Simon Cowell has been criticised again, this time for apparently not spending enough time mentoring the acts in his X-Factor group. Cowell is filming the new season of American Idol and will not be returning to the UK until two days before the live shows begin. Fellow judge Louis Walsh told The Daily Star "That's a bit late, isn't it? I have been working with my acts for three weeks now and I often text them and chat on the phone. Sharon flew into the country last week to be with hers. It looks like Simon only has a couple of days to get things right."
Meanwhile, contestant Shayne Ward (no, I don't know which one he is either) is tipped as an early favourite to win the glorified talent show this year. William Hill are giving him odds of 5/2, with Cowell's boyband 4tune second favourites at 5/1. A spokesman for the bookie said "It is very early days but fans seem very keen on Shayne to go on and win the series. I still think Marie is the most talented but as we know the majority of voters tend to be women and therefore it makes sense to bet on a male contestant."