In a recent Hollywood Reporter article, Simon Cowell was hinting around that he might bring X-Factor to the USA (we seem to be almost the only country that doesn’t yet have it).
I am familiar with American Idol, but haven’t a clue about X-Factor. Looking the show up on Wikipedia, I couldn’t find any real difference between the two shows - in both of them, people audition to become famous and through a process of elimination, one wins.
Am I missing some component?
I think there are two main differences:
I don’t know of any other differences. I hope we don’t get X Factor in the U.S. - talent show overload might lead to American Idol’s failing.
This.
The point in X Factor is to build up the rivalry between the judges (always good for viewing figures!) and get a wider range of acts in the final live shows by building in a competition between the judges to the normal talent show format.
The live shows start with three each of: Groups, Over 25s, Girls, and Boys with one of the judges mentoring each category. The judges don’t know until the end of the national auditions - which choose six in each category - which lot they will get. (This of course allows staged shots of the judges saying “I really don’t want the xxxxs” followed by the equally staged phone call from the producers telling them they are to mentor the xxxxs.)
The mentors then take their six acts to some exotic location (Simon Cowell’s pad in Florida, Danni Minogue’s place in Monte Carlo etc) where they select the final three for the live show. Cue more shots of weeping contestents being hugged by the judges…
Come the live shows, the mentor introduces their acts and sing their praises after their performance while the other judges subtly (or not so subtly) try to run them down.
Actually, despite mocking it, I like the format - it gives an extra element to the talent show genre.
And that would be a bad thing…? I jest.
I can’t really see the point of a country having both - they’re both looking to find the best talents, it’s just that X factor looks at a larger pool of people (by including groups and over 25s).
For those who don’t already know, American Idol was based on the British show Pop Idol. There was some copyright bust-up between Simon Cowell and one of the other producers of Pop Idol (Simon Fuller???), with the other producer basically picking up his ball and walking off the pitch, so Simon Cowell couldn’t continue showing Pop Idol in the UK, and came up with X Factor as its replacement.
The groups do add something to the show, although there is still an overlap.
It is boring watching each X-Factor judge frantically backing their own group of contestants regardless of actual talent.
And yes, it was Simon Fuller who owned the rights to Pop Idol.
Cowell is believed to have paid Fuller compensation because the two shows were so similar. (I think Fuller is listed as a co-producer of American Idol.)