Dance star Moby has followed Sting's lead by hitting out at reality shows such as American Idol - insisting the "awful" singing contests are cheapening the music industry.

The DJ shuns Simon Cowell's talent competitions, including The X Factor, which has made stars of Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. And the disc-spinner is puzzled why the winners are so popular - because they are manufactured pop stars with no personal passion in their tracks.

He says, "I think shows like that are awful. I have no interest - I think it debases music and cheapens everything I care about. I think some great talent has come from them but the musicians I love are people who write their own songs, someone like Joe Strummer or John Lennon."

"Heroes who, when you heard their music, you knew they wrote it, they cared about it. They chose their clothes and how they would sound and look like."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)