Another year, another X Factor final grips the nation. But besides the fact that all Saturday night television from now until September next year will pale in comparison for us punters, the big bosses at ITV must really be looking forward to Christmas. Why? Maybe it's to do with the 10 million plus viewers who voted over the weekend to choose their 2009 winner, maybe it's to do with the expertly handled prime time scheduling whereby both live finals were sandwiched between fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole's 'Night In' and a This is Your Life style program charting the meteoric rise of Britain's Got Talent singing sensation Susan Boyle.
Or maybe it's to do with the fact that Mr Simon Cowell has managed to so heavily PR what remains the equivalent of a Butlins karaoke show, that ITV were selling 30 second ad slots during the live finals for £250,000 a pop. Which means every time Dermot-I'm always chirpy I am-O'Leary winked his wink and told us he'd see us on the other side, ITV bosses were pocketing about £1.5 million. Lord knows what percentage makes it into Cowell's bank account by the end of it, but now that the music mogul has reportedly requested an increased budget for next year's show (I'm not sure how many more fireworks I can handle actually) I can't imagine anyone saying no. Quite the opposite in fact. It looks like Cowell's turning the clock back to the days of the high-waisted trouser wearing, cigar smoking, moobs displaying fat cats who sit round a poker table somewhere in Soho discussing their plans to take over the world. Did I mention he's in talks to launch the X Factor in Las Vegas with rotund retail guru Sir Philip Green? Ah. Point proven then.
Or maybe it's to do with the fact that Mr Simon Cowell has managed to so heavily PR what remains the equivalent of a Butlins karaoke show, that ITV were selling 30 second ad slots during the live finals for £250,000 a pop. Which means every time Dermot-I'm always chirpy I am-O'Leary winked his wink and told us he'd see us on the other side, ITV bosses were pocketing about £1.5 million. Lord knows what percentage makes it into Cowell's bank account by the end of it, but now that the music mogul has reportedly requested an increased budget for next year's show (I'm not sure how many more fireworks I can handle actually) I can't imagine anyone saying no. Quite the opposite in fact. It looks like Cowell's turning the clock back to the days of the high-waisted trouser wearing, cigar smoking, moobs displaying fat cats who sit round a poker table somewhere in Soho discussing their plans to take over the world. Did I mention he's in talks to launch the X Factor in Las Vegas with rotund retail guru Sir Philip Green? Ah. Point proven then.
