My First Annual X-Factor Predictions - Season 1 - 2011

As some of you know, each year I would make my predictions for who I thought would win American Idol and in what order I thought the contestants would be voted off. I also invited others to post their predictions in the comments or email them to me. We would then score our predictions each week as contestants were voted off. (Here were the predictions and score results for the AI predictions for the last four seasons: 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008)

I've decided to do the same for the X Factor. Not sure how many of you who have participated in the AI predictions are also following the X Factor, so I may be the only one, but at least I'll be on record with my predictions here.

As I normally do with AI, I'm setting my predictions after the first performance night of the Top 12, which was last night.

Here are my predictions for this first season of the X Factor. As always, I'm not saying these are my PERSONAL favorites, but just how I think America will end up voting. (Although my top two predictions also happen to be my two favorites.) If you haven't been following X Factor, you can still hear how each of these artists sounds by clicking their photos below and sample 90 seconds of their songs from iTunes.

My predictions are:














Click arrow button to sample their performances.
#1 is my predicted winner, and #12 my
prediction as first to be voted off.

As with the American Idol seasons, email me with YOUR predictions or post them as a comment to this thread, and we'll use the same point system used in previous years with AI to see who is winning at the end of each week and how we all did by the end of the season. Don't worry if you miss sending me your predictions before they start voting people off this week, as the point system takes into account when you jumped in with your predictions with a penalty for jumping in late. (You can see the details of how the scoring works below.)

To make it easy to email or post your predictions, here are the contestant's names in text form, so you can easily cut, paste and move them around in the order you predict.

Melanie Amaro
Astro
LeRoy Bell
Marcus Cante
Rachel Crow
Drew
Stacey Francis
Stereo Hogzz
Intensity
Josh Krajcik
Lakoda Rayne
Chris Rene

Let's see who has the golden ears and can spot what America likes.

Kevin

SCORING POINT SYSTEM: Every week, you get 1 point for every number off you were for where someone would be voted off. For example, if you predict Astro will make it to #2, but he gets voted off #4, then you get 2 points. If you guess it smack on, you get no points. Like Golf, the LOWEST SCORE WINS.

BONUS POINTS: Top Three Bonus: You get to deduct 1 bonus point for each of the top three contestants you correctly guessed. Top Two Bonus: You get to deduct 3 bonus points if you guessed the Top 2 correctly. Winner Bonus: You get to deduct 5 bonus points if you predict the winner. (This can matter, so think hard on your top 3!)

PENALTY POINTS FOR LATE ENTRANTS: All predictions must be in BEFORE the performances this Thursday night (November 3rd). If you're predictions come in after that time, you are penalized 4 points OR the maximum points anyone else was off for the first round (when they vote off #12), whichever is higher. If you miss the first two rounds, you are penalized 8 points OR the maximum points anyone else was off for the second round (when they vote off #11), whichever is higher. No more entries after the first two rounds and we are down to 10 contestants.

Networks Are Training Us NOT To Watch New Shows - Eli Sone and Dirty Sexy Money Canceled

It bites when you start watching a new TV series, only to have it canceled. This is particularly true when the producers of the show have no warning that it's being terminated, leaving the ending to a series unfinished and ambiguous. More and more TV shows are an on-going story rather than a series of unrelated episodes, and it's frustrating to have shows such as Jericho be yanked without an ending.

The Network Irony

Today, more and more TV shows are available "on demand," through Amazon, iTunes, the networks' own websites, etc. This creates an irony for the networks. You see, because we all now know that we can download a series anytime we want, the networks are training us NOT to watch new shows. I know for myself, I almost never watch a new show for the first season or two, because I worry that I'll just get all into it, only to have it then get canceled. So, I tell myself, "If it makes it into a second or third seasons, THEN I'll go back, watch the earlier episodes on demand, and then start watching the regular series."

This happened to me recently with three shows: House, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money. I had heard good things about all of these series, so I recently got them all on demand, got all caught up and hooked on all three shows. House had survived for many seasons, so I figured even if it was canceled anytime soon, it would have been worth the ride. However, I had just finished watching all the episodes to Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money only to hear they were being pulled. Ugh!



I guess I need to start not bothering with series until after four or five seasons, not just two or three.

Sign this petition to save Eli Stone.

Sign this petition to save Dirty Sexy Money.

Email ABC to save Eli Stone and/or Dirty Sexy Money.

Kevin

My Fall Tivo Schedule

The new TV series are starting up. Thought I'd share what's on my Tivo. Am I missing anything good?

All the Sunday news programs, nightly news and political talk shows, all the news magazines, etc.

Prison Break (Mon - 8PM - 9/1)
Heros (Mon - 9PM - 9/22)
24 (Mon - 9PM - 11/23)
Boston Legal (Mon - 10PM - 9/22)
Penn & Teller: Bullsh**t (Mon - 10PM - 8/21)

House (Tue - 9PM - 9/16)
The Shield (Tue - 10PM - 9/9)
Fringe (New - Tue - 9PM - 9/9)
Damages (Tue - 10PM - 1/6/09)

Dirty Sexy Money (Wed - 10PM - 10/1)

Ugly Betty (Thur - 8PM - 9/25)
Survivor (Thur - 9/25)
Lost (Thur - 10PM - 1/1/09)

Amazing Race (Sun - 8 PM - 9/28)
Entourage (Sun - 10PM - 9/7)

Let me know if you have any recommendations.

Kevin

Sunday Mornings Will Never Be The Same Without Tim Russert

What if, for the last 17 years, you met with the same friend every Sunday morning for an hour brunch, and then suddenly and unexpectedly, that friend passed away? That's how I felt when I heard the news about Tim Russert passing away on Friday.

In the last 17 years, it was a rare Sunday that I missed Meet the Press, and I will miss my Sunday morning get together with Tim Russert greatly. Think about it...how many friends have you spent an hour with every week for the past 17 years? I've spent more time with him than most of the people in my life, so even though I never met him in person, I certainly felt like I knew him, that he was a friend, and an important component to my life each week. Now he's gone.

Being a Libertarian, I appreciated how Tim Russert tended to be tough on all politicians, not in a mean spirited way, but simply by being prepared about his guests and topics, making it very difficult for a politician to talk out of the side of his or her mouth and skirt around an issue. Few commentators had the cache' and respect that Russert had, so he was in the unique position that he could be tough and still have guests come back time and time again. Politicians couldn't say, "Let's skip Meet the Press because I know Russert will ask the tough questions." They knew he'd ask the tough questions, but they couldn't take a pass on such a key forum.

Tim Russert was known and respected, not just as a journalist, but also as a good family man of character and principle. (It makes one contemplate what others will have to say about us when we pass on.) He often said his secret to life was simply to, "Work hard, laugh often and keep your honor." The world would certainly be a better place if we all lived by that simple creed, and from what I can tell, Tim Russert did.

To get a small sampling of why I liked Tim Russert so much, watch this montage of him asking Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, and others if they'll ever run for President...



There was never a good time for Tim Russert to leave us, but if he had to be taken, what better timing than Father's Day weekend? He wrote two wonderful books about his father and fatherhood in general. I have to confess that I never really thought about Father's Day much. It never seemed to have the punch of Mother's Day to me, but for the first time, with Tim Russert's passing, this day has some impact and meaning to me, and I suspect might from now on. I'm sure many of you know what I mean.

Here's a nice tribute to Tim Russert from Bruce Springsteen...



58 was far too young to lose such a great man. Sunday mornings may never be the same, but then, either will the lives of many of the people that Tim Russert touched.

Kevin