Seeing as the whole show is his concept and he is producing the whole thing in the same way that Simon Fuller produced Pop Idol - I think Cowell has an advantage over the other judges in that he can have the programme edited at the moment to show his chosen ones in a more favourable light.Witness how many times we are being shown loopy but brilliant Rowetta. He also must have gave her permission to be interviewed in the Sun newspaper today. I thought he wanted the 15 to remain anonymous until after Saqturday. I also suspect he wont want a group like G4 doing too well in the competition as they would prove to be competition to his own Operatic group - Il Divo. Two similar groups on the same record label may be one too much.
I will be watching this weeks show with interest and hope that other singers get a chance to shine before we enter the live stages.

I must agree that 'Simon's Contestants' do seem to have more coverage and 'cliff hangers' to date! We hardly saw any of the 16-24 age group in the last programme. Having said that, I'm not 100% sure that Sharon knows exactly what she is doing - has she seen the other competitions? Yes, charisma etc.. is very important but they do have to have good vocals as well.

This is what is annoying me. Simons group had far more coverage than anyone else. Notice the significant camera close-ups on Rowetta when she sings the Etta James number. I know it wont matter when we get to the live stages but these stages are important for building a significant fanbase and Simon is fully aware of every little trick at his disposal.

The thing is when it comes down 2 the live shows-then the public will hopefuly have a more general look. I dont REALLY think theirs any bias, but i must admit the under 25's are the weakest group. The groups and over 25's will hopefully do the best. Its a shame-as i woulda liked sharon 2 do well!

Fear not Arty - G4 will wipe the floor with Rowetta........I will stake my mortgage on it. She is quite loopy and who knows if she can cope with live shows.......and I suspect she does not have the across the board support that G4 have. My 3 generations of family all adore them (my gran was in tears at the 5 second clip of Danny Boy from Saturday`s show) and my l4 year daughter is in love with Jonathan!

Now, I think it's been carefully planned.

We know that "over 24's" won't fit into the teen market, which is what they want to try and capture - it's the one that makes the most money.

We know that Simon Cowell is probably the most "unliked" judge. We also know that Louis and Sharon keep on (every show) about how Simon "must not win". People who don't like Simon think, "must not vote for over 24's"

Bingo, a good teen marketable group, or an under 24 wins it, thus the lucrative teen market is still capturable!

It is a Saturday night entertainment show... voters wont necessarily be the people who would end up buying the records! On which basis, Simon has an advantage cos the Over 25 group will be popular with the TV audience, hence why I think Steve will win, or G4.

Sharon Osbourne obviously agrees with me. According to the "reliable" Sun she is said to be fuming that Simon has "rigged" the programme so one of his finalists will win.She states that the show has ben edited to show Simons group in the best light and has mainly featured them most of the time at the expense of the others. She is said to be in shock at his tactics.
I agree with Sharon but when it comes to the live shows then viewers will make up their own minds and everyone will hopefully be on an equal footing.

The over 24 market is the one that Simon thinks he can make some money out of...it is different to those in previous Pop idols...Robson & Jerome, Charlotte Church, Daniel O Donnel etc etc...all make/made as much if not more money than say Girls Aloud.

i would say Simon is the most liked AND disliked (ie bi-polar) and most people wouldnt vote on the judges...apart from a few sympathy votes sometimes.

I would reckon Simon's only advantage is that he knows the stats on the previous voting and would know the demographics of the young/old vote.

I am sure McManus and Will were the favourites in the over 24 voting....Will v Gareth was very much an old v young vote and it is Will who makes the most money.

If Simon can find another cross over (a la Will and groups like Wet Wet Wet) he will be very happy. The Wet Wet Wet factor is why I think Steve will win.