RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘X Factor’ Finale Down From Season 1, ‘CMA Country Christmas’ Falls

COMMENTS (15)

• HEY Fox when will you cancel this big FLOP call the X Factor. and to Simon and Fox it’s time to pay Cheryl the money you promise her and for what you Simon and Fox put her through. Cheryl is AWESOME ! from a proud American anglophile.

  Comment by Lisa — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 9:19am PST  Reply to this post

  • Simons schtick has also gotten old – its not fresh like it was a decade ago. It will never happen but he should get off the judges panel. I dont think he really separates his role on the judging panel to his role as creator producer. His idea to reveal rankings every week was also a bad idea – who didnt know that Carly and Tate would be finalists and Tate and the rabid country fans wouldnt vote him in. Simon admits he wanted a marketable singer and has realized that country fans are very loyal….and his only interest is making money -and those sob stories count a lot…not to say Tate wasnt talented cuz he is…Wish him best of luck and to prove t hat you can make it in the business at any age. I just think XF and the Voice need to release winner singles (either a new song or a great redo as a charity single like they do in the UK) to get them immediate momentum and get them on the charts NOW. Nashville might support him and could see him on CMAs soon

    Comment by teven — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 10:53am PST  Reply to this post

• Tried to watch the final show,since I missred all of this season, I have to say it was a mess from start to finish.Won’t be back for more.

  Comment by rico — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 9:52am PST  Reply to this post

  • I watch a lot of awful reality shows, I mean just terrible, but even I can’t watch X-factor. It makes the Kardashians feel like cinema verite. Simon must have thought that to be more successful than Idol, more is more. So the audition rounds, instead of being in a small room with three judges, are in huge auditoriums with a live audience; contestants are mic’ed backstage to catch their bitchy comments; sob stories are milked to the max; cheesy dancers, singers, and other over-the-top stage distractions are added that make vegas shows seem tepid; and the repartee between the judges seems completely fabricated. In addtion, there’s no chemistry between judges and Khloe Khardashian with her terrible voice and stage manner is beyond awful. Worst of all is Simon. While he worked as the snarky kid who was somewhat the voice of reason on Idol, as the “leader” of X-Factor, it just doesn’t work for him to try to be both cheerleader and class cynic. He’s just seems tired and cynical and he needs to go away. Surely this hugely expensive show is not worth the dismal ratings. And didn’t Simon say the he would be disappointed if the show didn’t get 20 million viewers? And now it has slipped almost 18 percent since last season which was already a disappointment? Isn’t it time to call it quits?????

    Comment by Jan — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 1:58pm PST  Reply to this post

• I don’t know why Obamazombie John Legend was on ABC’s country music special, but I turned the show off when he appeared.

  Comment by TJ — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 10:21am PST  Reply to this post

• This years XF was a disaster on all fronts and much worse than last year. Simon seems to have one season to clean house again and try to improve the show but the XF brand in the US is far from what it is in the UK and other countries. So many problems – hosts, judges (Brit); poor contestants; poor producing, contestant rankings which led to obvious finalists and winner; too corny and cheesy; producer manipulation and sabotage and on and on. Im at least glad that a person whou couldnt have competed in Idol won and we’ll see if they can get him recording and out with some music asap. Poor melanie amaro seems to be going nowhere and still hasnt released an album. Also waiting for Idols Jessican Sanchez to release music before shes forgotten too. Brit was awful; so was Khloe, Mario only so-so (i actually missed Steve J); double eliminations every week, and even finale with 5H singing the same songs they did a week ago; and Simon already declaring he would sign emblem 3 no matter what. and carly getting sabotaged with the leann rimes thing – and as always too much backstory on Tate; and not disclosing that Carly didnt just fall off the turnip truck but had been in 2 movies and on Broadway in Les Miserables. Pllus a 13 year old singing old time ballads and not a single funuptempo song that a 13 year old should sing. And ratings keep declining. I think IDOL producers are also worried that the Voice could knock them down. XF needs CHER next year – and too bad Ricky M went to Voice Australia but maybe timing could work And they should put UKhost Dermot on a private plane to do the US show on Wed/Thurs aND then go back to the UK for Sat/Sun. Dwts does it with Bruno and Len and Dermot is a fantastic host.
  But watching this season, I want my time back – it was a total train wreck

  Comment by xteven — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 10:49am PST  Reply to this post

  • how did leann sabotage carly if the voting was completed before the show?otherwise i agree with everything you say. brit is a drip, Demi incompetent and kloe another talentless khardashian.

    Comment by Isa — Saturday December 22, 2012 @ 1:01am PST  Reply to this post

• Can someone clarify what the prize is and whether it has changed since last year.

  Some have said last year t was a guaranteed $1million every year for 5 year.s

  This year its been called a $5 million recording contract so does that only mean the record label has to put $5 million into promotion from videos, styling, hair and makeup, song writing, production, commercials, etc so t hat Tate wont necessarily see that money he was hoping to change his family’s life – especially if he doesnt generate sales.

  I wonder how Melanie is going to amke money back for her label right now. She might not even be around 5 years from now as theres still no album release – its been pushed back and back – and her singles havent done so well. But is she getting $1 million a year for 5 years regardless cuz it doesnt seem like millions have been put towrd her music career. but I dont know how much songwriters, stylists, videos etc cost. or how compensation for artists goes…especially these days when pretty much anything is available for free if you look hard enough

  Comment by matteo — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 10:57am PST  Reply to this post

• X Factor is a nothing show. It offers nothing new. The judges have nothing to say. And America wants nothing to do with it.

  Simon should just go back to Idol and be done with this experiment.

  Comment by WhatchooTalkin'bout? — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 11:08am PST  Reply to this post

• Wonder how the 2-hour finale of “Burn Notice” did on USA (9-11 p.m.) and what its demos were.Could have had DVRs whirring, of course, and had an earlier showing (6-8 p.m.) as well.

  Comment by EK — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 11:27am PST  Reply to this post

• I was so excited when FOX made the call to finally bring the X-Factor to the US. I was unsure of how it was going to go with the odd decision to hire Paula and create a déjà vu/this show is an Idol rip-off but was encouraged that LA was an industry expert and Cheryl Cole was a X-Factor sensation in the UK. The firing of Cheryl was the first sign something was seriously wrong and it went downhill from there with the terrible addition of Z Lister Nicole Scherzinger.

  I was encouraged for Season 2 seeing FOX/Cowell cop to the fact they made MANY bad decisions with the first season and was encouraged by the discussion of names like Britney and Janet Jackson. However when I read he was considering Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato I was confused as to what he was thinking. I was further confused with announced of the change in categories to include MORE teens trying to go for a tween/teen female demo. Ultimately I lost all confidence with the hiring of Khloe Overexposed Reviled Family Khardashian and was proved to be correct throughout the season with non-talent and EMBARASSING production!! Cameras not knowing where to pan, judges not knowing which contestant is performing, hosts barely able to walk and hit their mark (Mario was MUCH better than Khloe), etc etc etc.

  Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice, well, FOX/Cowell clearly have NO IDEA how to make an appealing show.

  Changes Needed:

  -No more fake/edited “contestant rivalries”
  -No more allowing singers to perform with pre-recorded backing vocals
  -Fire Britney
  -Fire Demi
  -Fire Khole
  -Definitely Fire Khloe
  -Go back to the original categories

  And lastly….fire Khloe.

  Comment by JJ — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 1:36pm PST  Reply to this post

• X Factor was absolute garbage this season and they need to conduct a MAJOR housecleaning on that program for what hopes to be the third and final season of that trainwreck. New judges, definitely new hosts and a new format would help them immensely. The CMA special was also a trainwreck and yet ABC is going to repeat this horrible show tomorrow night.

  Comment by Zeke — Friday December 21, 2012 @ 7:40pm PST  Reply to this post

  • I got home from an extended work day just in time to catch the last 45 minutes of the first hour of the CMA Country Christmas show and it wasn’t bad. John Legend was amazing. Scotty McCreey killed it. It was one strong performance after another. But I didn’t have time to watch the 2nd hour so maybe it was bad, I don’t know, but the first part seemed solid to me. That said, the best things I watched before going to bed were Moonshiners and The Amish Mafia. I know they are “reality” programs but they are a break from the fluff and fairy tails of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.

    Comment by Marc5 — Saturday December 22, 2012 @ 6:46am PST  Reply to this post

• TO DO:
  1) If you cant fire the Kardash – then stage managers – explain to her how to hold her mic – it cant cover her nose
  2) help her practice reading the prompter, she has no professional experience and is uneducated with a limited vocabulary so YOU must teach her how to transition and how to interview on the spot
  give her practice lines other than ” Who are you voting for”
  3) dont let her pump her lips up
  4) help her with wardrobe – she looks like a plus size woman in little girls clothing
  5) Good job mama Chris for selling your unskilled daughter you out hustled Simon HA HA AH
  6) Mrs Lamar – YOU MUST PRACTICE YOU SUCK – sorry but watch how easy RYAN makes it – go on a retreat with RYAN S. and have him help YOU -
  7) Simon fire her if she doesnt improve

  Comment by Anonymous — Sunday December 23, 2012 @ 10:36pm PST  Reply to this post

• The problem with X-Factor is the same as with Idol and the Voice: all of the conversation is around the judges, not the contestants. If these shows are designed to introduce the audience to new stars, then why is all of the publiclity geared around the judges, few of whom offer any sort of meaningful commentary.

  Comment by Robert W — Friday December 28, 2012 @ 6:43pm PST  Reply to this post