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The ninth season of American Idol is set to premiere on Jan 12 but recently the show s buzz has had aught to do with the singing competition not when there s so much movement behind the judges table Speculation has reached fever pitch regarding music mogul Simon Cowell s rumored departure from Idol following the expiration of his declaration in 2011 but a recent comment from Cowell s brother has added fuel to the fire that everyone s favorite grumpy judge might desert the show at the end of this season to focus on bringing the American version of X Factor to U S TV in 2011 Tony Cowell reportedly revealed on his weekly po

cast But what is this X Factor you may ask and would crotchety Cowell really consider leaving the show that made him a family name on this face of the Atlantic The answer to that second interview is maybe On the surface The X Factor is only another singing competition in a similar vein to AI the cringeworthy audition process still remains the viewing public votes and weekly themes are frequently rolled out for novelty appeal including the obligatory Michael Jackson playbook that always rears its mind on AI and songs from film soundtracks But the two talent competitions aren t identical twins The X Factor was created by Cowell in 2003 to replace Pop Idol the UK show that spawned AI and a lot of other imitators partially because of PI s limited success in tape sales and ratings in its second season but largely because Cowell wanted to produce a point that gave him complete creative control Idol is produced by fellow music industry heavyweight Simon Fuller Now it appears Cowell is winning the same approach again going from judgment to showrunning and while we take it s a little mercenary to have one show under the bus in favour of a bigger paycheck we ve got to admire Cowell s nerve And let s face it AI is leaving to be pretty snore worthy without Cowell s condescending put downs and the expression of soul crushing despair that descends on him approximately 10 minutes into every audition show Why shouldn t we jump ship when American Idol no longer has Cowell to steer us snarkily through each performance Here s a number of the reasons aside from Cowell s presence that we re ready to leave Idol for The X Factor X Factor Has Better Celeb Guests Simon Cowell has considerable force in the music biz As producer and exec of Syco Records he s been responsible for launching the careers of a figure of chart topping bands and performers most notably Leona Lewis a former winner of X Factor and Susan Boyle whose Cinderella story was chronicled through another of Cowell s properties Britain s Got Talent With all of Cowell s connections he s had no difficulty luring performers to debut their new tracks and comebacks on X Factor some of this year s celebrity guests included Whitney Houston complete with wardrobe malfunction Mariah Carey Lady Gaga Rihanna and Paul McCartney Four Contestant Categories Keep Things Interesting Sure solo singers are fine if vanilla s your favorite ice cream flavor but we think variety is the spice of life X Factor contestants are split up into 4 groups Boys 16 24 Girls 16 24 Over 25s and Groups giving older performers and friends or sibling teams their luck at the spotlight too X Factor Judges Serve as Mentors Instead of just handing out tired critiques about sounding pitchy or complimenting a singer s clothing when there s nothing else to say the X Factor judges are constrained to put their money where their mouths are when it comes to training the future superstars Each judge oversees one of the four competitor categories and is responsible for choosing the three acts to go into the main competition s Top 12 before the world starts to vote going so far as to peck their songs for them no more criticizing contestants for dubious song choices and advising them how to stage their performances It may look like total bias and it is but the judging is so much juicier when personal opinions get involved Simon Has Full Creative Control Say what you need about Mr Nasty he is an undeniably savvy businessman and knows how to give an audience things they never yet knew that they wanted Case in point the way he s molded Susan Boyle into a global superstar with nothing but a raised eyebrow and a little lipstick While the move might contribute to Cowell s megalomania and delusions of grandeur he undoubtedly knows how to put on a show Simon Prefers Paula to Ellen and So Do We Don t get us wrong Ellen DeGeneres is a hilarious host but as far as her qualifications to judge a singing competition go she sounds a small off key Cowell has remained uncharacteristically tight lipped on his opinion of DeGeneres joining the Idol team which isn t exactly a ringing endorsement and rumors have been circulating since Paula Abdul s unexpected Idol exit that our favorite nutty judge is a strong favorite to join Cowell on the X Factor roster We can t expect to see what kinds of costumes and arrangements she might subject her contestants to or what Simon s reactions would be 24 Other Countries Can t Be Wrong Forget Perez Hilton s naysaying that a U S version of X Factor won t replicate the UK show s success OK so perhaps it won t make 50 percent of the country s viewership but American Idol remains America s most watched show and there s no reason X Factor couldn t usurp that title with a new format and a new work of talent The X Factor template has been transplanted to more than 20 different countries where it continues to be a ratings juggernaut and if anyone knows how to simultaneously charm and exasperate the US public it s Simon Cowell We Just Love Those British Accents An awfully lot of ladies and probably a fair share of gentlemen are glad to heed to Simon spewing insults and derision at a bevy of quivering wannabes as tenacious as he continues to do it in that classy English lilt And if rumors are to be believed Cowell wants to bring fellow X Factor UK judges Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh with him when he makes the switch in 2011 DigitalSpy reports that Cowell thinks singer Cole s down to earth Northern charm will invoke to the American public while music producer and manager Louis Walsh has that grumpy Irish thing going for him We re not sure if three British judges and only one American will invoke to audiences Stateside but a lot can change before the show premieres It s worth noting that while rumors of Cowell leaving Idol have been rampant for a couple of years even before the unpopular addition of fourth judge Kara DioGuardi last season and Abdul s departure this summer no official announcements have been made and no deals have been signed yet Cowell has refused to remark on the speculation though a recent report from THR indicates that Fox is still banking on Idol s longevity despite falling ratings The net is in talks to regenerate the record for another 3 years after its 2011 contract expires regardless of Cowell s involvement Fox is in line to air The X Factor in 2011 even if Cowell quits Idol early so it remains to be seen if the net will fight to keep the judge everybody loves to hate for its flagship show or concentrate on giving X Factor a ratings boost thanks to the Cowell controversy when it premieres Either way Cowell will be laughing all the way to the bank Does The X Factor format sound like a hint of new air after a 10 of Idol mania or will you remain loyal to AI to the end