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…

Does the X-Factor give you chart success?

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT IS Britain’s most watched and biggest talent competition.  However a burning issue throughout its time is that will appearing on the show really guarantee you chart success and fame and fortune?

TERMINATION: Joe's music career never really took off

     Last week, two more X-Factor graduates were consigned to the scrapheap.  Firstly last Friday, 2009 winner Joe McElderry’s contract was terminated.  He had struggled to connect a fanbase with his distinct style of music and final straw came when it was revealed that his last single reached just number 69 in the charts, selling a paltry 7,000 copies.  Then on Tuesday, Shayne Ward, who was victorious in 2005 was let go by Simon Cowell.  Despite enjoying initial success in the early stages of his career, he had been out of the public eye for quite some time and inevitably, his comeback bid last year, failed with his new album failing to crack the top 10.

     It now means that four of the six winners of the show (not counting 2010 winner Matt Cardle) have now flopped after enjoying success on the show, ironically, all of them, the four male winners of the competition.  It should be said that now that Matt Cardle must get good luck for his album later in the year, because he’s going to need it!

     Only two winners have been able to crack the formula at being successful, Leona Lewis (2006) and Alexandra Burke (2008).  Both have since also been able to make a fortune internationally as well, proving that if you’ve got the talent, you can make it.  Unlike series 4 champion Leon Jackson who never stood a chance from day one and as for the first-ever winner Steve Brookstein.  WHO IS HE?  Never heard of him, would perhaps be the reaction if you asked somebody on the street nowadays.

SUCCESS: JLS have been the big winners of X-Factor

     As seen in the past, acts don’t need to win the show to make a path of glorified success.  JLS, runners-up to Alexandra in 2008 and truth be told, are in fact the most successful act in the show’s history with four number one singles and two number one albums to their name.  Fellow 2008 contestant Diana Vickers and 2009 runner-up Olly Murs have also enjoyed moderate success.  Other acts come and go quickly like G4 (2004), Chico (2005), Andy Abraham (2005), Rhydian Roberts (2007) and Same Difference (2007) but at least can be proud of achieving a tagline of “15 Minutes of Fame.”  Others will just be in it for the money, such as 2009 twins Jedward, who will be representing Ireland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.  They don’t care how bad they are, they just want to make loads of profit.

     These acts can though count themselves lucky that they got their opportunity whilst others haven’t been able to.  Aiden Grimshaw suffered a shock departure in week six last year but still earned a private music deal whilst it’s a different case for popular figures Laura White and Lucie Jones.  Their early exits at the hands of Louis Walsh in 2008 and Simon Cowell in 2009 respectively ruined any chances of almost-certainly successful careers in music for these girls.  2010 nutter Wagner even stands a better chance of getting material out than them sadly.

     In truth, winning or being successful in The X-Factor and being a great music artist are definitely different kettles of fish.  It’s all a question of trying to maintain a style of music and hope that it’s something your supporters will be happy with.  It’s something that both McElderry and Ward didn’t deliver and has unfortunately led to their ultimate demises.

The X-Factor - Where Are They Now? (Part 2)

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 second of two blogs looks at the six acts who won over the respect of the voting public the most, and become the winner of the The X Factor.

Steve Brookstein (Series 1 Winner, 2004)

The 36-year old from South London does have the dubious honour of being the first ever winner of show.  His debut single, a cover version of Phil Collins’ ‘Against All Odds’ entered the charts at number 2, beaten to Christmas Number 1 by ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ by Band Aid 20.  His debut album did go to number one but was then dropped after his second album was planned to be full of cover material instead of new songs, something of which he didn’t agree to.  After this, he was never mentioned again.

Shayne Ward (Series 2 Winner, 2005)

From his first introduction, it was clear music was meant to be in Shayne's life.  He duly became the one to beat in series 2 and won.  The 21-year old from Manchester became the first talent television winner to claim Christmas Number 1 with That’s My Goal, the only original X Factor winning song to date.  Three more top ten singles, including Next to Me (the theme music for E4's Hollyoaks In The City) and a platinum selling album soon followed.   Although he has disappeared off the music radar in recent times, Ward still achieved considerable success.

Leona Lewis (Series 3 Winner, 2006)

Few people who are successful on the show don’t quite have ‘The X Factor’, there is usually something missing.  But in this case, there isn’t.  Leona's debut single, ‘A Moment Like This’, originally sung by the first American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson broke several chart records on its way to the Christmas Number 1.  She was quickly offered a US recording contract and her debut album hit top spot in no fewer than 10 countries, making Leona a household name across the world.  Although other winners can enjoy good fortune, it is going very difficult for this feat to be repeated.

Leon Jackson (Series 4 Winner, 2007)

Much of Britain was left in shock when the young Scot beat red hot favourite Rhydian Roberts in the series 4 final.  Though his take on the Mariah Carey song, When You Believe, seemed dreary and senseless, it was still effectively guaranteed the Christmas Number 1.  However, in terms of success, that as far as it goes.  His second single only charted in the top 40 for three weeks and he was the first winner not to see their debut album take top spot.  Unsurprisingly, he was dropped by Simon Cowell and like Brookstein, he hasn’t been seen in public since.

Alexandra Burke (Series 5 Winner, 2008)

The 20-year old from North London had previously entered in 2005 but failed to get past the judges houses round as despite her talent, her then mentor, Louis Walsh thought she was “too young”.  Fast forward three years and not only did new mentor Cheryl Cole put her through to the live finals; she went on to win, being the only contestant not to have a bad performance throughout.  Hallelujah, her debut single, continued the show's domination of the Christmas chart and would eventually shift over one million copies.  A second number 1 single and a platinum selling album have also come Alexandra's way but she has been a little less successful than the runners-up of the 2008 show, JLS.  Nevertheless, she should still be on the music scene for quite some time to come.

Joe McElderry (Series 6 Winner, 2009)

This Tyneside lad was just a handful of contestants in the running to win series 6 as it was for much of it, a close run competition.  Towards the final run-in though, he took his performances up to a new level that no-one else could compete with and duly emerged as the victor.  The 18-year old may have won the battle to win the show but lost the war to take top spot in the Christmas chart.  A Facebook campaign was online by then, in full swing to get Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing (In The Name Of)’ to top the charts.  The campaign was of course targeted at Simon Cowell and his decision to send fellow favourite Lucie Jones home so early in the live shows resulted in a surge of support for the campaign.  RATM, as they were known for short, were successful and both Cowell and McElderry played fair sport by being gracious in defeat.  Since then, work has begun on his debut album, due for release in the Autumn and only just last month, Joe stunned nearly everyone by confessing he was gay.  However instead of deserting him like so many others have seen when confessing their sexuality, he has still of all his friends, family, fans and both Cowell and his series mentor Cheryl Cole on his side, which will no doubt increase his morale.  Now the wait begins to find out whether he’ll succeed like Ward, Lewis and Burke or flop like Brookstein and Jackson.

One thing from these winners proves that even if you win The X Factor, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you success in the future.

This Year...What Is Happening?

So the stage is set for this year’s show to begin, which promises to be bigger and better than ever. There are a load of changes this year, the most notable being the absence of Dannii Minogue from the auditions and bootcamp due to her pregnancy.  Her space is filled for the early stages by a series of guest judges.  Geri Halliwell, Natalie Imbruglia, Katy Perry, Pixie Lott and Nicole Scherzinger all filled in and Scherzinger, better known as being the high-profile girlfriend of F1 ace Lewis Hamilton also deputised at bootcamp.  We will see how regular judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh cope with the loss of Minogue and also of Cheryl Cole for both the final leg of auditions and bootcamp following her “near-fatal” battle with malaria.

Over on ITV2, Holly Willoughby has stepped down as host of spin-off show The Xtra Factor to concentrate completely on co-presenting This Morning and Dancing on Ice with Phillip Schofield.  In a surprise choice, despite strong rumours of either Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh or Caroline Flack taking over, the role has instead gone to ex-Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq.

Meanwhile, the over 25s category has strangely become the over 28s this year and eight acts from each category go forward to judges’ houses instead of six.  These are changes of what have been confirmed so far; whether any more will be implemented by the time we get the live shows remains to be seen.

It all kicks off at 7:30pm on Saturday 21st August on ITV1 and for the first time ever, it’s available in high definition on ITV1 HD.

ENJOY WATCHING!

Helping Haiti - A Worthy Cause

The debates can rage on about the subject, but as long as it is giving to the people who need it the most, the sufferers in Haiti, then that’s the most important thing.

Having bought and listened to the single, I would agree that this isn’t the strongest charity single I’ve ever heard, certainly nowhere near the famous 1984 hit ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas,’ which raised millions for the dreadful famine conditions in Ethiopia.  However, sometimes we must put musicality aside to see what the real story is.

The people of Haiti need all the support they can get, following the devastating earthquake, which struck just under a month ago.  Many survivors are battling against the elements, still in urgent need of aid, such as water and food to stay alive, and in a country so poor as Haiti, there is always the risk of disease setting in.  Therefore, everyone needs to give and donate as much as they can to help these unfortunate people who do not deserve what they are going through.  The emotions are still running along, and although it’s not so much a feature on news broadcasts, we must not forget those who need your support.

Together, Simon Cowell and the Sun newspaper have teamed up for a real charitable course.  The demand of artists who wanted to get involved in the single just shows how much dedication there is in the music industry, to human causes. In the end, cuts had to be made – as there weren’t enough lines for everyone to sing a cover version of R.E.M’s 1993 hit ‘Everybody Hurts.’  Cowell’s choice in song is a bit odd, it doesn’t really go with the cause, but nevertheless, it is still a powerful effort from everyone, despite it lacking the obvious feeling and musicality of the original version.

Twenty-one artists feature on the single, including Leona Lewis, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Alexandra Burke, Cheryl Cole, Susan Boyle, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Joe McElderrey and Gary Barlow.  Like mentioned earlier, it doesn’t have the voices of the original, but sometimes that doesn’t matter, especially for these worthwhile causes.  This is not a money-making exercise, it’s another source of income for the people of Haiti and I encourage everyone to download or buy the single, because it is going to a worthy cause, not Cowell’s back-pocket, as some music people have suggested.  I also must ask about musicality and what would you buy?  This version of ‘Everybody Hurts,’ is a decent attempt and wins hands-down over Jedward’s horrific cover of Vanilla Ice’s ‘Ice, Ice, Baby,’ which quite frankly, a bunch of primary school students could do better.

It may turn out to be one of the weakest No.1’s of the entire year, but already a million downloads have been purchased in just over twenty-four hours – so it will be amongst one of the fastest singles of all-time.

To sum it up, this is a ‘must-buy,’ for a worthy cause.  Let’s not forget, the people of Haiti need all the help and hope they can get in such a depressing situation.