X-FACTOR!!- it's predictable, it's ridiculous, IT'S GREAT...

[Raahh]

I love it.

I am not ashamed to say that i will get totally involved- even though i am too old.

Lets count how many times Louis Walsh says 'westloife'
Watch Simon Cowell look bored rigid.
They will put through a 70 year- just for fun
They will tell a 14 year old she is the next Mariah Carey- and then not put her in the finals- FOR BEING TOO YOUNG!
Everyone one will 'own the song, and make it their own'
or- 'that was a really poor song choice- i blame Louis'
A group WILL NOT WIN.
Marvel at the really poor sob stories!
About half a dozen audtionees will sing 'Valerie/you're beautiful'
Watch Cheryl Cole waste away before our very eyes (how skinny is she????)

I need to get out more

Roll on Saturday!!!

And see if anyone throws water

YAY! I am hoping Sharon and Ozzy will turn up at the auditions as a Same Difference tribute act...

Have some pushy families saying 'please simon, my child can sing, everyone says so, go on sweetheart sing them another song' Which must score high on cringe factor when they actually hear their child sing like an injured cat when they actually watch it on TV, specially good if they've invited everyone round to watch it!

you know the producers put the competitors through about four auditions before they see Simon et al? so the mentally ill ones are deluded into thinking they've got a real chance?

i can't watch it any more, not when there's bear-baiting on channel four...

I got a bit uncomfortable last year watching the ones who had been put through to audition who clearly had mental health issues or learning difficulties.

The audition stages are clearly edited to be as car-crash as possible.It is not always a good thing. I agree that last year they over stepped the mark with a few of the contestants- there is a fine line between being entertaining /exploitative.

but i will still have to watch

It's not great. It blatantly laughs at other people's expenses.

I find it too uncomfortable to watch.

no, there's no fine line between entertaining and exploitative.

it's definitely exploitative... four auditions where people with real mental health problems are told they are great and have the x factor... then they are treated like shit by Cowell.

no question that these people are being abused. if people find that entertaining that's up to them... shame Bedlam's not open any more, eh?

Not only that but those clips are shown again and again and again on adverts and ITV2 and Xfactor repeats etc. etc.

It's too horrible for words.

You don't think, do you, that some people turn up for auditions who know they are no good, but just want to be on the telly?

Nah. Shame on me for thinking it.

don't get me wrong, until i knew that they'd been through the audition process i did find it amusing that some people were so deluded. i didn't know then that their hopes had been built up specifically so they could be shattered. that changed the whole thing for me.

actually PM i think that happened in previous series, but unless they are particularly good at appearing sincere it seems to me that the producers will root them out easily as they aren't as 'entertaining' as the mentally ill.

look at the stadia full of people... how many of those do you think Cowell etc actually see? only the very best and the very worst.

I'm sure many people do Puppy but I also think some people are genuinely encouraged and built up by production staff only to be sneered at and ridiculed by over paid, over exposed wankers who have no regard for the fact those people have to return to their 'normal' lives after being branded a worthless idiot.

But hey ho, it's up to you what you watch!

Actually, I don't watch it at all - on the grounds that it is deadly boring and long past its sell by date!

I just can't bear the ridiculous insistence on sob stories anymore.

Has last years winner vanished already??

I'm quite looking forward to it, but no Rhydian this year..sobs.

Still hoping for a better result this time than the travesty of last year.

if you like x-factor read this by ben elton - it puts a great spin on the whole thing and takes off the RL people quite wonderfully.

yes - the Louis Walsh character is brilliant!

a must read!

having discovered that you go through at the very least three auditions to get to even see the judges I think it makes for very uncomfortable viewing.

And even if you're any good you have to justify your being there - I read a very interesting blog entry from someone whose daughter got to the part where she was about to go in to see the judges and was taken into a room and asked why she was there. when she said because she wanted to sing she was asked if she had a sob story, and when she said no she was told that she wouldn't be singing for the judges after all .

185000 people auditioned this year. I would be surprised if the judges see 1000 of them.

I find the auditions too cringey but DD loves them so we'll have it on.
I like the live shows though

let me see if I can find it - I happened upon it after I'd auditioned and wanted to see what other people's experiences had been like.