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.

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.

The X-Factor 2011 - The final 16

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

AFTER the ‘Jedwardgate’ scandal that marred the 2009 series followed by the shambles of last year, ITV has had to look at the badly tarnished image of their number one show, the X-Factor and change it before it reached the point of no return.

The result, The X-Factor has gone back to its roots.  A questionable choice of new judges has turned out to be very successful and with contestants who actually want to win, it’s perhaps the first time since 2008 that everyone can look forward to the live finals.

Sunday night saw the new judging panel decide the 16 acts to take part in the live finals.  Here is each act profiled with my own judgement and prediction.

MIX: Gary has a varied selection of glamour and genuine talent

BOYS – mentored by Gary Barlow

Craig Colton

Aged 22, biscuit factory worker from Liverpool

ALONG with his continuing studies, Craig has been working in a customer services assistant role at a local biscuit factory.  However he has always had aspirations to be an actor, so he enrolled in a drama course and it was there that he realised he could sing.  He has been so nervous however about this that he didn’t even bother to tell his parents that he applied to take part in the competition.

Craig says: “I’ve got to the finals, its madness.”

I say: He looks talented but does need a confidence check first.

Prediction: 11th               Odds: 14-1

Frankie Cocozza

Aged 18, unemployed from Brighton

STUDENT Frankie has already developed a reputation for being a party animal and a ladies’ man.  One weird fact is that he has the first names of every girl he has slept tattooed on his rear end!  He first took up singing at a theatre club at the age of eight, but stopped at the age of 13 until deciding to go for the big time.

Frankie says: “I’m probably the happiest person in the world right now.”

I say: Can he cope with the pressure and adapt to different styles?  He surely will get girls voting for him in droves.

Prediction: 6th                  Odds: 10-1

James Michael

Aged 20, unemployed from Cheshire

AFTER dropping out of school at 16, James decided to take up song writing instead of looking for a job.  From there, he went to college to take a course on music tech after not knowing what to do with his life in his early years.  He’s a real guitar specialist so expect to see him regularly playing the guitar on the live finals.

James says: “I’m one step closer to doing what I really want to do for the rest of my life.”

I say: He’s good but if he is to stand a chance, he can’t stick to guitar based songs every time.

Prediction: 13th               Odds: 7-1

Marcus Collins

Aged 21, hairdresser from Liverpool

A QUIET and shy young person at school, Marcus found his inner voice in musicals.  He became a huge fan of Destiny’s Child, always buying tickets for their Liverpool shows and has got all of their tour DVD’s.  Now he aims to follow in their footsteps in realising his potential and it’s worked so far.

Marcus says: “I cannot believe I’m through – I’m just a regular lad and I’ve been to LA!”

I say: Very popular, very talented.  Certainly the pick of the boys pack.

Prediction: Runner-Up  Odds: 9-1

FIRST: Tulisa will have her work cut out to produce a winner

GROUPS – mentored by Tulisa

2 Shoes

CHARLEY BIRD, aged 23, telecoms worker & LUCY TEXEIRA, aged 21, fragrance shop worker, both from Essex.

CHARLEY and Lucy first met whilst performing at various events across Essex.  They soon combined their talent together into a duo.  First considered as a laughingstock from first impressions, they have quickly proved that they really do have singing talent.  During bootcamp, it was revealed that one half of the pair was three months pregnant, so it’s a brave decision from Tulisa to put them through into the final 16.

The girls say: “What on earth are we going to wear? Will they do us fake tan and nails?”

I say: It’s nice to see some variety at times.  The jury is still out on them at the moment but one thing is for certain, to those people who say they can’t sing – SHUT UP!

Prediction: 9th                  Odds: 33-1

Nu Vibe

ASHFORD CAMPBELL, aged 19, student from Huddersfield, BRADLEY JOHNSON, aged 16, student from Liverpool, JORDAN HIGO, aged 16, student from Manchester, RICHARD MILFORD, aged 16, student from Birmingham, STEFAN ROMER, aged 19, unemployed from Hampshire

ASHFORD, Bradley, Jordan, Richard and Stefan all entered as solo acts but the strong competition in the boy’s category, combined with the initial abdominal talent in the category means they are one of three groups manufactured by the judges in the final line-up.

The boys say: “A few weeks ago, we were in college and now this.”

I say: They may lack some edge but they have strong chemistry and will certainly get a lot of teen attention.

Prediction: 3rd                  Odds: 14-1

Rhythmix

JADE THIRWALL, aged 18, student from Newcastle, JESY NELSON, aged 20, barmaid from London, LEIGH-ANNE PINNOCK, aged 19, Pizza Hut waitress from North London, PERRIE EDWARDS, aged 18, student from Newcastle

JADE, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Perrie will count themselves extremely lucky.  They were knocked out at the first stage of Bootcamp as soloists and then rejected again in separate created groups at the second stage.  However, they were another group benefiting from the lack of talent in the groups category which resulted in them merging together for judges’ houses.

The girls say: “We feel sick with excitement. We’re so glad Tulisa saw our potential.”

I say: Their judges’ houses performance proved they have so much potential.  However, I feel that the “Girlband Curse” is ready to fire again.

Prediction: 14th               Odds: 25-1

The Risk

ANDREW MERRY, aged 20, car salesman from Ayr, ASHLEY BAPTISTE, aged 22, university graduate from North London, CHARLIE HEALY, aged 25, pub singer from Coventry, DERRY MENSAH, aged 21, Burger King employee from East London,

Andrew, Ashley, Charlie and Derry are also benefits of the poor standard from the group’s category.  After the initial line-up of The Risk failed and with fellow group The Keys relying too much on lead singer Charlie, Tulisa decided to axe two members of The Risk and bring in Charlie to give the group a much needed boost ahead of the live finals.

The boys say: “It feels like the start of something special. Because we’ve all been put together it’s like an emotional rollercoaster that’s on its route to success.”

I say: On paper it looks a good combination but whether they can connect together remains to be seen.

Prediction: 10th               Odds: 20-1

OVER 25s – mentored by Louis Walsh

Johnny Robinson

Aged 45, unemployed from Harrow

BACK in 1990, Johnny took part in the very first series of Stars in their Eyes.  He impersonated his idol Boy George and he made it to the grand final.  Twenty-one years later, he is well known for his high-pitched helium vocal which certainly makes him a total laughingstock to make all the way to the last 16.  Certainly was a surprising selection for the live shows.

Johnny says: “Someone pinch me and wake me up!”

I say: Yet again, Louis has proven why he is a fool.  I hope he goes early on but this unfortunately looks like it’s going to be another Wagner.

Prediction: 7th                  Odds: 50-1

Jonjo Kerr

Aged 27, infantry soldier from Wiltshire

JONJO has devoted most of his life to protecting the country on the frontline.  In his short spare time, Jonjo has performed in school and karaoke bars.  Now he wants to crack it on the big time and he hopes that doing the show will make both his family and army colleagues proud of him.

Jonjo says: “I’m just a normal bloke and I feel extremely privileged.”

I say: Totally outspoken, great voice and always gives it 110%.  He could be the dark horse of the competition.

Prediction: 4th                  Odds: 33-1

Kitty Brucknell

Aged 26, club singer from Cheltenham

KITTY has been performing since the age of five, gradually moving up in performance standard, from summer camps to a regular slot at local nightclub.  She mainly excels in the field of A Cappella, when there are no instruments or backing track to accompany the performance.  She has already earned a negative and diva reception from the press and it’s difficult to see why as she will take no expense from living her dream.

Kitty says: “I’m so grateful to Louis for taking a risk with me.”

I say: Can perform well but her bitchy approach will be her undoing.  Exit week one, stage right, I think.

Prediction: 16th               Odds: 50-1

CHANCE: Can Sami take the second opportunity thrown to her?

Sami Brookes

Aged 31, retail assistant from Rhyl

SAMI has worked in the retail industry all her life but has always dreamed of a singing career.  She had entered several karaoke competitions and regularly performs in pubs and clubs across her hometown.  She was initially sent home by Louis, but after Chinese hopeful Goldie Cheung quit the show, Sami was given a second chance to impress.

Sami says: “I’ve conquered my nightmares because of my dreams!”

I say: The public will no doubt accept her more than Goldie but the pressure is already on her as she has had less preparation time than her fellow contestants.

Prediction: 8th                  Odds: 20-1

POWER: Kelly will be hoping for plenty of girl style from her picks

GIRLS – mentored by Kelly Rowland

Amelia Lily

Aged 16, student from Middlesbrough, Tyne and Wear

AMELIA entered the competition after being inspired by her brother Lewis, who was runner-up in the BBC show Any Dream Will Do in 2007.  She attends dance school and regularly takes part in musical theatre.  Although it was her brother that convinced her to take part, Amelia’s biggest inspiration is her own father.

Amelia says: “I’m just going to work my socks off, I really am.”

I say: For a girl of her age with such a grown-up voice, I say she’s got a good shot but is she ready for the big time?  I’m not totally won over yet.

Prediction: 5th                  Odds: 5-1

Janet Devlin

Aged 16, student from Omagh

JANET first started singing when her grandmother convinced her to take vocal lessons.  Since then, she has become very passionate about music and it means so much to her.  In fact, she has been writing songs since the age of seven and feels it more natural to sing rather than talk.  Now that’s pure dedication!

Janet says: “This is the start of being taken seriously as a musician.”

I say: Anyone who really commits their future to music early in her life deserves to go for it.  At the moment, I think Janet is the one to beat.

Prediction: Winner         Odds: 5-2

Misha Bryan

Aged 19, student from Manchester

IT WASN’T until the age of 14 until Misha decided to sing competitively.  Since then, she has compared to a way of understanding herself.  Her parents and friends have been very supportive and always listen to her rehearse.  Now Misha is determined to pay them back in the only way she knows how.

Misha says: “Dream to reality – next stop, world domination!”

I say: Has great ability.  If she can conquer other themes of song besides R&B, she’s in with a fighting chance.

Prediction: 12th               Odds: 14-1

Sophie Habibis

Aged 19, barmaid from West London

FOR a girl of her ability, Sophie has had a rough time in growing up.  Dropped out of school early and went against going to college, she instead wanted to have an active part of life.  That’s where the singing came in and she now combines it with her role as a barmaid in a local pub, along with playing at local festivals.

Sophie says: “I was expecting a no because everyone was so good.”

I say: Has totally been taken aback by going through going into the finals.  However, it will take a lot of convincing to prove to the public that she can go all the way.

Prediction: 15th               Odds: 14-1

So that is the starting line-up for this year’s live finals. Or is it?

     That’s because it has been confirmed that once again, the first live show is to be rocked by a BIG TWIST.  Of course, it won’t be known until the live show but the theories are that the wildcards are being used again (but this can’t surely happen, how can you fit 20 acts in two and a half hours?), the category mentors being swapped (that would be interesting) and the rumours of a fifth judge (which will either be Simon Cowell or Cheryl Cole rejoining the show.)

     In either case, it looks set to be an entertaining ten weeks ahead, and it all starts on Saturday at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITV1 HD. IT’S TIME…TO FACE…THE MUSIC!

The X-Factor - The next generation

(By Jason Wright, Entertainment Expert)

SATURDAY saw the launch of eighth series of The X-Factor and its much hyped makeover, aptly entitled “The Next Generation.”  So, how did the new judges fare on their debut?

GENERATION: Louis, Tulisa, Kelly and Gary head the new panel

     Simon Cowell had stepped down to focus on the US counterpart and had persuaded Cheryl Cole to join her on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, until we knew what happened next.  Meanwhile, Dannii Minogue hasn’t returned either, due to commitment clashes in Australia.  In their place alongside veteran Louis Walsh were Take That’s Gary Barlow, N-Dubz front girl Tulisa and American singer Kelly Rowland.  Fans were angry at these inept decisions taken by ITV and Cowell, with wild rumours of the judges being constantly booed by the audience at the live auditions.  Again, as with many rumours in the show’s past, this claim was quickly dismissed by the programme.

     Still, bosses at ITV feared a mauling in the ratings similar to Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol in the US, two shows that Cowell has quit or limited his appearance this year.  Critics initially scoffed this refresh approach, until they saw the first episode at the show’s press day.  John Plunkett, a TV columnist for The Guardian newspaper described it as, “ITV looked to fill the Cowell-shaped hole at the heart of its most popular and important programme with as much ‘vazjazzle’ as it could muster.  Some of it worked, Cowell’s replacement Gary Barlow looked a natural in his role as the show’s “Mr Nasty.”  Simon Cowell would have been proud.”

     Similar praise was also given by other media critics and when the programme aired over the weekend, so did the fans, with the general feeling of any doubts being dismissed.  The consent feeling is that recent years of The X-Factor have been heavily biased on the performance of the judges.  However this series promises to be geared more towards the contestants striving to win and it’s exactly what the viewers wanted.

     Nearly 12 million watched the first episode, slightly down on the figures of last year’s opener but still pretty impressive considering the concerns over a steep drop over the ratings.  A Digital Spy poll reported that a whopping 76 per cent had given the thumbs up for the new judging panel.

     In my own personal view, the first episode certainly turned out to be better than first predicted though I’m still not overly convinced on the performances of the new panel.  Gary Barlow is already a big plus to the show; he is brutally honest when someone isn’t talented enough and has already settled in well as head judge.  Tulisa was a nice surprise too.  She seemed to know what she was talking about; she also stood up for herself brilliantly when one of the rejected acts on this week’s show responded to the rejection by calling her a “scumbag.”  However, I already dislike Kelly Rowland; I think she is out of her depth and often or not, takes the job with over the top comments.  Maybe my opinions will change on her as the series goes on but for now, I’m certainly not impressed by her.

     No doubt the feedback from experts and the great British public will act as a massive boost of confidence to the brand new judges but this just the beginning.  They now need to keep the momentum up for a few more weeks to come, so the viewers can be convinced that the future of The X-Factor is, against all odds from a few months ago, in fact very bright after all.

X-Factor crumbles as Minogue is axed

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE future of The X-Factor was thrown in turmoil on Sunday following the shock departure of Judge Dannii Minogue.  As many of the show’s followers were enjoying last Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest, a statement on behalf of Minogue’s publicist was published:-

     “Following discussions over the scheduling of this year’s series of The X-Factor, it is with deep regret that Dannii has to resign from her role as a judge.  This is because the scheduled audition dates for the show clash with that of Australia’s Got Talent and it would be inappropriate to travel back and forth to the venues on both sides.”

AXED: Dannii Minogue won't be returning to defend her title

     However, 48 hours later, the British press broke the story that this claim was false and that she had actually been axed by ITV in an attempt to give the show a fresh new look when it returns in August.  Neither ITV nor Talkback Thames, who co-produce the show with Simon Cowell’s production company Syco TV, has commented on the speculation.  Back in 2009, Minogue was on the verge of being given the chop in very similar circumstances and only got back in because no one else was interested in the judging role at the time.

     This now leaves Louis Walsh as the only member of the judging panel left with Cowell having limited his role due to his ongoing commitments in the US version of the show with it still being unclear as to whether he will judge a portion of the show at all.  Cheryl Cole quit last month due to growing pressure from unhappy viewers and having landed a role on the American counterpart.

     The opening round of auditions have now been postponed until a later date as bosses urgently meet to try and save the show from impending doom.  With Take That’s Gary Barlow having all but confirmed his place on the panel, attention will now turn to whoever will fill the final two places.  The latest rumours are that they will go to R&B singer Kelly Rowland and N-Dubz member Tulisa.  These moves could anger fans even more as it may be considered they don’t have the credentials to judge a show like this.  The original two favourites for the roles, Lily Allen and Alisha Dixon have now both dropped out of the running.  Allen has claimed that she has not been approached and Dixon, as expected, committed to her role on rival show Strictly Come Dancing.

     With both American Idol and Britain’s Got Talent having suffered from alarming declines in viewers, this is the last thing ITV needs but if they engineered the axe, then it is their own damn fault!  With many furious fans set to turn off in their drones, this latest scandal could spark the beginning of the end for The X-Factor.