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Child Item

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.

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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.