Why I Won't Be Watching X-Factor in 2009

I admit, this post has been a long time coming.

I'm not the nicest person in the world - I admit that. I watch Britain's Next Top Model and listen to the girls worry about their weight while eating ice-cream. I usually watch the X-Factor auditions just for the bad ones.

However, in 2008 the X-Factor crossed a line. It came out that the auditionees, both good and bad, go through several interviews before getting near the cameras. And, with the bad ones, it is Cowell's own team that are telling them that they're good, that they're bound to get through, before Cowell, his lapdog Louis and that-bitch-Cheryl-Cole tear them down (I won't say Dannii doesn't (or didn't) join in, but they seem to have turned on her recently).

See, when it's the person's own arrogance that is causing them to be turned down, and it's an overbearing, unpleasant ego being taken down a peg, that's one thing. But when it's a young teenage girl - and honestly, we all have those dreams - whose been massaged through those auditions merely to face public humiliation, or an old grandfather being made fun of for being on the wrong show, then it's not the same.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, when one could believe the contestants had it coming, that was one thing - but when the producers of the show has purposefully engineered their public humiliation, based upon their own hope - that's pretty damn low. That's how con artists work, preying on those with dreams in order to take their money - only, on the X-Factor, it's pride and dignity that's taken, and exchanged for ratings.

In 2007, Rachel (from Wales) did seem to be a very unpleasant girl. She was arrogant, conceited, and generally, yes, it was a pleasure to see her taken down a peg and cast as a witch. But, contrast that with Ariel Burdett in 2008.

Ariel, a holistic vocal coach, has a degree based around music and singing. The peice she performed was a four line composition, with each line in a different style - from pop, to jazz, to metal to stage musical.

In both cases, Cowell claimed that they couldn't sing. This was untrue. What he meant was that he didn't like them, and didn't want them going through - both were perfectly passable singers with pleasant voices. Cowell's criticisms have gone from being cruel to be kind, to being cruel to be a bitch.

In Ariel's case, she was cast as the witch because she liked metal and alternative music. Yes, she came across as slightly arrogant when it seemed she was actually going for confident and in control of the situation (on the advice of the x-factor employees she'd met before the actual televised bit). Still, she had a very powerful voice, and knew how to use it skilfully.

The X-Factor judges claimed that they'd never heard of Bullet For My Valentine - and these people claim to work in the music industry? Cowell also appeared to have a low opinion of holistic vocal coaching.

Holistic teaching involves tuning into the person's mind, body and energy - in other words, making sure they're thinking about what they're singing, using their body well, and that they're, for want of a better word, pacing themselves properly (yes, this is a very simplified version). All of those are things that Cowell has criticised auditionees for not doing well.

Ariel's audition was heavily edited - like all of them - and she was generally abused by the panel. Even on the edited version, the bouncer seemed to be following her merely to make her look like someone who needed to be escorted off the premises.

Across the internet, there seem to be two main views on Ariel - the reasonable one, who watched the clip and thought about it, and the "omg, scary metal roary witch" version that started on the X-Factor.

Basically, I'm going to be boycotting the x-factor this year because it's become a circus of human cruelty, carefully planned and staged by those who work on the show. It's dishonest, and it's cruel, and that isn't entertainment - it's closer to brainwashing.

The changes of judges over recent years hasn't helped either. Louis has always been Cowell's pet, but in Cheryl Cole, he seems to have found a very powerful ally. Both skilfully play their parts in humiliating the contestants. Cowell by being the big-I-am, and that-bitch-Cheryl-Cole by pretending to be stupidly honest, rather than just an out-and-out bitch.

I'd wonder how they sleep at night, but of course, we all already know. On a big pile of money.

That was a great line to finish on, but I do have a little more to add. One thing that everyone has lost sight of is the fact that the X-Factor is essentially a job interview. And to those who claim that this is their one big chance, and that they need it...please, don't humiliate yourselves more than the judges already have. If you're really serious, then there's a secret to success.

Want to hear it?

Go out and buy a copy of The Stage. You probably won't find it in every newsagent. Maybe you'll need to go to one of the larger branches of WHSmith, or even subscribe to it online. Or just check the listings there.

The Stage lists many, many auditions that are being held for new recording artists, among others. If you are really, really serious, then the X-Factor is not your only chance. Yes, you will get a head start, since most of the country will know your name before your first record is ever recorded, but it is not the only way. If you wanted it that badly, you'd be attending all the auditions possible, not just the one that gets you on TV. Not just the easy one. And yes, for all its faults, the X-Factor is one of the easier routes to fame.

If you wanted it that badly, you'd go to as many auditions as you qualified for. Or you'd record your own demo CDs, and pester studios until they listened to them. If you wanted it, you'd work for it - and getting on your knees for Simon Cowell isn't the only option you should consider.

Finally - and this really is finally - I'd like to end with a quote from Jimmy Carr.

"I heard that Simon Cowell spends over £500k on his personal security every year.

Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper if he tried to be a little bit less of a cunt?"