
Given the series of unprofessional outbursts that appeared during his six-chair-challenge, I can only assume that some idiot got the big man’s coffee order wrong because we moved swiftly from one tantrum to the next until I was reaching for the television remote; although I hadn’t yet decided whether I would turn the programme off, or whether I would launch the remote control at his smug little face the next time he shrugged someone off the stage.
On more than one occasion I’ve heard Cowell read the riot act to one artist or another who stepped out of line and became smug, rude, and arrogant. He’s always been quite the champion, in fact, for putting people back in their place when they so naturally rise above their station in the music industry. While on one level I appreciate that Cowell is the top of his game when it comes to making money from contemporary mainstream music sales, last night he rose well above his station himself and went from being the we-love-to-hate-you music mogul to being a bitter and angry old man who never mind bettering the show, he may have actually taken some steps towards making the whole thing considerably worse. (Bravo!)
For the first time in as long as I can remember, I found myself frantically p!ssed off by The X Factor yesterday. It was embarrassing to watch, Cowell left me and surely many other viewers cringing, and as for his chair-swapping antics with contestants who - regardless of their talent, because that’s a topic for another blog and another time - genuinely want the opportunity to work on this show, they merely found themselves pushed from pillar to post by the man who made it uncomfortably clear that some of them were only there because the audience demanded it, not because Cowell himself wanted it.
Considering his heavy involvement with the show, including his eye-watering financial investments, all Cowell succeeded in doing in last night’s show was validating the already unsavoury opinions of those dislike the show, and tainting the optimistic opinions of those who think/thought it was okay to watch.
So congratulations, Cowell, The X Factor has officially gone from bad to offensive.
C x