X Factor: 2011

Which happens to be pretty reliable. Sources close to Nicole also say she'd been saying that she expects to the get promoted according to the News of the World celebrity editor. And they've had plenty of time to deny this story.

It's TMZ though, so quite a reliable source.

I really don't think it was planned all along - would Cheryl Cole agree to be set up as a failure? However it'll be spun into that and incorporated into the plot of the programmes.

http://twitter.com/#!/search/X%20Factor%20USA

http://iamaviard.com/site/archives/cheryl-cole-kicked-off-the-x-factor-usa-because-of-clash-with-paula-abdul

so much spin!

I wouldn't say it was planned as such, but it was probably always an option. I didn't believe for one second that Nicole was going to be the host, I think her being 'confirmed' to present was just a placeholder of sorts. If Cheryl went down well, then Nicole would have came over here to judge our series. If she didn't go down well, Cheryl could return to our series to 'rescue it from crisis' (I can see the UK opening night VT already) with Nicole taking her job on the USA programme.

I do find it quite remarkable that Cheryl has been dropped so soon after all of the fanfare of 'will she, won't she' over the past 6 months, but of course TMZ could have got the wrong end of the stick and Nicole is replacing Cheryl here in the UK. But nothing has been confirmed/denied either way, so its probably true.

The main thing that makes it appear like a massive publicity stunt is that it was announced after the American Idol final.

I despair, I really do.

This isn't the first time a judge has been appointed only to be sacked. Its not the first time a judge has been sacked, only to be reappointed.

And yet, like goldfish or perhaps sheep, people have bought into the contrived publicity machine once again. And not just casual viewers or the great unwashed - TV Forumers who contribute to long running threads on the subject.

Common sense would tell you not to believe everything you hear - and when it comes to this show the rule of thumb is to believe nothing you hear. None of this is by accident, its all a great choreographed set-piece to get tongues wagging and headlines written.

Duh.

For those of us who would prefer to see something worthy in the trashy press (although I realise the chances are slim), could you all stop being so highly suggestible and doing Cowell's work for him?

It costs him a lot more to gain publicity through conventional means, like paying for advertising. By doing all of this (usual) hire and fire charade he gets the whole lot for free.

Use your noggins people.

wouldn't firing somebody because you cant understand their accent be tantamount to racism
it would be if it was an Asian or an Irish person they were firing

Aside from the fact that it *wouldn't* be racism to fire someone paid to speak for being unintelligible, there are different rules which govern casting in the entertainment industry.

In short, you're allowed to cast anyone you like who fits the bill, and you're able to refuse to see someone who doesn't - irrespective of the criteria. Sometimes people object - on Broadway a couple of years back, Jonathan Pryce was asked to reprise his role in Miss Saigon, made up to look Asian. This angered some Asian actors in the States, who said that it was inappropriate for a white male to be cast over someone of the correct ethnicity.

The objections were ultimately ignored - as its an entertainment show, the right person for the job is whoever the director and producer thinks is the right person for the job.

While lots of shows have casting changes its VERY uncommon for for it to be done in the public domain, especially when it happens on Cowell shows every year.

The only reason that Cowell does it is to gain free publicity - and even raising the question you did, Steve, means you're spending time discussing his production.

I would say "shrewd" on Simon's part, but now its obvious and tiresome.

We all know this, Gavin.



Could you stop being so patronising? Thanks.

I gathered you did earlier when I read what you wrote about Cheryl. I thought it was probably quite accurate.

But clearly others don't - and are too hypnotised by the never ending drama.

Not sure why you decided to be combative about it. You made your point, and I made mine.

Another migraine, dear?

I just think you don't credit people with enough intelligence sometimes. We're all in on it - some to a greater or lesser extent than others, but the majority of people know that most X Factor stories occur by design and everyone knows the few that occur by accident are spun with a narrative that has an ultimately positive ending for the show.

O RLY?

I think you just don't read other people's posts properly, certainly not the ones in this thread.

Are you and Tumble Tower somehow related? I think we should be told.

Coronation Street is scripted, but it doesn't mean people aren't interested in or surprised by it when something big happens. We all know that X Factor is overhyped and pretty much scripted, but it doesn't stop some of us, myself included, from bloody loving it.

There. I've said it.