BY JASON WRIGHT
A RECORD number of people applied to change their lives and now after months of competitive action, four acts were left standing. Facing what is certainly the biggest weekend of their lives, only one out of Cher Lloyd, Matt Cardle, One Direction or Rebecca Ferguson could win the final.
For the final weekend, the show’s set changed attire with the familiar blue backgrounds replaced with a more warming gold, making it feel a bit like the classic gameshow Going for Gold. All four judges were jazzed up for the occasion, three in the ambitions of mentoring the winning act…and the luckless Louis Walsh, once again a spectator for the finale.
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| FIRST: Matt began proceedings and was solid as ever |
After the final kicked off with a last group performance of ‘What a Feeling’ by all 16 finalists, the competition proper got underway. Again, each act would perform twice and in the first round, they performed a new song instead a previous one. First up was the favourite with the bookies, Matt performing ‘Here with me’. Once again, Matt had been struggling with the after effects of laryngitis from previous, so once again his vocal range was limited but still, as with any other performance, he gave it his all. Not everything went smoothly however back in his hometown fanbase of Colchester. Fresh from her success down under, Stacey Solomon was given responsibility to give a report but a technical glitch meant she was unable to do so and left viewers with just pictures of his cheering fans. The great uses of today’s modern technology!
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| STAR: Rebecca will go onto better things |
Next to perform was Rebecca, her soulful voice has made her a standout act in the competition and she was certainly given her just reward with a place in the final. Her first performance of the night was ‘Like a Star’. It seemed the pressure had got to her just a little bit, but still it was very captivating from start to finish. No such problems with the production team in Rebecca’s home of Liverpool as Coleen Rooney was assigned to join Rebecca’s supporters in a packed arena.
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| BREAKTHROUGH: One Direction kept their cool |
The last group standing was One Direction, who perhaps went into the final with the fans advantage. The hysteria built up in their performances perhaps reminds everyone of the original Take That in the 90s. They certainly kept cool under pressure performing ‘Your Song’, once again proving the fact that this could be a breakthrough year at least for the groups’ category. Their popularity was proved by the support given in member Louis’ hometown of Doncaster. Michelle Keegan, best known for her portrayal of Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street, was unlucky to have been given the role as host of the gathering there as when came to giving a report, she was caught up right in the middle of an bottleneck of fans, which seemed to look more dangerous than the tram disaster that’s currently gripping Weatherfield!
Three acts down, just one to go. It was time for Cher and despite making the end, the teen had now certainly hit a new low. Going into the show with literally no support anymore and having been bombarded with several threats that she would be killed if she showed up on Saturday. Fortunately, this didn’t materialise and she saved the best until last. ‘Get Ur Freak On’ was her first number, doing what she did best and as far the judges’ comments suggested, she had surprisingly taken round one. Of course, Cher’s faithful in Malvern had certainly not given up on her, and showed up at a fan park in droves, making it another difficult job for the outside report, which was the case for BBC Radio 1’s Scott Mills.
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| UNIQUE: Cher had fun with Will.I.Am from Black Eyed Peas |
The second round was the most looked forward to as it was the eagerly anticipated duets round. First again was Matt performing ‘Unfaithful’ with Rihanna, it looked so hot and steamy with plenty of chemistry, and that was just the ring of fire. Next came Rebecca with ‘Beautiful’ alongside Christina Aguilera, this was at a slow and calm paced, just as the original version was. Next came One Direction singing ‘She’s The One’ with now regular guest Robbie Williams, it all came together, voice and performance style. Finally Cher did a mix of ‘Where Is The Love?’ and ‘I Gotta Feeling’ with Black Eyed Peas front man Will.I.Am, perhaps the most stand out of the four because of its upbeat and unique adaption of doing two songs together.
Following additional performances from both Rihanna and Christina Aguilera, the voting lines were frozen and the first results for final weekend were delivered. Finally, the judges had lost their power and the public were now in control. Their votes decided that Rebecca, One Direction and Matt would be back to perform in the next phase of the final on Sunday. A right result as they had been the three front runners throughout most of this series.
So that meant Cher, despite the heroics of the night, was finally gone. Considering her desire to win, you would have thought she might have been a broken wreck following the announcement of her exit but she surprised everyone by being gracious and accepting the defeat. There is no doubt she will get a contract and sell thousands of singles and albums, as if Simon Cowell doesn’t offer her a deal, it’s almost likely that Cheryl Cole will snap her up.
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| STANDING: The final three get set for the final round |
The first half had come to an explosive conclusion and now just Matt, Rebecca and One Direction were left the running to be crowned X Factor winner 2010 and earn that life changing recording contract. But who will it be?
TO BE CONTINUED…
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