go out, but there isn't anywhere to go that time of the day. The computer is in the same room as the television, so I tend to get the awful music everywhere.

Who watches these shows though and what is the appeal? Do you watch them?

It's just something that doesn't register with me. I'm the type of person that will even refuse to watch advertisements, so I'm perhaps a little bit different to regular people.

I just don't get why they are into what they are into. My only conclusion is that people like watching karaoke on television and seeing Bruce Forsyth read lines.

[Memphis]

I watch the early rounds of the x-factor, or x-factorrrrr for our American cousins, comedy gold, who doesnt find mentally ill people funny?

Never watched Strictly.

I can see why people watch them, its no brains required entertainment.

[Mark TKO]

I watch X factor - actually quite enjoying it this year due to the Wagner factor. The guy is so bad he is genius - his bongo solo last weekend was the stuff of legend. What I can't do with is the stretching it out over two nights - like to see them go out and be devastated on same night.


As Memphis says with a 20 million audience they must be doing something right

Never watched Strictly - don't see the appeal of that one.

[Gandalf]

I just wish I could have some interesting music on TV, we have loads of this dancing and singing stuff and yet no real music from proper bands and singers. They used to show Jools Holland out here about 2 years ago which was great, except for having to stay up until 1am to watch it and now there is nothing like that. Just totally wiped off the schedules and yet all over the place we have these karaoke competitions.

Judge 1: "Ooh your voice was lovely".
Judge 2: "I disagree, it was poor"
Ad infinitum.

What are these so called judges rating exactly. Do they have a carefully constructed criteria for assessing the qualities of a voice? Obviously not, it's just faff made for faff. It's just pointless and totally detracts from the hard work that good bands are putting in in an increasingly volatile industry. However, these people with easy access to TV are guaranteed their own advertising slots. It's a sham, it really is. One big marketing ploy, whilst good bands get laid to ruin.

I hate shows like this and want them off of commerical TV, but as a man who refuses to watch adverts what does commercial TV care about a man who doesn't watch adverts and furthermore doesn't even live in the country where the adverts are shown?

Yet, somehow this stuff needs to be banned.

[Doot]

never heard of this strictly show before but i like the x factor.
I live in Canada but I download it every Saturday and have been for the past 4 seasons.
its odd cause I hate american idol but like x factor it just seems to have way better talent in the end and the judges make me laugh.

[Memphis]

But thats the thing Miles, for most people this is 'real' music, its called pop for a reason, disagree all you want but the numbers dont lie.

I wouldnt get to upset over the judging, Dani Minogue and Cheryl Whatever judging someones voice?

for someone who watches it by proxy your well clued up mate

[Doot]

I only watch those shows when downloaded though so I can miss the commercials.
its not worth it with the commercials in it.

[Kev]

I agree Miles, absolutely atrocious tv, the X Factor especially is just an hour long commercial where the fucking idiots who are the people of Britain get to vote on what useless manufactured pop product they will waste their money on this Christmas to line ITV's and Simon Cowell's pockets.

Likewise Strictly Come Dancing and it's ilk serves as filler television for the networks and a quick personality profile boost for any fading or never was celebs to get some airtime so they can then sell their wedding to Hello magazine or their banal autobiographies to, once agains the idiotic people of Britain.

It's why I took a stand aned stopped paying my television license, deciding instead to ditch the tv in favour of good old fashioned books. In fact, thanks to my excellent Kindle, not so old fashioned now, all digitalised and up to date.

I grabbed all of Ken Follet's works today, he sounds like a must read. So far I've bought 4 new books on Amazon and downloaded about 20 more, mostly latest novels, Booker Prize Winners etc.

I get the Daily Telegraph delivered to it daily as well and so am sorted for entertainment and information really.

The television networks can fuck off.

[Gandalf]

But thats the thing Miles, for most people this is 'real' music, its called pop for a reason, disagree all you want but the numbers dont lie.

I wouldnt get to upset over the judging, Dani Minogue and Cheryl Whatever judging someones voice?

for someone who watches it by proxy your well clued up mate

Honestly, I don't watch it, but my computer is about 9 feet away from the TV. I hear it all and if the wife is in TV mode then that means I need to be quiet to allow her her time because at other times I put on my CD's and am entitled to my time. That's why I am having my rant on here because I am able to say what I want without repercussions. I think the programme is shit, but it's never good to walk up to the wife and say "Your programme is shit". That never goes down well.

You can call it pop, but a karaoke cover version is not pop. That is pop devoid of even the futile attempt at copying something new. The Beatles were 'pop', they sold and created. Bowie was 'pop', he sold and created. You can maintain your integrity and sell records. You just need the talent to write a good tune and these muppets have NONE of that. This is Big Brother pop, this is manufactured pop and using the TV time to tell you it is pop. "This is the pop you need to consume because it was on your TV" kind of pop...just like a free commercial. That isn't real music.

The numbers don't lie. They tell us that people are stupid and that celebrity culture has gone too far. You need to be a talented person in order to deserve the right to make an album. However this constant dumbing down in the age of the internet basically means that new talent will be harder to find and that we will be more and more strewn with dullards interpreting old songs on TV shows like this. Instead we could be getting music with new bands trying out new things, but instead we get Susan Boyle.

[Gandalf]

I agree Miles, absolutely atrocious tv, the X Factor especially is just an hour long commercial where the fucking idiots who are the people of Britain get to vote on what useless manufactured pop product they will waste their money on this Christmas to line ITV's and Simon Cowell's pockets.

Likewise Strictly Come Dancing and it's ilk serves as filler television for the networks and a quick personality profile boost for any fading or never was celebs to get some airtime so they can then sell their wedding to Hello magazine or their banal autobiographies to, once agains the idiotic people of Britain.

It's why I took a stand aned stopped paying my television license, deciding instead to ditch the tv in favour of good old fashioned books. In fact, thanks to my excellent Kindle, not so old fashioned now, all digitalised and up to date.

I grabbed all of Ken Follet's works today, he sounds like a must read. So far I've bought 4 new books on Amazon and downloaded about 20 more, mostly latest novels, Booker Prize Winners etc.

I get the Daily Telegraph delivered to it daily as well and so am sorted for entertainment and information really.

The television networks can fuck off.

Too right Bilbo, television sucks.

If people are dumb enough to watch that kind of thing and I cannot persuade them that it is shit, then there isn't much I can do. Can you imagine Bob Dylan going on there with his acoustic guitar, nobody knows him and he opens his mouth? Or Lou Reed goes on there singing Heroin. It's TV music made for people who really don't like music. People who don't like music should simply stick to listening to the radio. I actually like music, so it just makes me angry that my music is never known in the mainstream.

It makes me more angry when I am forced to listen to utter shite.

[Doot]

It definitely helps people out who like to sing a certain kind of music such as opera or broadway Those people would prob not get a shot anywhere else.
The X Factor brings out lots of different kinds of genres and gives people of all types a shot at making a living. Its the show itself that chooses the songs the people sing, so its not like they can write their own songs and perform them.

[Gandalf]

It definitely helps people out who like to sing a certain kind of music such as opera or broadway Those people would prob not get a shot anywhere else.
The X Factor brings out lots of different kinds of genres and gives people of all types a shot at making a living. Its the show itself that chooses the songs the people sing, so its not like they can write their own songs and perform them.

But at the same time, honest bands have no television coverage. These people bring nothing new except a well trained voice? Okay great, they have a chance to perform in broadway or a new boyband. And yet the music lover has to be deprived of proper music from bands that take the care to write interesting new material.

A decent music programme can give proper bands the ability to survive too. And yet you would rather focus on a bunch of prima donnas with all the stage lights? Pathetic. It is karaoke for a class of chavs that have aspirations and need to be voted for by other Chavs. Intelligent people, need pay no part. It also tells you that the UK is done.

[Doot]

whats not proper music about broadway and opera? are there any good bands out today that put out good music? I can't think of any, all good music comes from the past when it actually meant something. again though the people that are on these shows don't get the chance to write their own music they have to sing well known songs that the show provides.
There is nothing stopping these bands with "proper music" to try out on the show and do some advertising for themselves.