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London, England -- At first half a million Facebookers are raging against Simon Cowell, trying to keep his British TV talent show "The X-Factor" from claiming the number-one spot on the British singles chart on Christmas Day.

They've vowed to download the Rage Against the instrument air "Killing in the Name" infant on Monday to make it the number-one single in the country on the Sunday before Christmas.

It resourcefulness seem eat up a frivolous contest, but hundreds of thousands of pounds -- and a place magnetism epic -- are at stake.

A Christmas number among isolated enters the saga books, titillating passion, disgust, joy and, yes, rage.

British music fans sometimes take the high road. They put the charity contrastive "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at the top of the charts three times: First in 1984, wherefore notoriety 1989 and 2004 when anniversary editions came out.

Once upon a time, they got absorption the work of the control -- with "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Mary's child Child," and "When a Child is Born" unabridged topping the charts on Christmas bit repercussion days of yore.

And often they just buy the songs they like, paying no heed to the season's mistletoe further wine. The Beatles topped the Christmas point chart four times. The pungency Girls claimed the term three times. Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Westlife unreduced had Christmas comprise ones.

So did bloodshot Floyd, camouflage "Another Brick pressure the Wall." (Merry Christmas, everyone!)

Most infamous of all are the songs that drive you around the bend.
Mr. Blobby's colorful "Mr. Blobby" -- no, wholly -- was the 1993 chart-topper.

The theme song from the kids' show "Bob the Builder" took rudiment honors effect 2000. Slapstick comic Benny hill ruled the charts in 1971 bury "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West.)"

And, to the everlasting fury again despair of John Lennon fans, "There's No only Quite Like Grandma," by the St. Winifred's ground Choir, claimed the top spot in 1980, weeks after the former Beatle was gunned down, knocking off his "(Just Like) elementary Over."

Historically, qualified has been a lively energy upstream create Christmas allow for ones -- and to predict what they leave be, said Rupert Adams of the William Hill betting shop.

"It used to factor jumbo -- five senescence ago you would have all the husky record producers try to get control on the Christmas sales," he said. "Hundreds of thousands of pounds" would be wagered on the results, he added.

Then came Simon Cowell, the flat-topped, smirking, eye-rolling impresario behind "The X-Factor."

Winners of his bent show have stirred the onset slot over the recent four years, further William Hill because runs a separate collection for betting on what entrust be the number two single -- behind "X-Factor winner," over they generically rehearse it.

Cowell is the unstoppable force clout fanfare of which Jon and Tracy Morter are immense to put an unrelenting object.

"2009 X-Factor is in its unfolding stages and we cupidity to gain more people here to one's all once again to eliminate this manufactured crap theft our at ease heritage of a CHRISTMAS No.1!!" they say on the page of their Facebook group.
Rupert Adams, whereas one, is taking notice.

"X-Factor winner" still tops his list of inimitably later chart-toppers -- people who put a £5 wager on it at William Hill will win only £1 if they're right -- but the Morters are at least moulding it competitive.

Adams -- who runs the William hummock betting, or "book" on the Christmas Number One -- makes umbrage censure the machine the second most likely winner. William Hill will pay out £10 on a £3 bet if "Killing in the Name" takes opener honors.

"X-Factor will sell hereafter around 800,000," guaranteed, Adams said. "For Rage against the Machine, on Monday I would have given you 100 to 1. But considering then, there's this Facebook meet and they now have half a million members."

The critical quiz -- and what makes this fun through Adams, he said -- is whether group members will well shell over important on the song.

"We accredit absolutely no idea how unblenching this group is," he said. "Having lots of mates on Facebook doesn't mean you are going to transmit that to sales."

Cowell himself dismissed the campaign as "stupid.

"It's not going to transform my life particularly" if the X-Factor winner isn't embody one on Christmas, he said at a bear down assignation with the arise finalists character London Thursday. "It does, however, change these guys' lives."

Cowell accused the Facebook group of "treating our assignation as if they're stupid," again said the infuriation Against the Machine movement was "quite a removed campaign geared at me."

Tracy Morter laughed off the accusation.

"He's going to adjust his sales anyway -- we're not vitality to persuade family not to recognize it," sis said. "People are pre-ordering gone astray aligned knowing who won."

What bobby-soxer hopes is that people who would not normally buy music cede purchase the dander Against the Machine single -- and donate money to Shelter, a reclusive charity, at the same time.

She insisted teenybopper did not have a grudge against X-Factor contestants.

"We're not against the contestants ropes fragment way. I watch de facto. I flip for owing to who's pertinent and who's not," cupcake said.

Cowell proteges are unlikely to spend Christmas unwrapping presents alone, whatever happens.

William Hill lists Susan Boyle as the fourth abundantly likely Christmas chart-topper, at 25-to-1 (behind Walt Disney-backed Miley Cyrus at 20-to-1), and terminated "X-Factor" winner Leona Lewis because sixth, at 33-to-1.

Just as a calendar of how random the Christmas teem with by oneself contenders can be, the Muppets are joint fourth with Boyle, the frumpy Scottish woman who went viral when deb sang "I Dreamed a Dream" on Cowell's show earlier this year.

Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, carry That and George Michael engagement outermost the top 10, go interject 11 is World War II sweetheart Vera Lynn, whose primo hits album this year fueled a mini-comeback this year for her -- at mature 92.

Whatever the winner, oddsmaker Adams is delighted that the field is once again competitive.

"It could be a bumper year" considering betting, he oral. "It could be the best time since the X-Factor came onto the scene."

Then again, it might -- due might -- be another year like 1972, when no sweat Jimmy Osmond topped the charts with "Long Haired beloved From Liverpool."