The X-Factor Final 2011 - Little Mix create history

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THOUSANDS had applied and now just two acts remained.  Following Amelia Lily’s departure at the end of Saturday’s show, just two now were left to fight it out.  Marcus Collins and Little Mix would compete over two hours on Sunday night to decide who would win The X-Factor 2011.  They were ready, the audience was ready, the judges were ready and Britain was ready to meet its next big popstar.

Before the serious business began, there was once again time to enjoy a performance from the eliminated contestants (minus Frankie for obvious reasons.)  In his place, there was a cameo appearance by Goldie Cheung; the act that Louis Walsh had initially sent through to the live finals, but declined to participate.

Turning back the clock to the past

Each act had three songs to win The X-Factor 2011.  In their first performance of the night, both of them performed a song from a past live show and they both opted to reprise their numbers from Movie Night (Week 7 of the competition, to you and me.)

GALLANT: Marcus was a creditable runner-up

First Marcus performed ‘Higher and higher,’ bringing back the gospel choir he used to great effect back then.  Just like the previous night, he had opened this leg of the final in sensational style.  Then Little Mix jumped onto stage to perform ‘Don’t Let Go.’  The song once again showed their unique abilities of being a group with either no lead singer or someone who gets the majority of the lyrics.  They all get their fair share and that’s why the public love them.

Giving Seasons Greetings

The X-Factor wouldn’t be the same without some Christmas cheer, something it has ignored in the last two series finals.  So it was nice to see it reinstated for 2011.  Marcus first gave a performance of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas.’  It was a song that was sort of lukewarm but the judges didn’t care, it was the final after all and it was all about standing out from the crowd for them.

Little Mix then next performed ‘Silent Night.’  This was them at their best, a song which just focused on their amazing voices that have grown throughout the competition.  With every performance that goes by, the belief that this could be the year of the Groups was growing.  All that Tulisa could do, as she had been doing throughout, was to make a loud plea for people to vote for them and that was an X-Factor political broadcast by “Tulisa’s Little Muffins” Party!

As the acts went backstage to prepare for their final and most crucial performance of the evening, it was time to look back at a series full of highs and lows.  Westlife, who have just announced they are splitting up, performed an acclaimed rendition of ‘What About Now,’ with a montage of series highlights being shown on the big screen behind them.

Just one more chance left

So it had all come down to this.  One song now stood between Marcus and Little Mix from victory – the winner’s single.  Reverting back to old rules, both finalists ad recorded versions of the Damien Rice ballad ‘Cannonball’ but with one difference, both acts had recorded it in their own style and how they saw it fit.  Unfortunately, both performances would be overshadowed by what is the worst ever X-Factor winner’s single!

Marcus went for a mixture of high notes and up-tempo base for his performance.  Although many might have predicted it would suit him more, it didn’t quite turn out the way many expected but what couldn’t be taken away was the power and soul put into it and it even had Gary Barlow shedding a tear or two.

Little Mix opted for the more traditional route of keeping the song as a ballad throughout its entirety.  They put plenty of dedication, emotion and other all sorts of dimensions into it.  It sounded like they been in the music industry for years.

ELECTRIC: Coldplay put on a stunning performance

A long wait would now have to be endured as it was time for another X- actor first.  This group had declined from appearing on the show, until now.  The biggest band in the world, Coldplay performed two songs from their recent new album, ‘Charlie Brown’ and ‘Paradise.’  The Wembley Arena crowd was transformed into a sea of glow lights for the performance and the group worked so hard that lead singer Chris Martin was left sweating like a pig after their performance.

An emotional and fairytale climax to an incredible weekend

Now came the moment Britain had been waiting.   Could Marcus make it four wins for the Boys in five years?  Or would Little Mix claim a long overdue triumph for the Groups?  In what was the closest X-Factor final ever, with just five per cent of the votes separating the two acts, and the standard long pause, the nation decided that the winner of The X Factor 2011 would be

…LITTLE MIX!

After eight long years, the group’s category had finally hit the jackpot!  In the past, the likes of G4, Same Difference, JLS and One Direction had tried and failed to win the final.  Now Little Mix had well and truly showed them all up.

The girls were undoubtedly overcome with emotion over the announcement; tears’ streaming down their faces and even their mentor Tulisa cracked and was a sobbing wreck too.  Throughout all they had been through, the public saw faith in them and they had well and truly beaten the odds.  Marcus was left to just offer his congratulations but again, he will surely be on his way to a bright future.

That just left Little Mix enough time to wipe away their tears and perform their debut single before being enveloped into a massive group hug by all of the finalists.  The race will now be on to get the single to Christmas Number One, but with that contest being taken place over two weeks this year and with a strong challenge from the ‘Military Wives’ charity single, it isn’t going to be easy.  However, they will surely be virtually guaranteed number one in next Sunday’s chart beforehand.

Series eight in a nutshell

It’s fair to say this year’s series of The X-Factor has had its ups and downs.  It started off so well in the early stages with rave reviews from critics over the new judging panel.  Once the live shows started, it descended into chaos, which put a bit of a damp squib on the competition because, at least in my opinion, the talent was much better than in previous years.

When Strictly Come Dancing started in October, the expected ratings switchover happened and The X-Factor struggled to maintain its grip with Strictly’s approach to hit the show where it really hurt.  Even the first night of the final on Saturday was outfoxed by Strictly’s semi-final and on Sunday, the peak audience was just over 15 million.  As anticipated, this was the most watched show on the box on Sunday but still a massive four million down on last year’s finale and the overall series ratings were below both 2010 and 2009.

As for “The Next Generation” judging panel, Gary Barlow was a creditable addition and delivered his promise to be fair and brutally honest in his role.  When Tulisa was appointed, I didn’t have any high hopes, but she has actually turned out so great in her role and my opinions on her have changed.  The least said about Louis Walsh, the better, and Kelly Rowland was strongly opinionated and honest in her feedback but looked out of her depth in the UK.  I wouldn’t be too surprised if at least one of these judges gets their P45 orders before next year however, with Nicole Scherzinger potentially switching from the US version to the UK edition next year.

Congratulations to Little Mix: X-Factor Winners 2011

Lastly, congratulations to Little Mix for a well deserved victory.  Now will they turn out to be successful – the answer won’t be revealed until next autumn but with acts like Shayne Ward, Leon Jackson and Joe McElderry having failed to build on their success, and with last year’s champion Matt Cardle seemingly going the same way, there will be huge pressure on them to deliver.  However, we should leave this until when that moment comes and celebrate on the foursome becoming the first group ever to win the competition.  The countdown now begins again to summer 2012 for when the search resumes for the class of series nine.

It may have not been a vintage series but The X-Factor 2011 certainly got a happy and fairytale ending.

The X-Factor Final 2011 - Amelia departs in stage one

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THOUSANDS had fallen by the wayside and now just three acts remained.  This weekend, Little Mix, Marcus Collins and Amelia Lily competed in the 2011 X-Factor final, infront of 10,000 fans live at Wembley Arena.

After the casual, but always cringe worthy scene entrance of Dermot O’Leary, the three finalists kicked off with a group performance of Take That’s ‘Greatest Day.’  Then it was onto the real matter of impressing the public.  Each act had two songs to perform on the first night of the final and the act that finished bottom of the public vote would be eliminated.

Making a lasting impression

For their first performance of the night, each act was given a song they had never previously performed before in the competition.  With Wembley Arena’s bigger stage capacity, each act had the opportunity to add an extra dimension into their first song.  First was Marcus, who performed Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya!’ to the backdrop of a prop plane.  To say it was amazing was a bit of an understatement as he tore the roof of the building (not literally) with his cool, calm and collected approach to the song.

So, how could Little Mix match or even beat the stage display from Marcus?  Simple, arrive on stage, riding four Harley Davidson bikes before blasting into a rendition of Florence + the Machine’s ‘You Got the Love.’  They have been without question the revelation of this competition, not only having ripped up the form book of girl groups on the show but shredding and burning it.  The question was now, could the public believe that they really could go all the way?

Finally it was the turn of Amelia.  Kelly Rowland decided to take gamble in not using extra displays, deciding just to concentrate on her performance ability.  Though that might have sounded a big disadvantage, her version of ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera was at the same level as all of her performances since her whirlwind return. 

The bond between acts and mentors exposed

As with finals in the past, each act would next perform a song with a special guest.  This is X-Factor though and with the new venue destination in mind, the stakes were raised massively.  So for the first time in the show’s history, each act was tasked to perform with their mentors.  It was a chance to see whether they really had either bonded together throughout the competition or were at each other’s throats.

First, Marcus and Gary Barlow performed Billy Joel’s classic ‘She’s Always a Woman.’  Collins announced previously he would be dedicating his performance to his mother and both he and Barlow made the song into their own unique way.

UNISON: Tulisa was like a fifth member of Little Mix in the duet round

Next, it was time for Tulisa and Little Mix (or ‘Little Muffins’ as Tulisa has been referring them to as throughout much of the competition) to give a medley of the Alicia Keys songs ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ and ‘Empire State of Mind.’  This performance perhaps gave no question that this is the best partnership between act and mentor in the competition.  At times, it felt like Tulisa had become the fifth member of the group.

Then Amelia and Kelly joined forces to perform Tina Turner’s ‘River Deep, Mountain High.’  As much as Amelia gave it her best as she has with any other song in this competition, the overall level performance lacked the passion and dedication that was required at this point in the final.

Only the public now could decide whether the acts had done enough to win a place in Sunday night’s decider.

 

The full time whistle goes for Amelia Lily…again!

The finalists weren’t of course, the only ones to take to the Wembley stage as The X-Factor promised that the final would be littered with guest stars.  On Saturday, the fans were treated a special “super group” performance by JLS and One Direction, as well as cameo appearances from Leona Lewis and Michael Buble.

Finally, the voting lines were frozen and the results of the first stage of the final were in.  Little Mix continued their incredible run by reaching the final two and despite going in as the underdog; Marcus’ performances were enough to sway the public vote in his favour of going through.

DIGNITY: Amelia was eliminated on Saturday, but achieved her target

It meant Amelia had to deal with the prospect of elimination for the second time.  However, unlike nine weeks ago, when she refused to accept what had happened, this time she was extremely gracious in defeat.  She said that her ambition was only to reach the final and she achieved it with flying colours.  Afterwards, she vowed that this would not be the last of her and for 17 years of age, she has an incredible voice.

ECSTATIC: Marcus and Little Mix celebrate their progress on Saturday

So as Amelia departed, the dream was now just beginning for both Marcus and Little Mix.  They would be back in the second stage of final on Sunday where one would win and have their lives change forever.  The Great British public now had 24 hours to deliver their verdict…

TO BE CONTINUED…

The X-Factor 2011 - The race to get to Wembley

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

ONLY two performances stood between the remaining four acts and place in X-Factor’s biggest final yet at Wembley Arena.  With only the public getting the say last week, it was going to be a tense weekend for the semi-finalists, as they sang their hearts out to convince that they should be on the big stage infront of thousands of people.

In this year’s semi-final, each act performed a Motown classic and a song that they believed would be enough to see them get to the final.

Misha B – A true survivor

On the public vote alone, Misha has been very lucky to still be in the competition.  No act has ever reached the semi-final through three Final Showdown wins during their time.  What can’t be mistaken though is that Misha is the real deal, the voice, the personality, you name it.  Her motown song ‘Dancing In The Street’ had everything about her talent crammed into it and her second performance, ‘Perfect,’ showed off why many have rated her as having the best voice in the competition.  Having had to sing for survival three times, the chances of her winning the competition, as mentioned by Gary Barlow, were slim to nil.  However, she has been a true survivor and in these shows, anything is possible.

Amelia Lily – The real comeback girl

COMEBACK: Amelia has become a serious threat in the latter stages

Three weeks ago, Amelia Lily was at home in Middlesbrough, perhaps reflecting on her shattered dreams of being a superstar.  Then when a certain karaoke act from Brighton got kicked off for breaking a ‘golden rule,’ the public seized their opportunity and gave her a second chance.  She has taken that lifeline and changed the course of the competition.  Her performances of ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ and ‘I’m With You’ once again showcased Amelia at the highest level possible.  The chances of Amelia being here on this night were never imagined early on, let alone the final and her return to the competition have resulted in the others having to work harder and prove that they should be ahead of her.

Little Mix – Truly living their dream

When the live shows began, Little Mix were the odds-on favourites for the chop.  Now, having broken the girl group jinx, they are the first girl group to reach the semi-finals.  A sudden surge of popularity has put them as bookmaker’s favourites to win outright so for the girls, it was a case of no pressure on the night.  Unfortunately, the pressure did get to them and their first song, ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ was uninspiring and then they failed to better it with ‘If I Were a Boy.’  Both Louis Walsh and Gary Barlow were unimpressed with the group’s performances and it, of course, led to Tulisa to making a passionate plea for everyone to vote for them.  She was lucky to escape receiving a bill for damaging the judge’s desk.  Certainly, on a night like this, Little Mix needed all of their supporters now.

Marcus Collins – Impressing with all his abilities

There has been no other act that can handle the pressure of performing an upbeat classic than Marcus.  The order for him was the same as pretty much every single week in this competition; another two songs with an up-tempo theme to prove that he is, as Gary Barlow has been marketing him, the most versatile act in the show.  In his first performance, ‘My Girl,’ certainly worked out for him, as did ‘Can You Feel It.’  Louis believed it was the wrong song choice for him, but this is what Marcus is all about and if that was the song that both he and Gary felt was enough get him to the final, then they certainly were both doing the job right.

Meet the finalists…

This time, unlike last year, ITV kept their promise.  No surprise unannounced involvements from the judges, the three finalists were decided purely on the public vote.  After an agonising 24 hour wait, the acts were now about to hear the verdict from the nation.

FAREWELL: Despite her talent, Misha struggled to win support

Screams and tears of delight were heard when Little Mix, after a disastrous semi-final round, made to the final.  Their faithful had responded just when it was needed the most.  Marcus was perhaps the only one of the acts that believed he could go through, so both he and Gary were ecstatic when he did.  That left Kelly Rowland’s two girls in the firing line Amelia Lily and Misha B.  One would be given a ticket for the Wembley final and the other would be crashing out at the worst possible stage.

Finally, the girls were put out of their misery and it was, as widely predicted, a visibly stunned Amelia was the last act to get to the final.  So after three fights for survival, sadly this time there was no comeback for Misha.  She certainly didn’t go out quietly, closing Sunday’s show with an amazing rendition of ‘Who You Are’ as the judges gave her a standing ovation.  Misha will surely bag herself a recording deal from here on in and if anyone doesn’t feel that way then they don’t know what being a popstar really is.

CHOSEN: It is Amelia v Little Mix v Marcus this weekend

So having beaten off thousands of competitors, just three acts are now standing.  Teeside student Amelia Lily, Liverpool hairdresser Marcus Collins and girl group Little Mix.  Next week, one will win The X-Factor 2011 and a “life-changing” recording contract in front of a 10,000 strong audience.  This series might have not proven as popular for well-documented reasons but surely next weekend’s finale has to be a ratings winner.  If it isn’t then something is seriously wrong!

The X-Factor 2011 - The battle hots up

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.

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.

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.

Children in Need 2011 - A record breaking night

By Jason Wright (Entertainment expert)

RECORDS: Children in Need was very popular again with the public

FAMOUS faces were out in force again at Television Centre for the 32nd staging of the popular BBC Children In Need telethon night.  BBC One, as ever, cleared its Friday night schedules for the seven and a half hour marathon of music and entertainment in the aid of giving disadvantaged children a helping hand.

     Sir Terry Wogan again oversaw the proceedings across the night and was joined by Alisha Dixon (7:30pm-8:30pm), Tess Daly (8:30pm-10:00pm) and finally Fearne Cotton (10:35pm-2:00am.)  With the financial times getting so tough, it was predicted that the appeal night total would be down again for the third year in a row.  They were wrong!

     X-Factor boyband One Direction were the headline act of performances, getting the girls screaming out more as usual.  JLS, Susan Boyle, the reunited Steps, Olly Murs and the Saturdays, which saw Frankie Sandford make a surprise return to the band after several months away due to illness, were among the other musical guests on the show.  For this year’s official single, Take That and new X-Factor head judge, Gary Barlow gathered some of the finest acts from the R&B and hip-hop scene, including Rizzle Kicks, Tinchy Stryder and Tulisa from N-Dubz to perform his self-penned song ‘Teardrop.’  The song however was blighted with a sound failure in the microphones during its performance on the show.

     BBC programmes once again got in on the act.  The cast of EastEnders paid tribute to rock legends Queen, Lord Sugar took on the terrifying Dragons in a special Dragons Den sketch.  There was a special edition of Never Mind the Buzzcocks shown on BBC Two during the interlude on BBC One for the Ten O’clock News and Doctor Who fans were treated to a special sneak preview of the upcoming Christmas episode.  BBC Radio 2 rose over £2 million through their popular ‘Money Can’t Buy’ auction and ‘Music Marathon’ events.

     Of course though, Children In Need wouldn’t be the same without something from the BBC News team.  This year, four of the presenting team – Emily Maitlis, Sophie Raworth, Susanna Reid and Sian Williams joined forces with four professionals from Strictly Come Dancing for a special group dance.  Strictly is one of a few programmes to raise interest in Children In Need, and this weekend’s show is being broadcast from Wembley Arena in front of an audience of 6,000.  In three weeks from now, 10,000 will be seated inside the same arena for the X-Factor final weekend.

     Outside of appeal night, other companies have been offering their support for good causes.  Some of the most highlighted were:

·         ASDA sold a wide variety of Children In Need kitchenware and Pudsey Bear gingerbread biscuits.

·         Greggs sold Children In Need themed cupcakes and doughnuts.

·         Boots sold Pudsey teddy bears along with key rings and wristbands.  Wristbands were also on sale in Post Offices.

·         Welcome Break motorway service stations and CostCo cash & carry stores displayed donation boxes.

·         Build-A-Bear Workshop had Pudsey teddy bears in a wide range of different outfits.

     All that, along with the rolling donations from the night, ensured that Children In Need against all odds broke the record for an on-the-night total, raising a massive £26,332,334.  This was over six million higher than the previous record set in 2008.  The final total is already projected to hit over £45 million.

     It proved that despite the doom and gloom on the financial market that for just that one night, Britain can afford to pick their phones and give some money in the aid of a good cause.

The X-Factor 2011 - The week five curse strikes again!

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THIS WEEKEND was the week that is always designed to strike fear into the minds of both contestants and viewers – the dreaded Week Five!  A frontrunner always seems to depart on this particular week.     The competitive Maria Lawson in 2005, the consistent Laura White in 2008, the sexy Lucie Jones in 2009 and the formidable Treyc Cohen last year have all been victims of week five in the past and have had their dreams of being popstars destroyed as a result.  Once again, the jinx would strike again in a shock double elimination.  After its successful trial in last year’s semi-final, the ‘Club Classics’ theme was given a proper chance to shine and as Dermot O’Leary put it, this was the only week guaranteed to be a ‘ballad-free zone.’

OVER 25’s

JOHNNY Robinson was the first on stage and after his successful outing the previous week, he returned back to his entertaining roots with Madonna’s ‘Hung Up.’  Safe to say, the judges weren’t entirely impressed.  Gary Barlow, who finally was won over by him last week, returned to his criticism of him, comparing it “the opening of a bad pantomime in Scarborough”.  Ouch!  Both acts in this category had a troublesome night as Kitty Brucknell failed to impress too.  Her version of ‘Like a Prayer,’ another Madonna classic was out of her usual character on a theme that may have suited her liking.  However, the feedback she got was a little harsh with Barlow saying that she couldn’t dance.  In fairness, Kitty tried but it was lacking the extra vigour that has made her a talking point in the show.

GIRLS

BACKFIRED: Janet's style change led to mixed results

AFTER Kelly Rowland’s absence last week, she was back and ready to get her two remaining acts back on track.  There was no escape for Janet Devlin, who after four weeks of impressive but not stand-out performances, struggled with choosing her own song.  She fluffed the words during her rendition of Jackson 5’s ‘I want you back.’  She did recover, but the judges gave mixed comments, with Tulisa suggesting to go back to her previous style of music.  Following last week’s bottom two shocker, Misha B bounced back with Beyoncé’s ‘Proud Mary.’   It is well noted that when an act ends up in the bottom two on one week, they can’t win but don’t rule her out yet, especially in a competition that is becoming more open by the week.

BOYS

FRONTRUNNER: Marcus looks like the one to beat

STILL with the full line-up in tow from the first week eliminator, Craig Colton kicked off the category’s running with Bryan Adams ‘Heaven.’  A club classic song was probably going to expose Craig’s weakness, but despite looking out of his comfort zone, he performed very well.  Ultimately, he proved again that he can cut the mustard at this level.  Marcus Collins has so far been a challenger if not a serious contender.  However, everyone was up on their feet with his take of the true fifties classic ‘Reet Petite.’  Gary was in lots praise for his act, labelling it as “the performance of the season.”  Perhaps, it was a little bit boastful but can that be blamed?  With every high comes a low and yet again, Frankie Cocozza was on the end of that yardstick with ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas.  It looked as if he had downed full bottles of Smirnoff and Jack Daniels and was fashioned by an unemployed Next salesman!  The result, quite possibly the worst performance ever in a live show; Jedward or Wagner could have done that song justice.

GROUPS

FLYING high after their praise last week, The Risk looked to impress again with Shalimar’s ‘A Night to Remember.’  Not as strong as in previous weeks for the group but it again showed their true potential.  Every year, the experts have attempted to write off the category’s chances each year but on this occasion, they shouldn’t just yet.  Girl group Little Mix have become serious challengers as their version of Rihanna’s ‘Please Don’t Stop The Music’ went down with a storm with the judges. It’s taken eight long years but The X-Factor finally seems to have found its first girl group that can make a successful career from the show.

The Result

FAREWELL: Tulisa had to say a shock goodbye to The Risk

IT’S been clear for weeks now that a certain Mr S Cowell has been extremely unhappy about the quality of contestants this year.  He decided to shake things up and the double elimination did cause a surprise, especially in the public vote.  Little Mix, Marcus, Misha B and Craig all deservedly won their place back next week whilst Janet could count herself lucky to be saved by her many supporters.  Also, despite his tripe the previous night, Frankie was somehow voted to stay in.

     That left Johnny, Kitty and The Risk in the bottom three.  It was anticipated by everyone that one of Louis acts would go first…but no! The Risk was eliminated after finishing bottom of the public vote.  Viewers and the audience were left stunned whilst the boys themselves and their mentor Tulisa looked gobsmacked.  The curse of Week Five has well and truly struck again!

     So it was a showdown between the two remaining acts Louis had.  For the second time in three weeks, he had to make a difficult decision.  Johnny gave a dignified and polished performance but when Kitty can deliver under the huge pressure, it made the final decision far easier.  Kitty was unanimously saved by the judges and expectantly, cued more booing and jeering from the audience.  Sad as it was to see Johnny go, the fact is that Kitty would provide a better chance for Louis in the competition – though that chance is already at slim to nil!

     The double elimination drama did manage to put X-Factor back in lead in the ratings war with Strictly, mainly helped that there was no head-to-head clash this weekend, though there’s certainly still a long road to recovery ahead.  One thing is for certain, the competition has never been this open before as anyone from at least five acts could win!  The second half of this year’s live finals is set to be a thriller … providing any new controversy doesn’t get in the way of course.

The X-Factor 2011 - More issues to be dealt with

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE last two weeks has seen The X-Factor do what it has done best.  Controversy, dramatics and confusion off the stage have yet again overshadowed the great talent that is being shown on the screen.  Here is how the drama unfolded over the past fortnight.

Week 3 – ROCK SONGS

Liverpool hairdresser Marcus Collins kicked off with an explosive rendition of ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way?’ with his mentor Gary Barlow labelling it as how to open up a show.  Next, favourite Janet Devlin sung ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ but played it a little safe by not putting any upbeat twist on it.  Sami Brookes was compared to a cruise singer in week two and Louis Walsh did no favours by picking another “dated” song with ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ whilst the girl band formerly known as Rhythmix (see Week 4 section for new name and explanation) once again impressed with ‘Tik Tok.’  Although she is a strong singer, Sophie Habibis is struggling to connect with the public.  Her ballad version of ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ was so dreary; it could have made people fall asleep.

     Craig Colton was given the chance to sing ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out,’ which was another solid outing.  Kitty Brucknell wasn’t as mental as last week but still showed off her unique style in her version of ‘Live and Let Die.’  After last week’s bottom two shocker, Frankie Cocozza was lacking in confidence and his performance ‘Get Your Rocks Off’ showed it in every department.  The Risk overcame a bad song choice from Tulisa to get the job done again with ‘Crazy.’  Johnny Robinson finally started to win over Gary Barlow with ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’, and Barlow’s jibe at asking whether he got the suit from Argos was a right laugh.

TOUGH: Misha B has had to deal with some rough criticism

     The night ended on a bitter low when after Misha B smashed ‘Purple Rain,’ Louis Walsh and Tulisa unfairly attacked her for acting like “a bully” to the other contestants.  It left both Misha and her mentor Kelly Rowland hurt by the comments and gave the tabloids a field day.  More drama was to come on Sunday night when Frankie swore to nearly ten million viewers, after learning he got through on the public vote.  ITV were forced to make an embarrassing apology two days later after stupidly forgetting to bleep out the dirty language.

     The final showdown was a direct battle between two of Louis acts.  For the judges, they opted to keep Kitty in the competition against Sami, based on the former having the better vocals.  Only Tulisa decided to save Sami with Walsh deciding to go against sending it to deadlock, making a frank and honest decision instead.

Week 4 – HALLOWEEN

THE mess from the previous week was still being cleared up come the show’s Halloween themed night.  Kelly Rowland was struck down by a virus infection whilst on a business visit to LA, so in this weekend to judge was 2008 X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke.

RESPECT: Johnny has a new fan, in Gary Barlow!

     Meanwhile, The Risk had a big problem when band member Ashley quit the group last Thursday, citing personal reasons.  The remaining members invited Ashford from axed boyband Nu Vibe to join them.  Their performance of ‘Thriller’ justified their decision and in fact, made them sound a better group than before.  Meanwhile Johnny Robinson finally got the chance to show off his full vocals with the ballad ‘That Ole Devil Called Love.’  Gary Barlow was so pleased that he went onto stage afterwards for hug and a kiss.  Who said romance was dead!

     Barlow’s mood soon changed when Sophie Habibis paced her way through ‘Bang Bang.’  She was described as “dull as dishwater” and quite rightfully too.  Marcus Collins was one act who got into the spirit of Halloween with his appearance during ‘Superstition,’ once again receiving rave comments.  The two remaining girls in participation, Misha B and Janet Devlin, also made more lasting impressions with their performances of ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’ respectively.

     Fast seeing his chances disappear has been Frankie Cocozza but his take of ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ was a million times better than his previous two performances put together.  Frankie’s song is perhaps one best suited to Kitty Brucknell.  The public is split over her but it still didn’t affect her ability to sell her performance of ‘Sweet Dreams.’  Accusations of ‘auto-tuning’ were strenuously denied but it was confessed that a voice enhancing method was used at the start of that number.

     Rhythmix are no more, long live Little Mix.  Maybe they should have put a lot more imagination into their new name but regardless, they gave the best performance of the night with ‘E.T.’  Craig Colton closed the show with his best outing since the opening week.  ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ was given complete justice throughout.

WHITEWASH: Misha B was too strong for Sophie on Sunday

     As luck would have it, the week which Kelly was absent was the week she lost an act.  Both Sophie and Misha B, possibly due to the bully allegations of the previous week, were in the final showdown.  It was no contest; Misha was by far the better performer and took a clean sweep from judges.  In a bizarre twist, instead of having guest judge Alexandra Burke speak on behalf of Rowland or just skipping her right to vote, the show contacted Rowland to vote from the other side of the Atlantic.  To say the least, this was a curious decision.

     In closing, the last two weeks have brought more negative headlines.  Viewers continue to switch off in their droves, with Strictly Come Dancing continuing its domination of the Saturday night ratings.

     The X-Factor is still contracted for further two years after this year but if it gets even worse, I think that it will have to be killed off.  ITV will perhaps now be rueing a missed opportunity in bidding for The Voice.

     It may still be entertaining to watch at times but it looks as if the shovels are at work in the TV graveyard…

The X-Factor 2011 - It really is love and heartbreak

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THIS weekend, the public could respond to the barbaric decisions by the producers to have four acts leave the competition last week.  The second week of live shows on the X-Factor was when the ‘real’ competition began, with the theme songs associated with love or heartbreak.

GROUPS

COLOURFUL: Rhytmix flourished under pressure to perform

NU VIBE kicked off the show on Saturday.  After a downbeat start last week, they were looking to improve with U2’s ‘With or without you.’  It was a lot better than last week but questions were being raised by the judges over the chemistry between the band members.  It would prove to be their ultimate downfall.  Whereas Nu Vibe were struggling, girl group Rhythmix flourished.  They set the bar last week and took it further with Nelly Furtado’s ‘I’m like a Bird.’  After seven years, are they the group to at last break the girlband jinx?  That performance was then backed up by The Risk, with a polished and well tuned version of Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are.’  On the early evidence of this year, they could be the next big boyband group.

OVER 25s

FIRST of the Over acts was the act that stood out in this category last week, Sami Brookes.  To give credit, Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love you,’ is a hard songs to conquer but she did just that.  For once, Gary Barlow was out of line by comparing her performance to a “cruise singer.”  What performance was he watching?  Fast becoming the joke act is helium-pitched Johnny Robinson.  The theory is backed up by putting Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ to shame, and that was just being dressed in near-drag.  I sense the equation of: Johnny Robinson + Louis Walsh = THE NEXT WAGNER!  It seemed Kitty Brucknell took tips from Johnny too with her rendition of Bjork’s ‘It’s Oh So Quiet,’ putting a sort of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ twist on it.  The one big difference is of course, Kitty can sing in tune and Johnny can’t!

BOYS

WEAK: A late song change left Frankie in a very vulnerable position

ONE act that has surprised a lot of people already is Craig Colton.  His rendition of Beyoncé’s ‘Best Thing I never had’ wasn’t as strong as last week but still sealed the fact that he is actually a genuine contender.  It was tough week for ladies man Frankie Cocozza, as his song was changed less than 24 hours before the show and it proved to be a genuine mistake.  He slouched his way through a weak version of Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist.’  Louis Walsh rightly said that he lost his “swagger” before Kelly Rowland jumped to Frankie’s defence, by banning Louis from using that word!  Certainly an American way of telling him to shut the hell up!  To complete what was an indifferent night for the Boys was Marcus Collins who did the best he could with Rihanna’s ‘Russian Roulette’ but it was always a song completely out of his vocal range.  Overall, Gary Barlow will look back at this week as disappointing.  However, he made more errors in his selections than his acts did in their performances.

GIRLS

AGAIN, the category kicked off with the leading contender, Janet Devlin.  The Northern Irish teen was coming into the show on a back of a difficult week following the tragic death of her grandfather.  She overcome this, but putting her own unique style of the classic Elvis Presley song ‘ICan’t Help Falling in Love with You.’ It was moving and stunning to listen to and her grandfather would be so proud of it.  Another one hoping to, and did, impress well again was Misha B.  Charles & Eddie song ‘Would I Lie To You?’ is certainly a song suited to her but she well and truly took to another level with, like Janet, putting her own twist on the song.  Finally, Sophie Habibis could have counted herself lucky to have been saved in the big twist.  However, her performance of The Calling’s ‘Wherever You Will Go’ was a big highlight of the evening and may have surprisingly suggested that Kelly actually did make the right decision to save her from going home last week.  Amelia who?

The Result

MISSING: The connection factor was the downfall for Nu Vibe

THE public was finally back in power this week, and ITV used the show to try to reintroduce text voting to its shows, after it was suspended following the infamous phone-in scandal in 2007.  In the end, the two weakest performances of Saturday night proved to be the two acts participating in the ‘Final Showdown.’  For Nu Vibe or Frankie, one was about to be thrown out of the competition by the judges.  It was a tight sing-off which saw both acts giving it their all.  Nu Vibe eventually got eliminated, with only getting the backing of their mentor, Tulisa.  Their performances in the live shows were a major disappointment for an act that had promised so much potential.

     Away from the singing, it was to be a devastating weekend for the show as it lost its three year unbeaten record in the TV ratings. Beaten hands down by rival show Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday, the figures only surged when the overlap with Strictly at the start of the show concluded.   It’s the first time since the fourth week of the live finals back in 2008 that X-Factor has been defeated by Strictly.

     It seems this shock slump in ratings has been down to four factors;

1. The new judging panel is unsettled in the live environment but that’s bound to happen, they’ve only started so I’m sure they would have got used to it by the series end.
2. The quality of acts is poor.  OK, I admit, it’s not as great as 2008 or 2009 but it’s already beating last year’s bunch hands down.
3. A mass boycott with viewers still angry at last week’s elimination procedure; truth hurts but that’s kind of expected.
4. It’s simple, the public misses Simon Cowell but unfortunately there’s nothing anyone can do about it, it was his decision after all to quit in favour of taking part in the US counterpart.

     Regardless, we can still expect fierce competition and rivalry in the eight more weeks to come.  There will be no blog next week, taking a break in line with the school/college half-term so the next blog in a fortnight’s time which will wrap up both weeks three and four of the finals.

The X-Factor 2011 - An explosive start to the live shows

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

FROM the thousands and thousands acts that had aimed to become ‘The Next Big Thing,’ just 16 acts now remained in the running, ready and raring to kick off this year’s X-Factor live finals.

     With new judges, new attitude and a new opening title sequence (long overdue but I’m not too keen on the remixed theme), everything was in place for the perfect beginning.  However week one would be dominated by a ‘Big Twist’ and this time, it would be the first ever quadruple elimination, but not decided by the public.  Instead the judges would have complete control over the future of their acts.

     First, in their one and only effort to convince their mentoring judge, all 16 acts performed a song either by a popular British or American artist. Here’s how they fared…

GIRLS

Opening the live finals is a very daunting prospect as people expect the standard to be set high early on.  This year it fell to youngster Amelia Lily from Middlesbrough.  As part of the questionable makeovers given to the contestants in this run, her familiar blonde locks were switched to a shocking pink, but that didn’t stop her giving an confident rendition of the Michael Jackson classic ‘Billie Jean.’  Despite a few dodgy notes in the chorus, it was a good start, considering this is a very challenging song to perform.  Next up was Sophie Habibis with a piano version of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream.’  Slow-paced it may have been, but surprisingly, it came off very well as it showed the entire vocal range she has.

BREATHTAKING: Janet made herself the early frontrunner

     Then it was the turn of Misha B (she’s confusingly dropped her surname for the finals) with another surprise package of the evening.  Her version of Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’ was spot on and became more special with an added rap element, perhaps showing off what could be her specialist genre.  Finally, the favourite for the entire competition, Janet Devlin sang Coldplay’s ‘Fix You.’  Unlike the other girls, there were no gimmicks, no dead giveaways, just her singing beautifully. More focus will now surely be placed on her in the coming weeks.

OVER 25s

THANKS to Nicole Scherzinger’s clever thinking, the Over category was raised last year, but with Nicole parked on the US show, it was dropped back 25 for this series.  First in line was Johnny Robinson, with a performance of Cher’s ‘Believe’ that definitely would make anyone cringe.  You may remember on the first week last year, I compared Wagner to Gordon Brown on helium.  On this occasion, Johnny sounds like Nick Clegg on helium!  Following on from him was Jonjo Kerr.  He seemed very nervous and his version of ‘You Really Got Me Going’ by The Kinks exposed it in every department.  He looked pained throughout and sounded more like a failed pub singer.

DIVIDED: Kitty will be either loved or hated by members of the public

    In all honesty, Sami Brookes should be back at her day job, but the exit of Goldie had granted her a lifeline.  She didn’t disappoint either, with her version of Yomada’s ‘You’re Free’ and Gary Barlow vowed to resign if Louis Walsh didn’t save her afterwards.  Lastly, Kitty Brucknell, the true pantomime villain of the line-up came out with Queen’s ‘Who Wants to Live Forever?’  There is no question that she can sing but whether she can last well into the competition is very questionable.

GROUPS

TULISA was put in charge of creating a groups winner for the eighth time in asking.  For this, she (along with her fellow judges) had formed three groups from failed soloists.  First of these “manufactured” groups was Rhythmix.  Dogged by criticism all week, they proved everyone wrong in their performance of Nicki Minaj’s ‘Super Bass’ and were labelled as the best girl group in the show’s history.  The only group to have come in from the auditions proper were Essex duo 2 Shoes, and they certainly brought some glamour into the show by their take of Girls Aloud’s hit ‘Something Kinda Ooooh.’  Gary however wasn’t impressed, comparing it to a “karaoke night in Romford,” certainly the comment of the night.

     The two created boyband groups came next.  First up was Nu Vibe and they were the disappointment of the night.  Their version of Chris Brown’s ‘Beautiful People’ lacked passion and forced judges Tulisa and Kelly Rowland to clash over the arrangement of the performance.  That however was then completely forgotten by the appearance of the new look version of The Risk.  A spot on version of Plan B’s ‘She Said’ was in tune and executed brilliantly.  As far as I’m concerned, they are the leading group in this category.

BOYS

MUCH anticipation was placed on this category as it’s won the show three times in the last four years.  First in was heartthrob Frankie Cocozza.  Though his performance of ‘The A Team’ by Ed Sheeran wasn’t the best by his standards, it at least proved he had strong talent and not just the looks.  That couldn’t be said about James Michael.  The Beatles’ ‘Ticket To Ride’ was completely murdered by his weak vocals and in summary, it wanted to make you fall asleep!

NAILED: Craig proved he is Gary's secret weapon

     The favourite in this category, Marcus Collins, certainly didn’t disappoint with Maroon 5’s ‘Moves like Jagger.’  He must have felt the luckiest guy around, having several women parading but it didn’t distract him one bit.  The final boy, Craig Colton, was labelled by Barlow as his ‘secret weapon.’  Christina Perri’s ‘Jar of Hearts’ is a difficult song to conquer, but Craig nailed it and wiped away pre-show criticism that he wasn’t up to the challenge.

     All in all, it was a night of surprises and expectant performances.  The judges had 24 hours to decide which of their acts they had to axe in the twist.  All the acts could do now was sleep and wait.

The Result

THE public must have felt completely powerless on Sunday as they had to wait with baited breath to see whether the judges would save their favourites.  It wasn’t going to be easy at all.

     Louis was the first judge to choose on Sunday.  He expectantly saved Sami and then, despite the criticism from the people, put Kitty through.  His decision to save Johnny seemed to really shock his act, but it was the right decision.  Jonjo screwed up his performance the previous evening and deserved his exit.

     Next was the Boys and again no shocks were in order with Gary opting to keep Marcus, Craig and Frankie and send home James.  His exit again wasn’t unexpected as he had underperformed massively in his song.  Then it was the turn of the Groups and Rhythmix, The Risk and Nu Vibe were saved to sing another week.  2 Shoes were sent packing, in some ways, a bit surprising considering Tulisa’s strong affection for them.  Indeed, she struggled to compose herself together to eliminate them.

CONSOLED: Amelia struggles to deal with Kelly's decision to axe her

     The hardest decision though had to come to Kelly and her Girls.  One of them had to go despite all four delivering great performances.  Firstly, both Janet and Misha B were deservedly put through, leaving Amelia and Sophie in the running for the final place.  It was made clear already that Kelly had adored Sophie from the beginning but the feeling was Amelia would be given the nod.  Ultimately, Kelly went for Sophie, axing one of the favourites from the competition.  She burst into tears, with the audience looking on.  Whatever you thought of her, you just had to feel terribly sorry for the Teeside lass.

    The X-Factor always has a secret sub-motto, expect the unexpected!  I don’t think anyone expected one of the pre-contest favourites to fall at the first hurdle.  I felt Amelia deserved to stay in the competition, but there are those who also thought Kelly got the decision spot on.  However, Amelia was the victim of a stupid twist from the producers.  Even Dermot O’Leary has had his say on the twist.  I didn’t like it, I don’t think many did and with one million viewers not bothering with Sunday night’s viewers show, it looked like some of the audience voted with their TV sets.  I hope this attempted format of mixing up the show is put into the ditch and doesn’t return.  No act has gone out on week one and has gone onto enjoy a successful career, so unfortunately, I don’t think Amelia will make the grade, which is a real shame.

     Kelly will have to deal with criticism from the Amelia obsessed fans, but it is the producers of the show who should probably accept that this was a bad move, rather than calling for the head of a new judge.  The public vote begins this weekend; wonder if our heads will be turned by the daft performances or the special singers.  However, X-Factor 2011 promises what is says on the tin; plenty of drama and controversy ahead.