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Charity welcomes Rhythmix name change, plus some other X nonsense

By | Published on Monday 31 October 2011

The X-Factor

Bosses of children’s charity Rhythmix have welcomed the decision last week by ‘X-Factor’ chiefs to change the title of the girl group, created as part of this year’s series, who had picked the charity’s name as their moniker.

As previously reported, the Rhythmix charity, which involves disadvantaged young people in music projects, contacted ‘X’ producers as soon as it heard that the girl group had adopted its name, expressing concerns that decision could hinder the charity’s operations. Initially the TV show’s bosses were unhelpful, basically telling the charitable organisation that they’d see them in court for an expensive trademark battle. But after an online campaign and an open letter to ‘X’ boss Simon Cowell from the charity’s CEO Mark Davyd, TV chiefs relented and last week announced Rhythmix the group would be renamed Little Mix.

Responding, Davyd told Kent News: “We’re delighted to see that public pressure has finally forced ‘X-Factor’ to see sense over this issue and to change the name of the band. We’d like to thank the huge number of people that took an interest in this and for all their support for the important work we do, and will continue to do. We hope to hear from the programme makers soon about how they intend to ensure that the charity does not suffer any financial loss as a result of their actions. We’re going back to doing what we do every day – helping vulnerable young people create their own music”.

Elsewhere in ‘X-Factor’ news, while the Rhythmix group changed their name, one of their rivals in the contest changed their line-up. Boyband The Risk, also put together by judges from soloist entrants, lost one of its members late last week as Ashley Baptiste decided, somewhat late in the day, that he didn’t want to be in a boyband. ‘X-Factor’ producers quickly invited a member of another boy group who had unsuccessfully competed earlier in this series of the talent show to join The Risk.

He’s called Ashford Campbell, and was presumably picked so his new bandmates can call him Ash, and not need to learn a new name this far into the competition. Though they too might have to choose and learn a new band name, as it turns out there’s a Scottish group that has been performing as The Risk for three years already. Does nobody working on ‘X-Factor’ know how to use Google?

Perhaps they are too busy watching ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, which continues to gain on ‘X-Factor’ in the TV ratings, being the most watched show on British telly this weekend, ahead of ‘X’, for the first time in four years. According to the tabs, ITV bosses – for whom ‘X-Factor’ is the biggest advertising earner – are in a panic. The Sun says they are begging Simon Cowell to return for the final stages of the series, while the Daily Mirror says that Louis Walsh – who the tabs last week reckoned was facing the axe in a bid to boost ratings – has now been asked to advise on changes to the judging panel in a bid to pull back the viewers. The Mirror speculates Walsh will advise getting back Cheryl Cole.

Given ITV’s other main success at the moment is ‘Downton Abbey’, perhaps it should relocate ‘X-Factor’ to a big house in the past.



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