R.I.P Whitney Houston

Not exactly an ideal start to 2012. A very sad day for the world of showbiz indeed! An extraordinary talent and vocal powerhouse. Whitney Houston was the greatest vocalist of all time who had the unique and astounding ability to transform a song into something very beautiful with her extraordinarily powerful vocal chords and talent. Her music will live on forever and her star will continue to shine. No doubt that this year's Grammy Awards will be a very sombre event. R.I.P Whitney.

The X Factor Quarter Finals - The Round Up

And then there were 5! That coveted record deal is drawing nearer and nearer. As weeks have gone by I have noticed that these have gotten shorter and shorter by the week! Just goes to show how quickly time flies! This week  the theme was Heroes and Guilty Pleasures and each of the finalists had two songs each - one 'guilty pleasure' song and one by one of their musical heroes. So who was flying high in the sky and who got a taste of Kryptonite and fell flat?

A bit of nostalgia!!

This song totally reminds me of uni!!!

Love it!! So catchy!

The X Factor Live Show Week 6 - The Round Up

In the words of Alan Carr, what a week it's been! Frankie Cocozza exited The X Factor so it opened up a place for one of the previous contestants who never got to face a public vote - Amelia Lily, James Michael, Jonjo Kerr and 2 Shoes. The public made the right choice and voted Amelia Lily back in which was the best decision ever made!!! Not sure why they got rid of her in the first place, to be honest! Anyway, this week's X Factor paid tribute to the wonderful Lady Gaga and Queen, who both totally smashed it at the MTV EMA's last week with knockout performances. So it was time to find out, who was on the edge of glory, and who just needed to shut their Playboy mouth?

The X Factor Live Show Week 5 - The Round Up

And then there were nine!!! Note to Dermot O'Leary: As much as I love you and think that you look very dapper in those suits every week, Halloween was last week and we therefore do not need your dancing every week. Sack the zombie choreographer!! Anyways, it was time to whip out those dancing shoes and get the mirrorballs out. It was Club Classics week, but who completely painted the town red and who was just murder on the dancefloor (not in a good way either)?

The X Factor Live Show Week 4 - The Round Up

Tulisa stole my catsuit!!!

Let's hear you SCREAMMMMMMM!!! It was Halloween week on the X Factor this week so there were some interesting performances being conjured up in the rather boiling hot cauldron. But who made everything go bump in the night and who was just a reign of terror? Alexandra Burke, who previously appeared on the show in 2008 and became victorious, was sitting in for Kelly this week. Kelly was ill with a throat infection, which sounds rather nasty, and doctors therefore told her she wasn't able to travel. However, the scariest thing this week just had to be Louis's poor impersonation of Kelly Rowland, which was disturbing in its own way. In fact, I have no idea which was more terrifying, that or Dermot's creepy dancing at the very beginning of the show, where he actually did look like he'd been choreographed by a zombie or the living dead...

The X Factor Live Show Week 2 - The Round Up

A little late but we shall continue. After the X Factor had turned into the Shock Factor yet again after four contestants were eliminated by the judges, it was business as usual this week. What was particularly shocking was that Amelia left as I though she completely owned her performance the previous night and absolutely blew the roof off! She had the most powerful voice out of the whole competition and it was the saddest thing ever to see her go. As for the rest of them it was time for them to up the ante as the pressure was on like a Bonbon where they had to sing their little hearts out for their chance at a life-changing career move. With the theme of love and heartbreak, there were about to be some hearts broken as the fate of these contestants was left in the safe hands of the British public....

The X Factor Live Show Week 1 - the Round Up

What a live show it was last night! Embrace the drama, feel the fireworks, revel in the excitement! The performances last night really proved to be a mixed bag and there was plenty of conflict and bickering amongst the judges. The first theme of this week was UK vs. USA where the contestants had to take on a hot hit from an American artist and a British artist. After being informed of the cruel twist, in which each judge will have choose one of their own acts to go home on results night and consequently resulted in the suspension of the public vote for this week, the pressure was on to deliver knock-out performances to save themselves from elimination.

• First up was Amelia Lily who completely smashed it with a very interesting rendition of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. She gave a powerful performance and was rocking a new candy pink hairdo. She received excellent feedback form the judges unsurprisingly. 
• Next up was Johnny who gave a rather space-age like performance of Cher's huge hit Believe which did him no justice whatsoever. He received mixed feedback where Gary showed dislike for the performance where he described the performance as 'cheap'.
• The Rhythmix ladies absolutely smashed it singing Hip Hop First Lady Nicki Minaj's super-duper hit, Super Bass and they really did put their own spin on it. They proved to be the sassy, kick-ass girlband that was desperately needed on The X Factor. They received a huge thumbs-up from the judges.
• Frankie, who showed off a kooky new look, sang the tune of the moment The A Team by Ed Sheeran and proved to be a big hit with the judges but will this be enough to get him through to next week? Not too sure. Not a huge Frankie fan, to be honest...
• Sophie proved to be a dark horse in the competition after she sang a stripped down version of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream with sexy dark locks and a killer new outfit. She looked absolutely stunning, hopefully she'll be saved. I honestly think that this girl has a lot more to offer in the competition. 
• Jonjo on the other hand seemed to lack a lot of confidence as he escaped right out of his comfort zone where he sang the classic rock song You Really Got Me and both Kelly and Tulisa expressed their disappointment but Gary had claimed that he had made Louis decision easy, which was a bit harsh. 
• 2 Shoes added a touch of campness to the show with a Barbie-esque pink car and sang Girls Aloud's Something Kinda Ooh much to Gary's disappointment. Whether it was fun or crazy remains a question...
• Reunited with his beloved guitar, James sang The Beatles Ticket to Rode. e had a great voice but it looks like it wasn't enough to impress the judges. Still believe that he has so much more to give if he stays in the competition. 
• Misha B totally smashed it with her rendition of Adele's Rolling in the Deep, in which he added her own urban flavour to it with her rap. Her stage presence was great and she was a massive hit with the judges!
• Nu Vibe brought some sexiness where they sang Beautiful People which was pretty average, but there is quite a bit of room for improvement. 
• Marcus also killed it with his rendition of the current No.1 hit by Maroon 5 Moves Like Jagger with soulful vocals and looked very dapper.
• Sami brought her powerful voice to the stage and even Gary said that he will walk out of the competition if she is not there next week Looks like things are really heating up.
• The Risk then sang Plan B's She Said and completely nailed it. Not bad for a group who had just been put together at the Judges Houses' stage - so late into the competition. The new line up worked really well. Maybe it was the best risk that was ever taken...
• Craig also proved to be one of the standout performances of the night singing Jar of Hearts with his very own arrangement. He proved to be a true artist and the gamble paid off brilliantly.
• After bringing show much drama before, Kitty proved to be rather boring after her rendition of Who Wants to Live Forever, though it's obvious that she can sing and stuff. She didn't really bring anything to be honest. 
• Newly redhead Janet sang beautifully and brought the perfect closure to the live show where she sang Coldplay's Fix You. 

No doubt that emotions will be running high on the results show. Oh, how it would totally suck to be an X Factor judge right now - they sure have a tough job ahead of them...

We'll have to see what happens.

The X Factor Boot Camp - The Round Up

After a night of partying for the auditionees who made it to the next round, it was straight down to serious business. This year's boot camp proved to be the most brutal one yet when thousands of hopefuls were sent home before they even had the chance to prove themselves once more in order to make the Judges' Houses stage.  However, to all the others that made it, it was their chance to really push the boat out and do everything in their power to be triumphant in the competition. The pressure is on like Donkey Kong! Let's have a little recap over last weeks shenanigans in preparation for tonight's Judges Houses stages in the competition....

Just when you thought this woman couldn't get any more annoying...

... this happens!!!

She literally lit up the stage with her rather peculiar outfit, making jaws drop everywhere!! Who does she think she is? Lady Gaga?! Strangely fascinating, though. Wonder what she would do next, go on stage in bondage gear?! Gary's face at the end was a picture though! 

OMFG! LAUGH MY F***** ARSE OFF!

Goldie was just simply hilarious!! All covered up for the first time in the competition it didn't stop her from flashing her bits or terrorising the poor pianist! He looked like he wanted to do a runner, he looked that scared!! She even played cat and mouse with Gary Barlow after she chased him across the room when she finished!!! And even Dermot was quite uneasy! Crazy woman! It was recently confirmed that she had quit the show after making it to the live finals after it was apparent that she did not want to be away from her family! Guess this will be the last we see of her! Talk about putting on a show!!! 

The new kids on the block...

After the underwhelming amount of good groups who auditioned this year, there were also several new groups being formed but I have say the ones who totally smashed it were Nu Vibe and I definitely think that there is a market out there for them. I loved their really cool urban vibe. One Direction better watch it! 

A glimmer of hope...

It was also quite sad about Terry, where the nerves got the better of him, but I'm glad the judges saw potential and put him through anyway. What a relief! I still believe he has a lot more to give!!

Wouldn't be the same without a bit of craziness...

It's the return of David Wilder!!! The wannabe rockstar! After a dramatic monologue, it was straight down to business as he sang Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga rather badly. Very out of tune!!! Sounded rather desperate to be quite honest! The audience then (unsurprisingly) started booing him! Then there was Gary's favourite - Kendro, who came out with their own weird song! Catchy or what? OK, maybe not!!!

And whilst we're here...

...I would like to take the time to express my intense disappointment that Lascel Wood and John Adams missed out and fell at the last hurdle. How could this be?! I feel so sad and I felt that they also had a lot more to give!! I would also like to commiserate all the other hopefuls that failed to make it through tp the next stage.

______________________________________

Here's the final 32...

BOYS (Gary Barlow)

• Frankie Cocozza
• Marcus Collins
• Craig Colton
• Joe Cox
• Luke Lucas
• James Michael
• Max Vickers
• John Wilding

GIRLS (Kelly Rowland)

• Misha Bryan
• Janet Devlin
• Sophie Habibis
• Amelia Lily
• Melanie McCabe
• Holly Repton
• Jade Richards
• Sarah Watson (replacing Sian Phillips)

GROUPS (Tulisa Contostavlos)

• Boy v Girl
• The Estrellas
• The Keys
• The Lovettes
• Nu Vibe
• The Risk
• Rhythmix 
• 2 Shoes

OVER's (Louis Walsh)

• Samantha Brookes
• Kitty Brucknell
• Goldie Cheung
• Joseph Gilligan
• Jonjo Kerr
• Carolynne Poole
• Johnny Robinson
• Terry Winstanley

The X Factor Goes Stateside Part 1 - the Round Up

Talk about larger than life!!! We Anglophiles had a huge stroke of luck when we were gifted with The X Factor USA just a day after it premièred in the US last night and OMFG it did NOT disappoint!! Simon Cowell was there and it just proved how much he was missed in the UK but overall, I think American Idol better watch its back as it's about to get blown out of the water!! There's a hot new talent show in town!! And even HOTTER talent!! It still had that craziness about it but I am already addicted. And I shall add that Steve Jones is looking very yummy!! And Cheryl made an appearance for a little bit! Can't seem to get my head around why they ditched her but I can assure that it had NOTHING to do with her accent as Americans can understand all British accents. In fact, they LOVE to hear all the accents from the UK. If that wasn't the case then why haven't they gotten rid of Steve Jones?! They LOVE his accent!! If anything, the accent could definitely have worked in her favour as that what makes her who she is. Mel B has a thick Leeds accent and has now calls LA her home. Anyways, it's like Clash of the Titans between the two musical heavyweights Simon Cowell and LA Reid. Two of the most powerful figures in music have the most powerful opinions. Then there was the return of Paula Abdul, who had unmistakable chemistry with Simon. I am also so totally in love with Nicole Scherzinger's dresses...

The Mini Diva...

13-year-old Rachel turned out to be a little powerhouse in a million more ways than you could ever imagine. She had an infectious personality and her singing voice knocked everyone off their feet. Maybe they were right to lower the age limit after all. As long as she stays as focused as possible, then she'll be alright and will go far in the competition.

The Super-Duper Diva...

Smashed. It. She definitely did my namesake very very proud!! Stacy Francis absolutely gave a knockout audition. Not only that, but every single word she sung was believable and came straight from the heart. I absolutely loved her passion, her spirit, her attitude, her voice - everything!! He was just an inspiring person and was living proof that you should never give up on your dreams as you ever know what may come of them in the end!

The totally WTF/ Obscene...

The day when the X Factor turned X-Rated!!! Seeing things that really shouldn't be seen! Not that this is gonna haunt him in the not-too-distant future. The weirdest, craziest, lewd, crude audition came in the form of Geo who not only showed up in his pyjamas and started stripping?! How on earth did they manage to get away with airing this? Did he actually get his bits out?! OMFG! What a disgusting human being!!! There are kids there for heavens sake! What a SHOCKER! No wonder Paula reacted the way she did, I would have reacted exactly the same...

The 'Get the F*** Off my Screen!!!'....

This woman was a total nut job!! Nikki sang completely out of tune and was giving me an absolute earache - my poor ears were practically bleeding!!! She just couldn't take no for an answer and just kept begging and begging as if she was hearing something very different to the rest of the world!!

Part 2 Coming soon!!!