Just a few weeks ago the whole world applaused when it was revealed that American Idol had finally come to an end, however, there are still a couple of major music talent shows airing, and one of them has come under fire from a previous contestant, suggesting they may be worse than we all thought.
Introducing Sally Hessnice, a singer who didn’t make it past the audition rounds of the US version of ‘X Factor’ because, as she claims, the recording of her Whitney Houston cover of ‘The Greatest Love Of All’, was manipulated to depict her poorly, as Billboard reports.
Hessnice has filed a complaint to the Los Angeles Supreme Court, attempting to sue the production companies Fremantle, Syco and Blue Orbit for altering her televised audition of May 2013, attesting that her voice was changed, the audience reaction was cast poorly and that the judges responses were re-filmed without her present to appear negative.
Her official complaint reads as follows: “The Audition had been altered in the following ways: a.) Plaintiff’s voice (i.e., pitch, reverb and vocal legato) was altered to sound ‘screechy’ and unprofessional; b.) the positive audience reaction was replaced with footage of a disinterested audience; and c.) the judges’ original comments and reactions to Plaintiff were re-filmed (without Plaintiff present) to show a negative response to Plaintiff.
“In addition, the stage manager prompted the Plaintiff to walk around the entire stage. During the Audition, Plaintiff noticed the surface of the stage was inconsistent, with ‘pillowy’ surfaces scattered throughout. This was an intentional effort by Defendants to disrupt her performance and pre-arrange the outcome of the Audition” her statement reads.
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Not only that, Hessnice also believes that the audition has ruined her potential career as a recording artist, stating that her “reputation as a professional singer has been irreparably tarnished,” as well as believing that the audition violated a federal law that prohibits “engag[ing] in any artifice or scheme for the purpose of prearranging or predetermining in whole or in part the outcome of a purportedly bona fide contest of intellectual knowledge, intellectual skill, or chance.”
These are some pretty huge accusations to be making of the monolithic television program, and although they’re completely feasible, we’re not sure if they’re completely true.
Sure, these shows are heartless machines that are solely about getting as high ratings as possible, however at the same time, Hessnice may just be one of those people who doesn’t really know the sound of their own voice, think about it, how many times have you been shocked when you hear a recording of yourself speaking or singing?
Hessnice is suing for a mass series of claims, including “intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and gross negligence. She apparently wants $2 million in damages, rescission of her contract with the producers and an injunction against the defendants’ use of her audition footage.”
You be the judge for yourself, do you think this video has been drastically edited to make Hessnice sound poorly, or do you think that she perhaps just doesn’t have that special ‘X Factor’?
