I know I’m out of touch. My television viewing lately consists of Glen Beck and DVR recordings of Gunsmoke and The Rockford Files (I do love Burn Notice when it’s in season). I’ve never watched a single minute of American Idol...so will someone please tell me what “X-Factor is?
It would probably be educational to learn something about American popular culture, simply to understand the sort of entertainment people patronize these days.
But since you ask about what X-Factor is, here it is in a nutshell :
The X Factor is a TV show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol (the British precursor to American Idol and other similar shows worldwide).
The X-factor programs are produced by executive producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco TV (which will be merged into Greenwell Entertainment as a result of a recent partnership with Sir Philip Green).
The competitions, now held in various countries, pit talented contestants against each other. These contestants are talented aspiring pop singers and performers drawn from public auditions. The “X Factor” of the title refers to the undefinable “something” that makes for star quality. The prize is usually a recording contract (in addition to the publicity that appearance in the later stages of the show itself generates, not only for the winner but also for other highly ranked contestants).
The format creator is Simon Cowell who also judges and mentors on the UK series. The UK version is responsible for the launch of British pop stars, Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, JLS and recently, Joe McElderry.