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Hurrah for Sharon Osbourne's return to The X Factor
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/jun/05/sharon-osbourne-return-x-factor
Jun 5th 2013, 12:07
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The talent show's replacement for Tulisa is that rarest of creatures: a woman over the age of 50 on primetime TVWearing huge black shades and flanked by half-naked men wearing kilts, Sharon Osbourne is not your typical "nan", despite describing herself as such today. For a start, she is a 60-year-old woman who is about to make a comeback on primetime British television.Osbourne's return to the judging panel of talent show The X Factor makes her one of 18% of all presenters, primetime or graveyard slot, who are women over 50. In coming back to the show she left in 2007, she replaces that erstwhile scion of youth-enticing talent, Tulisa Contostavlos, 24.Head judge Gary Barlow sees her arrival as restoring the balance between musicians and managers on the panel. He could have added that, alongside Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger, she also makes it both gender and age balanced, against all expectations. As Simon Cowell said: "Three words I never thought I'd say … Welcome back Sharon!"Before you all rush to scream that it's not just about the numbers, at least Osbourne is funny and gives the impression of knowing what she is talking about, after a career that includes running a business, managing stars including her husband Ozzy and appearing in her own long-running show. You may not warm to her, of course; personally, I thought her description of grandmothers was a bit patronising ("I shouldn't be head judge. I laugh too much and I'm not serious enough. I'm the nan of the panel").Her description of what makes someone a success, a swipe at rival talent show The Voice, suggests she has no time for those, such as Anna Ford, who believe women should be allowed to become as "rumpled" as their male counterparts either. "You can have the best voice in the world and the oldest saying is: 'They've got the perfect face for radio.' You've got to have the personality, the likability."But who cares? She makes good telly. She enhances ITV's recent record of putting a few more women over 50 on air (most popular morning presenter? Fifty-three-year-old Lorraine Kelly). All at an age when most women are expected to potter off and do the gardening. That's worth 110%, surely?The X FactorTelevisionEntertainmentWomenSharon OsbourneJane Martinson
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