Matt not quite what he seems?

oh dear matts price in freefall soon lolllllllllllllllllllllll;pretending to be struggling decorator;went to private school and parents in big house

just keep being normal rebecca and ur crowned already yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

matt backers crying over article as we speak lolllllllllllllll;big drift coming lollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Surely he's not a posh boy with a sense of entiltement.

Who'd have thunked it.

Absolutely no-one has backed Matt because he is a working class hero.

There is not one post on you tube that says I love Matt becaseu he is a painter and decorator.

If his background means he is more likely to keep his nerve then its excellent news.

Posh southern boy doing it for his ego v Working class northern girl doing it for her kids.

hmmmm , as Lou would say.

haven't we had shoe-shop boy doing it for his Mum v posh rugby-playing theatrical type before ??

Can even remember seeing the sad little flat and the country farmhouse/small holding from the VTs.

Before my time I suspect squares.

Gates v Young?

Leon

Rhydian

Oh right, so that's one where the theory held.

Young v Gates the possible exception to the rule.

Does it really matter that he wasn't permanently a painter?  He's said he's done all sorts of jobs so what's new.  What's wrong also that someone's family might be middle class, nice house.  We're trying to find the best singer here not holding auditions for 'Oliver'!

We're trying to find the best singer here

that might be what influences your vote lou, but it's not necessarily what influences the masses to vote.

Rhydian won everywhere bar Scotland, doesn't seem to matter how many times one repeats that point imo!

Was that ever been official or just something the Sun made up for a cheap headline?

-been*

Official, as there was an investigation into the voting.

Seems strange that because Scotland were obviously very pro Leon he beat the rest of the country's vote that was surely pro Rhydian.  What about the Welsh?  Not saying it isn't true just strange how he won it.  On that basis Mary walks over then doesn't she as the whole of Ireland are backing her in the same way Scotland were Leon.  Yet Mary is deemed now as just someone making up the numbers really and will perhaps only last another two or three weeks?

Do you have a link?

..and are you saying England as a whole voted for Rydian or all the various regions voted his was too?

They're 2 very different things.

Figgy

If you mean me .......... If Leon had such a biased vote from Scotland (let's call it 90% for arguememnts sake) then the size of the rest of the UK you would have thought would cancel that out.  As I pointed out on that basis a (90%) pro Mary vote from the Irish means she wins doesn't it?

Yep, she looks a cert Lou ;)

My point is that being from Scotland, Wales, or the North of England is a positive in these shows.
Being a cockernee or a soft southerner is a negative.

I'm of Scottish blood but a southern softee born in good ol' London Town me ol' **** sparru

Where does that leave me.  Is it just me and Melv.  Has it really come to that!

I'm a soft southerner who loves Rebecca.
Where does that leave me.

How individuals vote is irrelevant though. The question is whether as a whole there is a bias in favour of those from the North and Scotland and against London and the South.

I'd have thought the answer was yes, for most people who bet on these shows.
The only argument would be over the extent of the bias.

On that basis Mary walks over then doesn't she as the whole of Ireland are backing her

not actually true

Figgy

Interesting.  What makes you think there are more people betting on this sort of show that are from the north rather than the south?

LOL I'm not saying that Lou.

I'm saying most people who bet on these shows would include regional bias in their calculations.

Sorry.  Honest mistake.

OT there's a live chat with Stacey S in 3 minutes, before she heads out, fwiw!

Cider, do you have any links regarding that regional vote as it does not seem to be part of the official investigation?

I've been looking, squares. No luck as yet.

'Oh my God!!'

Got a feeling we're going to be sick of that phrase.

If she takes to the trials looking like a Joe style walkover tbh...
Not worried about missing Zac.

Lou, just a point of info...
There WAS a bit of a kerfuffle about Mary at the start of the show.
Louis had a bit of a crusade to secure an Irish vote.
Then Tesco jumped on the wagon.
Then Paddy Power and Laddies had a bit of spin off her by offering MaBy specials...
But to be honest after a week or two that support weaned and she's certainly not being backed by everyone in Ireland.
Nobody would wish her anything but success.
If it were a one or two week series, she may have hosed up!!! Sadly it's not.
There were about 750k Irish viewers watched XF on TV3 last weekend.
Factor from that what percentage actually voted. The impact of a positive Irish vote for Mary V the field will be fairly inconsequential.
It would simply be a strong regional vote.
I think I've said it before, she may jump a notch or two higher than expected, as a bounce will be a big factor for her support. But I can't see her as a realistic challenger

Where is this chat cider?

Why aren't they still voting her so much though as id say the Scots in getting Leon to the final and subsequently winning it?  I wouldn't mind but she is a good singer.  Why stop voting?

as DID say the Scots ...............

.
http://celebrity.itv.com/2010/chat

I put in a question but blocked I think!

Cheers.

She's a good cook! They always stay til the end :)

Ah she's already over there. Seems really up for the challenges, which would have been my only concern. Another itv favourite?

Yep, she looks a natural fit for this show.

Maybe still value @ 11/4 and 5/2

The opposition look very weak.

Figgy

I don't ever watch it and have never bet a penny on it but at about 6/1 Nigel Havers comes across as ever such a nice chap doesn't he?  Good looking, suave, sophisticated.  In with a shout?

I'm not saying that she's not a good singer. I'm not saying that people don't or won't support her.
What I am saying is that people aren't as fully behind her as you may think. People have other favourites also. Remember there's Niall in 1D and Rebecca was in Bellamy. She has lost of the support she had at the outset.
Believe it or not, if it weren't for the fact that Mary is a very amiable character, there wouldn't be an Irish person outside Dublin voting for her.
By and large the rest of the country dislike "jackeens". Mary has cross country Irish support, though. How that Irish support can impact the outcome remains to be seen. I think it may be a bit overstated

He's my other bet Lou, for the reasons you give Lou.

He's a real charmer I hear. Rather like I imagine your good self :)

* lost some of the support

Lou should go on that show....sure fire winner!

Figgy

You know me too well!

You old charmer! (wink)

With Mary, it's all about how long any regional support can keep her on the show. May help the make up of the elimination markets.

NXRBL

I was just wondering why say the Scots never gave up on him but you're saying the Irish support has wained for Mary.  there were other 'favourites' for people in Leon's year but they still stood by him.  Not saying you're wrong please don't think that, I'm just surprised that you say her supports waining.

Figgy

I might have a cheeky score!

You always get me going you!!

Figgy

I've had a cheeky £14 to win a ton.  You better be right!! (wink)

i think her irish support has always been overstated on here.  believe it or not, not all irish people watch the x factor.  not all of them watch it on tv3.  not all of them vote.  and not all of them would vote for mary.

some irish people would vote for her in the final, because she's irish.  some would vote for their favourite act.

however, let's not forget that not ALL of mary's supporters are irish.  there will be a decent chunk of the over 40s around the UK who would be supporting mary too.

Stand by for a thread started by Lou entitled "Stacey doesnt move when eating bugs"

Her support is not as powerful as the first couple of weeks, that's all Lou.
Unfortunately for her she peaked to early, simple as that.
Her support has slipped while others have gathered momentum. Very straight forward.
People haven't given up hope on her, but they're pragmatic in their support.

cider, she's going to be bang up for it, she's not a game player, there's no front to her, she's genuine and sweet and v funny. 11/4 is an absolute bargain. i've gone in again and again.

Going back to the OP about Matt, surely this means the 'cheeky chappy painter decorator done good' b*ll*cks just won't wash now?

It was always a bit dubious and had the potential to wear very thin - but this now translates as 'lazy workshy layabout sponges off his parents and can't be bothered to find a proper job'!

Which is kind of what we suspected underneath that well worn cap of his!

The image he wants to project and the career path he has in mind isn't a comfortable fit with the whole XF process, so he is trying to retain some rock n roll credibility by slagging off Katie, Wagner and those who take the show and the whole fame thing too seriously complete with SWEAR words to maximise the impact. He is more desperate to win this than anyone and has ruthlessly chucked his girlfriend of 4 years because it has been suggested that it would be better for him if he did.  He seems to think that he is above this, yet he is a bigger fame and success **** than any of them.

And Matt needs to stop calling katie a fame hungary t**t when in fact its him who is the fame hungary t**t.

Matt on front of Daily Mirror today.   Apparently he’s having a ‘secret romance’ with XF stylist Grace Woodward.  His ex gf is heartbroken and Cowell is seething if you believe this cr@p.  I couldn’t be bothered to read the whole story as this one smacks of a PR stunt to keep this sh!t in the news.  They must be realising that Matt is boring so are trying to give him a some sort of bad boy image.

Surely that's counter-productive though...  Unless they don't really want him to win [;)]

Yes, a little rich PM calling your compatriots fame hungry

The media campaign against him is certainly gathering a pace. You have to wonder how much this is being orchestrated by the Cowell bloke 

No stories about Rebecca abandoning her kids yet?

Mikeeey - I'm imagine that's the kind of story that could/would be kept well under wraps by the XF machine, if they so wished.
Matt hasn't exactly gone out of his way to stay under the radar.
There's been so many little trickly stories about him from day 1...

The 4 year GF offload.
Faux painter and decorator poor boy story in a £15k/year boarding school.
Outbursts at fellow contestants. The "I Deserve This" blurb.
Cocaine arrest pre show.
Did he/didn't he story with Katie and now the XF stylist.
Of them all I personally think the worst is the whole "Me so meek and lacking confidence profession" - Yet he's played every pub the length of the UK over the past 6 years with Seven Summers. One would think he'd have gotten over those issues over that time
For this specific reason I can't see Cowell taking him on as the winner. The fact that he's been knocking on every industry door for a considerable length and not cracked it.

However, maybe he hadn't gone through the Danni Nutsquash by that stage and only sang boy songs.

I wonder does Cowell think it's gone to his head a bit? That he's gonna be a bit of a rebel and an awkward sort to manage?
Sit Matt! Sit! Good girrrrl... Sorry, boy!

* I'd imagine

Everything thats gets Matt talked about is good for the show, good for Cowell and good for Matt.

All that he needs to do is avoid turning into an arrogant mixed up bratty tw@t lke Danyl. I know all the Rebecca brigade want him to do that but why the fk should he.

As for Simon "I have banned relationships" Cowell. Oh really? How many papers got sold how much Xfactor brand got grown when the Olly/Stacey love boat was floated. How hard is it to get out of this Cowell/Clifford mind f()ck?

Mind you I would adore a Matt Lauren reunion. But the split up and the heartbreak have to reach public awareness first and Clifford is finding it difficult to float that boat never mind get it on the radar. He doesn't seem to be able to get HMS Matt is a b@astard under sail either. I wonder why?

Melv, I know there's no such thing as bad publicity etc.
Different gravy when your very existence is dependent on a public vote.
Then you have to act Mr/Mrs/Ms Nice

Scenario for you:
An average Joe Public tunes in to XF for the first time this series. They like a good "story".
They equally then like the singing of say Matt, Rebecca and Paije.
They are up to speed with the stories about the three in the papers, as it's the stories that have stimulated them to tune in...
Would they be more or less likely to vote for Matt on foot of the above revelations?

* I'm picking Rebecca and Paije because both have had limited press exposure to date.

He's Finish.

Finnish too.

He's done a reverse Rydian.

Both of you are obviously not convinced that he already has a fan base in place. The media want that readership on  board too. Any newspaper that comes out for Matt will shift copies.

I suggest you compare and contrast Matt/Rebbcca youtube comments.

Danyl is a good comparison here.  He got too big for his boots and ultimately the public turned against him despite his talent.  The press wasn't great for Danyl either...

I think that Matt is much better than Danyl, but after the Steve Brookstein fiasco I can't see Simon wanting to have another headstrong, cocky singer on his books.

God forbid that the X Factor winner should actually have a mind of his / her own!!!

He's far less likeable than Danyl, but better looking, so he gets away with it.
Ultimately though, as we saw with John James, most women come to their senses.

headstrong, cocky singer

Oh do make your minds up fans. Is he the desperate for success groveling humble arselicking praying for approval Matt or is he the headstrong, cocky singer .

Oh I see we all hate the grovelling Matt image but insidehe is a  headstrong, cocky singerwhich we also hate.

WTF it doesn't matter what hairy arsed gamblers think. Do read his comments threads.

Never mind my hairy arse...

I don't think the cockiness is that well hidden anymore - check out this quote:

"It would be a f**king joke if Wagner got through to the final and I was against him," he told The Mirror. "I hope that the public would see sense if that did happen - or I just pray to God that they do."

Forget about the Wagner comment - he is already assuming that HE will be in the final.

Regardless of what people have said on the comments threads, I don't think they will continue warming to him if this arrogance continues to spill over.

...Besides which did anyone really buy the grovelling, humble Matt image in the first place?

He's a posh arrogant, cocky knob with a massive sense of etitlement who is very good at putting on a ever so humble act when needs must

That's always how I've seen him since his nauseating speech at bootcamp.
I suspect the recent press is making many others see him in the same way.

Melv,
I have to say I take exception to your hairy arsed gambler generalisation. I'm a B.S.&C man meself!!
I'm not under any illusions about Matt's fanbase. I'm certain he has a very strong one.
But, with the ongoing negative stories in the media, he's making it difficult to attract new or transferable support.
He's pretty much alienated any possible Wagner/Katie/Cher support through his comments already. Who next?

My point regarding a new neutral watching the show is that they may be impressed equally with a few acts, but Matt's publicity will not endear them to vote for him (save the coke snorting, GF dumping, public school attending, stylist shagging, contestant slagging, deserving middle class demographic)!

is very good at putting on a ever so humble act when needs must

That'll do me. Because if he can continue to do it and The press (Clifford) continue to attack him he will seem picked on. All of which will do nicely for the publicity fest.I cannot see Cowell/Clifird putting all this effort into creating controversy around a patently uncontrovercial bloke unless they are setting it up for a dramatic final. In other words I do not think they want their most popular contestant off the show.

I personally have fallen for it hook line sinker and am watching to se if they let him sing a suitable song and if he sings well they give him fair comment. If its a positive week for him which actaully I doubt (TV values demand a poor week for dramatic texture) but if it is a good week then the anti Matt brigade will have a few new theories to concoct.

I am waitng for Duffys "Mercy" to blow their socks off later in the series.

coke snorting, GF dumping, public school attending, stylist shagging, contestant slagging, deserving middle class demographic

Surely not implying that could include any of us forumites?!

There is no doubt that they'll want some semblance of a competition to keep the phone votes racking up.  If it seems too much like a one-horse race people will just switch off and lose interest...

I heard he already had a record contract with his ex-indie band before they split up. Cardle the fraudster.

Certainly not dizzy! [;)]
We all formed our opinion on Matt long before now!

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s103/the-x-factor/news/a287461/matt-cardle-had-privileged-upbringing.html

He thought the voters would fall for it.

Interesting thought in general - how many obviously 'southern' males have won reality TV type votes in comparison to more 'northern'? Just from memory I think southerners tend to do worse overall?