When my family and I saw the X Factor UK live at London's Wembley Arena just a few weeks ago we bemoaned the fact that the program was not available for viewing in Canada. Well, as a subscriber to Bell Fibe TV it turns out I was wrong.
CTS (Crossroads Television System) will be rebranded as YES TV as of September 1, with shows like the X Factor UK, American Idol, The Biggest Loser, America's Funniest Home Videos, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Judge Judy and Hot Bench entering their lineup.
"We’re thrilled to be launching YES TV this fall with a strong line-up of family oriented television," Director of Programming Rob Sheppard remarked in an email to me. "
The X Factor UK will air Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m. beginning September 2. "We encourage viewers throughout Quebec to contact their local cable companies to add YES TV to their local channel line-up," Sheppard said. "We are available to any cable company who wishes to carry YES in HD at no charge.
Simon Cowell not only owns the X Factor, he is back as a judge. Joining him on the panel is the gorgeous Cheryl Cole, Louis Walsh (whom I met in person) and Mel B from Spice Girls fame. We attended three plus hours of Arena Auditions and they were great. I cannot wait to see them on TV.
The X Factor, which survived three seasons on America's Fox TV before being cancelled, is a mega-hit in the UK. The talent show has a wide age range of eligible singers who sing solo or in groups.
When
Canadian Idol aired on CTV, my family and I headed down to Toronto
each summer to watch live episodes. We did the same for So You Think
You Can Dance Canada. Unfortunately both programs went off the air.
Last May, while in Los Angeles, I got to see American Idol live. So
what was next?
On
our last night in London, England we sat inches away from the one and
only Simon Cowell at Wembley Arena for what are called Arena
Auditions in the hugely popular X-Factor UK series.
Here I am on the set.
You should recall
the US version on Fox, which was cancelled last winter after three
seasons. Now in its 11th
season here, Cowell owns the show. It attracts as many as 20 million
UK viewers an episode on Britain's ITV. Unlike American Idol and its
British equivalent Pop Idol (no longer in existence),
The
X Factor
has no upper-age limit. Groups can apply, and contestants are also
split into categories. There are five stages to the competition::
Producers' auditions (these auditions are un-televised, and decide
who will sing in front of the judges); Judges' auditions (either in
an audition room, an arena, or both; Bootcamp (originally a series
of challenges and knock out rounds, then the seat challenge since
series 10; Judges' houses and Live shows (finals). Below see the 2014 trailer.
Joining
Cowell on the judging panel are drop dead gorgeous UK recording
sensation Cheryl Cole, Mel B from the Spice Girls and noted Irish entertainment manager Louis Walsh. He has been a judge on the show since its inception.
Mel B., Cole, Cowell and Walsh.
Now
I must tell you that my press credentials came with strict
conditions. There were no live photos or videos of the auditions. I
cannot report upon the names of the performers, what they sang or
specific comments from the judges. We were told to arrive at 2:15
p.m. for a 3 p.m. live show. The wonderful tube (subway) left us
off right on site. When we arrived at the special gate we were told
there was a delay. Proceedings finally began at about 4:30 p.m., with
over 3,000 screaming fans in the arena located right next store to
massive Wembley Stadium. Standup comic Ian Royce was the warmup act
and he was absolutely hilarious. The judges soon made a much
celebrated entry. Once they sat down we were all told not to have any
cameras or cell phones snapping shots.
I got to meet judge Louis Walsh.
The
auditions went on for about four hours. It was a great presentation,
unlike anything I saw at the Idol shows. One by one the performers
come on stage. They are basically interviewed by the judges, who have
seen them in previous rounds, and asked to give a little background
about themselves and to preview what they will sing. I thought the
judges had pretty good chemistry, especially Cowell and Cole who have
been known to butt heads on occasion. Seeing Cowell live was quite a
thrill. He really says what is on his mind, unconcerned about hurting
anyone's feelings. In fact, it seems that all four judges have the
same philosophy. They are at times downright cruel in some cases. "We are honest," Walsh told me, when I unexpectedly ran into him later that night. How do the judges feel when they see candidates getting all emotional on stage because of their sometimes harsh criticism? "That's too bad," he remarked with a smile. "This goes with the territory. I will say that I believe we have a good group of performers this year." This looks like a great show. How about CTV bringing it to Canada?
