The X-Factor 2011 - A week no-one will forget

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE past week’s events on The X-Factor have perhaps been more akin to an average episode of Emmerdale…

Axe Falls On Shamed Frankie

SHAMED: Frankie Cocozza's axing ends his crazy journey

THE drama first began last Tuesday when less than 48 hours after the events of the previous week’s shock double elimination were sinking in, Frankie Cocozza had been axed.  The reason was for breaking one of the show’s ‘Golden Rules.’  The exact rule that had been broken has not been named for legal reasons but it is worth stating that the show runs a strict policy in order to get the best out of the contestants.  This is why last year, they introduced a set of Golden Rules; 10 rules that must not be broken by anyone – such as no leaving the contestants house without permission and no intimate relationships with fans.  Contestants are warned that they will face disqualification from the competition if any of these rules are violated.  Tabloids have speculated that Cocozza broke rule number seven on the list – Zero Tolerance on Drug Use.  What truth it is, Frankie has blown a golden opportunity, his chances of becoming a popstar crushed.

Frankie’s Loss Is Four Acts Gain

THE simple logic could be that Frankie would be replaced by one of the eliminated acts from the previous week.  The X-Factor has a reputation for pulling tricks out of its sleeve when nobody notices and it did it again last week.  At a special press conference on Thursday afternoon, it was announced that the public would choose one of four acts to return to the competition.  The four acts in question; they were the foursome that had been unceremoniously dumped by their mentors on the first live show.  Recalled from their homes across the country; Jonjo Kerr, James Michael, 2 Shoes and Amelia Lily were back and hoping the public would get on their side.  A 48-hour phone-only vote would be used to determine who would get the ‘wildcard’ or ‘lucky loser’ place on Saturday’s show, with all profits (minus the VAT rate) being donated to the Help For Heroes charity.  In some people’s mind, it was criticised as they technically had four weeks off from the competition but these contestants never got the chance to see what the public made of them, so in a way, it’s actually a win-win situation.

Lights…Camera…No Action!

SIX acts, plus whichever one got the reprieve, were tasked to perform either a Queen or Lady Gaga song.  Everyone was now set for Saturday and when it came to 8:15pm that night…nothing!  A powercut at the BT Tower, which supplies power to the programme’s studio in Wembley, meant the set was plunged into total blackout!  Viewers were left having to watch reruns of auditions whilst everything was being hurriedly repaired to prevent severe disruption to the evening’s TV schedules.  Incensed people took to Twitter to vent their frustration and as ever with these social networking sites, crazy rumours began to fly around for the delay.  As the audition tapes continued to play, there was a possibility of the show having to be cancelled.  Still, watching the clips was perhaps better than having to sit through several minutes of staring at a blank ITV1 slide with depressing breakdown music……but the viewers were waiting, the audience was waiting, the acts were waiting and as far as ITV was concerned in this day and age, the advertisers were waiting.  So, after an enforced ad break, the gremlins were finally fixed and The X-Factor went on air, some 16 minutes behind schedule.

Better Late Than Never

FOR the first six acts of the night, no more delays, they now had to take to the stage.  Louis Walsh’s last act standing Kitty Brucknell was first but she was already feeling upset.  She wanted to perform ‘Born This Way’ but Misha B was drawn ahead of her on the week’s selection and took the song.  This left Kitty with ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’   The vocals were better than last week but it was an underwhelming start.  Next out was Craig Colton with ‘Paparazzi.’  Potentially, it was another song which in all honesty should have sounded out of his depth.  Once again, Craig proved everyone wrong and this performance was perhaps his best to date.

It was down to the final territory in the Groups category again, but this time it was girl power left.  Little Mix has already been the surprise package of the show and they wowed yet again with a Queen/Lady Gaga mash up of ‘Telephone’ and ‘Radio Gaga.’  Louis though did feel they were becoming too one-dimensional.  It was a fair point because they have yet to sing a ballad and if they have serious intentions on winning, it’s something Tulisa has to explore sooner rather than later.  After last week’s Club Classics disaster, Janet Devlin returned to her roots with ‘Somebody to Love’ and it backfired.  The performance of the previous week seemed to have taken its toll and she looked weak and vulnerable.  Janet’s tag as favourite at the start of the competition has definitely loosened.

Whilst Janet’s stock was plummeting, rival Marcus Collins saw his continue to rise.  After last week’s show-stopper, he continued the upbeat theme in his performances with ‘Another One Bites The Dust.’  Ultimately, it was not as strong as last week, but still enough to cement his place at the top of the bookies odds.  Misha B hoped to prove Kelly Rowland that she made the right choice in giving her ‘Born This Way’ and it paid off handsomely.  We have seen better from Misha in this competition but out of all of the remaining acts left, she had the best week in terms of performance level.

Who Clinches The Lifeline?

SO NOW it was time to see who was going to get the chance to rejoin the show?  2 Shoes, Amelia, James and Jonjo had each prepared their own version of ‘Show Must Go On’ but only the act that had topped the vote would get to sing it.  With all the tension already created by the mishaps at the start of the night, STV (ITV1 in Scotland) got too carried away in excitement and accidentally posted a pre-prepared story of the result on their website.  Immediately people cried ‘FIX’ but this time, there was no case to answer as this was ‘genuine human error’ and STV honourably put their hand up straight away and apologised.  The individual who posted this though will still probably get fired!

When it came to the official result itself, there was ever only going to be one outcome from the moment the vote opened.  With a 48 per cent majority decision, Amelia Lily was back in the game!  When it came to her performance, she showed why she deserved a second chance and why Rowland should never have gotten rid of her in the first place.  Gary Barlow was certainly optimistic of her chances by saying that “the Great British public love a comeback.”

Finally…After A Chaotic Week…Another One Bites The Dust!

NO SUCH hitches were reported on Sunday night and everything ran smoothly as another act was sent home.  Marcus and Craig were deservedly sent through to sing again and Little Mix kept Tulisa in the running for another week at least.  Janet’s supporters came out in response again for their troubled star and the public were prepared to see another dose of Amelia.  It left, arguably the two best acts in singing ability; Misha B and Kitty fighting for survival in the Final Showdown.  What a sing-off it was as both acts performed like they never performed before and it was going to be very difficult for the judges to split them apart.

FITTING: Kitty left the competition in style

With Louis and Kelly predictably standing by their own acts, both Tulisa and Gary overcame their difficult decision and decided that Misha should still be in the competition on the fact that Kitty had been painted as a villain, perhaps unfairly in recent weeks, to many people.  The Next Generation of judges had teamed up to eliminate the veteran Louis who became the first judge to be ousted out of the competition, AGAIN!  For Kitty, it was the end of a long and turbulent journey, but she ended it on a high by being able to perform the chorus of ‘Born This Way,’ leaving host Dermot O’Leary petrified at the end.  It got better for Kitty, when during an emotional interview with Caroline Flack and Olly Murs on The Xtra Factor; Lady Gaga raced onto the stage and gave her a farewell hug.  It was a touching and moving moment and Kitty does have a future in showbiz, especially if she continues to be inspired by the biggest popstar in the world.

BANG: Amelia Lily is well and truly back

It is one week that The X-Factor will not forget in a hurry.  Congratulations have to go Amelia for getting her chance to impress the public.  Of course, people are saying that if she goes on to win it would be unfair on everyone else and you expect those kinds of opinions.  Let’s not forget, it wasn’t the public who chose to get rid of her in the first place.  One thing is for certain though; Amelia Lily has well and truly blown this competition wide open!

Print, exam, Balestra - A top-notch week

PERSONAL PIECE (By Simon Wright)

ANOTHER week down and one of the best weeks I’ve had of the year so far.  Pressure released from some rather tight shoulders, things finally began to go my way and the spectacular journalism night out less than 24 hours ago has left me buzzing.

FINAL: The front cover of my 12-page magazine

     If you had read last week’s edition, then you will have understood the nightmare I had with Printers Pairs.  On Monday, I went to the library at the University of Northampton to print out my 12-page magazine, based on retro TV (see picture for front cover).  Typically for me, it didn’t run without its problems.  First, the magazine wouldn’t print out, because I was on another student’s username.  Then, my library password had expired, which meant I couldn’t get onto my log-in screen and set-up my Adobe PDF file for printing.  Eventually, I managed to print out three A3 copies, and by accident, one A4 colour booklet copy.  Looking at the final product, I am delighted with how it all came together in the end, after some trials and tribulations.  Of course, I needed some assistance, otherwise I would have been in a major panic and I’m lucky to have that this year, in the form of a strong and very close friendship with Tamika.

      As a group, I do think we all have a strong chemistry.  A lot of us have different interests; different hobbies and some have more eccentric lifestyles than others!  However, it all works out in the end.  What I do know this year is that without the presence of Tamika, I wouldn’t have been as motivated as I have been and maybe, I wouldn’t even be at the University.  Tamika has helped me massively though some very tough situations for me this year, both within University and outside Uni.  She has always been there for me and I am eternally grateful for that.  Without her care and support, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am now.  Monday was another prime example of this.  I know many people who would have just walked away from me and left me to fight my own battles.  Tamika has never done that, and I’m so pleased she has always stuck by me, especially in some trying situations.  True, you do need to show some individual qualities, but to have a strong personality backbone; you need loving support from your friends.  I’m lucky, because I do have three or four very close friends on my course at Uni, as well as my loving family and the ‘Pubbage’ crew back in my hometown, Milton Keynes.  With her hard-working capabilities, together with always being there for support, advice and a good laugh too, Tamika’s friendship will be one of the most positive aspects I will lookback on during my second year at the University of Northampton.    

     Whilst I can never fault Tamika’s reliability as a friend, the lecturers continue to be a total liability.  I’m beginning to feel I should trust Ian Beale from EastEnders more than the useless lecturers.  I don’t want to be too hyper-critical if I can help it, but I am paying over £3,000 a year to attend my degree at the University of Northampton.  I expect top-quality teaching as a result and to say that I and the rest of my course are getting that would be one of the biggest porkies I’ve heard.  England has got more chance of winning the Football World Cup than we have of getting any decent communication.  This week’s episode saw the ridiculous decision taken to move the deadline for the Unique group magazine portfolios by a week, and let us know, two flipping days before it is meant to be handed into the Assignment Office!  The lecturers used the excuse that we all knew and it was made abundantly clear!  So, where’s the evidence?  No-one told me, and also, what is a Log Book?  I mean, they accuse some of us for slacking.  Well, don’t prove that by changing around deadlines without telling us then!  I don’t expect us to be spoon-fed.  After all, we are all grown-ups, but just a little bit of better communication wouldn’t go amiss.  No-one will break their leg if that happened.  It feels like Civil War is breaking out between Lecturers v Journalism Students.  It would be an interesting occasion for Big Fight Live!  Quick, I’d better telephone Rupert Murdoch; he might be able to back a blockbusting knockout victory for the students!  Sometimes, I feel more reliable than the lecturers and I’m not even teaching!  Maybe we should trust Wikipedia more than them.

     Thursday May 12, and its 9.30am.  I have just started my dreaded exam on law and government for journalists.  Then, I come across a term called TWOC!  I’ve have never even heard of that terminology, never!  If someone wants to let me know, send your answers via postcard!  Aside from that stupid term, I felt the two-hour exam went really quickly and went very well.  I got a C last year, from an exam that I thought was easy-peasy, chocolate-squeezy!  I actually thought the 2011 exam was easier still.  Exams have been the death of me in the past.  My brain always froze in an exam hall, and often would spoil a hard year’s work of effort.  Since I screwed up my GCSE’s in 2005, I have worked incredibly hard to sort these issues out and the results seem to be coming together now.  I’m glad I don’t have to do any next year (I hope!), and will always going in feeling butterflies.  However, I felt very confident of doing well and hopefully; the results will prove my confidence.  I’ve always gone into a hall with a bag of nerves, often been ill in the build-up to the exam, not eating much and struggling with irregular sleeping patterns.  Not so this time around, so it was a pleasant change.    

PARTY: With journalism buddies, Shamima, Tom and Richard

     To conclude this personal blog on a happy note and I went out last night into town to make my debut in the Balestra nightclub.  Since Balestra opened just before Christmas 2010, I’ve always been interested to go and experience it.  I’m not a clubbing person and never will be, especially after being attacked on the way home from a night out in Milton Keynes in July 2009.  However, I will bite the bullet and go out occasionally, with the plan to have some drinks, a mad dance, a real laugh and a memorable experience.  This certainly happened last night.  After some pre-drinks at Pennywhistle’s with two of my closest friends, Emily and Rochelle, plus a rather entertaining Jonathan (who I’ve never really seen eye-to-eye with), we headed down town to the club.  I was so thrilled to finally have a night out which saw the large proportion of journalism students out together, partying into the early hours of Friday morning.  It is something we haven’t done enough of and I think that made the experience even more enjoyable.  I have also managed to find a nightclub in Northampton that can match up to my favourite place, which is Oceania in Milton Keynes.  Like I said before, I’m not a regular clubber, but Oceania is the only experience when I’ve come out of a club and gone ‘Wow,’ before last night anyways.  To see people out, who I don’t normally socialise with made it more awesome too.  There were plenty of highlights along the way.  Seeing one of our journalism technicians outside Pennywhistle’s, as we disappeared into the town, Farida complaining that her feet were about to fall off and an Olly Murs lookalike trying to chat up Farida and Tamika in one of the nearby eating establishments after the nightclub experience and frankly, failing absolutely miserably!  Well, some guys just don’t know when to stop!  I got back to my place, exhausted at 3.45am, but having had one of the best nights for ages! 

    More partying next week hopefully, when Uni is wrapped up for another year!  I already know that despite my London work placement and Fuerteventura summer holiday with the family, I am really going to miss my journalism buddies over the lengthy summer break.  LET’S GO OUT ON A HIGH!

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.