The X-Factor 2010 - And the winner is . . .

BY JASON WRIGHT

JUST three acts now remained in the running, going through into one of television’s biggest nights of the year, the final night of The X-Factor itself!  Pubs and clubs across the country were packed and nearly 20 million were glued to the TV at home, waiting to see if either Matt Cardle, Rebecca Ferguson or One Direction would become Britain’s next big music star.

Dermot O’Leary must have been taking fashion tips from Louis Walsh as he emerged out onto stage at the beginning wearing a film-style suit and bow tie, something that Walsh has exhibited every Sunday since the fourth week of the contest.  The night began with a rendition of Take That’s ‘Never Forget’ by the final three, joined halfway through by the band themselves.

CLASS: Matt kept his A level up throughout the show

Just like last night each act’s first song was a new one and Matt kicked off with a rendition of Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’, putting yet another unique twist on it as he has done with most of his performances so far.  Questions though were raised over his dress sense for the first performance but that was his choice so there wasn’t a problem with it.  Meanwhile, after the troubles of Saturday night in Colchester, it was second time lucky there on Sunday and Stacey Solomon was able to chat to the supporters.

One Direction came next with their take on Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’.  Performing it atop a makeshift arch in the middle of the stage, they had the crowd and their fans over in Doncaster in hysterics for the umpteenth time and only strengthening their emphasis that this could really happen, a group could potentially win the show!

SWEET: Rebecca's dreams will probably come true

Finally, it was the turn of Rebecca Ferguson performing ‘Sweet Dreams’, the song did exactly what it said in the title, again the Liverpool lass sung it in such a soulful and heartfelt way and received huge acclaim from the judges again.  Her followers back in Merseyside once again voiced their approval but with Matt’s huge chances and One Direction’s big backing, it seemed a tough call for her to get into the last two.

After the pressures of the first songs, a little bit of humour was now injected into the night.  No, it wasn’t the return of Wagner but something worse than that, the return of the those who failed miserably in the auditions.  Performing the Lady Gaga hit ‘Bad Romance’, it was predictably so out of tune but just great to watch.  After all, they usually take the great appeal during the early stages of the competition just for their bad ability.

GLUM: Simon and One Direction after their demise

Voting lines were then frozen again. Only two acts would make into the third and most crucial phase of the final.  With the final three all in their smart and formal wear, it was revealed that Matt and Rebecca would move forward to sing again.  One Direction had been sensationally knocked out and it left them, their fans and even mentor Simon Cowell stunned and shattered.  Certainly though, this is not the last of them, they will surely become the next big boyband.

So Matt and Rebecca were now within touching distance of the X-Factor crown and just one more performance would now take them there, it would of course be a performance that would be released as their debut single should they win.  However this time there was a twist, both acts (as well as the already eliminated One Direction and Cher should they been in this position) had recorded a song which was suited to their voice instead of the traditional method of choosing just one song for the final pair which sometimes can be at a disadvantage.

First up was Matt performing his cover of Biffy Clyro’s ‘Many of Horror’ which was renamed in this take as ‘When We Collide’.  Yet again, Matt transformed this song from its original core rock into his own style and it totally worked and the judges seemed to say that it was his competition to lose now, though Simon of course didn’t want to count out the opposition yet.

So what could Rebecca offer instead?  Well she took the brave gamble of covering ‘Distant Dreamer’ by Duffy, and brave because it has never been released as a single.  This may work at a huge disadvantage but it still had plenty of potential.  Simon was right, don’t count her out yet and he used his trademark comment of not being able to claim it was a definite victory for anyone.  Many must have been thinking over what the chances were of placing a bet on a dead heat.

After Take That returned to perform another sensational number, the waiting was over and lines closed and the result was submitted.  Millions of votes were casted and after the usual tense wait, Dermot revealed the public decided that the winner of The X Factor 2010 should be…Matt Cardle!

SPEECHLESS: Both Matt and Danni look overwhelmed

Matt was left undoubtedly speechless after his success.  Dannii Minogue was delighted in joining Simon and Cheryl Cole in the ranks of being a two-time X Factor champion.  Cheryl at last was defeated and Rebecca offered congratulations to Matt.  Once again, I think this will not be the last of Rebecca; she will again get a music deal.

That just left Matt to bring down the curtain on this series with his first proper performance of his debut single, after which all of the beaten finalists (minus Cher Lloyd, who was mysteriously absent with no reason) came to his side to also say their congratulations.  The right winner indeed and it was proved as the official voting stats showed afterwards that he topped the board every time since week two but in the final he was chased all the way and won by just a narrow margin.

Round-up of the series

Despite a great final weekend, overall the series has been a massive disappointment, mainly due to the controversy and drama off camera.  It was surprising that the judges managed to keep it under control throughout most of it.  Simon Cowell always set things right and took responsibility for anything that went wrong, Dannii Minogue did a great job considering she missed the auditions due to her pregnancy whilst Louis Walsh was as impartial and usually foolish as before.  However the worst of the lot was Cheryl Cole, a disaster from start to finish.  While it was nice to see her back from her malaria scare, it screwed up her mind.  She became arrogant, thoughtless, and made decisions that were usually disgraceful.  Personally I don’t think we’ll see Cheryl back next year and there is great chance she will be replaced by Nicole Scherzinger, following her successful stint as a guest judges in the auditions and bootcamp this year.

This also may be Simon Cowell’s last stint, as The X-Factor airs in the US in the same time as the UK next year.  Before he has managed the show plus the American Idol auditions at the same time so I think he will be able to do it.  Plus, Dermot O’Leary may also be on the way out with reports that he may be off the present the new US version of the show.  Christine Bleakley, Davina McCall, Caroline Flack, Vernon Kay and Stephen Mulhern are the names that have been mostly tipped to take over should Dermot defect across the Atlantic.  If he goes, it is important that ITV will need to employ someone that has the ability to keep the show in its stride.

WINNER: Matt with Danni and the winning single 'When we Collide'

Whatever the case, The X-Factor has produced another great winner and good luck to Matt for what the future holds for him.  The countdown to summer 2011 and series eight is now well and truly underway.

The X-Factor 2010 - The final straight

BY JASON WRIGHT

A RECORD number of people applied to change their lives and now after months of competitive action, four acts were left standing.  Facing what is certainly the biggest weekend of their lives, only one out of Cher Lloyd, Matt Cardle, One Direction or Rebecca Ferguson could win the final.

For the final weekend, the show’s set changed attire with the familiar blue backgrounds replaced with a more warming gold, making it feel a bit like the classic gameshow Going for Gold.  All four judges were jazzed up for the occasion, three in the ambitions of mentoring the winning act…and the luckless Louis Walsh, once again a spectator for the finale.

FIRST: Matt began proceedings and was solid as ever

After the final kicked off with a last group performance of ‘What a Feeling’ by all 16 finalists, the competition proper got underway.  Again, each act would perform twice and in the first round, they performed a new song instead a previous one.  First up was the favourite with the bookies, Matt performing ‘Here with me’.  Once again, Matt had been struggling with the after effects of laryngitis from previous, so once again his vocal range was limited but still, as with any other performance, he gave it his all.  Not everything went smoothly however back in his hometown fanbase of Colchester.  Fresh from her success down under, Stacey Solomon was given responsibility to give a report but a technical glitch meant she was unable to do so and left viewers with just pictures of his cheering fans.  The great uses of today’s modern technology!

STAR: Rebecca will go onto better things

Next to perform was Rebecca, her soulful voice has made her a standout act in the competition and she was certainly given her just reward with a place in the final.  Her first performance of the night was ‘Like a Star’.  It seemed the pressure had got to her just a little bit, but still it was very captivating from start to finish.  No such problems with the production team in Rebecca’s home of Liverpool as Coleen Rooney was assigned to join Rebecca’s supporters in a packed arena.

BREAKTHROUGH: One Direction kept their cool

The last group standing was One Direction, who perhaps went into the final with the fans advantage. The hysteria built up in their performances perhaps reminds everyone of the original Take That in the 90s.  They certainly kept cool under pressure performing ‘Your Song’, once again proving the fact that this could be a breakthrough year at least for the groups’ category.  Their popularity was proved by the support given in member Louis’ hometown of Doncaster.  Michelle Keegan, best known for her portrayal of Tina McIntyre in Coronation Street, was unlucky to have been given the role as host of the gathering there as when came to giving a report, she was caught up right in the middle of an bottleneck of fans, which seemed to look more dangerous than the tram disaster that’s currently gripping Weatherfield!

Three acts down, just one to go. It was time for Cher and despite making the end, the teen had now certainly hit a new low.  Going into the show with literally no support anymore and having been bombarded with several threats that she would be killed if she showed up on Saturday.  Fortunately, this didn’t materialise and she saved the best until last. ‘Get Ur Freak On’ was her first number, doing what she did best and as far the judges’ comments suggested, she had surprisingly taken round one.  Of course, Cher’s faithful in Malvern had certainly not given up on her, and showed up at a fan park in droves, making it another difficult job for the outside report, which was the case for BBC Radio 1’s Scott Mills.

UNIQUE: Cher had fun with Will.I.Am from Black Eyed Peas

The second round was the most looked forward to as it was the eagerly anticipated duets round.  First again was Matt performing ‘Unfaithful’ with Rihanna, it looked so hot and steamy with plenty of chemistry, and that was just the ring of fire.  Next came Rebecca with ‘Beautiful’ alongside Christina Aguilera, this was at a slow and calm paced, just as the original version was.  Next came One Direction singing ‘She’s The One’ with now regular guest Robbie Williams, it all came together, voice and performance style.  Finally Cher did a mix of ‘Where Is The Love?’ and ‘I Gotta Feeling’ with Black Eyed Peas front man Will.I.Am, perhaps the most stand out of the four because of its upbeat and unique adaption of doing two songs together.

Following additional performances from both Rihanna and Christina Aguilera, the voting lines were frozen and the first results for final weekend were delivered.  Finally, the judges had lost their power and the public were now in control.  Their votes decided that Rebecca, One Direction and Matt would be back to perform in the next phase of the final on Sunday.  A right result as they had been the three front runners throughout most of this series.

So that meant Cher, despite the heroics of the night, was finally gone.  Considering her desire to win, you would have thought she might have been a broken wreck following the announcement of her exit but she surprised everyone by being gracious and accepting the defeat.  There is no doubt she will get a contract and sell thousands of singles and albums, as if Simon Cowell doesn’t offer her a deal, it’s almost likely that Cheryl Cole will snap her up.

STANDING: The final three get set for the final round

The first half had come to an explosive conclusion and now just Matt, Rebecca and One Direction were left the running to be crowned X Factor winner 2010 and earn that life changing recording contract. But who will it be?

TO BE CONTINUED…

The X-Factor 2010 - The semi-final showdown

BY JASON WRIGHT

Just five acts were now left in the running for X-Factor glory, supermarket worker Mary Byrne, teenager Cher Lloyd, single mother Rebecca Ferguson, boyband One Direction and DIY handyman Matt Cardle.  Now all five acts were in the crucial semi-final and by the end of last weekend, four would be in this year’s grand final and one would be heading home with their dreams destroyed.

UPBEAT: Rebecca Ferguson wowed the judges

As with past semi-finals, two songs were required from each act to get through.  First each act performed a ‘Club Classic’, which basically meant a popular song at nightclubs/discos and a song handpicked by them as one they believe would get them into the final.  First to go was Rebecca singing ‘Show Me Love’.  Despite having wowed previously, something she has lacked before is performing an upbeat song, finally this was her chance and she didn’t disappoint. Then as expected, she went back to her ballad roots for the second song, ‘Amazing Grace’ was so captivating and heartfelt, many have said this would be a two-way fight for the win but don’t count her out yet.

UNDERWHELMING: Mary didn't do enough to stay in

Next up was Mary, first with ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ which again seemed to be underwhelming though upbeat songs are not her thing.  Her second performance again returned to her specialist area with ‘The Way We Were’, a poignant choice as it was her late mother’s favourite song and so understandably made her very emotional.  Nevertheless, her performances were solid if unspectacular and still left her with every chance of reaching the final.

BELOW-PAR: But Matt did enough to make the final

In the week’s build-up, Matt’s participation had been in severe doubt, suffering from severe laryngitis and then tonsillitis.  Yet although having hardly had any rehearsal time, just hours before the live show, he took the brave decision to sing.  His first song ‘You Got the Love’ was certainly not his best for the well-documented reasons but still giving the best he could.  The same could be said for his second performance, ‘She’s Always a Woman.’  Simon Cowell didn’t agree, stating it was his worst performance. Nevertheless, his huge fanbase and previous form should still carry him through.

CONFIDENT: Cher stuck to her usual routine

Matt may have been under huge pressure, but Cher was feeling it even more.  Although her performances had been strong of late, over the last few weeks, she had alienated the public for some strange reason and was going into the semi perhaps as the clear-cut favourite to get the axe.  In this situation, there was only one thing to do; she had call upon her specialist route of rapping.  Both of her performance of ‘Nothin’ on You’ and ‘Love the Way You Lie’ easily showed examples of the format, which has been so much criticised but something she had to do to stay in.  Dannii Minogue thought she had to perform a ballad but at the end of the day it was Cher’s choice and now her fate was with the public.

GAMBLE: One Direction took risks that paid off

One Direction had also been heavily affected.  Their mentor Simon had been struck down with man flu throughout the week so Cheryl Cole kindly stepped in to oversee their rehearsals. Also, Zain had missed many rehearsals, as he was back in Bradford, following the tragic death of his grandfather.  The group’s first performance was perhaps the best of round one, taking a huge risk performing Rihanna’s ‘Only Girl In The World’ which had only been a couple of weeks old but it totally worked.  Then they followed it up with ‘Chasing Cars’ which again, was totally spot-on.

Continuing the trend of series firsts, another two were made in the Sunday results show. Firstly, the first ever four-way X Factor final and secondly, the first semi-final sing-off.  The latter came at the surprise to the public as this had been unannounced until then.  However ITV had later said, it was planned weeks ahead, they just clumsily didn’t re-write the script.

Firstly, as before, the three acts with the most votes went through. They were One Direction, keeping Simon in the competition, Rebecca, ensuring the already-known fact that Cheryl would make the final again and Matt, sealing a double whammy of delight for Dannii, as just 24 hours earlier, her former protégé, Stacey Solomon won this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity.

SHOWDOWN: Cher and Mary await their fate

That left Cher and Mary, the two acts most at risk of leaving in the sing-off.  Both of them literally gave the performance of their lives and it left the judges with a difficult decision.  Louis Walsh went first to vote and as expected, chose to keep his last act Mary.  Dannii opted to send Cher through, along with mentor Cheryl which left Simon having to decide who got the last place in the final.  After several minutes of mulling whether to send Cher to the final or revert the decision back to the public vote, he save Cher, no surprise as he had continually backed her throughout.

This left the public up in arms, as they obviously wanted Mary to go through and it meant the Louis was out of the competition before the final YET AGAIN, making it now just one appearance in the past five finals for him, a sobering statistic.  Personally, it doesn’t feel right to have a semi-final sing-off but that was the decision after all.  What they need to do next time is give the public a prior warning of this rather than just leave this to minutes before it was going to take place.

STANDING: The final four, who are you backing?

But nevertheless, it is a still a strong line-up for this weekend’s big finale.  Cher Lloyd, Matt Cardle, One Direction and Rebecca Ferguson, and by late Sunday night, one of them will have won The X-Factor 2010 and become the nation’s next big music sensation.

The final starts this Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 and ITV1 HD, with a two-part report to follow next week. Britain, Who Are You Backing?

The X-Factor 2010 - The pressure starts to show

BY JASON WRIGHT

If we have learnt something so far in this series, it is that all the domination is about controversy and shock.  The X-Factor continues to deliver quality TV and here is a look at the past fortnight’s events.

Week 7 (20-21 November)

SCREAMING: Matt would have got the girls attention!

Half of the field had now been decimated and eight were left standing.  For week seven, the acts showed the spirit of the sixties by performing songs from the legendary band that is The Beatles.  Two Boys were now left and they started off with Matt Cardle singing ‘Come Together’.  Of course, the song was made famous last year by Olly Murs ripping nearly half his shirt off during it.  Matt closely attempted the same feat by wearing nothing but a vest.  As for the performance, it was a mixed bag, sometimes good, other times a bit off-key.  Meanwhile, following the woes of Elton John week, Paije Richardson bounced back with a brilliant rendition of ‘Let It Be’ and Simon Cowell quickly took back his words of not having any chance of winning.

With four weeks to go, it’s remarkable and somewhat lucky that the Girls category still has three of the four remaining.  Cher Lloyd once again built up a debatable issue with her performance of ‘Imagine’. While it was certainly nice to give something that only showed her singing, a few people questioned the song choice because this was just a John Lennon track, but if Lennon was part of the Beatles then surely it is allowed.  Then Simon criticised Cheryl Cole for having Cher perform on top of a makeshift staircase and it got so heated that both had to be called to attention by Dermot O’Leary not once, not twice but three times! At times, you must wonder, give it a rest!

NEW: Katie changed her look, and it bought good fortune

As for the other two girls, Rebecca Ferguson was under pressure.  Being from Liverpool, she needed to give the iconic band pride but somehow her performance of ‘Yesterday’ just didn’t click.  Maybe it was little too much for her cope with.  Finally, Katie Waissel must be the luckiest girl on earth.  Despite four sing-off performances, she was still hanging around.  Now she had finally undergone a much needed change, new attitude and a new haircut, her rendition of ‘Help!’ was made her own. Could it be the start of a remarkable comeback?

As for Simon’s one remaining act, One Direction, the momentum of last week’s show-stopping was still fresh in their minds and certainly carried forward into this week’s performance of ‘All You Need Is Love’.  It wasn’t as good as the previous week but still, the value of the performance was priced at sensational.

PREDICTABLE: Wagner was out of tune, AGAIN!

Lastly, there was no sign of any change in pattern of performance for the Overs…of course!  Over the last few weeks, Mary Byrne had been underwhelming but this time around, she provided a great performance of ‘Something’ and that proved she shouldn’t be written off just yet.  If a medley of two wasn’t bad enough for Wagner, a medley of three was even worse!  ‘Get Back’, ‘Hippy Hippy Shake’ and ‘Hey Jude’ were not sung in tune at all but still another seemingly crowd-pleasing attempt.  There are some things in life money can’t buy…and for Wagner, there isn’t MasterCard!

TIME: Dermot passes the Cher vs Paije battle to the judges

For the first time since week three, the sing-off threw together two new faces to the experience, Paije and Cher and it was a sing-off of two halves.  The first half, performance-wise, seemed to put Paije in front as his was note-perfect whilst Cher, at times, looked to be crumbling under pressure, very nearly in floods of tears.  However, the intensity and emotion in Cher’s performance just couldn’t be overlooked, and that probably swayed it with the judges.  Simon put his obvious faith in Cher as he has been since the beginning and with both Cheryl and Dannii again protecting their acts from leaving; Louis was left in the dreaded position yet again.  His head told him to save Paije, his heart told him to save Cher, whilst the audience told him to take it to deadlock.  In the end, he went for his heart and kept Cher in.  This is perhaps seen as the best choice since she had been the more consistent throughout but the audience just didn’t agree, and she was booed and jeered off the stage.

This reaction certainly stunned the teen singer even further to core, if being in the bottom two wasn’t that bad.  Cheryl now had just five days to bring her “special one” back into contention.  Would it happen or is she a dead girl walking in this contest?

Week 8 (27-28 November)

Loud, metal and flames could only mean one thing, it was Rock night!  Now each act had to perform twice to make it through to the all important semi-final.

STANDING: Mary is Ireland and Louis remaining hope

The Overs began and the unusual position of Wagner being first when normally being towards the end.  For once, he gave a performance of credibility with Radiohead’s ‘Creep’, once being note-perfect before ‘Addicted to Love’ saw him return to normal.  If he took a pill to change his style, the effects wore off very quickly!  Meanwhile, Mary had somewhat of a night which many people hardly mentioned her performances of ‘All I Want Is You’ and ‘Brass in Pocket’.  Both were not captivating but still worthy of positive feedback from the judges.

BEAUTIFUL: One Direction continue to look the part

One Direction once again ended up right in the thick of it.  Simon gave them two rather strange choices, yet still both performances ended up being performed sensationally by the group.  ‘Summer of ‘69’ again showed the full vocal range but it was their second song, ‘You are so Beautiful’ that brought the debate.  The song’s original singer, Joe Cocker, was in fact not a ballad person as this song seems to suggest but in fact a rock singer, according to Simon.  Louis clearly thinks it was the former and hence after eight weeks…we rejoice in the return of ‘Louis Walsh’s Official X Factor Rule Book’. It won’t be long until he’ll get it out into the shops!

PRESSURE: Can Rebecca take the heat?

The Girls were once again up to their usual tricks.  After receiving a harsh reaction from surviving the sing-off last week, it left Cher feeling vulnerable and scared of going home next.  Her two performances of ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Walk This Way’ again seemed to show more singing and less rapping, definitely a marked improvement on previous but still has a long way to go before the public’s faith in her is truly restored…and not long left to do it in.  Rebecca went the same way as Mary in going for more of the ballad-rock instead of the up-tempo rock.  Still her versions of ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ and ‘I Can’t Get No Satisfaction’ were both top-class and looking certain of at least making the final.  If Cher doesn’t know how to cope with negativity, just talk to Katie, she can deal with it well.  She gave her best performance to date with Kings Of Leon’s ‘Sex On Fire’ really being made to set on fire and whilst ‘Everybody Hurts’ didn’t quite match the standard, this was once again a solid week for the constantly elimination-threatened girl.

When a judge has one act left, it can make them feel under pressure of having to deliver.  It must have been a distinct feeling of déjà vu for Dannii; last year when her last act standing Stacey Solomon was perhaps on the verge just a week after “you know what so I won’t mention it again for legal reasons”, she catapulted up to the next level and deserved to reach the final.  Now fast forward back to 2010 and with Stacey perhaps all set to win I’m A Celebrity this weekend, Dannii’s last act standing, Matt had to at least achieve the similar goal of getting to the finale.  The Essex decorator’s two songs, ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Nights In White Satin’ were once again effortless.  Like Simon with One Direction, Dannii should now have nothing to worry about in terms of elimination.

Seven acts still in and just two weeks to go until the final weekend meant there only one way to settle the exit dispute this week, a double elimination had to be held, which meant for the first time in X-Factor history, a sing-off was held on the contest’s eighth week.  Katie found herself in the bottom end of the vote for the fifth time but on this occasion, there was no way back, she came in last place and was out immediately.  Her luck having finally run dry, she was very gracious indeed, knowing it had to come to an end sometime.

FAREWELL: Wagner says goodbye to the X-Factor

For weeks now, an internet campaign has been in full swing getting everyone to back Wagner to win and it had a positive effect when the build-up to last week’s show had him installed a third favourite, odds slashed to 10-1 compared to the 150-1 given at the start of the contest last month.  However the support somewhat didn’t materialise this time and the manic Brazilian was forced to sing-off against Mary.  To ease tension, Louis, who mentored the pair voted first and put his faith in Mary and when Dannii and Cheryl agreed, the crowd went berserk, Wagner was gone.  Simon Cowell then declared a victory for the show; its credibility had been saved from total destruction.  He did though praise Wagner for his efforts, being the honourable gentleman he sometimes is.

So just five are now left in the running. Cher, Mary, Matt, One Direction and Rebecca will this Saturday and Sunday be fighting like they never fought before in aiming to secure a place in what has now become one of the television’s biggest highlights of the year…The X-Factor Final!

But who will make it and who will fall at the final hurdle? Semi-final weekend kicks off at 7:40pm this Saturday on ITV1 and ITV1 HD and a full report will follow next week.

The X-Factor 2010 - Three Weeks In And All To Play For

BY JASON WRIGHT

MOST TV contests are very close to call after a few weeks of action and this year’s X-Factor is no exception.  Three weeks in and there are five or six acts that are fully capable of winning.  This blog reports back on the previous fortnight’s action.

Week Two (16-17 October)

AFTER the eliminations of Nicolo and F.Y.D the previous week, 14 acts were left in the running for Week two.  The second week’s theme would be known as “Musical Heroes” in which the judges chose songs from whatever music idol that each act had picked.

First on the bill are the Over 28’s and Storm Lee went first with ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen.  It was a solid improvement, losing some of the insanity from the first week but still looking underwhelmed and strange looking.  Next was John Adeleye with Donny Hathaway’s ‘A Song for You.’  This performance also saw John make strong improvements on the first show and with hope of winning over more public support.  Brazilian Wagner followed up with Tom Jones’ ‘Help Yourself’.  Again looking so off-key and mad, Wagner is easily becoming this year’s novelty act, what was Louis Walsh thinking when choosing him as the category’s wildcard?  Finally, Mary Byrne gave another show-stopping performance with ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ by Dusty Springfield.  It’s clear that she has already proven the bookmakers wrong; they said she wouldn’t go far but she’s a contender.

Cheryl Cole’s newly-dyed red hair stole the headlines for the girls’ category, but on the performance side, it was a strong night.  First in the category was Treyc Cohen, singing ‘Purple Rain’ by Prince.  It wasn’t on the levels of the first week, but again very impressive. Cher Lloyd followed with the Jay-Z rap ‘It’s A Hard Life’ again showing off her specialist skills.  Rebecca Ferguson perhaps gave the performance of the night with Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ and Simon Cowell’s comment suggested her as being labelled the ‘one to beat’.  Lastly, having received a barrage of criticism from both public and press all week, Katie Waissel had to give the performance of her life.  Her take on the Etta James’ ballad ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ proved that, though at times she seemed to try extremely hard.

Next was the Boys and it began with Paije Richardson performing ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ by Alicia Keys.  Solid if unspectacular from the young wildcard act but he may want to pick it up if he wants to stay much longer.  Next up was Aiden Grimshaw, singing one his personal favourites ‘Jealous Guy’ by John Lennon.  It certainly seemed like the pressure got to him, his lyrical voice was so off-key; even he labelled it as “rubbish”.  That left Matt Cardle to close the show with the Bruno Mars song ‘Just the Way You Are’.  Once again, he showed off his brilliant vocal skills and proved he can give it everything at whatever he is given.

Last up was the Groups which kicked off with One Direction performing Kelly Clarkson’s ‘My Life Would Suck without You’.  After playing it safe on week one, they without question raised their game.  Diva Fever’s version of Boney M’s ‘Gotta Go Home’ which involved a canny pun at Louis raised eyebrows.  They may not be the best singers but can certainly entertain.  Finally, up came Belle Amie who made a massive leap forward with ‘You Really Got Me’ by The Kinks.  However, it will still take loads more to convince the public whether they really are group girl material

The results on Sunday first featured performances by 2008 graduate Diana Vickers.  After achieving a debut number one single earlier in the year, it was no surprise she would return to the show that kick-started her career.  Performing her new single, ‘My Wicked Heart’ proved just how far she has grown up since her time on the show.  The series five semi-finalist may have many critics from the public, mostly from her distinct voice; but she will be around for many years to come.  This was then followed by US pop sensation Katy Perry (who at the time of writing this blog is now newly married to Russell Brand) with her new song ‘Firework’, looking very stylish and on form as always.

For the second consecutive week, a double elimination was the order for this week.  First out was Storm Lee by virtue of receiving the lowest votes from the public.  Storm hadn’t won over many fans so this was perhaps a possible outcome, though one other reason could be that the first 15 minutes of the week’s show clashed with BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing and so many would have missed his full performance.

Worse was to come for Simon though as both Diva Fever and Belle Amie ended up in the bottom three and forced to sing for survival.  Both acts gave it their all to survive and return for the following week.  However, the nightmare scenario for Simon was spared as Louis, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl all voted to send home Diva Fever.  If he had to make the final decision then surely he would have sent it to deadlock.  Though it was disappointing to see Diva Fever go, looking back, Belle Amie do have better vocal talents and so that may have influenced the decision.

Week Three (23-24 October)

12 acts now left in the running and the theme for last Saturday went completely against what has been seen in the past.  Traditionally the third week is reserved for Big Band but instead this year we got a strange theme of ‘Guilty Pleasures’.  This basically saw the acts perform a song that they secretly love.

The boys were the first category to go and it started with Paije.  He had a very tough week with the tragic death of his grandmother, but his performance of ‘Ain’t Nobody’ showed that a devastating event like that didn’t affect his confidence.  Matt was next with a real surprise, an acoustic version of Britney Spears ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ and it certainly won mass praise from the judges.  Finally, after a bad performance last week, Aiden returned to form with ‘Diamonds Are Forever.’  There still seemed to be something missing in his act but otherwise he could still go some distance.

Up next were the over 28’s and John was first with ‘Zoom’.  His performance though was overshadowed by a strange backing dance act that according to Simon and Dannii, seemed to demonstrate, let’s just say “getting it on”.  After struggling with her initial choice of song, Mary performed her audition song ‘I (Who Have Nothing)’.  It sounded very good again but drew criticism that she should try something else to enhance her chances of winning. Wagner then followed with what could only be described as one of the maddest performances in the show’s history.  A mash up of the Spice Girls ‘Spice up Your Life’ and Ricky Martin’s ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ was so like drunken karaoke.  He shouldn’t be on the show; he is more like a Eurovision entry for Lithuania!

Now onto the girls and the top of the category’s pack, Rebecca started off with ‘Why Don’t You Do Right?’  Preferably, her performance last week was better, but still once again, the Liverpool lass really showed off her talent.  In the week’s build up, Cheryl had promised fans of Cher that she would sing a ballad this week but this proved to be a white fib.  Instead, Cher came out onto stage with another rap-style song, ‘Shout’ by Tears for Fears.  This is now getting ridiculous, if Cheryl intends on making Cher a superstar, she has to give her something different to sing otherwise she’ll be voted out sooner rather than later.  The girl is trying hard but at the moment in the words of Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner, “she is so BORING!”  Next in the category was Treyc with ‘Whole Lotta Love.’  Hardcore music fans would immediately recognise it as the theme to Top of the Pops in the 1990s and Treyc once again owned the stage, she could well and truly be the surprise package.  Katie had the duty of closing the show on Saturday with ‘I Wanna Be like You’ from the classic film The Jungle Book.  After two mediocre performances, she finally arrived in the contest, showing off her full vocal ranges.

Just two groups now remained in the show and the first of them was One Direction with ‘Nobody Knows.’  Following up from last week’s marked improvement, they may well give Take That and JLS a run for their money in terms of the future fan support.  The second act was Belle Amie singing ‘I’ll Stand By You.’  Another good performance from the foursome, but Louis felt that Simon was hindering their chances by giving the girls the wrong material.  Louis’s comments were unnecessary and frustrating to listen to.  Belle Amie chose their own material for this theme and is pleasing to see that Simon is giving them a chance to form a close bond together.

The Sunday night results show first featured a performance from Michael Buble with ‘Hollywood.’  Considering that he admitted afterwards he had been suffering from a sore throat, its effects weren’t being displayed then.  Then came what is becoming a traditional moment in the show, Cheryl Cole swapping the judges desk for the stage to perform her new single ‘Promise This.’  All eyes seemed to be transfixed on her rather raunchy outfit she was wearing but otherwise she once again delivered a brilliant vocal, even if accusations in the media have indicated that Cheryl mimed the song.

After two weeks of double eliminations, just one act left this week and things returned to normal with just the sing-off to decide who went.  John and to the shock of many, Treyc went head to head to survive and once again, a majority decision was reached by the judges’ which saw John get knocked out.  He tried his best, but he just didn’t make the connection between himself and the public and that was his ultimate downfall.

This is perhaps a very close competition to call then again and we are just three shows into the live shows.  Seven weeks of fierce competition remain so the real story that emerges is certainly still yet to be uncovered.  The next blog on this year’s contest will come at the end of week six but in the meantime, in a fortnight’s time, I’ll be looking back at what was no doubt the most shocking and outrageous moment in X-Factor history, when Jedward survived the axe and eliminated an act that had so much potential.  Adios for now!

Outright Winner of The X Factor (as of October 25th)

7-4 favourite Matt Cardle, 3-1 One Direction, 11-2 Rebecca Ferguson, 13-1 Cher Lloyd, 16-1 Aiden Grimshaw and Mary Byrne, 33-1 Katie Waissel, 50-1 Treyc Cohen, 80-1 Paije Richardson, 125-1 Belle Amie, 150-1 outsider Wagner

The X-Factor continues this Saturday at 8pm.

The X-Factor 2010 - Looking Ahead To The Live Shows

BY JASON WRIGHT

Thousands and thousands of people applied and now just the best of the best remain.  This Saturday sees the start of 2010 X Factor Live Finals.  Ten weeks of hard-fought gruelling competition with a multi-million pound recording contract and celebrity status awaiting the eventual winner.

Last Sunday saw judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and the welcome returns of Dannii Minogue from maternity leave and Cheryl Cole, fully recovered from her life-threatening battle with malaria disease, choose twelve acts from the 32 remaining to advance through to the live finals.  However, this year’s series will have a twist, something which won’t be revealed officially until the Saturday night itself.  The mass rumour going around is each category will receive an extra act, known as a ‘wildcard’ and the first few weeks will see a spate of double (or maybe even triple) eliminations to ensure that the Grand Final Weekend, set to be on the 11^th and 12^th December, has at least three acts as usual.

Here is a brief look at the twelve acts that have definitely booked their places in the live shows.  Bookmakers’ odds are supplied by William Hill (as of October 3).

The Boys – mentored by Dannii Minogue

Aiden Grimshaw

Unemployed from Manchester aged 18

Aiden’s first experience of performing was in a school production of Grease.  After this, he began going to theatre school and started performing at weddings and function room parties at just 15.  After delivering sensational performances throughout, he was an easy pick for the live shows.  He will certainly get the girls vote, but whether he can continue impressing with his voice will be interesting to see.

Bookies odds: 8-1

Nicolo Festa

Student from London, originally from Italy, aged 22

Nicolo is a big fan of the show, although his native Italy doesn’t do a show like this.  So, he gave up his life abroad to come to Britain and contest.  His musical influences range from rock bands to divas. Despite a poor performance at the judges’ houses stage, Dannii felt that she saw something in him that perhaps others wouldn’t.  Will he be able to prove his doubters wrong?

Bookies odds: 16-1

Matt Cardle

Interior decorator from Essex, aged 27

Matt started singing when he was a child and formed a school band with his mates at the age of 16.  He is a guitar professional, beginning to play at age eleven and has written over 100 songs just for that purpose.  Away from his music, his other interest is DIY, being an expert interior decorator and painter.  He ultimately dreams of swapping the paintbrush for microphone full-time and his ambition is to be the headline act at Glastonbury in the future.

Bookies odds: 11-4 favourite

The Girls – mentored by Cheryl Cole

Rebecca Ferguson

Single mother from Liverpool, aged 24

Rebecca is an unemployed mother from Liverpool.  In her child life, she attended stage and dance schools and performed in holiday camps.  She applied to participate in the show for the first two series but fell pregnant before both and had to pull out.  After five years of raising two children, she has finally decided that she is ready for a challenge like this.

Bookies odds: 4-1

Katie Waissel

Receptionist from Harefield, North London, aged 24

Katie has been writing since the age of 14 and began playing at gigs across the country three years later.  She likes jazz and swing music, so expect her to excel on Big Band week should she still be in the competition then and also has a soft spot for rock music as well.  Her musical idols include Madonna and Queen.  She is already under severe pressure having forgotten the lyrics TWICE in the early stages, any mistakes like that on live TV and it could be all over for her before it’s hardly begun. Will it work out?

Bookies odds: 20-1

Cher Lloyd

Student from Malvern, Worcestershire, aged 17

At present, the youngest act left in the competition. Cher started singing through karaoke and since then has always dreamed of being a singing superstar.  She is a huge fan of Cheryl Cole and this helps in being her mentor.  Her superb audition immediately installed her as a favourite but at judges’ houses; a throat infection put her position in serious doubt.  Cheryl decided to put her through nonetheless but with this is in mind and newspaper rumours circulating that she could struggle to cope with the pressure of the live shows, she has a huge lot of work to do to prove that she is talented enough to win.

Bookies odds: 6-1

The Over 28s – mentored by Louis Walsh

John Adeleye

Retirement home worker from London aged 30

John has always enjoyed singing and describes himself as a ‘self-taught singer’.  He has been an experienced gospel choir singer for eight years, but quit to focus on being a private tutor for young and upcoming performers.  At his job in a retirement home, he provides music and drama activities and often sings to the residents.  His gospel experience unsurprisingly means he has a passion for soul music.

Bookies odds: 14-1

Storm Lee

Music producer from Edinburgh aged 37

Born as Lee Gardner, he left his Scottish hometown as a teen to relocate to the US.  There he changed his name to Storm Lee and became a private music producer and has recorded backing for popular acts such as Meatloaf and Ozzy Osbourne.  He returned home this year with the aim of becoming a music star on stage himself.  Simon Cowell took an instant disliking to him, so you can tell this is another act of spite from mentor Louis, putting an act through that he knows his arch nemesis will hate.

Bookies odds: 16-1

Mary Byrne

Supermarket worker from Dublin aged 50

Mary has been working behind the tills at Tesco for several years now but always dreamt of becoming a famous singer.  Away from her job, she performs in a cabaret act with her brother every month.  She is a huge fan of the show but didn’t have the nerve to apply early on.  However, she has finally learnt that at her age, this could be her last shot of fame and she has so far taken it by storm.  Regardless of her quality, it was straight away a dead cert that she was going to end up here when Louis was revealed as her mentor.  The bookies believe she is an outsider at the moment but she hopes to prove them very wrong.

Bookies odds: 20-1

The Groups – mentored by Simon Cowell

F.Y.D.

JORDAN GABRIEL, Customer service worker from London, aged 22

ALEX MURDOCH, Dance teacher from Sussex, aged 22

MATT NEWTON, Barman from London, aged 26

RYAN-LEE SEAGER, Student from London, aged 22

KALVIN LAMEY, Dance teacher from London, aged 25

F.Y.D. (short for For Your Direction) first met at dance class but never sung together until The X-Factor.  After a shaky start, in which mentor Simon gave them a no at their first audition, they have vowed to improve and it has worked. Now can they continue moving forwards in the live finals?  It’s a very big ask.

Bookies odds: 25-1 outsiders

Belle Amie

ESTHER CAMPBELL, Student from London, aged 17

SOPHIA WARDMAN, Student from Manchester, aged 23

GENEVA LANE, Student from Guildford, aged 20

REBECCA CREIGHTON, Unemployed from Dublin, aged 21

These four girls were a short handful of girls that were rejected as solo artists.  However with the considerable lack of talent in the Groups category yet again; they received a lifeline through forming a group.  They made a solid debut at judges’ houses and Simon made the wise decision to give them a proper chance.  The show though is noticeable for the ‘Curse of the Girl Groups’, previous early favourites Hope (2007) and Miss Frank last year, flopped miserably, the former extremely lucky to reach the final five and in 2008, both the series girl groups, Bad Lashes and Girlband, were the first two acts to leave.  It will have to take something special from this foursome to reverse the jinx.

Bookies odds: 16-1

1 Direction

NIALL HORAN, Student from Cardiff, aged 17

HARRY STYLES, Student from Cheshire, aged 16

ZAIN MALIK, Student from Bradford, aged 17

LIAM PAYNE, Student from Wolverhampton, aged 17

LOUIS TOMLINSON, Student from Doncaster, aged 18

Given their ages, this is a true boyband.  Like Belle Amie, all five boys entered as soloists and were merged into a group at Bootcamp.  One of the groups’ members, Liam, is an X-Factor veteran, having competed in 2008, being eliminated at the judges’ houses then.  His elimination as a solo singer stunned many but relieved that he has been thrown a lifeline.  If given the right material, expect to see them competing with Aiden for the teen girls support.

Bookies odds: 9-2

Wildcards?

The remaining twenty acts that were booted out of the competition will of course be hoping that this wildcard plan materialises.  The rumoured situations are that either just one act is chosen out of the twenty to become the 13th finalist or each category gets another act.  It is understood this is being introduced to ‘shake up the competition’.  All will be formally revealed come Saturday night.

In the meantime, the final twelve for now once again has a fair mix of fan favourites and no-hopers, all with the same ambition nonetheless, to change their lives forever.  This will be when we see who the judges, aside their own acts, label as their favourites.  And everyone will also keeping a watching eye over them for the following, will Simon Cowell decide to wear a tie on a regular basis? How far will Cheryl and Dannii take with their fashion sense? And will Louis Walsh be writing up a new version of his seemingly now accustomed ‘Rule Book!’

I will be keeping up to date on the series, writing blogs for this week’s show as well as on weeks three, six, the semi-final and of course, the final.

The battle to win The X Factor 2010 begins Saturday at 7:40pm on ITV1 and ITV1 HD.  Good luck to everyone contesting.