That was 2011...in entertainment

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

WITHOUT a doubt, the entertainment world has had another turbulent year and here are some of the big stories that hit the headlines over the last 12 months…

     The year began in typical fashion – with a media scandal!  What seemed to be remarks about women in football made off the air were actually picked up and made public, as Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray discovered.  More damaging off-screen behaviour would come to light over the following days through YouTube and it resulted in Gray being sacked and Keys resigning from his role.  In its 22 year history, this was no question, Sky’s biggest ever embarrassment.

FIGHTING: Imogen Thomas was dragged into the superinjunctions debate

     Just over a year after they got hitched in Las Vegas, a painful separation was in prospect for Katie Price and Alex Reid.  Price would go on to date an unknown Argentine model for several months whilst Reid has found new love in ex-Big Brother Housemate Chantelle Houghton.  The pair have recently become engaged, so no surprise who was the winner out of this doomed relationship.  Another former BB contestant that sprung into the public eye was Imogen Thomas.  Her name was mentioned in a granted superinjunction by a Premier League footballer who wished to remain anonymous.  Speculation on Twitter led to a Liberal Democrat MP to use his parliamentary privilege and oust the footballer’s identity.  The footballer has remained silent on the issue ever since the revelation back in May.  Speaking about Big Brother, after the final series on Channel 4 ended last summer, it looked as if it had vanished away for good.  Richard Desmond had other ideas and brought it back to Channel 5.  With new host Brian Dowling, and famous faces such as Kerry Katona and Paddy Doherty, who would eventually go on to win, the method was simple, try to keep it as simple as possible.  It has become Channel 5’s highest rated show but it will never match the success that it had on C4.

     One person who would certainly want to forget 2011 in a hurry is Cheryl Cole and her fall from grace.  In May, she accepted the chance of a lifetime to join the new US version of The X-Factor, with aide Simon Cowell, who also quit the UK version.  The dream wasn’t to last long though as just two weeks into filming, she was sacked.  Initially this looked to be the work of Cowell but it later transpired that Fox wanted her out because her Newcastle accent would make American viewers struggle to understand her.  In either case, Cole returned back to the UK, more humiliated than when she left and her role of being “The Nation’s Sweetheart” was finally stripped for good when she had a fling with footballing ex Ashley Cole.  Reconciliation seemed on the cards until the tabloids stepped in with more stories of Ashley’s infidelity.  On X-Factor USA, Cole’s place on the judging panel was given to Nicole Scherzinger, a more well-favourable decision for many.  Fox stood by Scherzinger, despite criticism from experts in the States.  However, Nicole’s commitment to her solo career and her new job led to an amicable and publicised split with Formula One star, Lewis Hamilton.  The newspaper press has certainly come under scrutiny in 2011, with damming revelations at News International, of phone hacking at the News of the World.  Famous showbiz figures like Sienna Miller, Hugh Grant and Max Mosley were given liberal damages before the tarnished paper was closed down in July.

AWARDS: Huge success for Colin Firth and The King's Speech

     In the film world, it’s been one dramatic year with several grossing films and rave reviews for several flicks than ever before.  The King’s Speech topped the bill with its success at both the BAFTA’s and the Oscars whilst after ten years; the Harry Potter saga finally came to an end with the last film based on the final book of the series.  Other top talking films of the year include Cars 2, The Inbetweeners Movie and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  In the land of music, there has been a frequent share of old and new talent at the top of the charts this year.  Acts like Jessie J and Ed Sheeran have made phenomenal starts in their careers this year whilst established talent such as Pixie Lott and the Saturdays continue to challenge for supremacy, the latter still somehow have not managed a Number 1 single yet!  Of course, there are acts that are just in it for the money – 2011 will go down as the year that Jedward began their course to world domination!  A successful appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, beating the much more challenging entry from Blue for the UK, coupled with third place on Celebrity Big Brother backs up the evidence.  In fact, they have recently announced they will try for Eurovision again next year, this year’s contest being won by a delightful entry from Azerbaijan.

     It’s been a torrid year for ITV with most of its popular programmes coming under the firing line for falling ratings.  The most publicised was Dancing on Ice.  A massive competition revamp designed to make it more entertaining and watchable had the opposite effect.  It flopped miserably and it has now called its future into question.  Daybreak has also suffered and amidst its constant thrashing in the ratings by BBC Breakfast, it is currently undergoing its own revamp over the New Year with its “star” presenters, Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley having already left.  

STUNNER: Amy Childs has had a year to remember

     If there was an award that the public could choose for, called ‘Sexiest Woman Of The Year’, favourable nominations like Abbey Crouch, Katy Perry and Michelle Keegan would all be distant runners-up in favour of a young Essex redhead, Amy Childs.  Having shot to fame on The Only Way Is Essex, it was no question that she would soon go for it alone and she did just that in August when she was another famous guest in the Celebrity Big Brother house.  Afterwards, she then went on to sign a lucrative deal with Channel 5 for her own reality series, currently be screened.  Love or loathe her, she will be around for much longer to come, just like her use of the phrase, “SHUT UP!”

     Someone who would certainly call 2011 as an “annus horribilis” is Simon Cowell.  After Britain’s Got Talent suffered a slump in ratings in the Spring, his multi-million pound gameshow Red Or Black? certainly didn’t stay out of the headlines but for all the wrong reasons.  Poorly constructed with nothing innovative about the format made it perhaps the biggest ever and most expensive flop in television history.

He then took a backseat when the all new X-Factor arrived in the UK.  Cole and Dannii Minogue had gone from the panel, along with Simon.  Established judge Louis Walsh was joined by Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland for the new series.  Critical reception was of praise to start with but when it got to the live shows, the new judges didn’t seem up to scratch.  That and coupled with the usual off-stage controversy left viewers turning off in their droves.  The most damaging of all centred on Frankie Cocozza.  He seemed innocent and nice to start off with but when the live shows began, he was exposed as an act that really couldn’t sing and his behaviour off the show became more and more wild until he was eventually kicked out for breaking a ‘golden rule,’ alleged to have been taking cocaine.

     However, from the all of the stories of mistrust, X-Factor provided one great story to finish on.  One act came out of the shadows and defied the odds.  Girl group Little Mix – formed by the judges at bootcamp from four girls turned down first as soloists and then again under different constructed groups – were written off before a note was sung when it came to the live finals.  As the weeks progressed, they quickly gathered momentum though and the public began to get behind them.  They eventually sealed a fairytale triumph in the final, live in front of 10,000 fans at Wembley Arena, the first group ever to win the UK version of the show after its years of trying.  In the eight years of the show, there perhaps has been no other winner more popular than these girls but aside from it, it looks like the start of 2012 will perhaps see Cowell organise crisis meeting after crisis meeting to assess what went wrong with the show and how to restore it back to its former glory.

FAREWELL: We said a tragic goodbye to Amy Winehouse

     Every showbiz year of course sees several famous faces sadly leave us.  Some of the those who lost their lives in the last twelve months include Hollywood leading lady Elizabeth Taylor, Coronation Street icon Betty Driver and 80s legend Sir Jimmy Saville.  However, the most familiar name to pass away this year was singer Amy Winehouse.  Despite a fledging and promising career with millions of album sales and several awards on both sides of the Atlantic, her private life was always troubled and usually saw battles with alcohol and drug addictions.  Then on one dry Saturday afternoon in July, came news that she had been found dead in her London home at the tender age of 27.  Despite the woes of her private life, she will still be remembered for her unique contribution to music and her father Mitch has since gone on to set up a charity in her honour to help support young people who are battling their own addiction problems.

     All in all, who said life was dull in showbiz?  It never really is.  With big stories on all of its corners, to say 2011 was hectic is putting it mildly.  Who knows what next year will bring?  Unless you have a crystal ball, don’t even bother predicting!

Eurovision Song Contest 2011 - Azerbaijan pulls off a surprise triumph

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE most competitive and campest night of the year always delivers a talking point or two each time.  The 57th staging of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night promised to be a spectacular occasion and it didn’t disappoint.

     For the first time since 1998, the contest did not take place in the capital city of the host nation.  Germany opted for the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf over their capital Berlin.  In its day job, it’s a second division football stadium, but the tenants happily vacated their home for a few weeks to allow Europe’s greatest music competition to take centre stage.  43 countries, equalling the record, participated and the previous week’s semi-final heats whittled the field down to 25 countries in line for the showpiece prize.

IMPROVEMENT: However, Blue couldn't crack the top ten

     In recent years, the United Kingdom has plummeted from Eurovision contenders to no-hopers.  The BBC has had enough with the viewing public’s pathetic decisions of recent Eurovision performers, so decided that the only way it could win Eurovision again was to make the decision on the country’s act.  Step forward former boyband pin-ups Blue with the song ‘I Can.’ Confidence was high and the boys delivered a great performance.  However, it wasn’t their night and they finished a disappointing 11th, though it has been suggested that a sound fault in their dress rehearsal, which was marked by the juries, going towards 50 per cent of the final result was their downfall. Nevertheless, the UK will take this result as a step in the right direction.

     Like the UK, Ireland has also been in the doldrums in recent times.  It stepped up the game this year by sending in X-Factor rejects Jedward.  The quiff-haired twins were surprisingly so liked, a win looked to be on the cards.  Fortunately for those who despise them, that didn’t materialise but they still came ahead of Blue in 8th place.  Jedward got 12 points from the UK and even more shocking still, 12 from the majority of the Scandinavian countries.  Everyone now knows Jedward and so could this be the start of world domination?

GLORY: Azerbaijan celebrate a shock Eurovision success

     Ultimately, the night belonged to Azerbaijan with their powerful pop ballad ‘Running Scared,’ performed by duo Ell and Nikki, one half originating from London no less.  Tipped as a possible contender, not even bookies suggested it could win but they nailed the performance on the night and so deserved the plaudits.  The leaderboard and competition itself showed that at long last, Eurovision is finally returning to its glory days of the nineties when the competition was always close.  Azerbaijan might have runaway with the victory but behind them, margins with separated by just inches of points.  This has certainly been made possible by the EBU’s decision to bring back jury voting in 2009 to curb the political voting of the Noughties.  Yes, some of it is still evident, like high point exchanges between Scandinavians, near guarantee of maximum points for Eastern and Balkan countries and of course, the at least one exchange of 12 points between Greece and Cyprus.  Everyone agrees though, these powers have become less common in the result now.

     This was a night that many favoured failed to step up to the challenge.  France, the bookies favourite finished 15th whilst heavily backed entries from Hungary and Estonia ended up in the bottom four.  The only main liked contender, Sweden, looked at one stage to be winning but fell back the run-in to wind up third.  Host nation Germany, once again represented by last year’s winning act Lena, also had a disappointing night, ending in tenth.

     Meanwhile, the shock of the night came from Italy.  In their first contest since 1997, ironically the last time the UK won the damn thing, the Italians finished runner-up after polling as a rank outsider.  Eurovision of course wouldn’t be Eurovision without a selection of manic acts although only one made the final cut this time.  Moldova brought out six people who should belong in a mental institution rather than on a music stage, ridiculously finishing 12^th!

     In overall, it was night full of excitement and suspense.  Congratulations to Azerbaijan on a brilliant success and for only the second time in Eurovision history, next year’s contest, to be held in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku as many expect, will be outside of Europe, as Azerbaijan is technically within the Asian border.  Hail Azerbaijan!  

The X-Factor - One year since Jedwardgate

BY JASON WRIGHT

SUNDAY November 8 2009 – it’s just gone 9:00pm and Britain has just perhaps witnessed one of the most shocking events in reality television history.

Irish twins John & Edward Grimes, otherwise known as Jedward, had pulled off a huge shock by surviving the axe from The X-Factor after being in the bottom two.  To say it was a surprise in this situation is a massive understatement considering who had just been eliminated at their expense.

Jedward had the whole nation talking since their first audition for both their unique hairstyles, seemingly lack of singing talent and thus their rather comical personality.  Simon Cowell took an instant disliking to the twins whereas the other judges, especially Louis Walsh for the Irish connection, saw some potential in them to start with.  Cowell famously later described them as “vile, little creatures” at bootcamp and after advancing to judges’ houses, he said to Louis “If I get them, I won’t let them on the plane. I can’t even look at them!” Fortunately, Simon didn’t get the groups but Louis did and so through they went into the live finals.

As the live finals began, the press and viewers had already gotten tired of their antics and wanted them out sooner rather and later.  Performances of Robbie Williams’ ‘Rock DJ’, Britney Spears’ ‘Oops I Did It Again’, Ricky Martin’s ‘She Bangs’ and Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ were all put to shame.  Simon Cowell soon took his bitterness to new heights when he declared he would flee the country if they won.

In comparison, Lucie Jones, an 18-year-old student from a small village on the outskirts of Cardiff, had already gained a mass following after a sensational first audition and sailed through into the live finals.  Considered as one of the favourites, huge pressure was on her to deliver and she didn’t disappoint.  The first three weeks didn’t provide classy performances but they were just as strong enough to be at the front end of the field.

But on the fourth week, Rock week, she well and truly arrived in the competition with an amazing rendition of the Guns ‘n’ Roses song ‘Sweet Child of Mine’.  It gave the whole package, the voice, the style and the appearance and it seemed to sway Lucie away from her intention to perform ballads and switch to more of a teen pop persona.

The following week, movie night, Lucie proved again her sudden change in style performing ‘This Is Me’ from the Disney film Camp Rock.  It received rave reviews from the judging panel and installed Lucie as a real favourite to win the entire show.  Meanwhile, Jedward once again gave a stand-out performance for all the wrong reasons with their take on ‘Ghostbusters’.  Yet despite this, not for what would be the first time this weekend, Simon stunned everyone by commenting that it was “sort of good”.

Come the results on the Sunday, everyone expected Lucie to get through on the public vote easily but what happened next was to astound everyone as she ended up in the bottom two.  However with her opponents being Jedward, it would be a setback in her chances of winning but should still ease through. Or so everyone thought?

Lucie performed ‘One Moment in Time’ by Whitney Houston in the sing-off whilst Jedward reprised their week one performance of ‘Rock DJ’.  Comparing both songs together and it was simply no contest as to which was the better.  After both Louis and Dannii Minogue, who was mentoring Lucie, saved their acts and sent the other home, Cheryl Cole chose to send home Jedward, making it 2-1 in their favour of leaving and Simon having the casting vote.  Those who despised Jedward were now surely reaching for the champagne bottles, ready to pull off the corks and celebrate their demise.

Simon’s speech before making his decision though seemed to scratch a few heads. “I’m not surprised that both of you are in this situation tonight. Having said that, I don’t think any of you can win.” he spoke before going completely against everyone’s wishes by voting to save the twins and force deadlock on the panel.

But why did Simon really take it to deadlock?  That may never be fully explained but there are two possible theories. Number one was to prove to the twins that they were never liked by the public and Number two was simply to give Lucie a test of character.  Unfortunately in this case, this leans more to theory number two as she received the least amount of votes and was eliminated.  She was rightfully left upset and in tears and the audience symphonised with her by booing and jeering Jedward off the stage.

It was without doubt dubbed as ‘The Night the X Factor Died!’  Across the next seven days, the papers and press slammed both the show and Simon Cowell for his actions.  Famous faces also gave their opinion of discontent; Lily Allen publicly announced she would never watch the show again.  Sting branded the programme as “hypocritical”.  Even Cowell’s protégé, Leona Lewis described the show was “no longer a music contest”.  Reports also surfaced that both Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole did not speak to Simon at all in the week’s build-up to the next show though this was never confirmed as true, but frankly who could blame them?

Why didn’t the media regulator Ofcom investigate into the result?  To be honest, they should have done.  If they received 3,000 complaints about the outcome, a situation like that should be investigated at the very least, even if there really wasn’t anything wrong with the voting that weekend.

Despite promises of there still being a very strong competition and five weeks of singing to come, the majority of the viewing public was now cheated of not having Lucie around.  Following her exit, the viewing figures for the show declined sharply week on week as several people switched to the rival show, Strictly Come Dancing.  Eventually, compared to the 14-15 million peaks that the show was getting in the early stages of the live finals, they reached a new low of 12 million, and worse still, it was on the first night of the final weekend.  Beating Strictly in the ratings by just under one million that night compared to be regularly two million ahead before just proved how much it hurt the show.

For Simon, the backlash continued and a successful Facebook campaign was set-up which got the 1992 hit ‘Killing in the Name’ by Rage against the Machine to the Christmas No.1, previously saved for the X-Factor winner guaranteed.  Although Cowell and the winner of last year’s show Joe McElderrey took it on the chin, this must have hurt Simon deep down, but something he deserved for his incredibly bad judgement on that November evening.

Every person always tends to ask the question of ‘What If?’ at this situation.  What if Lucie had survived from competing in the sing-off that night?  Could she have gone on to win?  With strong competition last year from McElderry, Olly Murs and Stacey Solomon, it is hard to give a definite yes or no.  There is no doubt however that she would have been up there and would have been expected to at least reach the final. Whatever the case, staying in the competition longer would have certainly enhanced her chances of having a successful music career as given her new lease of taste in music during the show; she could be easily compared as the British version of Miley Cyrus.

Back to reality though and despite this debacle, Lucie still has a bright future ahead having signed a modelling contract and currently going through a successful stint at the West End in Les Miserables.  However, she is still after getting a recording contract, though this sadly doesn’t look possible.  If I was working for a music company, even if it wasn’t well known, I would 100% take a chance on her.

As with Jedward, things also look on the up, having earned a No. 2 single at the start of the year and an album, which fortunately didn’t get No.1 in the charts, following shortly afterwards.  They’ve also become big personalities on TV, including a show of their own on ITV2.  Surely, we will see them becoming ITV’s next biggest double act in years to come, hopefully not in my view but that really does seem like happening.

In closing, we will certainly be talking about this for many more years to come.  Although Lucie was the biggest loser that night, she and unfortunately Jedward have both emerged as winners, both with different and bright futures ahead of them.  Unless a similar trait is pulled off by this year’s novelty act, Wagner, who credit to Jedward, I can stand hearing them more than him, this will be forever known as the darkest night in X-Factor history.

The X-Factor - Where Are They Now? (Part 1)

THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BY MY BROTHER, JASON WRIGHT

BY JASON WRIGHT

The X Factor, widely regarded as Britain’s biggest and best talent TV competition, returns for its seventh series on Saturday.  Since its launch back in 2004, it has become a national phenomenon and is always a Saturday night (and from last year, also a Sunday night) ratings banker for ITV1.  Last year’s series attracted a record series average of over 15 million viewers, including a peak of 20 million for the finale.

As the new series draws closer, I will be taking a trip down memory lane to look at how previous contestants have fared since making their appearance on the show.  This first of two blogs looks at 12 acts that didn’t win the show outright but have either gone on to enjoy success or be consistently in the public spotlight.

G4 (Series 1 Runners-Up, 2004)

This quartet of male vocalists may have lost the first series final to Steve Brookstein but there is no denying that they were the true winners of that year’s competition.  There debut album reached number one in the albums chart and their lead single from the album, a cover of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ went on to strike the top ten in the singles chart.  The group split in early 2007, citing disagreements over their record company, about their UK tour schedule.  Group member Jonathan Ansell has since had a successful solo opera career.

Andy Abraham (Series 2 Runner-Up, 2005)

Originally a binman from North London, he won over thousands of fans in the second series and was rewarded with second place.  His debut album reached number two in the charts but since then, nothing has gone right.  A last-gasp effort to revive his career by appearing as the UK’s entrant at the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest failed thanks to the domination of tactical voting by Eastern Europe in the competition.  He is now beginning a new life as a property developer.

Chico (Series 2 5th Place, 2005)

The real joker of the pack in series 2, he became well known for his catchphrase ‘It’s Chico Time’ which became the title of his first single which reached top spot in the charts.  Since then, he has become more of a children’s entertainer, regularly appearing at Butlins holiday parks, and still is today.  He also competed in the failed ITV2 reality series CelebAir in 2008 and was one of a dozen people to release an unofficial anthem for the 2010 World Cup called ‘It’s England Time’.  Needless to say, it failed to chart in the top 100!

Ray Quinn (Series 3 Runner-Up, 2006)

This young Liverpool lad was already a star by the time he entered the show in 2006, having starred in the Channel 4 soap Brookside.  Critics wrote off his chances before the live finals, but he soon got them on his side and reached the final.  Despite his one and only album not being as successful as he hoped, he has gone on to be a success in the West End, appearing in shows such as Grease and Dirty Dancing.  In 2009, he appeared in Dancing on Ice and turned it into a one man competition, finishing top of the judges’ leaderboard every week.

Rhydian Roberts (Series 4 Runner-Up, 2007)

His operatic voice in series 4 made him the hot favourite to win; in fact some bookmakers had begun paying out to punters on the night of the final.  Then he lost to underdog Leon Jackson and the controversy began, several people claiming ITV had fixed the voting which was strenuously denied.  This allegation led to ITV now publishing voting statistics for every reality show after the series end.  Despite being beaten at the last, his debut album went platinum and his second the following year sold more than 100,000.  Earlier this year, he left his record company, the full reason of this has yet to be established.

Same Difference (Series 4 3rd Place, 2007)

Written off by everyone before a note was sung in the live finals but it turned to be completely the opposite for this brother and sister duo from Portsmouth.  Louis Walsh couldn't stand them them but the public loved them and voted for them to get to the final.  A record deal was sealed, but several rescheduling issues over their debut single and album was to be the ultimate downfall.  Neither reached the top 10 in 2008 and they were swiftly axed.  Like Chico, they’ve have now resorted to the Butlins tour circuit.

JLS (Series 5 Runners-Up, 2008)

There is some debate as to whether Alexandra Burke or this four-piece group were the real winners of The X Factor 2008.  Most believe that it is JLS and the evidence is simple.  They have scored three number one singles, two BRIT awards, two MOBO awards and several marketing deals.  They are also due to begin a career in the US next year.  On the basis of that, it shows that some acts don’t need to win the show to be rich and famous.

Diana Vickers (Series 5 4th Place, 2008)

A girl that well and truly split the nation with her “unique” voice.  But love her or hate her, she just couldn’t be ignored, and at one stage becoming the favourite to win.  In the fifth week of the competition however, she had to withdraw because of a throat infection and then literally battled as far as she could afterwards, finally succumbing at the semi-final hurdle.  Since her rollercoaster appearance, Diana has had a successful stint in the West End and this year, returned to the music scene with a number one single and album.  Whatever you’re views are on her, everyone has to admit that she is an act that is here to stay for quite sometime.

Laura White (Series 5 8th Place, 2008)

Before the live finals, the girls category was looking to be the one to beat and this 21-year old was tipped to be the favourite.  However, something didn’t gel in the live finals and Laura was booted out on week five.  Her exit prompted outrage.  Facebook petition groups were set up, calling for her reinstatement and Louis Walsh, who had the casting vote that night, to be sacked.  A subsequent Ofcom investigation cleared ITV of vote fixing and Walsh then made the grave mistake of going public with his comments on blaming the viewers for her exit, rightfully being heckled by the studio audience throughout the following week’s programme.  Laura has since gone onto release a single but her early exit from the show hampered any chance of being successful.

Olly Murs (Series 6 Runner-Up, 2009)

This wasn’t the first time this Essex lad was on TV.  He took part on the Channel 4 show Deal Or No Deal in 2007…and won just £10!  In the live finals, he won everyone over with his regular upbeat performances and rightfully reached the final two.  In the final, he became great mates with Robbie Williams and their performance of ‘Angels’ is widely regarded as one the best moments in X Factor history.  Williams invited him to play in this year’s Soccer Aid charity football match and Olly is now set on releasing his debut single, ‘Please Don’t Let Me Go’ later this month with an album to follow shortly after.

John & Edward, a.k.a. Jedward (Series 6 6th Place, 2009)

In a mild context, these identical twins from Dublin raised a lot of eyebrows in the sixth series.  When Louis Walsh was revealed as their mentor at judges’ houses, they became a dead cert to be in the final 12. They were despised by the public left, right and centre…and Simon Cowell, who famously described them as “vile, little creatures” and that he would be on the next plane out of the country should they win.  The twins courted massive controversy in week five when Cowell chose to save them instead of ditching them and their luck finally ran out a fortnight later.  Since their appearance, Jedward earned themselves a number 2 hit with their take on the Queen song ‘Under Pressure’, mashed together with ‘Ice Ice Baby’.  Following this, they were dropped by Sony, only to be snapped up 24 hours later by Universal and worse is to come, they have there own television show beginning on ITV2 next week.  Anyone with a nervous disposition should look away now!

Lucie Jones (Series 6 8th Place, 2009)

The 2009 series once again boasted a very strong girls category.  This time it was this beautiful Welsh teen who was leading the pack.  After a solid, if unspectacular, first three weeks of performances, she really came into the competition in week four.  However the following week, she ended up in the bottom two with Jedward and when Simon Cowell made the shocking decision to let the public vote determine the elimination, the twins’ growing popularity with the public sealed her fate.  Lucie's fans slammed Cowell's decision and slowly boycotted the show.   The Sun, a popular newspaper for the programme, labelled Cowell as THE MOST HATED MAN IN BRITAIN and even later reported that he had been sent death threats over the vote.  Cowell eventually apologised to the public over his decision.  Following her shock exit, the 19 year-old has signed a deal to become a fashion model and more recently, is performing in the West End.  Even though we may not see her now enter the world of music, her future is still definitely bright.

These 12 acts are just handful of contestants that have shown you don’t need to win The X Factor to either launch a career or earn a bright future ahead.

Coming up soon is part 2, focusing on the previous six series winners.

2009 - The Year In Review (Part 2)

                

Around Easter 2009, British weather forecasters predicted a barbeque summer. Although Wimbledon fortnight proved to be a sizzling heatwave, once again, their promises turned out into spectacular failures as for the third summer running, Britain endured a miserable July full of damp and dull rainclouds. Maybe that helped Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to dump the Manchester misery for the Spanish sunshine. At the Portuguese star’s request, Manchester United sold Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a world record £80million pounds. July saw BBC make their controversial decision to axe Arlene Phillips from the judging panel on Strictly Come Dancing for former winner Alisha Dixon. And Fern Britton made an emotional goodbye to daytime show, This Morning. She was to be replaced by Holly Willoughby. Pay-per-view company Setanta Sports went bust, unable to keep up with payments and the competitiveness of Sky. It left the FA in chaos, with half of its TV deals up in the air, but American broadcaster ESPN stepped in to pick up most of the rights available. Formula One once again was plunged into the headlines for the wrong reasons when Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was struck by debris in a freak qualifying crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite needing life-saving surgery, the Brazilian has made a very thankful and welcome recovery. Also, football said an emotional farewell to Sir Bobby Robson. Sir Bobby succumbed in his long battle with lung cancer, but the former England manager’s passion for the beautiful game will never be forgotten.

August saw the only man to be convicted of the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 to be given leave on compassionate grounds. The Scots released him and Gordon Brown backed them, much to the chagrin of Barack Obama and David Cameron. We were told that the man had only 3months to live with terminal cancer, but he was giving a sickening welcome home to Libya like a legend. The Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs received similar treatment. August saw football take a backseat and cricket take over. England regained the Ashes with a historic triumph over Australia, winning 2-1, thanks to a thrilling win in the final test match at the Oval. Ricky Ponting became only the second Australian captain to lose back-to-back tours in England ever and Freddie Flintoff bid farewell to Test Cricket. Usain Bolt ran an awesome 9.58 in the men’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, smashing his own record set in the Olympics a year ago. It was a positive summer for Athletics, despite South African Caster Semanya woman’s 800m win, which came under scrutiny when tests revealed ‘she’ might be a ‘he.’ Semanya was eventually cleared.

                 

In October, Nick Griffin’s appearance on the BBC’s Question Time drew 8million viewers and the BNP leader was hung out to dry. Mass demonstrations took place on why Griffin was allowed onto the show in the first place. However, every answer he gave was cheap, pathetic and made look like a complete idiot. It didn’t do the BNP any good. On a more positive note, Jenson Button produced a stunning drive at the Brazilian Grand Prix to clinch his maiden World Championship. Button, who started the F1 season without a drive after Honda pulled out of the sport, persevered with Brawn GP to achieve his dream. He takes the No.1 plate to McLaren for 2010. Sadness gripped the celebrity world again with the tragic death of Boyzone singer Stephen Gately at the tender age of 31. Gately was found dead in his apartment in Spain after a night out. Ireland mourned one of their prodigal sons and another death rocked the showbiz world. The world also said goodbye to Senator Edward Kennedy, German goalkeeper Robert Enke, Dirty Dancing icon Patrick Swayze, all three remaining survivors from WWI including Harry Patch, TV chef Keith Floyd and actresses Maggie Jones, Wendy Richard and Natasha Richardson.

Sporting scandals included Thierry Henry’s shameful handball in November left the Republic of Ireland with broken hearts in Paris. Henry’s intervention conned the Irish out of a famous win in their World Cup play-off, shaming his reputation and aiding the calls even further for video technology. His, wasn’t the only cheating to be caught in 2009. Lewis Hamilton was caught lying to the stewards after an incident at the Australian Grand Prix. He was promptly disqualified and made an emotional, wailing apology to his fans and family. Harlequins were caught out using fake blood on players during a Heineken Cup game but got off scot-free, as did Renault for fixing disgraced Nelson Piquet to crash during last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. However, charismatic boss Flavio Briatore was given a lifetime ban for his actions, which was later overturned on appeal in a French court.

Although Britain pulled out of Iraq, we are still in Afghanistan and suffering more losses. Over 250 brave, heroic soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict in 2001, and over 100 in 2009 alone. Once again, the country paid their respects in fitting tributes across Remembrance weekend. In November, a £90million jackpot was shared between a British syndicate in the EuroMillions draw. Simon Cowell also received a barrage of criticism on ITV’s X-Factor, by saving the much-publicised ‘Jedward’ in a public vote, despite having previously called them ‘vile little creatures.’

December saw Tiger Woods private life exposed to the full truth. His downfall began when he had a minor car crash outside his home in Florida. Revelations were made that several woman had liaisons with Woods, who clearly was obsessed with the bedroom. He has lost many sponsors and taken an indefinite break from golf to try and save his marriage. Nice try Tiger! The winter battle for TV ratings was won again by the X-Factor over Strictly. Whilst BBC breakfast reporter Chris Hollins scored a quiet triumph on the BBC’s flagship show, ‘Strictly Come Dancing.’ Geordie Joe McElderry won the X-Factor series, but for the first time since 2004, the X-Factor winner failed to get the Xmas No.1. It went instead to ‘Rage Against the Machine,’ thanks to a powerful campaign on social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook.

So as we bid farewell to the end of 2009, what will 2010 bring. Well we have a General Election and the World Cup in South Africa. Will it be England’s year? Is the country heading back to the Conservatives? Only time will tell…