X-factor. The latest solution to the debt crisis.

Roger_007

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2415610/X-Factor-2013-Comeback-kid-Melanie-McCabe-sails-Boot-Camp--Dolly-Rockers-dreams-left-tatters.html

I was listening to the John Murray/MiriamO'Callaghan program this morning and she had a Irish girl called Melanie McCabe on who is apparently doing well on X-Factor.
An important aspect for the contestants in recent years is the 'backstory'. Usually it's some sob-story about the sick granny/grandad or the disabled brother/sister/mother. This is obviously to attract the sympathy vote. The message being: 'Vote for me, I may not be the best singer but I have the best sobbackstory.

Melanie's backstory is: 'we might be about lose our home'.

It's bad enough to have the debt crisis played out ad nauseum on our own media without going international with it.

If she is good enough to make it with her talent, (and she is talented), so be it. But I think she should not be using the family finances angle.

everlast75

Roger_007 wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2415610/X-Factor-2013-Comeback-kid-Melanie-McCabe-sails-Boot-Camp--Dolly-Rockers-dreams-left-tatters.html

I was listening to the John Murray/MiriamO'Callaghan program this morning and she had a Irish girl called Melanie McCabe on who is apparently doing well on X-Factor.
An important aspect for the contestants in recent years is the 'backstory'. Usually it's some sob-story about the sick granny/grandad or the disabled brother/sister/mother. This is obviously to attract the sympathy vote. The message being: 'Vote for me, I may not be the best singer but I have the best sobbackstory.

Melanie's backstory is: 'we might be about lose our home'.

It's bad enough to have the debt crisis played out ad nauseum on our own media without going international with it.

If she is good enough to make it with her talent, (and she is talented), so be it. But I think she should not be using the family finances angle.

Agreed - morto for us

Btw - Winning that 'show' is no guarantee of financial salvation. Look at the past victors.

keith16

everlast75 wrote: »

Agreed - morto for us

Look at the past victors.

I can't look at them. In other words, they have become so obscure, I physically can't see them.

Sam Kade

everlast75 wrote: »

Agreed - morto for us

Btw - Winning that 'show' is no guarantee of financial salvation. Look at the past victors.

The only people getting rich on the crapiest show on earth are the judges and producers.

Sam Kade

It's a bit like the greedy GAA monster that showed their true colours yesterday.

Sleepy

everlast75 wrote: »

Agreed - morto for us

Btw - Winning that 'show' is no guarantee of financial salvation. Look at the past victors.

It's no guarantee of millionaire status but you'd get a fair few thousand together pretty quickly in interview / appearance money and a guarantee of plenty of well paying gigs for 2/3 years at least. It might not get you the high life that the judges have, but I'd say it'd comfortably cover a decent chunk of a celtic tiger mortgage if you were careful with it.

PizzamanIRL

So her family is in such a bad financial situation but they can still afford to fly themselves over to England twice for auditions?

Mr.McLovin

I hear Sean Quinn is singing on next weeks show

Jester252

I guess to many people had dead relatives this year.

the groutch

sobstories hav been the backbone of stuff like this from the begining.
that scouser that won the first Big Brother used some kid that needed an operation to get sympathy votes.

lahalane

Sam Kade wrote: »

It's a bit like the greedy GAA monster that showed their true colours yesterday.

Necessary?


X-Factor should create a sister show called Sob-Factor specifically for that kind of thing and try to let singers win for their singing ability.

Sleepy

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

So her family is in such a bad financial situation but they can still afford to fly themselves over to England twice for auditions?

Flights to the UK aren't exactly expensive if you book well in advance (couple of hundred tops) and considering she just missed out on the Live Finals when she was younger, it might seem a worthwhile gamble...

Lando Griffin

the groutch wrote: »

sobstories hav been the backbone of stuff like this from the begining.
that scouser that won the first Big Brother used some kid that needed an operation to get sympathy votes.

And what happened.
With all the money fame brought him he went and had the operation himself and the poor kid was left fend for himself.

Paddy Dangerfield

The tears flowed in the Dangerfield household.

freshpopcorn

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

So her family is in such a bad financial situation but they can still afford to fly themselves over to England twice for auditions?

They swam!

kristian12

the groutch wrote: »

sobstories hav been the backbone of stuff like this from the begining.
that scouser that won the first Big Brother used some kid that needed an operation to get sympathy votes.

Lando Griffin wrote: »

And what happened.
With all the money fame brought him he went and had the operation himself and the poor kid was left fend for himself.

I do agree that sob stories are annoying, distracting and unnecessary. It should be based on talent alone, Big Brother isn't a talent show though and shouldn't be compared.

On another note Craig Phillips who was the Scouse builder donated his prize money to a girl with down syndrome, he was raising money for her before he went onto Big Brother and raised the money for her to have an op in America, he continues to raise money after her death and is a Patron of the Downs Syndrome Association.

Fittle

I was watching this and saw Louis Walsh's tears and I was thinking, if her situation upsets him SO much, why doesn't he just clear their mortgage

Don't Chute!

She is quoted in the paper today as saying, "the x factor is my last chance, if this doesn't happen i'll have to get a job"!!!!!! Jesus imagine that!!!

livinsane

The conspiracy theorist in me suspects that they have been grooming her for success the last few years. They didn't make a big deal about her the last few times she was on, even though she clearly had a superior voice to the other contestants and has "the look". They have given her alot of exposure this year so I wouldn't be surprised if they told her three years ago that they'll put her through to the live shows in 2013. She's not really an unknown now [among those who watch and vote for the show] so it's bound to help her success, and the pockets of those in charge if she does well.

Irish Guitarist

There's a picture of someone there with the caption "Working the crowd: Bubbly Shelley Smith, 34, wowed the judges with her flawless rendition of Nina Simone's classic Feelin' Good". There's someone else who does a flawless rendition of Nina Simones Feeling Good; Nina Simone. I'd rather listen to her CD than listen to some moron making a mess of her songs.

How anyone can sit through an hour of idiots doing cover versions without adding anything unique or noteworthy to them is beyond me.

up for anything

The first thing they make you do on those shows either just before or just after your first audition is to sign a release form and a non-disclosure of the process form, plus they're too madly busy to give you a copy to take home and read at your leisure what you signed up for. A chance throwaway comment during the first interview which usually takes place as soon as the first audition has been passed can and will taken down and turned into a sob backstory and oh dear those forms you signed earlier mean that you have to go along with it. I always have had the feeling that the last 12 are usually picked at least a year beforehand and groomed for either success or failure.

However, having said all that, if there is even the slightest chance that it will get some unknown exposure and experience then it might possibly be worth it. I don't begrudge anyone giving it a go, anymore than I begrudge someone buying a lottery/raffle ticket.

Sleepy

I'd say there must be a pretty water-tight non-disclosure agreement in those forms alright as otherwise we'd definitely have seen one of the contestants who got knocked out early in the live shows release a tell-all book by now.

Paddy Cow

Sleepy wrote: »

I'd say there must be a pretty water-tight non-disclosure agreement in those forms alright as otherwise we'd definitely have seen one of the contestants who got knocked out early in the live shows release a tell-all book by now.

Plenty of people have complained after the show about how they were set up by producers, given no say in their image and prompted on many occasions on what to say. Then there is Steve Brookstein who usually surfaces around this time to whine about how it was all a sham and he wasn't given the money and fame he was promised

People know what they are getting into but are so convinced they have "it" they are willing to jump through any hoops for the producers..........until it all goes wrong :pac:

Kinzig

black and amber wrote: »

She is quoted in the paper today as saying, "the x factor is my last chance, if this doesn't happen i'll have to get a job"!!!!!! Jesus imagine that!!!

putting it like that makes it sound as though she doesnt want to work..but maybe the girl wants to go on with her education ..we dont know , but what is sad is that a youngster who should be really enjoying life has the worry of being made homeless hanging over them and thats the reality of the thing..the family home should be your sanctuary from the world, but in her case and in so many cases its in danger of being ripped from underneath her feet and thats something no teenager should have to worry about:(..I hope she does well and makes a mint from her singing..

Paddy Cow

OSI wrote: »

I don't really think she has much going for her to be honest. She has pretty great voice, but her personality is boring as fook, she has no great look about her and she has nothing distinctive about her.

Ur onli a vile jellus bulli :P

Roger_007

Paddy Cow wrote: »

Ur onli a vile jellus bulli :P

Holy Cow, Paddy. What the fcuk does that mean.

Nemeses

Roger_007 wrote: »

Holy Cow, Paddy. What the fcuk does that mean.

Read it as you see it ..

I believe that poster is from Roscommon :P

EB_2013

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

So her family is in such a bad financial situation but they can still afford to fly themselves over to England twice for auditions?

She was in the Herald today saying her granny paid for the flights. I wonder will she still be forking out for family flights if Melanie makes it to the live shows. Sounds like she's already made it to the judges houses stage.

Paddy Cow

Roger_007 wrote: »

Holy Cow, Paddy. What the fcuk does that mean.

You're only a vile jealous bully.

I used to be big into the X-Factor and posted a lot on another forum. People took it very seriously and if you said anything even slightly negative, no matter how constructively it was posted, you would have the stans accusing you of being jealous, a bully or a hater. It was hilarious how wound up they would get.

Paddy Cow

Nemeses wrote: »

Read it as you see it ..

I believe that poster is from Roscommon :P

Mayo (for Sam) :pac:

BillyMitchel

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

So her family is in such a bad financial situation but they can still afford to fly themselves over to England twice for auditions?

I read in another paper that her grandfather paid but sure Ryanair do some very low cost flights to the UK.

She is pretty good but this sob story crap is one of the reasons I hate these shows. Best of luck to her anyway.

sabat

A month's work in McDonalds/Spar/fish gutting factory etc will bring home €1500+ which is probably enough to pay this mortgage, presuming her family will pay for all her outgoings.

razorblunt

I'd say Barry Egan has a hard on thinking about the front page of Life magazine being sorted for the next 5 years, if she makes it.

Nemeses

Paddy Cow wrote: »

Mayo (for Sam) :pac:

Close enough :P

redtapestyl

Suppose if you can't win the competition by singing, you gotta try alternative means.

NegativeCreep

She went to Manchester to audition. She obviously stayed in a hotel over there for a short period and is now probably staying there during the boot camp stage. How can they afford to do that if they can't afford to pay their mortgage?

Anyway, I like the girl. She's a really good singer and she's hot!

Paddy Cow

NegativeCreep wrote: »

She went to Manchester to audition. She obviously stayed in a hotel over there for a short period and is now probably staying there during the boot camp stage. How can they afford to do that if they can't afford to pay their mortgage?

Anyway, I like the girl. She's a really good singer and she's hot!

The XF supplies accommodation for bootcamp stage. There's usually some stories about ungrateful contestants staying up all night drinking, being a nuisance blah blah blah

EB_2013

If she makes to the live shows at least she'll be sorted for a while with money from nightclub gig's/pa's and maybe the tour. I just hope her story is true and she's not using it for the sympathy vote.

BattleCorp

sabat wrote: »

A month's work in McDonalds/Spar/fish gutting factory etc will bring home €1500+ which is probably enough to pay this mortgage, presuming her family will pay for all her outgoings.

Not that easy to get a full time job in McDonalds/Spar/fish gutting factory etc.

Not that easy to clear €1500+ either.

redtapestyl

BattleCorp wrote: »

Not that easy to get a full time job in McDonalds/Spar/fish gutting factory etc.

Not that easy to clear €1500+ either.

Pfff €1,500 - you know what I do with €1,500? I put it into a medium term deposit account earning modest annual dividends.

BattleCorp

redtapestyl wrote: »

Pfff €1,500 - you know what I do with €1,500? I put it into a medium term deposit account earning modest annual dividends.

Yer a wild man, hey.:D

GSF

Sam Kade wrote: »

The only people getting rich on the crapiest show on earth are the judges and producers.

Yeah i saw One Direction and LeonaLewis at a soup kitchen earlier today

1966

Wish her well ..... Too young to have the "family's finances" resting on her shoulders. Strikes me as a sweet girl .... But to be fair she is quite deadpan on stage & doesn't have a unique "look" - looks quite like Katy perry IMO!

dharma200

Sweet girl, great voice... Totally don't believe they are about to loose their home... Evictions in Ireland for non payment of morgage just don't happen here.......:D

Sam Kade

GSF wrote: »

Yeah i saw One Direction and LeonaLewis at a soup kitchen earlier today

Never heard of them girls

BattleCorp

dharma200 wrote: »

Sweet girl, great voice... Totally don't believe they are about to loose their home... Evictions in Ireland for non payment of morgage just don't happen here.......:D

Their potato crop failed and therefore they can't pay the landlord. They are being burned out at noon tomorrow.:D

Mickey H

Mr.McLovin wrote: »

I hear Sean Quinn is singing on next weeks show

redtapestyl wrote: »

Pfff €1,500 - you know what I do with €1,500? I put it into a medium term deposit account earning modest annual dividends.

Can that still be used as legal tender McLovin?