X Factor: Stop your tedious bellyaching - Simon Cowell is a TV genius

FAO all those keyboard warriors that continue to furiously tap their illiterate, knee-jerk splutterings into their Facebook and Twitter statuses: you've been worked by the greatest showbusinessman in and on TV.

Feel free to be 'outraged', 'disgusted' and to 'lose respect' for a 'hypocritical' Simon Cowell, if you have nothing better to get into a right tizzy about.

But the only 'tactical game' being played by Simon is one where he has masterfully slain the Jedward monster and repositioned himself as the focus of the entire show. Genius.

Jedward are on the outs. The majority of last week's press attention concentrated on how John and Edward were sticking it to The Man, defying Cowell's put downs and psyching themselves up to "exterminate" him during their Ghostbusters routine.

Well, The Man stuck it right back to 'em, by damning the boys with the faintest of praise as "sort of good". Sort of.

Jedward thrive on the Marmite reaction. And with their chief adversary subtly taking the heat out of the issue by feigning a grudging admission, there's no longer a strong opponent for them to react against.

Being mediocre is a far worse offence in entertainment than being merely Godawful terrible.

This week will be their last shot. With Simon back on top as the target of all the virtual hate being spewed, Jedward have lost the antagonistic smoke and mirrors that protected them.