Why Rage Can't Save Christmas

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As Simon Cowell jets back home to L.A before the new year, Joe McElderry just a vague memory of the past, he will be 8 million pounds richer and counting. The only thing on his mind will not be how to forge a career out of this year's X Factor winner, but how to make more money from the next series. But let's face it; making money is what Simon Cowell does best and a viral campaign, not even one that lures in 600,000 supporters will stop him from cashing in.

If you're on facebook, either you or several or your friends, or both, will have signed up to the now-famous group, aiming to get Rage Against The Machine, last year's Reading and Leeds headliners but essentially dead band, to Christmas number 1. There was a similar campaign last year, aiming to get the deceased Jeff Buckley onto the top of the charts in a protest to Alexandra Burke's version of his ever-so-precious 'Hallelujah'. Only thing, was that it was Leonard Cohen who wrote the original. And for that reason, a lot of people just sneered at the campaign.

The same applies to this year's effort: the striking flaw being that Rage Against The Machine are signed to Sony. So for major labels, it's a win-win situation. The other (arguable) setback is that 'Killing In The Name Of' has been leapt upon for the last few years as a novelty "angsty rock" song. It's probably the only song a lot of those on the facebook group have heard of by the band. Due to many factors (being on a Grand Theft Auto soundtrack and not being such a bad song being some of them), it's enjoyed a sudden surge in popularity, peaking here at this social networking sensation.

And let's not forget the pre-X Factor number 1's, Bob the Builder's 'Can We Fix It?', Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman's 'Something Stupid'. It seems that at this time of year, something triggers in the brainwaves to allow the British people to become incredibly stupid and wasteful with their money.

Now I'm not against snatching the lollipop from baby Simon's lips, but us masses must be patient: we cannot win it we aren't united, if our plans have such fatal flaws and contradictions. Simon is winning; already slamming the effort as "stupid" in a really quite decent PR stunt. He's definitely worried, and it's certainly possible that whoever it be that wins on Saturday, (adopts X Factor announcement voice) "JOE MCEEEELDERY" or "RACHEEL ADEDEDEDAAYJI", or whatever fame-hungry face, might be left to sob in the corner in defeat to a cult band. But then if we do "win", won't we be left slightly embarrassed by the fact that Sony are raking in the money this Christmas?

In conclusion: all of this is just making us look like morons.