HappyDude88's Christmas Message

Hello everyone

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and feedback on the website throughout 2010.  When I started this journey, I didn’t think it would last six weeks, let alone a year and I am so pleased that I have managed to get this far. 

I will be taking a Christmas and New Year break, but will return in 2011, with the same content of exciting entertainment, noteworthy news and sensational sport.  Let’s hope 2011 is just as exciting as 2010 has been. 

Thanks again

Happy Christmas everyone and have a fantastic 2011

HappyDude

xxxxx

2010: A year in sport

IT HAS been an extraordinary year in sport, which saw some pleasant surprises, favourites fall flat on their faces and intriguing battles that went down to the wire.

UNLUCKY: Andy Murray came so close, yet so far in the Australian Open

The year began with a hard luck story for Andy Murray.  The Scot performed brilliantly to reach the final of the Australian Open, including a quarter-final success over Rafael Nadal.  Sadly, it ended in heartache, as Roger Federer swept him aside in straight sets in the final.  For both, this was to be their highlight of 2010.  In rugby union, France overpowered the feeble competition from the Northern Hemisphere to win a poor Six Nations championship.  They sealed the Grand Slam with victory over inconsistent England in the final match of the championship in Paris.  The New Orleans Saints completed a famous win in the NFL, defeating huge favourites Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Superbowl XLIV.  The Winter Olympics were held in the cold chill of Vancouver in Canada.  The games were overshadowed by poor weather, dismal organisation and the tragic death of a male Georgian competitor in the Luge competition on the eve of the event.  However, there was gold success for Britain, as Amy Williams showed she was the Queen of Speed.  She clinched gold in the women’s skeleton, Britain’s first solo gold in the Winter Olympics for over 40 years.  Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 to win the first silverware of the football season.  They came from behind to lift the Carling Cup at Wembley, but that was Sir Alex Ferguson’s only taste of silverware in 2010 for the Red Devils.

SHOCK: Imperial Commander was the surprise winner of the Gold Cup

The F1 season began with an absolute stinker in Bahrain.  Fernando Alonso inherited victory on his Ferrari debut, after Sebastian Vettel encountered technical problems on his Red Bull.  Little did we know then of the later drama in the Grand Prix season.  It was dubbed the greatest horse racing showdown battle, but it never materialised at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Imperial Commander was the shock winner, taking full advantage of a shock fall for the pre-race favourite Kauto Star and the lack of fitness from his stablemate, Denman.  If Cheltenham upset the odds, Phil Micklelson’s victory by three shots in the US Masters at Augusta wasn’t so much of a surprise.  Tony McCoy may have guided Denman to runner-up in the Gold Cup, but he went one better at the Grand National, riding Don’t Push It to glory and finally, winning the world’s greatest steeplechase event at the 15^th attempt of asking.  This success helped him land the coveted title of 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  In Jerez, Jorge Lorenzo passed countryman Dani Pedrosa on the last lap to win a thrilling Spanish MotoGP and set the tone for the motorcycling season to come.

GLORY: Chelsea lift the Barclays Premiership title in a double-winning year

As damaging allegations about former world champion John Higgins came to light, Australian Neil Robertson kept his nerve to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.  Chelsea thrashed Wigan Athletic 8-0 on the final day of the Premiership season to clinch their third title in six years.  A week later, Carlo Ancelotti guided his side to a historic league/cup double, as Didier Drogba’s brilliant free-kick was good enough to defeat a brave and debt-ridden Portsmouth side 1-0 at Wembley in the FA Cup final.  There was more success for Australia on the streets of Monaco, as Mark Webber took the leadership of the Formula One world championship, leading home Sebastian Vettel to a Red Bull 1-2 in the principality.  A fortnight later, the two Red Bulls took each other off as Istanbul Park, handing Lewis Hamilton his first win of the season, as he won the Turkish Grand Prix for McLaren.  Blackpool joined Newcastle United and West Brom in the promise land of the Premiership.  The Tangerines sealed their shock promotion to the top flight, beating Cardiff City 3-2 in a pulsating Championship play-off final at Wembley.

CELEBRATION: Paul Collingwood lifts afloat the World 20:20 trophy

Argentine Diego Milito scored twice as Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, the perfect going away present for departing manager Jose Mourinho, who was heading for Real Madrid.  There was agony for Fulham, as they were cruelly beaten in the inaugural final of the UEFA Europa League, 2-1 by Atletico Madrid.  Diego Forlan scored the winner in the dying stages of extra-time and it was to be Roy Hodgson’s final game in charge of the West London side.  He took over the Liverpool job, after Rafa Benitez was sacked.  Benitez turned up at Inter, but might be sacked again before the year is out.  In cricket, Paul Collingwood captained England to a surprise and fantastic victory in Cricket’s 20:20 World Cup.  6-1 shot with the bookies, Workforce won the Epsom Derby and Rafael Nadal claimed back the world no.1 spot after overcoming Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros.  Italy’s Francesca Schiavone was the shock winner of the ladies singles in France. 

PAIN: Valentino Rossi is treated after his horror MotoGP crash

Valentino Rossi’s hopes of retaining his MotoGP title were shot, when he broke his leg in a serious practice accident for his home event in Mugello.  A week later, the greatest show on earth kicked off with the 2010 FIFA World Cup beginning in Soccer City.  A colourful opening ceremony was followed by hosts’ South Africa drawing 1-1 in the opener with Mexico.  Siphiwe Tshabalala scored one of the goals of the tournament for the hosts.  Twenty-four hours later, England drew their opening match in Rustenberg against the USA.  The 1-1 draw stood out for a glaring error from goalkeeper Robert Green and millions of ITV HD viewers missing the England goal from Steven Gerrard, enjoying a Hyundai car commercial instead!  There was success for Northern Ireland, when Graeme McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach, becoming the first European since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the prestigious event.  Meanwhile, Mark Webber was very lucky to walkaway unscathed from a terrifying 196mph shunt with Heikki Kovalainen at the European Grand Prix in Valencia. 

AGONY: Steven Gerrard feels the pain of an early exit for England

England’s World Cup dreams were blown apart in Bloemfontein.  Fabio Capello’s flat Three Lions losing 4-1 to bitter rivals Germany in the last 16.  Despite having a clear goal disallowed, when Frank Lampard’s shot bounced over the line, the younger German side had far more passion and the scoreline didn’t flatter them.  It was another dismal major tournament performance from England, but Capello somehow managed to hang onto his job.  England weren’t the only ones to make an embarrassing exit, as 1998 winners France and defending champions Italy also making desperate early departures.  In the quarter-finals, Ghana got denied a semi-final place by Uruguay in a gripping quarter-final in Soccer City.  Luis Suarez’s blatant handball handed the Africans a last minute penalty in extra-time, which Asamoah Gyan missed.  Suarez’s celebrations left a bitter taste with many fans afterwards.  The final of the World Cup was a bruiser; with English referee Howard Webb dishing out 14 yellow cards.  Spain won the bad-tempered final in Soccer City, with Andreas Iniesta striking the decisive goal in extra-time against a Holland side that seem to be more interested in playing kung-fu.  At Wimbledon, John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut in the longest game ever in tennis.  Their first round match ended in Isner’s favour, 70-68 in the fifth and deciding set.  Watched on by David Beckham amongst others, Andy Murray failed in his quest to become SW19 champion, beaten by the inspirational Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals in straight sets.  Nadal went on to win the final, cruising past the conqueror of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych in straight sets.  In the women’s game, Serena Williams regained her title, thrashing Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in less than an hour.

WINNER: Mo Farah achieves a brilliant double in Barcelona

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen ran away with the Open Championship at St. Andrews, finishing on 16 under par, seven strokes clear of Lee Westwood, who would end the year as the world no.1.  In the Tour de France, Britain’s Mark Cavendish finished with an impressive five stage wins and Bradley Wiggins ended the event in fourth place.  The winner was Spain’s Alberto Contador.  Ferrari received a $100,000 fine for their use of team orders at the German Grand Prix.  Felipe Massa controversially handed a deserved victory over to his team-mate, Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim.  Formula One wasn’t the only sport in the dock in the summer, as cricket was faced with some tough questions, over match-fixing and ball-tampering allegations involving some of Pakistan’s key cricketers.  It made for savoury front page headlines and overshadowed a dominant summer series victory for England.  Happier times came out of the European Athletics Championships, which were very successful for Britain in Barcelona.  Mo Farah starred with two long distance wins in the 5,000m and 10,000m.  Phillips Idowu added to his world championship gold in the men’s triple jump and there was also gold for Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon and Andy Turner in the men’s 110m hurdles.  Britain left the event with 19 medals and puts us in great stead for London 2012.

REGAIN: McDowell played a key role in the Ryder Cup

The Warrington Wolves surprised the odds to defeat the Leeds Rhinos 30-6, to win the Rugby League Carengie Challenge Cup at Wembley.  In Super League, Wigan Warriors overcame Leeds in the final at Old Trafford, to win their first title since 1998.  The Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor turned into a rain-hit affair and a tense battle for supremacy.  In the first ever Monday finish to the tournament, Europe came out on top in Wales, with Graeme McDowell sinking the crucial put to see off America by one point, and regain the trophy for Europe, guided by the fantastic Colin Montgomerie.  After a dismal build-up and the withdrawal of several top-class athletes, the Commonwealth Games went ahead in India very successfully.  The starring role was from Tom Daley, as the young 16-year old won a double diving gold, despite having missed most of the season through injury.  After his closest challenger Dani Pedrosa fractured his knee in a practice crash for the Japanese MotoGP in Motegi, Jorge Lorenzo was practically assured of his first championship, which he buttoned up in Malaysia with a podium finish.

SOAKING: Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button give the new champ a shower

The closest ever F1 world championship battle went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.  Four men still had the chance of clinching the jewel in the crown and it was Sebastian Vettel who became the youngest ever Grand Prix champion, with victory in the season finale.  Championship favourite Fernando Alonso was penalised by a poorly timed pitstop and wound up a frustrated 7^th, three places lower than what was required.  Mark Webber (8^th) and Lewis Hamilton (2^nd) were the other men in with a shout at the finale.  Hamilton may have missed out, but Dario Franchitti’s domination of the American scene continued, winning the Indy 500 for the second time in his career and the IndyCars title in the season finale in California, overhauling long-time leader Will Power in the final reckoning.  David Haye retained his world heavyweight championship title, after a comfortable stoppage of the woeful Audley Harrison in Manchester.  In the pick of the autumn rugby internationals, England beat Australia at Twickenham and Scotland stunned the world champions South Africa and the Ashes is currently tied at 1-1, after Australia levelled the series with an easy rout of England in the third test in Perth.    

That was 2010, a spectacular year and 2011 is bound to promise more of the same.

Cardle's Christmas gets even better

NO.1: Album cover

JUST over a week after winning the X-Factor, Matt Cardle’s Christmas has got even better, after he was officially crowned as the winner of the Christmas No.1 on Sunday night.  Cardle’s winners single, his rendition of Biffy Clyro’s massive hit ‘Many Faces of Horror,’ which he titled ‘When we Collide,’ held off challenges from protest campaigns on Facebook about X-Factor’s domination of the coveted prize.

Other competitors included a hit from Rihanna, one of Cardle’s closest friends with ‘What’s My Name,’ which finished in second place and John Cage’s protest against Simon Cowell, known as ‘Cage against the Machine.’  Their idea was to record a 4min 33sec song of complete silence and was supported by bands such as Madness, The Kooks and Pendulum.  In the end, it didn’t launch a serious threat to the final outcome. 

FORMIDABLE: Matt with his mentor, Dannii Minogue

17.2million viewers watched Matt, 27, the former decorator from Colchester overcome Rebecca Ferguson and One Direction in last Sunday’s final.  Mentored by Australian Dannii Minogue, he was the red-hot favourite to win the ITV talent show for a large proportion of the show, highlighted by the fact that he topped the phone votes on nine of the ten live show weeks.  Cowell will be hoping that Cardle’s success starts a new trend of X-Factor domination of the Christmas charts, which has seen No.1’s for Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis and doomed Scottish singer Leon Jackson.  It was halted last year, by a successful Facebook campaign to get Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 hit ‘Killing in the Name’ to the top of the charts, overhauling last year’s winning single, ‘The Climb’ by Joe McElderrey. 

On hearing the news of his success, Cardle was gobsmacked; "I can't believe it.  As if winning wasn't enough. I honestly didn't think I'd even make it on to the live shows, let alone win and now be the Christmas number one.  "I can't even begin to describe how it feels.”

Congratulations to Matt, a fitting Xmas No.1, I hope he can build on this success for a long-time to come.  

Britain paralysed by the Big Freeze

BRITAIN’s travel network has been paralysed by the latest instalment of the big freeze, leaving many cars stuck in mammoth traffic jams; sporting fixtures cancelled and frustrated passengers trapped in airport terminals.

CHAOS: Frustrated passengers vent their anger at Heathrow

Only a handful of flights have left the busiest European airport all weekend, as Heathrow was hit significantly by the snow.  However, they have been severely criticised by its lack of snow strategy and lack of communication.  For the third consecutive day, the reputation of Heathrow airport has been buried in the tons of snow and ice.  It is a national embarrassment and the transport secretary Phillip Hammond is taking a lot of stick to explain Heathrow’s halts.

With hotels fully booked up, thousands of passengers have slept on the floors of airport terminals for the weekend, with some operators like Thomson being heavily criticised by disgruntled customers for not giving their passengers blankets and pillows.  Other airport operators such as British Airways and Monarch have also been taking stick of a lack of simple supplies to stranded passengers.  Today, BAA has said that travellers should not head for Heathrow unless their flight is definitely confirmed. 

LACK: Planes are not leaving Heathrow, almost grounded

There may be a mammoth task to clear the sheet rinks of ice across the runways, but at Gatwick, they have dealt far better.  Under new owners, it puts far more scrutiny on BAA and Heathrow for being inadequately prepared.  Getting into the UK also seem to be as much of a problem as getting out, with heavy backlogs on Saturday at Birmingham airport after the luggage conveyor belts broke down.  The backlog across the country has also led to heavy disruption at Luton, Belfast, Exeter and Aberdeen airports amongst others.  Further delays and cancellations in the coming days are expected. 

It isn’t just the aviation industry that has suffered, as the trains have also been badly hit.  Today, queues of upto five hours built up outside Eurostar’s St. Pancreas station in London.  It is running a limited service, and has already said that no more tickets will be sold before Christmas Eve at the earliest.  Some London Underground tube services have been affected, but they were mainly back to normal today.  London Midland, Virgin Trains and other railways across East Anglia have also been slated for inadequate information.  Like the planes, it is advisable to check with National Rail before travelling.

The roads have also suffered a catalogue of problems, thanks to crashes, stranded cars and jack-knifed Lorries.  The M4 and M25 have been often left at a standstill and it took four hours for me to be navigated home from the University of Northampton on Saturday night.  This is a journey through the M1 to Milton Keynes that traditionally takes no more than 40 minutes.  The gritters are working around the clock, but some councils are already warning that they are running out of supplies. 

FROZEN: Heavy snow at the Emirates postponed Arsenal's game

Sporting fixtures have been practically wiped out for safety reasons.  The Premiership top of the table clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United was postponed yesterday, with games at West Brom, Blackpool, Wigan Athletic, Liverpool, Arsenal and Birmingham City all falling foul to the weather.  Tonight’s Premiership match at Eastlands goes ahead, as Manchester City aim to go top by beating Everton.  Rugby fixtures and horse racing meetings have also been severely hit, with doubts over the King George VI beating the weather at Kempton on Boxing Day. 

ALONE: A cyclist braves the bitter weather in Brighton

The amount of snow on Saturday was the heaviest that the country has seen for any December since 1990.  If the trend continues, we are set for the coldest December since 1910, when records began.  Temperatures have plummeted as low as -20 degrees in some areas of the Midlands and there are still severe weather warnings in place for Yorkshire, the North East of England and Scotland.  The shadow Home Secretary Allan Johnston thinks that Hammond should resign.  He told Sky; “On this area, don’t forget, Scotland’s transport secretary resigned.  It is a big issue when people believe the government has left them to it: ‘Get a shovel or stay at home.”  “Governing is about more than that when you hit a crisis.” 

Hammond has though been defended by the Foreign Secretary William Hague, who admitted that; “We might have to look at this again if these things are to occur frequently.”

Whatever the outcome and whoever is to blame, it seems like many families Christmas plans have been well and truly ruined.

2010: A year in politics

CHANGING times in politics and 2010 has been a very busy and chaotic year.  Demonstrations, recriminations, ramifications, blunders – it has had as much drama as a typical episode of Holby City.  A new coalition government, a new era or the same old story for some, this year has been the most dramatic in politics for some time.

DOOMED: Darling's budget bought grim news

It all began in January when Geoffrey Hoon and Patricia Hewitt tried to start a rebellion to usurp Gordon Brown from his position as leader of the Labour party.  This failed miserably, but it summed up the frustrations of some within the Labour government.  They were convinced that they were going to lose the General Election.  The bad press continued as three Labour MP’s were charged over their use of expenses from the devastating political scandal that ripped through the system in 2009.  Alistair Darling’s final budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer in March bought the predictable grim news that we were all fearing.  However, these fears would be briefly replaced by a sense of election fever.

TWIST: The leadership debates bought more intrigue

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg went onto the campaign trail across the country.  Power swayed between the three political parties, which included live televised leadership debates.  Held on ITV, Sky and BBC for three consecutive Thursdays in April, the debates sparked a new form of interest to many, especially as these were held in primetime form.  Brown’s chances of staying in Downing Street took a significant blow, when he had a fateful meeting on immigration with long-time Labour supporter Gillian Duffy in Rochdale.  “That was a disaster, everything; she’s some sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it’s just ridiculous.”

FISTCUFFS: Adam Boulton vs Alistair Campbell live on Sky

Whilst UKIP leader Nigel Farage was lucky to escape with his life, after a plane crash in a final bid for campaigning votes on Election Day, the election went through with minimal fuss.  The country spoke and a ‘hung parliament’ was the outcome.  The Conservatives won the most amounts of seats, but not the magical number needed for a majority.  Coalition negotiations began between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, whilst Brown sat and waited in No.10, hoping for a miracle to survive.  To keep the election headlines going, Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and ex-Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell had a near punch-up live on Sky’s Live at Five. 

On May 10, Brown announced he was stepping down as leader of the Labour party.  24 hours later, he decided to quit Downing Street.  As he walked away with wife Sarah and their two children, Brown’s final graceful words were; “As I leave the second most important job I hold, I cherish more the first I have, as a husband and father.  Thank you and goodbye.”

A few hours later, David Cameron rolled into Downing Street with wife Samantha to take the role as Prime Minister.  Nick Clegg took the Deputy Leader role and speculation began on his appointment; would it seem like a bad romance or a match made in heaven. . .

JOY: David Cameron cradles his new bundle of joy

Later that month, David Laws resigned from the new cabinet after claiming expenses to pay rent for his partner.  George Osbourne, the new chancellor delivered an emergency budget in June, stating; “This helps deal the country with its growing massive debts.”  “It pays for the past and plans for the future.”

The summer went past a little quieter, but for the Prime Minister, it bought a mixture of celebration and tragedy.  His father passed away after illness, but David Cameron’s wife Samantha gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whilst on a family holiday.  Florence Rose Endellion Cameron was born into the world at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. 

COMPETITION: Ed beat David to Labour leadership power

In September, Ed Miliband beat stiff competition from Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott and crucially, his brother David, to leadership of the Labour party at its annual conference in Manchester.  Ed got the nod, as he was backed significantly by the trade unions.  Four days later, David Miliband elected to quit frontline politics to spend more time with his family... 

As the clocks changed, times changed for the coalition government too.  With Ireland in trouble financially, George Osbourne agreed to lend them a massive bailout.  The figure of £7billion was stupid, to help ‘a friend in need.’  Ugly demonstrations soon followed, when MP’s recently decided to increase University tuition fees.  Scenes in London not seen for twenty years horrified many, but bought the popularity of the government significantly down.

2010 has had a load of interesting political stories, far more happened than in the ‘boring’ old days of the 90’s.  Will 2011 bring even more?  What can be said is that 2010’s year in politics will never be forgotten.

King bids farewell to CNN

LARRY King bought down the curtain on his CNN live talk show on Thursday evening, with his final words being “Let’s not say goodbye, but so long.”

The veteran interviewer bid farewell to an audience that sadly doesn’t seem to be interested in the US chatshow than it was over a decade ago.  Just ask the likes of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. 

DEPARTING: Larry King bids farewell after 25 years to CNN

Larry King Live has been a stalwart in the CNN television schedules for the past 25 years.  He managed to get celebrities to open up to him, which so many have failed before him.  This was down to his laidback approach and style to the interview.  Paris Hilton granted him the first interview when she left jail, whilst Bill Clinton, always a favourite with King, talked openly about the heart operations he went under. 

In a taped interview, Barack Obama thanked King for the 25 years of dedicated service he had given, not just to the CNN network, but talk shows in general.  Clinton made a live appearance from Arkansas to wish him the best of luck, as did the governor of California and film actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Sadly, a show that promised ‘loads of surprises,’ failed to deliver and it was a sad end to such a distinguished figure on US television.  In 1993, he attracted 20million viewers for chairing a heated debate between 1992 US President candidate Ross Perot and Clinton’s vice-president Al Gore.  By the end, ratings had diminished down to 700,000, as audiences drifted away from his show to other networks and different styles of programming.

NEW: Piers Morgan takes over in the New Year

From January, he will be replaced by former Daily Mirror editor and Britain’s Got Talent judge, Piers Morgan.  Morgan has experience in America, having already been a judge on America’s Got Talent and although some will not be pleased with his appointment, his comfortable and soft approach to talking to celebrities might mean that it is a better selection for CNN’s future.  If his fantastic ITV programme Piers Morgan’s Life Stories is anything to go by, Piers Morgan Tonight will be an interesting watch.

So, after over 40,000 interviews from George Bush to Marlon Brando, Larry King bids farewell and unfortunately, it wasn’t the explosive and fitting end that a TV legend deserved.

Xmas Unique Magazine - University of Northampton 2010

EVERYONE!

Follow this link for the Christmas Unique magazine, produced by students at the University of Northampton at:

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1qdvi/UniqueMagazineChrist/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F263204%2FUnique-Magazine-Christmas-Special

Produced by: Josie Copestake, Nicole Weale, Jonathan Lee, Lauren Bowen, Amy Fordham, Stephen Frost,  Hannah Smith, Ebony Douglas, Chris Ola, Rochelle Lye, Stefania Ventura, Shane Scanlon, Emily Shears, Sian King, Richard Parker, Rebecca Sharman, Farida Zeynalova, Simon Wright (ME!), Ellie Birmingham, Tramaine Reindorf, Xiaoxiam Liu & Tamika Short

Enjoy reading!!

The X-Factor 2010 - And the winner is . . .

BY JASON WRIGHT

JUST three acts now remained in the running, going through into one of television’s biggest nights of the year, the final night of The X-Factor itself!  Pubs and clubs across the country were packed and nearly 20 million were glued to the TV at home, waiting to see if either Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson or One Direction would become Britain’s next big music star.

Dermot O’Leary must have been taking fashion tips from Louis Walsh as he emerged out onto stage at the beginning wearing a film-style suit and bow tie, something that Walsh has exhibited every Sunday since the fourth week of the contest.  The night began with a rendition of Take That’s ‘Never Forget’ by the final three, joined halfway through by the band themselves.

CLASS: Matt kept his A level up throughout the show

Just like last night each act’s first song was a new one and Matt kicked off with a rendition of Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’, putting yet another unique twist on it as he has done with most of his performances so far.  Questions though were raised over his dress sense for the first performance but that was his choice so there wasn’t a problem with it.  Meanwhile, after the troubles of Saturday night in Colchester, it was second time lucky there on Sunday and Stacey Solomon was able to chat to the supporters.

One Direction came next with their take on Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’.  Performing it atop a makeshift arch in the middle of the stage, they had the crowd and their fans over in Doncaster in hysterics for the umpteenth time and only strengthening their emphasis that this could really happen, a group could potentially win the show!

SWEET: Rebecca's dreams will probably come true

Finally, it was the turn of Rebecca Ferguson performing ‘Sweet Dreams’, the song did exactly what it said in the title, again the Liverpool lass sung it in such a soulful and heartfelt way and received huge acclaim from the judges again.  Her followers back in Merseyside once again voiced their approval but with Matt’s huge chances and One Direction’s big backing, it seemed a tough call for her to get into the last two.

After the pressures of the first songs, a little bit of humour was now injected into the night.  No, it wasn’t the return of Wagner but something worse than that, the return of the those who failed miserably in the auditions.  Performing the Lady Gaga hit ‘Bad Romance’, it was predictably so out of tune but just great to watch.  After all, they usually take the great appeal during the early stages of the competition just for their bad ability.

GLUM: Simon and One Direction after their demise

Voting lines were then frozen again. Only two acts would make into the third and most crucial phase of the final.  With the final three all in their smart and formal wear, it was revealed that Matt and Rebecca would move forward to sing again.  One Direction had been sensationally knocked out and it left them, their fans and even mentor Simon Cowell stunned and shattered.  Certainly though, this is not the last of them, they will surely become the next big boyband.

So Matt and Rebecca were now within touching distance of the X-Factor crown and just one more performance would now take them there, it would of course be a performance that would be released as their debut single should they win.  However this time there was a twist, both acts (as well as the already eliminated One Direction and Cher should they been in this position) had recorded a song which was suited to their voice instead of the traditional method of choosing just one song for the final pair which sometimes can be at a disadvantage.

First up was Matt performing his cover of Biffy Clyro’s ‘Many of Horror’ which was renamed in this take as ‘When We Collide’.  Yet again, Matt transformed this song from its original core rock into his own style and it totally worked and the judges seemed to say that it was his competition to lose now, though Simon of course didn’t want to count out the opposition yet.

So what could Rebecca offer instead?  Well she took the brave gamble of covering ‘Distant Dreamer’ by Duffy, and brave because it has never been released as a single.  This may work at a huge disadvantage but it still had plenty of potential.  Simon was right, don’t count her out yet and he used his trademark comment of not being able to claim it was a definite victory for anyone.  Many must have been thinking over what the chances were of placing a bet on a dead heat.

After Take That returned to perform another sensational number, the waiting was over and lines closed and the result was submitted.  Millions of votes were casted and after the usual tense wait, Dermot revealed the public decided that the winner of The X Factor 2010 should be…Matt Cardle!

SPEECHLESS: Both Matt and Danni look overwhelmed

Matt was left undoubtedly speechless after his success.  Dannii Minogue was delighted in joining Simon and Cheryl Cole in the ranks of being a two-time X Factor champion.  Cheryl at last was defeated and Rebecca offered congratulations to Matt.  Once again, I think this will not be the last of Rebecca; she will again get a music deal.

That just left Matt to bring down the curtain on this series with his first proper performance of his debut single, after which all of the beaten finalists (minus Cher Lloyd, who was mysteriously absent with no reason) came to his side to also say their congratulations.  The right winner indeed and it was proved as the official voting stats showed afterwards that he topped the board every time since week two but in the final he was chased all the way and won by just a narrow margin.

Round-up of the series

Despite a great final weekend, overall the series has been a massive disappointment, mainly due to the controversy and drama off camera.  It was surprising that the judges managed to keep it under control throughout most of it.  Simon Cowell always set things right and took responsibility for anything that went wrong, Dannii Minogue did a great job considering she missed the auditions due to her pregnancy whilst Louis Walsh was as impartial and usually foolish as before.  However the worst of the lot was Cheryl Cole, a disaster from start to finish.  While it was nice to see her back from her malaria scare, it screwed up her mind.  She became arrogant, thoughtless, and made decisions that were usually disgraceful.  Personally I don’t think we’ll see Cheryl back next year and there is great chance she will be replaced by Nicole Scherzinger, following her successful stint as a guest judges in the auditions and bootcamp this year.

This also may be Simon Cowell’s last stint, as The X-Factor airs in the US in the same time as the UK next year.  Before he has managed the show plus the American Idol auditions at the same time so I think he will be able to do it.  Plus, Dermot O’Leary may also be on the way out with reports that he may be off the present the new US version of the show.  Christine Bleakley, Davina McCall, Caroline Flack, Vernon Kay and Stephen Mulhern are the names that have been mostly tipped to take over should Dermot defect across the Atlantic.  If he goes, it is important that ITV will need to employ someone that has the ability to keep the show in its stride.

WINNER: Matt with Danni and the winning single 'When we Collide'

Whatever the case, The X-Factor has produced another great winner and good luck to Matt for what the future holds for him.  The countdown to summer 2011 and series eight is now well and truly underway.

Tom Walkinshaw loses cancer battle

OWNER of the rugby union side Gloucester Rugby and ex-F1 team Principal Tom Walkinshaw passed away on Sunday night.  He was 64, losing his brave battle with long cancer.

Born in Scotland in 1946, Tom was a keen racing enthusiast from an early age and began racing in 1968 in Formula Ford.  He won the production class in the British Touring Car Championship in 1974 and raced as high as Formula 2.  However, it was his success as a team owner that made Tom Walkinshaw a famous name in the motor racing industry.

He established TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) in 1976, and began a very fruitful partnership with Jaguar in sportscars.  Before this, he won the European Touring Car Championship title in 1984 in a Jaguar and came third two years later alongside Win Percy in the legendary Australian touring car battle, the Bathurst 1000.

In 1988, Tom retired from driving and decided to concentrate on management, and it bought immediate results.  Their motorsport portfolio increased very rapidly, and it was Jaguar where the main success came.  

They won the World Sportscar title in 1987, winning eight of the ten races.  A year later, the Jaguars stormed Le Mans.  Johnny Dumfries, Andy Wallace and Jan Lammers took the honours and Walkinshaw was also responsible for poaching technical director Ross Brawn from Arrows, and making him into a legendary force in sportscars.  Sauber Mercedes dominated the 1989 event, with a 1-2 finish, but the Jags returned to the winners’ rostrum in Le Mans in 1990.  With Sauber not returning, the Jaguar team overcame a stiff challenge from Porsche to take a historic 1-2 finish.  Lammers, Wallace and Franz Konrad were second, behind John Nielsen, Price Cobb and Martin Brundle.  It was Brundle’s greatest career achievement and the BBC commentator remembers Tom’s passion for Le Mans; “He was a mentor to me; an entrepreneurial racer and a great tactician.”

FIERY: Verstappen's 94 fire spelt the end at Benetton for Tom

At the British Grand Prix in 1991, news brokethrough of TWR’s 35% buyout in the Benetton Formula One team.  Walkinshaw would join Flavio Briatore in owning the team and took the talented Brawn with him to Benetton.  It was Walkinshaw’s insistence of the talents of Michael Schumacher, who’d raced for Sauber Mercedes in sportscars against Tom’s Jaguar squad that gave Briatore the belief to poach Schumi from under Jordan’s noses at Monza in 1991.  In 1994, he played an instrumental part in Schumacher’s first world championship title.  However, he was seen as the controversial villain in the team and parted company with Benetton at the end of the season.  Walkinshaw was seen to challenge the black flag against Schumacher at the British Grand Prix.  A race later, and a fuel filler was removed at the German Grand Prix, which led to a catastrophic refuelling fire for Dutchman Jos Verstappen.  Although a junior member of the team was officially blamed, it is widely claimed that Walkinshaw gave permission for the filler to be removed, hence on an FIA deal, ending his career with the newly-crowned top team in Grand Prix racing.

Tom wound up at the Benetton-owned Ligier team for 1995, and then a falling out with Briatore led to a deal for him to take sole control of the team fall through.  Consequently, he bought out Jackie Oliver’s Footwork team in 1996 and renamed it Arrows.  His persistence saw Yamaha engines come onboard, Bridgestone tyres to make their debut a year earlier than planned and encouraged world champion Damon Hill to join the ambitious programme.  The programme was a disaster.  The car was massively uncompetitive and although Hill came so close to winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, until a throttle problem on the last lap cost him the race to Jacques Villeneuve, Hill and Walkinshaw parted company at the end of the season, and not on the best of terms.  Damon, who now owns the BRDC valued Walkinshaw’s ambition; “He was a very big-hearted guy who put everything he had into motor racing in all of its forms.”

FADING: Tom with Briatore and Bernie in his final F1 season

Afterwards, it was largely downhill in Formula One for Tom Walkinshaw, although there were a few highlights.  On the track, there was a double point’s finish in Monaco in 1998 and Verstappen ran as high as second in the 2001 Austrian and Malaysian Grand Prix’s.  Off-track, he secured a massive sponsorship deal with the mobile phone giant Orange for 2000, but it wasn’t enough for the failing Arrows team.  The Arrows team went bust at the end of the 2002 season, after failing to pay Jaguar its fee for Cosworth engines.  The team’s last appearance in F1 came at Hockenheim in 2002.  Although his TWR team helped Rickard Rydell and Volvo to a British Touring Car Championship title in 1998 and he continued to run a touring car team in Australia, his major involvement in motorsport was finished.

At the same time as the Arrows team was disappearing out of F1, Walkinshaw started to turn his attentions towards rugby union.  He was the chairman of Premiership rugby from 1998-2002 and pumped plenty of money into his role as Gloucester chairman.  Although he turned the club into a leading force, he was unable to turn that money into success on a domestic or European scale.

Tom Walkinshaw (14 August 1946 - 12 December 2010)

Some will say he had a ruthless and dark side to his business, but Tom Walkinshaw was a mild, generous and kind man, who didn’t quite achieve the success he craved, especially in motorsports ultimate pinnacle.  However, he was a massive presence and a real hard-worker and he will be missed, both in the rugby and motor racing circles.

RIP Tom

FA Barclays Premiership Report (11th - 13th December)

TWO weeks to go until Christmas and it was another dramatic weekend of top flight action.  Manchester United remained unbeaten, Newcastle made a winning start to a management change and Blackburn Rovers bid farewell to Sam Allardyce.

Monday 13^th December: Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal

WINNER: Park scored the decisive goal at Old Trafford

MANCHESTER United charged back to the top of the Premiership table last night, after a deserved victory over title contenders Arsenal.  United were far from their best, but didn’t need to be, against a Gunners side that lacked the ambition needed to sustain a proper challenge.  Ji-Sung Park scored the only goal, with a looping header eight minutes from half-time.  In the second half, Gael Clichy blocked Nani’s cross with his hand, only for Wayne Rooney to smash the spot kick over the crossbar.

Sunday 12^th December: Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Blackburn Rovers

GET IN THERE: Fabrice Muamba is congratulated on his goal

SAM Allardyce was harshly sacked as Blackburn manager yesterday after losing late on at his former club, Bolton.  These Lancashire teams shared a dreadful first half, but the second half livened up with Mark Davies was given a second yellow card for leaning his arm into the back of Phil Jones head.  Ten men Bolton then took the lead, when Fabrice Muamba showed good footwork to leave Ryan Nelsen for dead, before burying his effort past Paul Robinson.  With three minutes to, Mame Diouf seemed to have rescued a point for Rovers, a lovely clip over Juusi Jaaskelainen.  However, Stuart Holden snatched it straight back for Bolton, with a good finish to win the match and keep Wanderers in the top six.

Sunday 12^th December: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea

REDEMPTION: Gomes kept out Drogba's penalty

ANOTHER sensational Sunday at White Hart Lane saw Didier Drogba waste a glorious chance for Chelsea to return to winning ways.  Roman Pavyluchenko had Spurs infront on 15 minutes, converting Jermain Defoe’s square ball.  Drogba, who started on the bench, did equalise.  The Ivorian reacted quicker than Michael Dawson to a long ball and got lucky, when Hereulho Gomes made a meal of Drogba’s shot.  Gomes miserable second half continued, when he clumsily took out Ramires in stoppage time and conceded a penalty.  However, he redeemed himself, by saving Drogba’s very average penalty.

Saturday 11^th December: Newcastle United 3-1 Liverpool

EXAMPLE: Kevin Nolan got Newcastle off to a flying start

ANOTHER dramatic week at St. James Park, and the fans displeasure at Mike Ashley was evidently shown by protests outside the ground before the match.  However, the players reacted well and gave the new gaffer Alan Pardew the dream start.  Skipper Kevin Nolan led by example, opening the scoring.  Dirk Kuyt equalised for Liverpool, gaining a massive slice of fortune, as his shot took a deflection off Steven Taylor.  Once again, Liverpool’s miserable away day blues continued in the last ten minutes.  Joey Barton capitalised on indecision from Martin Skrtel to hammer the Geordies back infront again.  Andy Carroll consigned Roy Hodgson to another shambolic defeat, finding the bottom corner from long range in stoppage time.

Saturday 11^th December: West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City

ON TOP: David Silva holds off Scott Parker in City's win

YAYA Toure piled on the agony for West Ham United with two goals, lifting Manchester City into the top three.  His first was a screaming strike, which Robert Green didn’t even see.  Toure’s second was a squeezed effort past Green at his near post.  As it came off the goalkeeper’s back, it will probably go down as an own goal, but I’d credit the goal to Toure.  In between these moments of magic from the holding midfielder, Mario Balotelli showed a childish act of dissent, got booked, subbed and went straight down the tunnel without even looking at Roberto Mancini.  Substitute Adam Johnson made it 3-0 and although James Tomkins managed a late consolation, it did very little to ease Avram Grant’s pain.

Sunday 12^th December: Wolves 1-0 Birmingham City

WINNER: Stephen Hunt got the winning goal at Molineux

WOLVES bullied Birmingham and fully deserved the three points in this local derby, moving them three points clear of basement team West Ham United in the process.  The winner came right on the stroke of half-time, courtesy of Stephen Hunt, sweeping a shot past Ben Foster at the near post.  Foster was terrific all game and prevented the scoreline from being a landslide.  It is Wolves first clean sheet of the season, Birmingham continue to look for their first away win since March.

Saturday 11^th December: Stoke City 0-1 Blackpool

TWO teams who share an affection of the late Sir Stanley Matthews played out an entertaining clash at the Britannia Stadium.  Tony Pulis will be wondering just how Stoke didn’t get anything from this match.  Rory Delap had a goal disallowed and both Ricardo Fuller and Matthew Etherington had shots that hit the woodwork.  DJ Campbell scored the decisive goal and dogged defending from the visitors secured another fighting victory for Ian Holloway’s side.

Saturday 11^th December: Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom

THERE seemed to be a massive feeling of relief for Aston Villa on Saturday, inflicting defeat on local rivals West Brom.  Stewart Downing scored the first and Emile Heskey the second, after James Collins made a nuisance of himself in the box.  West Brom’s winless run at Villa Park continued, and although Paul Scharner made it a twitchy last few minutes, Villa held on for a priceless victory.

Saturday 11^th December: Everton 0-0 Wigan Athletic

STRUGGLING: Louis Saha's lack of goals highlights Everton's problems

EVERTON could have had a hatful, but someone got none against Wigan Athletic.  Ronnie Stam had one shot saved brilliantly by Tim Howard, but it was the Toffees who were well on top.  Tim Cahill came the closest, hitting the post with goalkeeper Scott Carson beaten.  Maroualine Fellani, Seamus Coleman, Jack Rodwell and Steven Pienaar on three separate occasions all wasted golden opportunities for the home side.

Saturday 11^th December: Fulham 0-0 Sunderland

THIS game was an absolute stinker.  In fact, it was so bad that it doesn’t even deserve reporting on.  The highlight came when Bolo Zenden got knocked out by a football!