David Archuleta is better than any male winner they’ve ever had over there.

THAT

Last year , Simon tried to “clone” Eoghan Quigg to be David archuleta. Failed…

I just have to ask if you are from Butte, MT?

No, from MN. But I’ve heard of it.

they did a follow up of what he’s up to now .. it was quite funny .. if your sense of humour is of the Benny Hill kind ‘ ¦lol

It was funny.

Oh… one other thing I wanted to mention. I don’t think watching the short clips of just the performances and initial judges reactions give a complete picture of everything going on. I think people might feel differently about some of the performances if they got to see the entire show. Or maybe not… I guess some would argue that they are avoiding producer manipulation by not seeing the other segments.

ETA: Hazehel (and karenw), thanks for all the links to previous season performances. I really enjoyed them. Definitely a talented group. Rhydian’s phantom was especially awesome for me.

David Archuleta is better than any male winner they’ve ever had over there.

I think it’s all a matter of personal taste … whilst I think that David can sing he’s not really to my taste .. personally I prefer Will Young and Shayne Ward .. but that’s just me.

We’ve had some pretty ropey male winners .. I never rated Steve Brookstein or Leon Jackson .. in my opinion we lost out on having a really great male winner when Rhydian was runner up to Leon a couple of years ago .. but there again Rhydian has gone on to have the more successful career .. so again it proves that winning isn’t everything .. he’s gone on to have his own TV special in Wales and he also knows how to rock the sequins ..lol

His Get This Party Started is so camply fabulous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cACWZ-YBUG8&feature=related

Whitney Houston could sing circles around Leona and Kelly Clarkson back in her day.

I like to see people triumph over adversity, why on Earth doesn’t everyone else feel the same way? It’s the cosmically correct way to behave.

I wonder who Louis Walsh’“who was absent this week’“would have sent home. It was a toss up, really.

They had Louis on the phone live from Dublin on the Xtra Factor (the post live show discussion programme straight after the main show) .. and he said that he would have saved Rachel too ….. he wished Rikki all the best and told Rachel to keep her spirits up … I like Louis .. he seems a really nice guy.

Also on the Xtra Factor … I remember MJ posting the audition of the guy with that rather large lump in his pants (lol) which was a bit distracting … they did a follow up of what he’s up to now .. it was quite funny .. if your sense of humour is of the Benny Hill kind …lol

it’s at the end of this video from about 7:50

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXprzu0ac58

and continues at the start of this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9vGrjsb-vk&feature=related

This is a really week season. I cant believe this is the show that produced Leona. Fricking Kristy Lee Cook would wipe the floor with these fools.

The way that Simon seems to have two different standards for AI and XFactor and how he’s like a totally different person on XFactor, is interesting. And honestly kind of frustrating.

I really like Jamie Afro .. He’s not the strongest or best technically perfect singer but I just like his voice and his delivery .. I really liked his rendition of Hurt.

I quite like Joe too .. he has a very good, pleasant voice but the song was just too oldfashioned for him.

The only other one’s I’m remotely interested in are Jonathan and Edward .. I think they’re hilarious .. can’t sing for toffee but totally entertaining .. the bit where they stopped in the middle of the song and did some sort of spoken script from “Titanic” about the necklace was histerical ….lol

It’s big band week next week and they’re singing “She Bangs” which should be worth tuning in for .. William Chung (or whatever his name is) eat your heart out ..lol

As for Cheryl Tweedy/Cole .. she can’t sing either .. she’s only where she is because of her looks and who she’s married to …. her performance wasn’t live … no matter what she says … there was far too much vocal jiggerypokery on the sound and no breathing or jumping in her voice when she was dancing for it to be sung totally live. She may have sang the first 20 seconds or so live though as that was as flat as a pancake. .. liked her hat though.

Like I said, I love Tamyra. I must say that she never sounded that great on idol as she did on that show. I suspected her vocals were enhanced in some way.

I doubt it was enhanced because that’s the voice you hear on the show –
A House Is Not A Home – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wN4wGxPvpw
On the show you can hear a few bits and piece where she was not pitch-perfect nor sang well, but in a recording studio she can do multiple takes to get the best result.

When she came back on idol twice, she sounded absolutely horrible, and I always thought that is why both she foundered so badly afterwards.

I won’t say that she did great, but I didn’t think her performances were horrible, more that she didn’t have good songs. The problem with her is the same old story of a singer wanting to be someone with her own artistic vision rather than be just a singing puppet in a hit-making machine. She had conflicts with her label, and insisted on making an album with she wrote herself. That I think was the biggest mistake. Someone like her can only afford to be precious about her artistic vision AFTER she became a star, not before, and she should have handed herself to people who know how to write and make hit songs. It’s what Kelly Clarkson did with her first album (and whether Kelly thinks her first album reflects who she is is irrelevant – she should learn the business, become a somebody first before making demands about having her own artistic vision).

While the AI kids are better singers/vocalists, they tend to be mediocre performers,

I’m not sure if either is necessarily true. There are some good natural performers from X-Factor, but there are many others who are quite awkward as well.

AI certainly has a larger pool of talent to choose from, but I think any of those people from X-Factor I posted above should be good enough to get into Top 5 of AI and one or two might be good enough to win (whether they would is another matter, Carly Smithson and Michael Johns were certainly good enough to be Top 5 but never got there). However I don’t think any from this year could or should get into Top 5 of AI, and perhaps only 1 or 2 can get into top 12.

All other get the not original comment.

And Daughtry is definitely better than Jamie, who is just average.

Mileage certainly does vary! Reverse the names and you have my opinion.

I also thought Cheryl was quite good, if not a bit dated. She’s obviously in great shape to pull off that janet-jackson-inspired outfit plus all the cutouts & sheer fabric. And (assuming the singing was live & not pre-recorded?) she can sing so well despite all the dancing.

ETA: While the AI kids are better singers/vocalists, they tend to be mediocre performers, and often have very forgettable tones to their voices (i.e. would you recognize the voice on the radio if you were hearing the song for the first time?). Seems that XF is veering in the other direction – looking for memorable voices/tones, personality, & performance, with actual singing skills being secondary. Ultimately XF seems to be looking for radio-friendly and gossip-worthy pop stars, since auto-tune and overproduction don’t require great singers/vocalists.

And, to stay on topic, I’m really liking this show. My favorites are Stacey Solomon who I think has a beautiful voice and I love her personality, and Olly Murs, who thoroughly entertains me.
I think Rachel was terrible and hit some really bum notes.
To me Danyl is way overrated. I was very unimpressed with Whitney’s performance. The background singers sang most of the song.

I don’t know why people compare american idol to xfactor’ ¦the United States has 300 million people’ ¦.the U.K would fit in California’ ¦It would be pathetic if the xfactor was better then American Idol.

its not pathetic at all, its like saying someone from utah cant be as good as someone from california.

Tamyra’s voice, however, is excellent, one of the most beautiful voices ever to emerge from Idol ‘“

Like I said, I love Tamyra. I must say that she never sounded that great on idol as she did on that show. I suspected her vocals were enhanced in some way. When she came back on idol twice, she sounded absolutely horrible, and I always thought that is why both she foundered so badly afterwards. I expected much better from her. I think that vocally alone, Tamyra woulnd’t rank in my top ten from idol, but if you factor in stage presence and looks she would definitely catapult to the top three….

I don’t know why people compare american idol to xfactor’ ¦the United States has 300 million people’ ¦.the U.K would fit in California’ ¦It would be pathetic if the xfactor was better then American Idol.

wise comment

Maybe the best of this X-Factor could compete with the lower echelons of the Idol finalists (and I’d hold that as a big maybe…

It’s not a maybe for me. Some of these XF folks are definitely better. But I’m not going to name names in case some posters think I’m trying to start a fan war – which usually happens for some reason when all I’m trying to do is state my opinion. In general I don’t like making comparisons between seasons, let alone between different international shows. But others brought it up first so I thought I’d mention it.

I agree with unique28v. I’d like to see it come to the US – but without Paula as a judge as the rumors suggest.

I don’t know why people compare american idol to xfactor…the United States has 300 million people….the U.K would fit in California…It would be pathetic if the xfactor was better then American Idol.

All the videos are gone. Fremantle wants its money.

You can still watch all the videos here, they just want you to watch the official channel (there are also plenty of unofficial ones left) –
http://www.youtube.com/user/thexfactoruk

Oh lord, I beg to differ, and I flove Tamyra Gray. Kelly can sing circles around Tamyra, I just thought Tamyra was the over all better ‘package’. She was an incredible performer, but vocally Kelly is stronger. But there will be no fanwarring from me. I love Tamyra. Oh and Kelly is a great singer. I don’t think there is a more versatile singer to ever come off idol, or any other of these similar shows. Kelly is the gold standard.

I hope that just stating a different opinion doesn’t amount to fanwaring. I do like Kelly Clarkson on Season 1, but for me, her voice isn’t special (it’s above average, but not special), and that counts a lot when I consider whether someone is a great singer or not. Tamyra’s voice, however, is excellent, one of the most beautiful voices ever to emerge from Idol –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUAmF7bybV8

Kelly’s best performance on AI was Stuff Like That There, that certainly showed her versatility, but versatility does not a great singer make. Her prominence now comes from winning the first ever AI, not because she is the best Idol ever, nor indeed the best of her season.

Young Lloyd Daniels was really terrible, and should have headed home this week instead of Rikki Loney.

I think I would also like to defend Lloyd Daniels, not a good singer by any means (quite poor in fact), but he is certainly not among the worst of the night. I think most of them performed poorly on the night (for example the much-hyped/praised Danyl Johnson was just plain bad), and Lloyd’s was one of the few I enjoyed that night. There is something in his voice that suggests he can make a reasonably good recording artist (especially when he gets to the studio where they can remove a lot of the imperfections).

Kelly is the gold standard.

That is so true!! It’s wild that she came off of Season 1 to set the bar so high for everyone else. She’s internationally known so it holds true for all these kind of shows everywhere.

The videos have all been removed from youtube

Fantasia > Leona Lewis

I like Joe and Lloyd. The rest are meh

I still think some of these XF singers are better than some of our AI Top 13.

Maybe the best of this X-Factor could compete with the lower echelons of the Idol finalists (and I’d hold that as a big maybe; did more than three people sing in tune?), but, in all seriousness, there were multiple semifinalists this year that could have vocally wiped the floor with the entire X-Factor crew, easy.

Another note; I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I almost prefer the Idol judging to this. The insane overpraising of the each judge’s act by that judge is downright nauseating, for me (and I find there to be way too much praise for these singers in the first place!). And then, when Simon is berating Cheryl for choosing bad material for Lloyd (whose performance I didn’t find to be that bad; ok, it was terrible, but I wouldn’t have put it as worst of the night by any stretch), we then get to see that he chose Hurt. Hurt? For a rock singer? Was he trying to expose his own singer’s limitations in the most over-the-top fashion possible? It seemed downright hypocritical.

The production itself is kind of nice, but with a judging panel like that, and a caliber of the singers like this, I just have hard time enjoying the overall program.

We all know Whitney isn’t the same Whitney as before. The drugs messed up her voice. But she is still seen as the Diva Whitney of before. They won’t beat up on her but so much due to the drug use.

It wasn’t her singing voice – the performance was actually OK. But afterwards, in the interview, she looked and sounded totally spaced out.

She was a great singer and a huge star. If the drugs have had that bad an effect, that she looks like she’s on them even when she isn’t, then it’s probably best to retire.

The thing is, when she was doing the ‘great diva’ gives advice thing, the night before, With Clive Davis glued to her side, she looked and sounded fine…

Guess I’m fed up with seeing these huge comebacks (Britney Spears too) trumpeted on UK TV, for them to turn out to be mediocre, at best. The stars seem to save these particular moments for the UK viewing public, as though they’ll accept any old b.s. Or do they do the same thing on their US comeback appearances too?

Nope. Kelly Clarkson isn’t a great singer (she is a very good singer, but not a great singer), not even the best singer on Season 1. I thought Tamyra Gray was the better singer.

Oh lord, I beg to differ, and I flove Tamyra Gray. Kelly can sing circles around Tamyra, I just thought Tamyra was the over all better ‘package’. She was an incredible performer, but vocally Kelly is stronger. But there will be no fanwarring from me. I love Tamyra. Oh and Kelly is a great singer. I don’t think there is a more versatile singer to ever come off idol, or any other of these similar shows. Kelly is the gold standard.

Twitter was alive with tweets about Whitney Houston’s trainwreck performance last night and yet the press has almost totally ignored it ‘“ they’ve just focused on the dress mishap.

The power of her management?

We all know Whitney isn’t the same Whitney as before. The drugs messed up her voice. But she is still seen as the Diva Whitney of before. They won’t beat up on her but so much due to the drug use.

The power of her management?

I was actually pleasantly surprised by Cheryl. I’ve never heard her sing and was expecting far worse.

I think some of the younger contestants, like Lloyd and Rachel did better than last week when it came to nerves. But I feel sorry for Rachel. Simon should have done her a favor and let her go home this week. I don’t think she’ll be able to take another B2 emotionally again.

Edward and John WTF? Entertaining if you like train wrecks I guess.

I still think some of these XF singers are better than some of our AI Top 13.

Overall I’m enjoying the show. I really like the production – I love Brian Friedman as the artistic director.

ETA: “Danyl and Lambert have absolutely nothing in common as singers or performers, so I don’t get that comparison.”

Neither do I. But then again I’m not overly attached to any AI contestant, from any season.