X Factor audition farce

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Graham Orm

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Some may have seen the link to my daughter's singing here https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/have-we-ever-had-a-musical-thread-on-ukw-t70030.html (Scroll down a bit).

She got to the audition at Old Trafford today at 6am. If you recall the auditionees queue in a snake fashion round railings. The first 2 rows were full of people who had slept over night. They were kept waiting a few hours, then asked to leave the railing section and file back in so that they could film it. Jenny ended up somewhere in the middle and some of the over night sleepers ended up at the back.

Silly costumes were handed out to anyone who would take them to be filmed walking in as if that was how they had arrived. Banners and foam hands were given out too, to make it look like people had brought them. They spent the morning jumping up and down and 'silent' cheering to cue for the filming. I assume the sound was added later somehow.

She got to her turn and the heavens opened so the barriers were taken away and it was a free for all in through the doors. Not being the pushy type, she lost her place yet again.

Eventually her number was called and she went into a room to a table with her 'judge' sat at it. She sang without music and with 20 other contestants also singing in the same room. At the end of her song the judge said 'no thanks'. And that was it.

She's not upset, more disgusted at how everyone was treated. I imagine that treatment continues all the way through. i often wondered why they all seem to cry when at the judges houses stage. Obviously they are wound up to that point to make good TV.

To be honest I'm glad she didn't get through, sounds pretty cutthroat.

Just had a look for the link to her singing. It says that the site is down for repair. Try tomorrow if you want to hear her. She sang 'If I ain't got you' for the audition.
 
Sorry to hear that your daughter was not given the proper chance, these shows are imho only there to further inflate the bank balance's of a few individuals who when all is said and done could not give a rats ass about the people that are forced to humiliate themselves just to get a chance to appear on the tv.
From what i have seen these so called Reality shows are so far from reality that it beggars belief.
 
They are making an " entertainment " just like bear baiting and don't give a toss about the contestants !
 
Thanks for updating us - a doubly unsatisfactory experience for your daughter.

P.S. I think Dangermouse's signature has included the Mark Twain quotes for some while - don't read anything into it :wink:
 
Mike.S":1096wstn said:
Thanks for updating us - a doubly unsatisfactory experience for your daughter.

P.S. I think Dangermouse's signature has included the Mark Twain quotes for some while - don't read anything into it :wink:

I didn't thanks. She was more disappointed in the treatment than not getting through I think. She went with no expectations.
 
I don't know if it's changed but their wasn't quite so much falsity going on when we attended the live audition stage 2 years ago.

A friend got tickets for 4 of us in 2011 to go to the live auditions at Old Trafford. The first with Gary Barlow so you can imagine how many screaming girls there were in Manchester...
We arrived early and waited for hours and hours despite it being the morning 10am session. They were pretty late before we finally got in and sat down. We were starving.

While we waited outside on a sunny and quite hot June day we were right next to the contestants queue (about 50 probably) and a few had dressed up but they came that way. The more colourful characters were interviewed for ages at the side of the queue, not far from us. Each got 15-20 mins which turned into a few seconds for the edited show. They took contestants and placed them in the crowd to interview them as well, guess so it looks like they are waiting with fellow contestants.

We weren't given anything to wave or hold. The judges arrived eventually but went straight in and Dermot spoke to quite a few contestants and a few lucky people in the crowd.

The actual auditions were pretty laborious with the judges having makeup touched up between goes and them having to repeat comments after the contestant had left, presumably so it could be properly recorded.

I wasn't very impressed and certainly wouldn't go back. Wasn't that keen to go in the first place.
 
Sorry to hear your daughter had such a rotten experience. It's not the first time I've heard of this, a similar thing happened with a niece of mine.

They are clearly just making a lucrative & somewhat entertaining TV show and nothing else. I mean how on earth do the rubbish contestants get through when those that can sing get treated in the way your daughter did? The answer has got to be that they choose the really bad one just to entertain. Personally, I wish they wouldn't as I don't think those people are at all entertaining - give me a good singer anytime.

regards

Brian
 
I worked on the BBC Antiques Roadshow years ago, and have friends who still do (some have for around 30 years!). That team wouldn't dream of treating the public in that way, even though the events have become much larger than when I did it.

It's perfectly possible to avoid doing lots of retakes (you have to be organised though, and you need a lot pf production runners, etc.), and stupid to dress things up as something they're not. Never mind the ethics of it, once you start the pretense of wild enthusiasm in the queues, etc. , you have to do the same thing every time, making a rod for the production's back. If the show is dishonest about that, what else is manipulated?

I've always disliked the X-Factor. It's a classic example of broadcasting-for-profit, rather than high production values. If it went, a lot of wannabes would shelve their pipedreams, but that would be no bad thing really.

Marx called religion the opiate of the masses, but these days its actually 'reality' shows, the X-Factor and the national lottery. I think all three of them are basically cruel and nasty.

@Grayorm: I listened to your daughter's tracks - she can sing and has a nice style. She probably could take it further, but it would be a huge amount of hard work, and very poor returns unless/until she was a success. If she really wants to, she's far better off finding a good band to work with, getting a voice coach to help her develop, and just doing gigs. Unlike the X-Factor, if she does succeed, she keeps control of her career, too.

E.

PS: I have two cousins who are professional musicians (opposite branches of the family). Neither are singers as such, but both have found it very hard. Both have degree-level music qualifications, and were high achievers. Both teach to make ends meet (one runs a music therapy workshop in the States).
 
Jensmith":1y4xkpg6 said:
Dermot spoke to quite a few contestants and a few lucky people in the crowd.

T

What was lucky about that?

Britain's Got Talent and the like are not talent shows just as the so-called reality shows do not represent reality. They are all mass viewer television shows. Accept that for what it means and just look upon the shows as entertainment (or otherwise).

Richard
 
thomvic":1u56k08b said:
Jensmith":1u56k08b said:
Dermot spoke to quite a few contestants and a few lucky people in the crowd.

T

What was lucky about that?

Britain's Got Talent and the like are not talent shows just as the so-called reality shows do not represent reality. They are all mass viewer television shows. Accept that for what it means and just look upon the shows as entertainment (or otherwise).

Richard

Well, you may not like him but thousands of girls in the crowd would disagree with you ;)
(I'm not bothered either way)
 
Jensmith":3dyd0bj7 said:
thomvic":3dyd0bj7 said:
Jensmith":3dyd0bj7 said:
Dermot spoke to quite a few contestants and a few lucky people in the crowd.

T

What was lucky about that?

Britain's Got Talent and the like are not talent shows just as the so-called reality shows do not represent reality. They are all mass viewer television shows. Accept that for what it means and just look upon the shows as entertainment (or otherwise).

Richard

Well, you may not like him but thousands of girls in the crowd would disagree with you ;)
(I'm not bothered either way)

My daughter spoke to him. Always beats me why he wears a blue suit and brown shoes.......doesn't he own a mirror?? :lol:
 
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