Relive the X Factor Final ... Part Four

So this is it .... from thousands, we get down to the final two contestants. Matt Cardle (a painter from Colchester) and Rebecca Ferguson (a mum of two from Liverpool). Each finalist was given the opportunity to perform what would be their winners single before vote lones were closed for good and the winner announced.



Matt sings When We Collide

 
Rebecca sings Distant Dreamer

 And then we crowned our winner!



Watch out for Dannii getting a smack in the face from Matt around the 6:15 mark....

Relive the X Factor Final ... Part Three

To open Sunday nights show, we had a special performance from our remaining finalists and Take That with Never Forget (which was up to 65 in the iTunes chart last night).



Then we got down to business as the Matt, Rebecca and One Direction sang to earn themselves a place in the final two.



First up was Matt and his version of Katy Perry's Firework. You can really hear the strain in Matt's voice but he's giving it his all.


One Direction followed with Natalie Imbruglia's Torn. This was the same track that they had sung at judges houses to earn their place on the live shows.


And last up was Rebecca with Annie Lennox's Sweet Dreams. As much as I thought she was boring, this was a legendary song choice by Ms Cole.

Then, with the votes frozen, we learned who had finished third in the competition....


Come back later for the possible winners singles and the annoucement that we've all been waiting for...

Relive the X Factor Final ... Part Two

The next part of the final was the compulsory celebrity duets. Every year, they wheel out three celebrities and you can almost guess who's going to win from the calibre of who they're singing with. Well this year was completely different - not only did we have four celebrity guests, but they were all major celebrity guests.



First up were Matt and Rhianna with their take on Unfaithful


Next was the turn of Rebecca and her special guest Christina Aguilera. They took on Christina's track Beautiful


One Direction's chances of winning were given a major boost with their guest Robbie Williams. The six piece took on She's The One


And the final guest spot went to Cher and Will I Am


And all of that wrapped up nicely for our first elimination .... but who went home?


Make sure you come back tomorrow morning for the next part of our round up!

Relive the X Factor Final ... Part One

I thought it only fair to post some videos of the X Factor final (as a lot of people who use this site are outside Ireland and the UK). This first post is for the finalists first songs on Saturday night which had no specific theme but were referred to by the judges as a "vote for me" song.



First up is Matt Cardle who opened the final with a performance of Dido's track Here With Me.


Next was Rebecca Ferguson with her rendition of Corinne Bailey Rae's Like A Star



One Direction followed Rebecca with their cover of Elton John's track Your Song


And rounding out the first part of the show was Cher Lloyd and The Clapping Song/Get Your Freak On mash up.


Make sure you come back later for all of the celebrity duets!

X Factor - The Final Results LIVE BLOG

Tonight we crown the winner of the seventh season of The X Factor, but who will it be?



The show opens with our three finalists singing the Take That track Never Forget. One Descended Testicle sound grey, Matt still sounds a bit strained but this doesn't suit Rebecca at all. And here come the boys themselves (my god they were just on Strictly - they're busy tonight!) and they sound fantastic!

And now our compulsory clip package of all of last nights performances..... *yawn*

Our first finalist to take to the stage is Matt Cardle and he's singing Katy Perry's Firework. He's an excellent singer but he's still not recovered from the flu an I hope that doesn't go against him tonight. It's a brilliant performance but who the he'll dressed him? A black shirt and yellow trousers?! Judges all love him and I hope he goes on to win.

The second act to take to the stage are One Direction and their song for survival is Natalie Imbruglia's Torn. The harmonies are all there, but there have been some notable "out of tune" moments from Liam and Zain. Again I question why Zain is given any solo pieces to sing if he's such a weak singer. The judges are fawning over them as usual, but I do have to agree that they have a great future ahead of them.

Our third and final act singing for survival will be Rebecca *yawn* Ferguson and performing Annie Lennox's Sweet Dreams. I've made no secret that I think everything sounds the same where Rebecca is concerned. That said, it was a powerful performance an showed off her vocals perfectly. Judges comments are brilliant but I think Louis might do himself a mischief if he doesn't calm down.

And now a special round up of the audition stages of the competition and all of our favorite losers are live on stage!

VOTE LINES ARE NOW FROZEN!

We will now say goodbye to the third place finalist and find out who will be singing one more time!

The first person safe is MATT CARDLE!

The second act safe is REBECCA FERGUSON

And that means that One Direction have fallen at the final hurdle. They'll still do well from this - I'm sure that Simon already has their album planned!

VOTE LINES HAVE RE-OPENED

Our remaining finalists will bow perform their winners single, but who will secure the win?

Matt is the first performer up and even with his sore throat he sounds fantastic. I like the fact that this year, each finalist gets a different song to sing rather than one sing to suit all of them. He's really put everything into that song, even dropping to the floor at the end. Judges say it's his best performance and Dannii has tears in her eyes. COME ON MATT!

Now Rebecca and her possible winners single. It's a slow track which, even with the mighty X Factor juggernaut behind it, could have real problems in the chart. That aside, it's a flawless vocal from the Liverpudlian starlet and she wins hands down in the style stakes. Judges are saying that this final is too close to call.

Now, let's break the tension with a quick performance from Take That.

VOTE LINES HAVE NOW CLOSED

The results are in! Ooooooh my nerves are gone! We can now reveal that the winner of The X Factor 2010 is MATT CARDLE! I am delighted and will be pre-ordering his single RIGHT NOW!

Well that's it for another year of The X Factor. Make sure you come back next August so we can start it all over again!

- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor - The Final LIVE BLOG

And now for what will undoubtedly be the most watched show on tv tonight (lowest common denominator anyone?) - it's the X Factor FINAL.



One act will leave the competition tonight!

And to open - a lesson in miming from the final 16 who are "performing" What A Feeling. One word - DIABOLICAL.

Sidenote: Expect plenty of ad breaks tonight - ITV are charging £200k for a 30 second ad.

First up its Matt. Plenty of VT of his visit home and plenty of tears from Matt and his family. His song choice is spot on and suits the toned down performance. One worrying factor is that Matt's voice seems strained... Judges love him and acknowledge that he's still not well but say that it's a strong performance.
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 101
IRL CALL: 1513 711 301

Next up is Rebecca Ferguson. If I'm honest, it's all a bit Rhydian for me in that everything she sings sounds the same. The staging on this is also curious to say the least... Nothing spectacular. Comments are over the top for that and Cheryl is laying it on thick. Bleurgh.
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 102
IRL CALL: 1513 711 302

Sidenote: Whoa, some of those Liverpool girls look ROUGH.

Next are the last remaining group One Descended Testicle. These VT's of their trips home are painful to watch. It's a good vocal and their harmonies have improved over the weeks. One thing I don't understand is why they give Zain solo parts because he has the weakest voice of them all. Funnily enough all of the judges love them (because they're mentored by the man that pays your wages by any chance?).
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 103
IRL CALL: 1513 711 303

Sidenote: Wasn't the final supposed to be coming live from Wembley Arena?

The last finalist to sing is Cher Lloyd. I will admit that I did think her VT would show her being dropped off at a caravan park... I wonder of they're using elaborate staging to cover the frankly shoddy vocal? I dislike the fact that, just because it's the final, the judges seem unable to give negative comments...
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 104
IRL CALL: 1513 711 304


Now it's on to our celebrity duets! First up its the lovely Matt Cardle and he's singing with Rhianna! It's showing on Matt's face now that his voice problems are starting to get him. It's a sensational duet and they really looked comfortable singing together.
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 101
IRL CALL: 1513 711 301

Our next duet is Rebecca Ferguson and she's going to be singing with Christina Aguilera. It's a good song choice - they'll be doing Beautiful. This may be the first celebrity duet in X Factor history where the contestant outshines the guest....
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 102
IRL CALL: 1513 711 302

Sidenote: Whoa, Christina Aguilera got *ahem* big.

Our third duet comes from One Descended Testicle and their special guest Robbie Williams. It's been a busy night for Robbie - he was live on strictly just before the X Factor started. It pains me to say this, but that duet gave me goosebumps. One Direction have just earned their place in the final.
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 103
IRL CALL: 1513 711 303

Sidenote: Do any of the contestants actually know what inspiration means?

Our final duet comes from Cher Lloyd and Mr Smooth - Will I Am. Cher is the only finalist that gets to perform two songs - Where Is The Love followed by I Gotta Feelin. Her vocal was very weak and, dare I say it, out of tune in places. With any luck, we will be saying goodbye to Cher in a couple of minutes....
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 104
IRL CALL: 1513 711 304

VOTES ARE NOW FROZEN!

While ITV squeeze as much money from votes as possible, we're treated to performances by Rhianna and Christina Aguilera. I actually can't focus on them - I just want to know who's going home....

Okay, the votes have been counted and verified and we can now reveal that the act finishing in fourth place is CHER LLOYD.

So the three acts moving on to the X Factor Finale tomorrow evening are REBECCA FERGUSON, ONE DIRECTION and MATT CARDLE! Voting will remain open from now and will close in tomorrow nights results show. You can use the numbers below to support your favourite!

Matt Cardle
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 101
IRL CALL: 1513 711 301

Rebecca Ferguson
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 102
IRL CALL: 1513 711 302

One Direction
UK CALL: 0901 61 61 103
IRL CALL: 1513 711 303

It all kicks off from 7:30pm tomorrow evening!

- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor - Semi Final Results LIVE BLOG

It's a busy night at the X Factor with performances from Alexandra Burke, the cast of Glee and The Black Eyes Peas!

It's time to face the music!

Let's get started with Alexandra Burke with her new single The Silence. Slightly odd staging (upside-down orchestra?) but SENSATIONAL vocal!

And now the compulsory round up of last nights show (that should pad out 8 minutes or so).

And now ladies and gentlemen, THE CAST OF GLEE! Starts with a video from Sue Sylvester and Mr. Schuester! I'm disappointed that it wasn't a medley but it gave me goosebumps! They were amazing - I can't wait to see them next July!

Next up it's the Black Eyed Peas (how did they get top billing over Glee?) an they're performing that Dirty Bit song. A couple of points:

- Shouting is not singing
- Fergie CANNOT sing
- This is not the song for this show
- I like this song, but after hearing it performed live I will NOT be downloading it

Sidenote: Jack Black is in the audience!!

The results are in!
One Direction are in the final
Rebecca Ferguson is in the final
Matt Cardle is in the final

And that leaves Cher and Mary in the sing off! Mary will be singing This Is A Mans World and Cher will be singing Everytime (by Britney).

First up it's Mary and she's really put everything into it, even with her strained voice. She really deserves to stay in the competition this week.

And now it's Cher and she's crying before shes even started to sing. The vocal is shouty and broken but it's not even near the level of Mary.

And now the judges will vote:
Louis is sending Cher home
Dannii is sending Mary home
Cheryl is sending Mary home
Simon is sending Mary home

And that leaves us with our four finalists - Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction, Matt Cardle and Cher Lloyd.

The only justice on that vote is that Mary will get a record deal out of this. Goodbye Mary - you will be missed xx

- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

Your weekend results!

Not long to go for this weeks results shows. Strictly kicks off at 7:30pm when we see who will make it to the semi-finals next weekend.

Then it's off to the X Factor where, not only do we have performances from Alexandra Burke and the cast of GLEE, we will also be finding out our finalists!

Stay tuned!


- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor - Week 7 Results LIVE BLOG

Now it's on to the X Factor an their Beatles week results show. I know who I want out tonight, but only time will how the British and Irish public have voted this week.

But before we get to that, we have our special guest performances. Olly Murs and the X Factor finalists will be entertaining us.

First up it's Olly with his crank spanking new single! I'm not fan of this one, but I'm sure that his fanbase will get it to number 1.

Sidenote: Nice guns Mr. Murs!

Now it's on to this years X Factor charity single - Heroes. I appreciate that this is for charity, but miming? Really Mr. Cowell? That's the worst charity single they've ever recorded.

Sidenote: The Irish Government has chosen NOW to announce the financial bailout. Have they never heard of the X Factor!

The results are in! Who's safe and who's going home?

Katie Waissel is safe
One Direction are safe
Rebecca Ferguson is safe
Matt Cardle is safe
Mary Byrne is safe
Wagner is safe

That leaves Paije and Cher in the final showdown.

Sidenote: Cher to go!

So here we go. First up is Paije and he's going to be singing Stop. It's an amazing performance - he's really singing for his life on this one :(

And now X Factor's very own Roma Gypsy - Cher Lloyd who will be singing Stay. It's a very nervous performance with very shaky vocals.

Judging by that performance alone, Cher has to go.

And now the judges votes!

Simon is sending Paije home
Cheryl is sending Paije home
Dannii is sending Cher home
Louis is sending Paije home

And once again it's a pile of wank designed to save Simon and Cheryls acts.

- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor - Week 7 LIVE BLOG

Now it's over to ITV1 and the cast of the biggest soap opera in the UK. Tonight our remaining contestants will be murdering ... I mean performing songs by The Beatles.

The first person to take to the stage is Matt Cardle an he's singing Come Together. Loving the sexy vest look! Its a fantastic vocal and the overall performance is brilliant. Judges comments are mixed but they're all playing games at this point so you can't believe a word out o their mouths!

Next up is Cher Lloyd - our very own Vicky Pollard - and tonight she's going to be singing Imagine. Vocally it's okay but I think it's the wrong song choice for her because it shows that she has a weak voice. I'm going to gloss over the fact that this isn't a Beatles song. Judges are mixed but Cheryl is of course sticking up for her.

Sidenote: Dermot, never shout at your boss on live tv.

Act three are Simon's last act - One Direction and they're singing All You Need Is Love. I'm not a fan of this arrangement and it's the first week that I've heard Liam's voice this shaky. Funny how Simon's acts always sing to a much louder backing track than anyone else.... Judges are mainly liking them but some deserved criticism from Dannii.

Our fourth act is Rebecca Ferguson who will be singing Yesterday. It sounds like a very nervous performance from the girl who has done no wrong so far. Dannii and Simon pulled her up on the nerves but apart from that its positive.

And now it's on to Mary Byrne! I don't know what song she's singing but she just gave me goosebumps. An absolutely AMAZING performance!! I think it her best performance of the series and the judges love her!

Our next act is Paije Richardson and he's singing Let It Be. Stunning performance - Paije has his mojo back and the crowd are on their feet! Judges love him - Simon says it's a million times better than last week.

And now the MADNESS that is WAGNER who'll be performing one of his trademark mash ups. Louis needs to go over how a microphone works because twice there he was singing and it was nowhere near his mouth. I'm going to do a Cheryl on this and just say that it was "entertaining". Catty Cheryl just came out in those comments!

And now our final act of the evening - Katie Waissel - who will hopefully leave the show this weekend. I like the song choice and the look but I can't help that she's here at the expense of some much better singers (Treyc and Aiden). She's kinda murdered the song by making it her own and I feel that she could be in danger AGAIN this week. High praise from Cowell - I don't understand why they're so he'll bent on keeping her in the show week after week.


So that's it - who's in danger this week? Stay tuned tomorrow night for all the elimination action as it happens!


- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor - Week 6 Results LIVE BLOG

We have 9 acts remaining for the moment, but in the next 75 minutes we'll be saying goodbye to another act (and hopefully this week, ALL of the judges will cast their vote after the singoff).

I've missed the group performance due to ITV1's ridiculous scheduling, but that's nothing major.

Our first "celebrity" act is X Factor alumni JLS. I don't like this track and it really highlights that over the years, Marvin still hasn't got any better at singing.

And now the usual 10 minute recap or "padding" as it's known in the trade.

On to our second special guests Westlife (yawn) singing their new single Safe. As much as I dislike them, there are some very powerful voices in there (Mark and Shane) and some very good backing singers/dancers (Kian and Nicky).

And our final act this evening is the man-band of the moment - TAKE THAT. It's good to see that Robbie is less "wired" than the last time he was on the X Factor. Its a sensational performance from the lads (I have goosebumps) - it's easy to see how they could shift a million concert tickets in an hour.

And now it's the results.....
Cher Lloyd is safe
Matt Cardle is safe
Rebecca Ferguson is safe
One Direction are safe
Wagner is safe
Mary Byrne is safe
Paije Richardson is safe

And that puts Katie Waissel and Aiden Grimshaw in the bottom two. Aiden will be singing Don't Dream It's Over and Katie will be singing Save Me From Myself.

First up is Aiden with a nervous performance but he's good in his quirky way.

And now Katie (who has to go this week). It's an okay vocal and she hasn't said "sod it" at all which is a bonus.

Now the judges will vote...
Simon is sending Aiden home
Cheryl is sending Aiden home
Dannii is sending Katie home
Louis is sending Katie home

So it's on to DEADLOCK. The act with the fewest public votes, and who will be leaving, is Aiden.

This show is more soap opera than anything else - Simon should have sent Katie home! We'll have to discuss this more later because I'm FUMING with that result!

- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor - Week 6: The Best Performances

Over on the X Factor, it was all about Elton John (didn;t he slate the show a couple of weeks back?) and here were my top performaces from the show. First up it's Mary Byrne - I know her comments weren't that great but she's flying the flag for Ireland and I just love her voice.



Next up is Matt Cardle who seems to be getting stronger each week.



And the last of the good performances is Rebecca Ferguson. I stand by prediction that Matt and Rebecca will be the last two standing.



And how could I not post Wagners performance!

X Factor - Week 6 LIVE BLOG

It's time for the X Factor Elton John night! 9 contestants remaining for this one, but we have reports that there may be a double elimination tomorrow!

First up its the boys and Paije Richardson! A fantastic opening to the show. Louis is straight I there saying it's the wrong song choice but Cheryl lived it. Simon is saying that Dannii is putting more work into her other acts which is unfair. Poor boy is upset by the comments :(

Sidenote: Loving how Dannii mocked Louis after his comments. Go Team Minogue!

The second lamb to primetime slaughter is the lovely Aiden Grimshaw (I love when he smiles!). Vocal is shaky (but that's his style) and he was out of tune at the beginning. Louis likes it (shock!), Cheryl tells him he's consistently good and Simon thinks Louis is having his period! Love it!

Act number three is Mary Byrne who had a shaky week last week. She stamped her identity all over Can You Feel The Love Tonight and it gave me goosebumps! Judges are very positive but Dannii commented on some tuning issues.

Our fourth contestant is Katie Waissel (who shouldn't be here). That performance was all bells and whistles to cover up her voice. Louis slated her, Dannii was mixed and Simon praised her. Could be in danger again this week....

And now on to the star of last weeks show - Matt Cardle. A bit of a nervous start but he's given me goosebumps with his performance. Louis loves it, Cheryl called it beautiful and Simon loved it. In my opinion, this show is a 2 horse race with Matt and Rebecca now!

Sidenote: In Matt's VT, Cheryl said that any artist is only as good as their last performance. In that case Miss Cole, pick up your P45 at the door on the way out.

Act number 6 is Cher Lloyd who is ditching the backing dancers this week. How did she manage to get a rap into Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word?? Judges love it but some comments about the rap....

Sidenote: My spellcheck keeps changing Louis to Lupus - I feel a name change coming on....

Our seventh mental home patient is WAGNER (for the love of god Louis, its pronounced Vagner!). One word from me - MENTAL. Dannii thinks it's camp, Cheryl likes it and Simon is confused.... Something tells me he'll be safe again this week.

Our penultimate act is One Direction - the final group in the competition. Whoa, the boys really need to work on their harmonies but it was a good performance. I don't agree with Simon's comment that they'll win though.

And our final act is Rebecca Ferguson who has blossomed since we first saw her at the audition stages. A breathtaking performance of Candle In The Wind. Judges all love it.

So that's it for another performance show - who do you think is safe and who's in danger this week?


- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

Your midweek updates

It's been a pretty quiet week so far at the Strictly compound - no injuries or any other training mishaps to report so just a few fluffy stores for you to check out:

This weeks evictee Tina has given an interview to the lovely people over at digitalspy - Click here
Felicity Kendall was embarrassed to be in the bottom two on Sunday - Click here
After last week, Scott Maslen's odds have been cut making him the new fave - Click here

Meanwhile over at X Factor Towers, there has seriously been about two million new stories since the results show on Sunday - honestly it's all drama over there. Here are some of the better updates:

Louis Walsh thinks that Dannii is beating Cheryl in the fashion stakes - Click here
X Factor stylist says that Cher needs to be treated with kid gloves - Click here
X Factor to have a boyband week (funny seeing that Simon's only remaining act is a boyband...) - Click here 
Cher's odds slashed after this weekends performance (now 3rd favourite) - Click here
It's all about Wagner this week with Sinitta and Brian Friedman having rants
Reports suggest that Katie may be asked to leave the show after a series of meltdowns... - Click here

And don't forget that I'm not around this weekend for the performance shows, but I will be back for a running commentary on the both results shows (especially Miss Minogue's performance on the X Factor!)

X Factor - Week 4 Results LIVE BLOG

So once again, it's straight over to ITV1HD and the X Factor results show. Why do they feel the need to pad this shite out to a full hour?

A special performance with Bon Jovi and the X Factor finalists kicking the show off. I don't like this idea at all - if your having a celebrity guest on, let him sing and don't inflict the finalists on him!

Sidenote: Jon Bon Jovi, like a fine wine, gets better with age!

Next special guest is Jamiroquai with his first performance in a long time! I'm not sure if I like this song and things seem frosty between him and the judges...

The final special guest is Rihanna. I ADORE the staging on this and she sounds fantastic live. This is the best of tonight's guests!

Okay here's the results! The 9 acts that are safe tonight are (in no particular order of course):
Paije Richardson
Cher Lloyd
Aiden Grimshaw
Wagner
One Direction
Matt Cardle
Rebecca Ferguson
Mary Byrne
Treyc Cohen

That leaves Belle Amie and Katie Waissel in the final showdown.

Katie will be singing Trust In Me by Etta James and Belle Amie will be singing Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson.

First up it's Belle Amie an they are quite good. Not quite sure why the keep starting off with the girl with the questionable bob haircut - she's shit.

And now it's on to Katie Waissel. Shes gone all Diana Vickers on this performance in her bare feet. I'm not liking the performance though.

My vote is to send home Katie - now let's see how it pans out with the judges...

Simon sending Katie home
Cheryl sending Belle Amie home
Dannii sending Belle Amie home
Louis sending Katie home

That sends it to DEADLOCK! and the act with the fewest votes is Belle Amie. So Simon is now down to one act ... could he be the first judge out?

- Posted on the road using BlogPress from my iPhone

X Factor Newsie Bits

Some midweek newsie bits for you X Factor fans

Reports have claimed that next week's X Factor live show will have a Guilty Pleasures theme.
>>> Click here for details

Guest judge Katy Perry has revealed that she is backing Rebecca Ferguson to win this year's X Factor.
>>> Click here for details

ITV has agreed new three-year deals for The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.
>>> Click here for details

Wagner moves out of 'X Factor' house?
>>> Click here for details

Latest Paddy Power betting
>>> Click here for details