If anybody watches both of these shows do you think the Americans take the show more seriously and by that, the choices the producers make for the finals?

I find the final selection is always very hard to choose from because they always pick the best and no generic random singers. While on the X Factor we get some very tired singers, some boys for looks and girls who are half dressed.

It's just a case of numbers. Millions more to choose from = more quality acts.
There were still a few naff acts in the last series of AI.
And there were pretty slim pickings for this year's XF.

PS. Dave Cook was a well deserved winner.

PPS. Aside from that. Yes. I think the Americans take their show more seriously. You only have to look at all the celebrity involvement and the Idol gives back show to see how much the whole country is behind it.

I still think both shows are pretty much the same. The talent usually does not slip through in both. However American idol has a final 24 which the public can vote on and sometimes the public does let bad singers through to the final 12 *cough cough* SANJAYA. With X Factor the bad singers that go through to the final 12 are always cute and they know little girls across the counry will be fainting over them.

American Idol also has it's fair share of shock exits to. How Melinda Doolittle didnt win last year I have no idea. Im just listening to her My Funny Valentine again right now. Gotta be my favourite talent show performance ever. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=HH0r_jIJQCA

I love David Cook if that helps at all.

Alaina Whitaker= Robbed :\

American Idol seems more 'organic' for me, I think the live band helps. The contestants seem to be more into the music on AI.

But XF has more drama. It's a more emotional show.

I LOVED that performance too - Melinda was robbed!!

I loved David Cook this year though, a very deserving winner imo and I'm very much looking forward to his album.

I think there are plenty of random singers with no hope making the finals.

Chikezie was a charming guy with a funny name, probably not the 10th most talented out of the hundreds of thousands of applicants.

Then there was David Hernandez? Ramiele Malubay? Michael Johns? The token country girl, Kristy Lee Cook. They all have one thing in common, though. They were all quite easy on the eye!

And I think series 7 was quickly building towards David vs David. I think it actually worked in a way, because series 6 got to the end and you kind of went "huh" at Jordin and Blake. Series 6 will be remembered for Anthonella Barba's nude scandal, Sanjaya's hair and Haley's legs. Once they went, then it was over! Whereas AI7 actually had quite a good climax

They cater to certain demographics as well. Cute young guys, country, rock-lite and (it being AMERICAN Idol) a few girls that sing in gospel choirs and love God. And a fondness for someone "unexpected" and perhaps a wee bit geeky since Clay Aiken almost won. I'm thinking the likes of Anthony Federov, Kevin Covais, Sanjaya Malakar.

I think the live band makes a great difference though. I do wish they would add it to XF.

I actually quite liked some of the finalists this year, but the semi-finals always seem to kill my enthusiasm. And some of the themes were insane. Neil Diamond week for the top 5?! Dolly Parton?! Andrew Lloyd Webber (because that is relevant, eh?)?

Lets hope they have got it right with this new girl, Kara DioGuardi, because it needs something new.

I agree, but I thought that Dolly Parton week was one of the best and I thought that Michael Johns and David Hernandez were both very talanted singers

I love David Cook and think he was on of AIs best winners, but as a general rule I usually can't stand AI (even though I do watch it, since, well, check out my location) and I almost always prefer X-Factor's final 12 to AI's final 12, even though they have more selection of people. I actually think that the X-Factor allows a lot more space for variety of performers / styles of music and therefore is a lot more interesting. Someone like Rhydian, for example, would have never made it to AI. I think that last year, with David Cook, Jason Castro, Brooke White, etc, it was the first season in which we started to see a bit more of variety in the show.

If I had a choice between watching x-factor or AI, I'd choose x-factor any day.

X factor didn't have Carrie Underwood

No seriously, I prefer AI mainly because its more about the music, with the live band etc and its a lot more polished.
X Factor is just too darn cheesy sometimes.

I have only prefered one season of American idol to x factor and thats season 4.

I prefer AI. It seems more professional, except for Paula

X-Factor seems more concerned with sob stories, although I do remember hearing a couple on AI. This year's X-Factor has too many.

I prefer AI although it can be very OTT particularly the last series final!

I think the standard is much higher and anyone of the top 12 on AI could win XF most years.

I get the impression Simon prefers it too, I love his banter with Ryan, Randy and Paula although she has lost the plot recently. You don't seem to get that so much on XF.

Best talent show performance ever. Fact

Much as I love XF it can't hold a candle to AI which for me is easily still the world's best talent show.

Better presenter, better judges, better guests, better format, more interesting themes, the awesome live band, not always the same old songs that you've heard 1000 times before, better production values, fewer sob stories, more drama...there's no comparison.

Plus the singers are generally so much better and also more diverse. It doesn't stop AI from having it's share of no-hopers, such as the abysmal Jason Castro last season, but up to now the only two XF solo singers who I could possibly have seen making it to the AI final 12 would be Leona and Rhydian (I'm sure Alexandra is shortly going to join that elite group)

Plus the American voting public have so much better taste than the GBP

Because Melinda was one of the most old-fashioned contestants ever to appear on AI. She had no contemporary qualities or marketability about her whatsoever and it's shown since she won. Apparently she's wanting to release something but it won't do a thing whereas Jordin has a great voice and looks like a star and she has done well.

A good voice will only take you so far, it's about the whole package and Melinda didn't have it IMO. She would have flopped just like Taylor Hicks if she had won.

To be fair to Jason he was primarily a drummer, and he did improve massively on the tour.

I think AI struck increadibly lucky this year with David Cook, they got someone with 10 years worth of gigging experience, plus a songwriter who could arrange his own stuff (well worth tracking down Analog Heart, his self produced solo album before AI). Can I see anyone like that in this years crop, no, not at the moment.

^What he said.

The pros of AI are, in my opinion:
- Sob stories/sobbing virtually inexistent
- Less contrived, fake filming of contestants/judges reactions.
- More freedom about:
- -song choice - they choose from a list, but it is their choice, not their mentor choice.
- -arrangement - they are allowed and encouraged to create/chose the arrangement, whereas it is not the case on the X factor.
- -outfits. The AI acts have a clothing budget and they do their own shopping.

The cons:
- The contestants are driven even harder that on X factor:
--They do more promotions, group songs etc.. They hardly have any time to rehearse.
--The winner is run down to the ground, flown back an forth during a 50 stops tour in order to record and do millions of promotions while living on 3 hrs sleeps from days on end. The runner-up is a bit better off, and so on...
- I think that 19E are even more cynical than Syco in terms of looking after their artists.

The problem with AI is that the ratings have been going down, whereas it is the opposite for XF, and now Simon is going to be more involved in the production.
Guess the direction he is going to take American Idol in.

Whilst I liked Melinda I do agree that she wasn't the whole package and she would probably have flopped.

Jordin does have a great voice but she didn't do so well with sales of her 'coronation' single, which were the lowest of any AI winner. 273,000 is not a lot when you look at the size of the viewing audience. I don't think her first album did that well either but thankfully, they've now 'repackaged' her and she's doing much better.

i view them quite differently. I think American Idol is much more of a talent show, whereas the X Factor is more about the drama and arguments between the judges. I think the X Factor producers couldn't care less if they found anyone good, they just want to make a good TV show, hence the sob stories being carried through the entire show, the fake arguments, the drama of how acts are eliminated.

Don't get confused, both shows are first and foremost - all about TV ratings.

and finding acts that bring loads of currency into the record label pockets.
They may not care too much about who actually wins because they will offer contracts to those who they think are marketable anyway, although the most successful the winner the better for the show profile.

Yeah, this is exactly what I found and I feel the British public want high drama and complete fabricated nonsense to get involved in something. Practicality and Pragmatism is a hard sell to the British viewing public.

Yeah there is a huge showmanship and complete farcical nature to the X Factor. Loads of manipulation of the viewers.