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Media
M&S edits telly ad after X-Factor contestant axed
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 9 November 2011
Marks & Spencer has confirmed it will edit Frankie Cocozza out of its multi-million pound ‘X-Factor’ finalist themed Christmas TV advertising campaign after he was axed from the telly talent show yesterday, though they insist that the plan was always to rework the advert as contestants were voted off the programme week by week, so editing in another ‘X’ finalist singing Cocozza’s line isn’t a problem.
‘X-Factor’ producers confirmed Cocozza had been axed from the latest series of their show yesterday for “breaking contestant rules”. Although they didn’t embellish on that, The Sun has reported that the singer was fired for committing the cardinal sin of admitting to taking cocaine, when obviously that’s something ‘X’ contenders really ought to do in secret.
The ‘X-Factor’ wannabe, with his extra-in-a-Tim-Burton movie look, had already caused a little controversy on the latest series of the Saturday night telly franchise for swearing during live broadcasts and, some complainers to media regulator OfCom claimed, for glamorising and encouraging the misuse of alcohol through his raucous clubbing lifestyle.
Confirming the wannabe’s departure from the show, producers told reporters “Frankie is leaving the show today after breaking competition rules, he is going to take some time out before continuing his career as a singer”, while Cocozza himself was forced to put his name to this statement: “My behaviour off stage has over-stepped the rules of the competition. I no longer deserve my place in the show, so I am therefore leaving”.
Cocozza’s mentor on the show Gary Barlow added: “Frankie has apologised publicly as well as personally to me and the producers for his actions that lead to him leaving the show. I’m hugely disappointed that he’s thrown away an opportunity like this after working so hard to get here. I’m sorry to see him go as we’ve been through a lot together in such a short time. I hope Frankie continues to look to me as a friend and supporter and works it all out, picks himself up and somehow tries to turn this into a positive”.
Meanwhile, for some sense on the matter, let’s turn to Calvin Harris, who tweeted yesterday: “Richard Bacon was shite before he got busted for using drugs and now he’s good on the radio, hopefully this ‘X-Factor chap can turn it round too. Doesn’t matter if he’s a shite singer. Most who audition are shite, but HE got put through. I think he should be applauded! Cocaine’s for mugs, but you expect some eighteen year old kid to get picked to go on a TV show and suddenly step up to being a ROLE MODEL?”
The M&S telly ad featuring ‘X-Factor’ finalists singing something a bit festive (which you can see in its original form below) premiered during the talent show this weekend, seemingly causing a bit of an uproar among some ‘X’ fans and M&S customers, who apparently forgot that long-held British tradition that says all Christmas-themed TV ads should be shit.
