By Jason Wright (Entertainment expert)
FOR the first time in quite a while, the remaining acts in the competition were all genuine contenders, with none really being classed as ‘joke acts.’ Here is how the latest drama has unfolded over the last two weeks…
WEEK 7
The Ultimate Saturday Night Blockbuster
THE X-Factor met Hollywood for a night of movie themes. The name’s Colton, Craig Colton. (I mention that way because he was assigned a classic Bond number ‘License to Kill.’) Showing off his great vocals once again as he has always done, he came under the firing line however for the first time with questions over whether the song was wrong for him. After two weeks of mediocre performances, Janet Devlin somewhat returned to form with a simple yet effective rendition of ‘Kiss Me’ from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
The other two Girls also had strong nights, even if it wasn’t their best to date. Returning act Amelia Lily’s performance of the Bridget Jones song ‘Think’ focused more on a stage production than just the voice but was still very competitive. After a second stint in the bottom two the previous week, Misha B went out and proved she can still compete with the best in the competition and her take on ‘I Have Nothing’ from The Bodyguard had Gary Barlow calling for people to start supporting her again.
The one remaining group in the competition Little Mix tried something different this week. ‘Don’t Let Go’ from Set It Off was a song that might have been upbeat but more stripped back with more emphasis placed on their vocal abilities. In a nutshell, it paid off handsomely again. Finally, Marcus Collins also went down the stage-show route (again) for his performance of ‘Higher and Higher’ from Ghostbusters, this time with the help of a gospel choir. It just proves that he is the real deal and it would be a travesty if he at least didn’t make the final.
Curtain Closes On Craig
After a surprise appearance from legendary icon Bryan Adams in the finalist’s group performance, and somebody nicking his guitar without anyone noticing, it was time for the latest round of results. With Misha B, Little Mix, Marcus and Janet all having done enough to go into the quarter-final, it left Craig, expected on his performance level, and Amelia, just a week after coming back, battling for survival. Both acts gave it 110 per cent and this wasn’t going to be an easy decision. Both Gary Barlow and Kelly Rowland stood by their acts but Barlow was bang out of order in saying that Amelia “shouted her way” through her sing-off performance. It wasn’t shouting at all, it’s the way Amelia performs. Tulisa based her decision on the sing-off performances and decided Craig had put more passion into his before Louis Walsh decided that Amelia was a better all-round performer than Craig.
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| DEADLOCK: However, it was the end of the journey for Craig |
That meant after seven weeks, a Final Showdown finally had the judges torn over their votes. The Deadlock situation was called into play for the first time this series and not to anyone’s surprise, Craig finished bottom of the public vote and his time on the show was up. A bitter shame as he had performed beyond everyone’s expectations but in a competition so close, it was a case of one bad night and you’re out.
WEEK 8
Everyone has a guilty pleasure
WITH five acts now left standing, it was now double the pressure as each one had to perform twice for the support of both the judges and the public. In the first round of performances, each act performed a song of Guilty Pleasure.
Little Mix went first with Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ and although it was made to perfection, Louis wasn’t impressed by the choreography involved in it. At least they coped better than Janet who tried the tested and failed formula of an up-tempo song, ‘MMMBop,’ and yet again, she fluffed the lines and this time blamed it on being about to vomit.
Misha B played it rather safe but effective with Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ before we got the rather usual spectacular from Marcus, this time putting it together with the Wham! Hit ‘I’m Your Man.’ Finally, Amelia Lily brought the first round to a close with a mind-blowing rendition of T’Pau’s ‘China In Your Hand’ with Gary claiming it to be better than the original version. It of course didn’t go down well with the original artists of the track.
And everyone does need a hero
With the Guilty Pleasure numbers done, it was now time for the acts to showcase one of their big musical idols. Little Mix got an opportunity to showcase a completely different side. This time, there was no dancing, no gimmicks, just the four girl’s voices of ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera. It was an emotionally-captivating performance which helped them on their way to becoming the new bookmakers favourites to win.
Janet fared slightly better on her second song, Red Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Under The Bridge’ but it was evident that the damage from the first song had already been done as the judges didn’t really warm to this either. Misha B meanwhile was having a rather predictable night but still remained on the top of her game with Roberta Flack’s ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song.’
For his hero’s song, Marcus also decided to strip things back with Stevie Wonder’s ‘Lately.’ A very difficult song to conquer and although it didn’t prove to be spectacular, it was still proof of why he deserves a chance in music. Having mastered a power ballad in her first performance, Amelia Lily went for a rock style in her second outing with Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Since You’ve Been Gone.’ Her first song of the night was better but nevertheless, it summed up her intent to take on the opposition since her return.
Janet bids farewell – but not in a dignified way
With three of the original four girls left at this stage, surely the odds were strong that one of them had to go this week. Despite five acts being left, a Final Showdown was still held, signifying the rule changes in elimination made last year were no one year fluke. In the public vote result, Amelia was spared a second consecutive sing-off, Marcus continued to flourish under his growing fanbase and Little Mix made X-Factor history in becoming the first girl group ever to reach the semi-final.
That left Janet and Misha B; the latter in the bottom two for the third time in six weeks, having to sing again for the one remaining place in the semi-final. They once again, showed why they were great competitors but Misha’s ability to deliver under the pressure was what swayed it with the judges. Even Louis, the biggest fan of Janet, decided to send her home and when Tulisa sided and sent her home too, it was game over and her mentor Kelly sealed it – by deciding to opt out of voting! Despite being warned by Dermot O’Leary about the consequences of her considering actions, she stuck by her decision to refuse in casting a vote. Cue the jeering from the audience and the typical explosion of angry and furious comments on Twitter and Facebook.
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| SLUMP: Janet struggled to recover in recent weeks and it has cost her |
Regardless of the outcome, the truth is simply that Janet’s decline began in the fifth week of competition and her failure to recover from this slump has finally led to her paying the ultimate price – a shot at winning the competition. However, there’s no denying that this is the last we will hear of Janet; she surely will be selling records and albums in the future.
So, it’s now down to the final four – Amelia Lily, Little Mix, Marcus Collins and Misha B will battle it out in next week’s semi-final. The prize, for three of them is a place in the showpiece finale live in front of 10,000 people at Wembley Arena. It doesn’t matter whether this series is trailing in the ratings, this has surely got to be the closest semi-final field yet, anyone can well and truly miss out on the final.
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