I really enjoyed it. I expected such an upheaval to take a few weeks to settle in but its not an issue at all. They've made a really good decision by starting with the London auditions despite being one of the last ones filmed as the judging panel had settled in by that point. The highlight of the first show was the runner telling the judges the first contestant was delayed due to feeling sick, swiftly cutting to the Chinese lady throwing up in a Morrisons bag. Theres product placement if you ever want it .
Saw a bit of Xtra Factor too, Caroline & Olly did a good job from what I saw but I'll catch up on that another time.
I surprised myself and enjoyed it as well. The judges were great but Gary Barlow stood out and it's nice that he's another black-or-white person (as Louis Walsh and Kelly Rowland were saying) like Simon Cowell.
That kid from Triple Trouble didn't clear his name very well did he...
I haven't managed to catch Xtra Factor (so much on TV! thank goodness for TiVo and its three tuners!) but I am definitely going to watch it - Olly Murs and Caroline Flack are great presenters, especially after watching Caroline Flack on TMi for her two or three series, and listening to Olly Murs on Chris Moyles - he seems like a really likeable bloke - and especially as he is a previous X Factor contestant!
However I'm finding "extra" shows a bit much to watch nowadays, I mean, do I really want to watch more X Factor after watching an hour and 20 minutes of it? I haven't tuned in to BB's Bit on the Side (although I'm told it's worth a miss) and didn't watch it last year, but that was mostly down to Konnie Huq's bad presenting skills, so hopefully I'll get a few episodes in before the series is out.
The show does seem a lot fresher with these new judges, certainly the musical talent and credibility of the panel has risen somewhat (apart from Telusia but then that doesn't mean she won't be a good judge). The whole thing just seems to have more energy and the panel do seem to be having a lot more fun
Last edited by Inspector Sands on 21 August 2011 1:48am - 2 times in total
Olly Murs and Caroline Flack are great presenters, especially after watching Caroline Flack on TMi for her two or three series, and listening to Olly Murs on Chris Moyles - he seems like a really likeable bloke - and especially as he is a previous X Factor contestant!
He never came across nice but not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer when I've heard him on with Chris Moyles but he seemed pretty good tonight
The show does seem a lot fresher with these new judges, certainly apart from Telusia the musical talent and credibility of the panel has risen somewhat.
I absolutely agree I wasn't really sure what to expect with the new line up of judges, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. I really did enjoy it and appreciated it much more than before. I think last year's X Factor was all about the judges instead of the talent. I thought all the new judges worked really well together and had great chemistry with each other. I think Kelly exceeded my expectations most tonight because I did not really know what to expect. I did feel much fresher and more about the talent from contestants.
The key question will be the ratings, considering the decline in viewing numbers for this year's Britain's Got Talent with the loss of Simon Cowell. The major challenge for X Factor is can it prevent a similar ratings decline ? Last night's launch show might well be down (estimated by between 5-10%) by advertisers however, I think there is a strong possibility in the long run that viewing figures for X Factor 2011 may well outperform those of last year.
The show does seem a lot fresher with these new judges, certainly apart from Telusia the musical talent and credibility of the panel has risen somewhat.
I absolutely agree I wasn't really sure what to expect with the new line up of judges, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. I really did enjoy it and appreciated it much more than before. I think last year's X Factor was all about the judges instead of the talent. I thought all the new judges worked really well together and had great chemistry with each other. I think Kelly exceeded my expectations most tonight because I did not really know what to expect. I did feel much fresher and more about the talent from contestants.
The key question will be the ratings, considering the decline in viewing numbers for this year's Britain's Got Talent with the loss of Simon Cowell. The major challenge for X Factor is can it prevent a similar ratings decline ? Last night's launch show might well be down (estimated by between 5-10%) by advertisers however, I think there is a strong possibility in the long run that viewing figures for X Factor 2011 may well outperform those of last year.
Viewing figures just in.....
20:00- The X Factor: 10.80m (45.7%) , +1: 504k (2.2%)
* 5-min peak (exc. +1): 12.02m (48.7%)
* 5-min peak (inc. +1): 12.63m (51.2%)
Compared to previous years.
Not bad at all, and Kelly and Tulisa did a good job. Not so sure about Gary yet - his judgement is sound, but not quite got the relationship with the panel that is required. BTW, was Tulisa credited under her full name or just as "Tulisa" considering they didn't bother with her surname in her introductions.
It was nice the focus was on finding talent rather than the judges competing against each other - though having seen reports beforehand that you could fill the top 12 from the first episode I thought the talent was somewhat lacking, but a much better balance of good versus bad than previous years.
Not bad at all, and Kelly and Tulisa did a good job. Not so sure about Gary yet - his judgement is sound, but not quite got the relationship with the panel that is required. BTW, was Tulisa credited under her full name or just as "Tulisa" considering they didn't bother with her surname in her introductions.
She was just credited as Tulisa. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the new girls. Not overly keen on Gary, though. Trying to hard, I think. Louis is just Louis...
mostly down to Konnie Huq's bad presenting skills...
What are you saying about the Great Konnie Huq?
I didn't like Gary, as he didn't seem as 'at ease' as the other judges, and, as already mentioned, he seemed 'distant' from the rest of the panel, and didn't really have a relationship with any of them.
And, also, it was nice that it was about finding talent for the majority of the programme, and not watching the judges' backstage antics.
The show does seem a lot fresher with these new judges, certainly the musical talent and credibility of the panel has risen somewhat (apart from Telusia but then that doesn't mean she won't be a good judge). The whole thing just seems to have more energy and the panel do seem to be having a lot more fun
Tulisa does have some credibility because shes worked her way up in the industry over the last 10 years (albeit with a bit of help) and isn't manufactured. Shes an actual artist and has a fair amount of success under her belt, and most of all shes a relevant artist.
I'm really enjoying the dynamic between Tulisa and Kelly. A clear on screen friendship between 2 females isn't really something we've had before, its always been male and female or Simon & Louis banter. But they spent a lot of time talking to each other last night, Kelly even sticking up for Tulisa with the man at the end. I'll be interested to see how that develops over the coming months.
The highlight of the first show was the runner telling the judges the first contestant was delayed due to feeling sick, swiftly cutting to the Chinese lady throwing up in a Morrisons bag. Theres product placement if you ever want it
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