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Why Cheryl Cole's accent may have doomed her as an 'X-Factor' judge

If Brit is off the American version it may all be about the 'me'

<p>Cheryl Cole at the 2011 Brit Awards.</p>

Cheryl Cole at the 2011 Brit Awards.

Credit: AP Photo/Joel Ryan

LONDON — In northeastern England they say she's a canny lass — and maybe that's the problem.

British sweetheart Cheryl Cole has reportedly been dumped from U.S. television, and tabloid media say she lost her big break in part over fears American audiences wouldn't understand her regional accent or the phrases unique to her corner of Britain.

Cole, whose rags-to-riches showbiz story has captivated her country, had been expected to appear as a judge on Simon Cowell's "The X Factor" due to premiere in the United States later this year. But on Friday Britain's tabloids announced the 27-year-old had been removed as a judge, and her official status with the program, which has already started shooting, remains unclear.

Ann-Marie Thomson, public relations chief for Cowell's entertainment company, declined comment when called by The Associated Press. But Sinitta Malone, a guest presenter on the British version of "X Factor," told ITV television that Cowell and Cole were in talks "trying to sort something out."

Whatever happens, Cole's absence would dent her dreams of graduating to American — and international — celebrity. It's an ambition that seemed widely shared by her fans, and indeed by Britain's tabloid media, which have treated her with unusual deference over the years.

Born Cheryl Tweedy, Cole has long been dubbed the nation's sweetheart, a description that owes much to her inspiring rise from a gritty public housing estate in the northeastern England city of Newcastle. Her parents, who never married, split up when she was 11. Her brother was addicted to sniffing glue. Cole herself was expelled from school twice before leaving at 16.

But she had good looks and a good voice. After auditioning for "X Factor"-forerunner "Popstars The Rivals," she was placed in pop group Girls Aloud, which went on to score a string of hits.

Her successful solo career, a marriage to soccer player Ashley Cole and a job judging contestants on the U.K. "X Factor" cemented her stardom.

"It's important that she came through a talent show," said Sanna Inthorn, a professor of media and politics at the University of East Anglia, in eastern England. "The people made her, they chose her, they championed her."

Questions about her accent have been around as long as the idea of moving Cole to the United States.

Cole speaks with what's known in the U.K. as a Geordie accent. Particular to Newcastle, many from the region use words such as "bairn" instead of "child," ''hinny" instead of "woman," and "me" instead of "my." Intonation tends to rise at the end of sentences, while vowel sounds tend to shift in such as way that the word "brown" ends up sounding more like "brune."

Finally there's a liberal helping of words such as "pet," ''lass" and "like" — many on display as a kindly Cole guided contestants through the British version of "The X Factor."

Inthorn said that Cole's way of speaking was critical to her image as a caring, compassionate working-class girl-made-good.

"Her regional accent is very important," Inthorn said. "'Geordie' — that is itself a kind of endearing term, (suggesting) a down-to-earth, real person who speaks from the heart."

Cole has kept the emphasis on her homey image in the United States, telling American journalists in Los Angeles that "I miss me friends, me family, me tea and me soaps." After reporters were left confused about what kind of soap she was talking about — she meant soap operas — she was asked whether she'd considered changing her accent to suit an American audience.

"I would never, ever change how I speak," she said.

Inthorn said she was confident Cole could recover from the rebuff. "She could come back here and resume her career — because she's been misunderstood by Americans. She's coming back to her true roots," she said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.  All rights reserved.

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  • Big mistake for that show. Should have kept her.

    May 28, 2011 at 2:51AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Default-avatar

    JohnDoe

    That's too bad. I was looking forward to watching X-Factor, but now?...can't wait to see what vanilla no-talent judge that they get to replace her. Simon has to be pissed off.

    May 28, 2011 at 4:28AM EST Reply to Comment
  • 9yearsold_talkback_profile

    klg19

    What an incredibly stupid decision. And what incredibly stupid reporters! Seriously, they didn't figure out that "my soaps" referred to soap operas? People use the exact same locution in America!

    America learned to understand the Beatles and their Liverpudlian accents. I can't believe that the producers thought we'd be defeated by Geordie. It's insulting to Cole and it's insulting to us.

    May 28, 2011 at 6:57AM EST Reply to Comment
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    Ivan

    So basically the producers are catering to the American lowest common denominator. And you wonder why the US is falling behind the rest of the world. It's also ironic that it's Paula Abdul who words are usually incomprehensible.

    May 28, 2011 at 8:19AM EST Reply to Comment
  • Raylan_-_copy_talkback_profile

    Jonnybon

    "England accent"?

    May 28, 2011 at 10:03AM EST Reply to Comment
    • Raylan_-_copy_talkback_profile

      Jonnybon English...

      May 28, 2011 at 5:07PM EST
  • Default-avatar

    Saulo

    How people can be so stupid? I speak English as a second language, I'm a fan of the British X-Factor and never had any problems to understand Cheryl!

    What about Idol's Randy? All the man can say is that every single contestant is there to win it! And ask "what show is this?" each time a lunatic audition!

    What about Paula Abdul, who judged a non-existent performance by Jason Castro back in season 7?

    Cheryl would be a breath of fresh air and a huge hit among the viewers. Maybe she is too big to quit the English version. Or perhaps Nicole Scherzinger flopped as a host, so Mr. Cowell decided to solve her problems by throwing Cole under the bus.

    If Cheryl stays in the US, I'll watch the FOX show. Otherwise, I'll continue with the British one.

    May 28, 2011 at 6:05PM EST Reply to Comment

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