Big-end bearing shell from a Junkers Jumo 211 or 213.

Exactly, but again you can’t blame the people taking part for getting caught up in it. Some random person says you’re rubbish and should give up or take some serious lessons, but Simon Cowell says you’re going to make millions and become a household name…

Do all the contestants have to sign something to give away the rights to their auditions?

Because the show sometimes does a ‘worst of the worst’ compilation and then it must surely dawn on these acts that they are being publicly humiliated to a TV audience of millions and their dreams must be crushed…

…I can see somebody throwing themselves under a bus at some point.

You don’t have to tell me that, I work in music and already know exactly how it works. I was just curious to know why you’d enjoy people being humiliated, but as it seems that isn’t the case, that’s fine.

I actually find the really bad acts difficult to watch…..I’ve literally had to leave the room sometimes…

…because standing on stage in front of an audience and singing or dancing is possibly my worst nightmare. I’ve got a lot of respect for those who have their dreams (and the courage to do it) but please couldn’t somebody tell the really talentless ones, the ones that are going to humiliate themselves, that they really shouldn’t put themselves through this…

…but then the show would be lacking something because many of the TV audience, possibly most of the audience, seem to enjoy watching that sort of thing.

I’m still interested in the reasons why the people taking part in such programs being humiliated in front of the entire country would bring you pleasure. Care to explain?

Please don’t misunderstand me…..it wouldn’t give me any pleasure whatsoever…..but that doesn’t mean I don’t think it is going to happen.

As I said the outcome of the show is of supreme indifference to me…

…but judging by the amount of press coverage, the number of viewers, the number of phone votes it is very important to a lot of people and I’m sure that many of them will derive a great deal of pleasure from seeing ‘Jedward’ humiliated.

And that’s really part of the popular appeal isn’t it? After all they don’t have to show all those awful auditions do they; why not just show the talented acts and spare the embarrassment of the really talentless ones…

…nope, much better to show them on national TV so we can all have a jolly good laugh! :rolleyes:

And the ‘judges’ can give the thumbs-down…..just like a Roman Emperor at a gladiator match.

So who do you think they have lined up to win then Creaking Door?

Don’t know (and don’t care)…..the act (or acts) that will make the producers the most money…..but don’t ask me who that is. :confused:

I hardly ever watch the show, the wife does (but I can’t spend every evening on this forum while she’s watching the X-Factor) so I sometimes see it by default.

He had it in his power tonight to get rid of the twins but he took a gamble. Or was he tipped off??

Don’t be taken in by the pantomime; it is all part of the carefully orchestrated publicity generating machine. The duo to which you must be referring clearly lack talent but have some popular support. Every time they succeed at other more talented acts expense it generates another huge surge in interest in the trashy media; would you have started this thread if the other act had gone through?

Don’t be drawn into what is effectively a two hour showcase commercial and ‘focus group’ where you pay for the privilege of telling Simon Cowell and company what will be the best act for them to promote so that they can relieve you of your hard earned cash.

And don’t worry a certain duo, that people love to hate, will be sacrificed on the altar of popular entertainment. When the time is judged perfect their benefactors will turn on them and they will have very messy public humiliation, and we can all enjoy it comforted in the knowledge that they deserved it and that we were right all along!

Ever read 1984? The X-Factor is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to the ‘two minute hate’…

…fear not, Big Brother is listening (well, counting your phone calls) and he will soon save us all.

Tell that to the many who fell victim to the many coastal artillery pieces NOT “knocked out by the RAF heavy bombers”!

Those battleships (and cruisers, and destroyers) were just fine closing and engaging those batteries at rather close quarters… would that the RAF had pressed their attacks as closely before the landings began.

Sorry, don’t follow your logic. Costal artillery not knocked out was the fault of the RAF but costal-artillery silenced was thanks to the Royal Navy?

My original (rather flippant) comment echoed something that Don Bennett wrote about some of the deployments of his Pathfinder Squadrons on D-Day (I’ll find the quote).

Inter-service criticism seems to be common to all armed forces (and all nations) and I’m sure that there was plenty on D-Day, the greatest combined-operation of them all, but in terms of tonnage of ordnance dropped, and number of targets destroyed in support of the landings I’m sure the RAF would win hands-down. And no disrespect is intended to any of the forces that took part, Army, Navy or Air Force; D-Day couldn’t have happened without any of them.