Post by CrazySting on Dec 19, 2009 13:07:56 GMT -5
SIMON COWELL has blasted the campaign to get RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE to the festive top spot - branding its supporters "a hate mob".
He says the Facebook crusade to keep this year's X Factor winner from being the Christmas No1 is akin to bullying.
The campaign urges people to buy Rage's Killing In The Name to thwart JOE McELDERRY's The Climb.
Music mogul Simon is so angry he interrupted his hols in Barbados to ring me yesterday. He raged: "All these musical snobs have ganged up against Joe.
"If you take me out of the equation, you have a teenager with his first single being attacked by a huge hate mob on Facebook. It almost feels like a little kid being bullied. It feels like a spiteful campaign aimed at an 18-year-old who won a talent competition.
"It's David versus Goliath and it's not fair on Joe. It's getting out of hand."
Mild-mannered CHERYL COLE, Joe's mentor on the ITV show, is none too pleased either.
X-tremely annoyed ... Cheryl Cole
WENN
Chezza thundered: "I would be devastated to see Joe lose out. He put his heart and soul into every single week of The X Factor.
"I cannot bear to see him lose to a mean campaign that has nothing to do with his efforts.
"If that song, or should I say campaign, by an American group is our Christmas No1 I'll be gutted for him and our charts."
Rage's track is still out in front but the gap has closed to just 9,000 sales between them, down from 65,000 at the end of Wednesday.
Experts think Joe will still win, but Simon has come to terms with the fact this could be the first time in the last five years when one of his acts misses out on the festive top spot.
He continued: "One part of me says, good for you guys for bringing on some competition. The other part isn't sure about the point they are trying to make.
"I think they've got a shot at making No1.
"The retail numbers are very, very encouraging for us but this Rage record now has a momentum of its own."
Joe has also spoken, telling BBC Breakfast: "I'm not really seeing it as a personal attack, because I think if any other person would have won it would have been the same case.
"And it's more against The X Factor than the actual winner.
"I would be disappointed if it's not number one - but it's out of my hands and there's nothing I can do about it and I just hope people get behind us and support us and buy the single."
Speaking about Killing In The Name, he added: "I think I should maybe have a listen to it but I haven't heard it yet."
Music legend, and recent X Factor guest, SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has come down on the other side.
He told Sky News: "Everyone expects Joe to do it, and if he goes to No1 then good luck to him.
"He's just some kid with a career ahead. I've got nothing against that, but it would be kind of funny if Rage Against The Machine got it because it would prove a point."
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Rage frontman ZACK DE LA ROCHA has waded in to the debate too.
He said: "Simon is an interesting character. He seems to have profited greatly off humiliating people on live television and has a unique position of capturing the attention of people on television, but also the airwaves.
"We see this as a necessary break of that control."
The band performed the track on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday morning.
Sadly, presenter SHELAGH FOGARTY struggled to fade them out in time when they launched into the expletive-ridden finale.
A flustered Fogarty had to tell listeners that the band had promised not to swear.
Oh dear.
Read more: www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2777019/Simon-Cowell-blasts-Rage-Against-The-Machine-Christmas-No1-plot.html#ixzz0a9w5CVBK
For what it's worth I think Joe whats-his-name probably will get the number 1 slot. But the sense of entitlement from Cowell and Cole is absolutely repulsive.
He says the Facebook crusade to keep this year's X Factor winner from being the Christmas No1 is akin to bullying.
The campaign urges people to buy Rage's Killing In The Name to thwart JOE McELDERRY's The Climb.
Music mogul Simon is so angry he interrupted his hols in Barbados to ring me yesterday. He raged: "All these musical snobs have ganged up against Joe.
"If you take me out of the equation, you have a teenager with his first single being attacked by a huge hate mob on Facebook. It almost feels like a little kid being bullied. It feels like a spiteful campaign aimed at an 18-year-old who won a talent competition.
"It's David versus Goliath and it's not fair on Joe. It's getting out of hand."
Mild-mannered CHERYL COLE, Joe's mentor on the ITV show, is none too pleased either.
X-tremely annoyed ... Cheryl Cole
WENN
Chezza thundered: "I would be devastated to see Joe lose out. He put his heart and soul into every single week of The X Factor.
"I cannot bear to see him lose to a mean campaign that has nothing to do with his efforts.
"If that song, or should I say campaign, by an American group is our Christmas No1 I'll be gutted for him and our charts."
Rage's track is still out in front but the gap has closed to just 9,000 sales between them, down from 65,000 at the end of Wednesday.
Experts think Joe will still win, but Simon has come to terms with the fact this could be the first time in the last five years when one of his acts misses out on the festive top spot.
He continued: "One part of me says, good for you guys for bringing on some competition. The other part isn't sure about the point they are trying to make.
"I think they've got a shot at making No1.
"The retail numbers are very, very encouraging for us but this Rage record now has a momentum of its own."
Joe has also spoken, telling BBC Breakfast: "I'm not really seeing it as a personal attack, because I think if any other person would have won it would have been the same case.
"And it's more against The X Factor than the actual winner.
"I would be disappointed if it's not number one - but it's out of my hands and there's nothing I can do about it and I just hope people get behind us and support us and buy the single."
Speaking about Killing In The Name, he added: "I think I should maybe have a listen to it but I haven't heard it yet."
Music legend, and recent X Factor guest, SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY has come down on the other side.
He told Sky News: "Everyone expects Joe to do it, and if he goes to No1 then good luck to him.
"He's just some kid with a career ahead. I've got nothing against that, but it would be kind of funny if Rage Against The Machine got it because it would prove a point."
Advertisement
Rage frontman ZACK DE LA ROCHA has waded in to the debate too.
He said: "Simon is an interesting character. He seems to have profited greatly off humiliating people on live television and has a unique position of capturing the attention of people on television, but also the airwaves.
"We see this as a necessary break of that control."
The band performed the track on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday morning.
Sadly, presenter SHELAGH FOGARTY struggled to fade them out in time when they launched into the expletive-ridden finale.
A flustered Fogarty had to tell listeners that the band had promised not to swear.
Oh dear.
Read more: www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2777019/Simon-Cowell-blasts-Rage-Against-The-Machine-Christmas-No1-plot.html#ixzz0a9w5CVBK
For what it's worth I think Joe whats-his-name probably will get the number 1 slot. But the sense of entitlement from Cowell and Cole is absolutely repulsive.