Image Credit: Ken McKay/TalkbackThames/Rex/Rex USABritish talent show The X Factor may have to pay for an episode that has made many wonder whether the show should be renamed The XXX Factor. On Dec. 11, the show featured so-called racy performances from both Christina Aguilera and Rihanna — and now Ofcom (think of it as Britain’s version of the FCC) has launched an investigation, according to The Guardian.
Following suggestive numbers from Aguilera — promoting Burlesque — and Rihanna, whose performance of “What’s My Name” involved a tame striptease, more than 4,000 viewers complained, claiming that the racy performances should not have been aired at such an early hour. (X Factor ran in a primetime slot from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the episode attracted 14 million viewers) A total of 2,750 viewers complained to Ofcom, while 1,500 contacted ITV, the network that airs X Factor. An X Factor spokesman, however, has said that Aguilera and Rihanna’s numbers “were appropriate for the show.” See the performances embedded after the jump.
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but if they weren’t wearing sexy clothes and gyrating, no one would listen to them.
Agreed. I’m not sure when being attractive and nearly nude became a substitute for talent.
Says the fat pig.
The sad thing is Christina does have a ridiculous amount of talent, but no one pays attention to it because most of her costumes are too distracting.
Although, I’d rather she get her need to be outlandishly sexual out now and cover up and actually sing when she gets older, than the backwards route that Mariah Carey took, singing less and less and exposing more and more as she gets older (… and bigger).
everyone always says “Christina is so talented!”
but she’s consistently flat, tries way to many runs (in which she misses half the notes), and sings through her nose, creating a goose-like honking sound.
Mariah uses her voice less because of her nodules, Christina’s… just really loud.
I don’t think being outlandishly sexual is something she’s going to get out of her system. She’s just a trashy person.
Allison, that is sooooo true. Aguilera is so misguided in her insistence of being a latter-day version of 90′s Madonna. The irony is that for all of Madonna’s accomplishments and pop culture dominance/impact, in terms ofsheer vocal ability, she can’t hold a candle to the “Dirrrty” singer.
And yes, I was talking too a friend the other day how funny it is that the older Mariah gets, the less clothes she wears, as if she needed it, considering that she had her biggest success covering up and just singing.
I have been buying Mariah’s records since the early 90′s, and she’s singing better now than she ever did. She uses more facets of her voice now than she did in the ‘Vision of Love’ days. ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’ was one of her best CDs ever…
As for Christina, I am not a fan, but she does have a killer voice. Much like Mariah, with the voice Christina has, she will be fine.
Is it just me or is Xtina morphing into Snooki? Stick a Kim Zolciak bad blond wig on Snooki and they could be sisters.
Agreed. IMHO Christina is one of the best female vocalists working today but she’s making herself irrelevant when she does things like this.
Wow, Xtina has gottrn fat!
She does look a little rubenesque. At first I thought it was the video, but the other girls look slim. I wonder if she’s pregnant…? The baby-doll dress makes it look that way.
Is Christina pregnant or just fat?
I don’t know as of recently but i do know for a fact that she at least has one son.
LOL — so true. What happened to being sexy just by being a good singer? How soon before they come onto the stage naked?
Whatever happened to, “I don’t like this. Click! I changed the channel!”
SERIOUSLY. People want to do everything but take responsibility for themselves.
Not defending the investigation, but keep in mind that British television has a lot fewer channels than American tv, and all Brits who have tv pay a fee every year for it. So they tend to complain to Ofcom more often than American viewers do to the FCC, and are taken far more seriously. Not saying it’s right, but it’s a different system than ours.
Thank you for putting this situation into context Jennifer. I did not realize that the British tv system was different, and so, to me at least, it sheds a different light on the situation.
They pay for their BBC? That’s crazy. I watched both performances and the dancer to the left of Christina barely had on panties. I have to say that was innapropriate. A lot of the other dancers were at least wearing (tiny) skirts.
Not to mention these are Brits we are talking about. Uptight is pretty much ingrained into their brains.
Yes, we pay for all the BBC TV and radio channels, news broadcasts, web services and more. These are completely add-free so well worth the price of the TV licence. The X-Factor however is on ITV, a private channel, and aimed at a family audience, hence the complaints.
You guys should know that over here in England, people love to complain about the small pointless things such as this crap Z Factor – It’s just our ‘thing’. Well I say ‘our’ – I don’t do it myself, I think, I hope…
Christina’s was pretty much the same as when she was on DWTS. The Rihanna “strip-tease” was more of a costume change. Some people are a little too tightly wound.
Both performances seem pretty tame to me. Shouldn’t people be more uspet about Christina’s horrendous hair and Ri-Ri’s craptacular outfit and vocals?
Riri’s crap vocals?
Are we watching the same performance
Ri killed it.
if by “it” you mean a cat… ‘cuz that’s how it sounded. i like her music, but that wasn’t pleasant.
I agree i did not either song choices. At the moment i still only a few songs of Rihanna and Christina before her marriage.
The Aguilera performance was not risque, the movie Burlesque is loosey based on the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque show in L.A. The Pussycat Dolls musical group have been dressing like this for years. Now, the weight gain by Aguilera does not excuse her for having a crappy make-up and hair job. Look more together girl.
So let me get this straight, when less than 5,000 viewers out of 14 million complain about a television show, that it’s cause for that agency to start an investigation? Do that agency not actually anything better to do?
Actually no. That is their purpose. Now, in all likelihood they’ll conduct an extremely quick, cursory investigation, decides it’s much ado about nothing and declare the matter closed.
5000 is a significant number of complaints. What is the point of having such an authority if they do nothing about that many complaints? When you say that they have nothing better to do-their job is to respond to viewer complaints. If they didn’t then we would complain about that!
Just a little quick math shows that 5,000 complaints (that is overstating the number) divided by the 14 million viewers means that only 0.0004% of the audience was offended. Not even a tenth of 1%. Whoa, stop the presses.
It is quite probable that not everybody who was bothered by it actually put in an actual complain. 5000 is quite a large number. I’m not passing judgement in these performances but this show is aimed at a family audience.
ctually i was sat in a room with a group of people in their early 20′s, watching it disgusted because we know kids who were watching it and who would try to copy Rhianna grinding the floor in basically next to nothing! None of us complained but I’m happy they did, it was before watershed and completely inappropriate for that time! The X Factor gets away with so much, constantly fixing things for more publicity its about time they got investigated into! Maybe then Cheryl Cole can get off our screens as well!
HENSE I KNOW XTINA IS AGREAT SINGER…..MIND YOU
RIHANNNA KILLLED NAILED, BODY, SLAYYYEDD, MURDER OR WATEVER MEANS DAMANGED THAT PERFORMANCEE.. VOCAL SO WERE ON POINT.. NOT A SINGLE BAD NOTE!! WAYYY TO GO RII!! UR RADE FOR THE DAY A+++++++++++
Please put the crack pipe down before posting
You wrote in all caps so for a second I thought your posting was important….I was wrong.
I’m liking Rhi more and more. She’s turning into an all around performer, but she needs to put some more clothes on.
That was the same choreography she did on the AMA’s (I believe it was). The dancer to the left was showing more arse in this routine. It’s funny how if she was in a bikini showing the same amount of cheek it wouldn’t be deemed offensive.
isn’t this the same performance chubby aguliera gave at the AMA’s?…dunno. did care then, don’t care now. only what’s with the weave? is ANY of her hair real? she looks like a sea creature or soemthing. like that octopus thing in pirates…oh, to have to promote the suckage. poor thing.
go rhi rhi. i still thing you look like whitney houston had a child with someone other than bobby brown.
I watched both clips and waited to be offended. Didn’t happen…and I am a 40-something fat chick and mom of a teen daughter. The people that complained are wound way too tight.
Two points.
1. As its been mentioned before people have to pay for a tv license in the UK. It comes to over $200US with the current exchange rate for basically the five standard channels unless you have a freeview box. So think paying for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and UPN. Because of this people feel that they own the channels more and feel more free to complain.
2. The X Factor is considered a family show, its before the 9pm watershed and many people let their 3-9 year olds watch it. While I think the two performances were appropriate for older kids/teens it was less so for very young kids and that was what people were complaining about.
whoa that put everthing in perspective. You absolutely correct and point #2 I would NOT let either of my children watch those performances!
Agree on these points but the TV licence is actually paid for use of a ‘TV receiver’ and only pays for BBC services. The X-Factor is on ITV. A moot point.
The problem is considering X Factor a “family show.” It isn’t. The commentary and banter is decidedly adult. Your children shouldn’t be watching anyway. Raise your children and quit expecting television to.
And this from a country that regularly has naked people in the newspapers and on commercials.
I think you’re confusing England with some other European countries.
No he’s not. The Sun, a popular trashy tabloid, features a topless ‘page 3″ girl everyday. Can make for uncomfortable reading on the commute!
I know right! I moved here (UK) a couple of years ago and the first time I read the Sun was on a bus and boy was I in for a shock!
“While I think the two performances were appropriate for older kids/teens it was less so for very young kids and that was what people were complaining about.”
Well considering there’s more skin being shown on beaches throughout the day i hope these people that complained dont let their 3-9 yr olds out on the beach!
It is not the amount of skin, it is the perception of sex that is inappropriate for 3-9 age group. I am not one for censorship at all, but when a show states that it is family friendly, it needs to stay that way. I think both performances were entertaining, but could be too adult for the young kids.
sex sells. just look at the sales for Rihanna in UK.