X Factor is obviously a rip off of Idol. Got Talent, well the 'talent show' format is hardly original and I remember 'New Faces' back in the day. Red & Black wouldn't exist had Deal Or No Deal shown that a gameshow based on random decisions could be popular.

On XF he's never looking for the next big thing but a copycat act of something that's already popular be it the next Justin Bieber, Glee or Twilight style act (or whatever is "current" as he says). And looking at his music record (Teletubbies, Power Rangers, WWF) he's done the same thing.

Even Simon Cowell (the judge, not the man) is a rip off of 'Nasty Nigel' from the original Pop Stars.

And yet people think he's some kind of creative genius, why?

"Nasty" Nigel showed his true wishy washy colours with the sopfest he turned American Idol into this year.

The dog costume thing was his first and last original idea.

That's why the sheeples like this programme - it's in their safety zone / it doesn't rock their boat.Anything new would just challenge / upset their view of the World :yawn: - & doesn't $yco play on that fact.

I don't think anyone thinks of Simon as creative in the way a musician is creative.

He's an ideas man but in the way that he might look at something and make it better or give it an extended life. Creative in a business way - a way to give a project wings and make money.

A nurturer I suppose. A lot of his ideas in the early days were naff but Christ, he made money off them. He couldn't have gone from daddy's assistant to X Factor overnight - so it took the route of Fanfare Records, Robson & Jerome, Telletubbies, etc to get there. It doesn't really matter.

A lot of his ideas in the early days were other people's ideas.


....of other people's ideas, yes.

well he does have the most popular show on TV - no?

Hardly answering the question.

I've covered that. He nurtures others ideas. They come to him with an idea - he makes the idea work, gives it legs etc.

X Factor has been the biggest show on TV for years, to answer the other question.

Not quite.

They have an idea, they make it work, give it legs etc. ......then he nicks it.


Yeah. the biggest thing since Pop Idol........funny, that.

There are very very few original ideas left, look at virtually every film that was ever made, they almost all follow the same basic three part structure of set-up, confrontation, resolution but some just do it better than others.

And although someone says that he is just stealing other peoples ideas, ,it's taking those ideas, as Simon Cowell has done and making them 'bigger and better' that makes somebody stand out.

Personally I hate the man because of his greed and his arrogance, but you can't argue with his success.

By 'making them bigger and better', I presume you mean, 'changing the opening credits'.