Britons up in arms over claims of TV talent fakery

[August 24, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- Britons are up in arms over online claims that a popular TV talent competition has been electronically tweaking contestants' voices to make them sound in tune.

Fans of Britain's "X Factor" show took to the Internet over the weekend to claim that pitch-correction software had been used to smooth contestants' performances.

The hugely popular show's producers acknowledged that post-production had taken place to correct for the interplay of the microphones used during filming.

The "X Factor" is a fixture of Britain's entertainment calendar and is judged by veteran talent show curmudgeon Simon Cowell, among others.

His face was pasted across the front of Britain's Daily Mirror on Monday, under the caption: "X Faker."

[Associated Press]

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