‘The X Factor’: Hit or miss?

Are Americans losing their appetite for lengthy singing contests?

LOS ANGELES:

After a first season that underwhelmed critics, American viewers have chosen the three singers who will compete in the finals of “The X Factor”. Power ballad singer Melanie Amaro, bluesy Josh Krajcik and troubled rapper Chris Rene will sing for a $5 million recording contract in next week’s two-part finale of the Fox show.

But after major hype from creator and judge Simon Cowell — who had initially predicted “The X Factor” would replace “American Idol” as the most watched show on US television — the program’s bickering judges, big production numbers and flashing lights have left many critics scratching their heads.

“As a viewer, it is agonising to watch and none of it is compelling,” said Annie Barrett, who covers “The X Factor” for Entertainment Weekly. “Everything is a gimmick. It is a glossy, shiny version of a reality show that might give you a seizure because of all the lasers and lights,” Barrett told Reuters.

The semi-final, in which 20-year-old hopeful Marcus Canty was eliminated, drew 9.6 million viewers — below the audience for a repeat of CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory” and less than half the regular audience for “American Idol” earlier this year.

Fox executives say they are happy with the viewer numbers, especially among teens, and the show has helped the network reverse its historically patchy fall ratings in the 18-49 viewer group most coveted by advertisers. Fox has already ordered a second season for the fall of 2012, calling “The X Factor” a “monumental success”.

The first season’s most memorable moment came a week ago when bubbly 13-year-old Rachel Crow collapsed in tears on being sent home, sparking viewer outrage against judge Nicole Scherzinger. Whoever wins after public votes are announced next on December 22, Cowell’s hopes of discovering a new global singing star — who will be signed to his Sony Music-owned record label SyCo — may be dashed.

None of the instantly downloadable songs from this week’s semi-final were in the Top 50 iTunes singles charts on December 16. Barrett said that four months of “The X Factor” twice a week had made her
appreciate “American Idol”. But with NBC’s surprise hit “The Voice” returning in February and “Idol’s” 11^th season beginning in mid-January on Fox, Americans may soon lose their appetite for lengthy singing contests.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2011.