If there is any doubt, I love X Factor. It's one of the few talent show / reality show type of programme that I watch, yet I have stuck with it since the second year. Religiously.
I really enjoyed the shows this weekend. Despite initial concerns, I love the new judges; they each have a refreshing air of honesty about them and it's nice to see evidence in the VTs of them actually mentoring their acts. However, I wish they'd binned Louis Walsh as well. The only thing he adds to the show is his hackneyed catchphrase book ("You belong on that stage"... "You could win the X Factor"... "You look like a popstar") and a catalogue of dated music; sometimes he even manages to make his acts dated when doing current stuff. I really don't know how he does it.
The field is also strong this year with several potential winners. It is, of course, always hard to tell how things will play out with so much depending on what happens in the press and whether there are any shocks in the public vote, but even at this stage, I think we're looking at a winner in the girls category. All four performers were excellent on Saturday night and I'm sure it was a tough decision for Kelly. Despite a stunning vocal, I expected her to send home Sophie Habibis - as the least distinctive of the four Girls, I fearthat she will fall foul of the public vote sooner rather than later - but I can't say that I'm disappointed that she stayed. It was a shame to reject Amelia Lily, who opened the show with a strong performance, but at 16 and with her talent, she should have plenty of opportunities ahead of her. In the Girls category, Misha B was the stand-out performance for me. And it's rare for me to enjoy a cover of an iconic song like Rolling in the Deep.
I was unsurprised at the result in the Boys and the Over 25s category. In the Boys category, while James Michael had more potential, he bottled it on the night and put in a weak performance. It was a bad call to start with a Beatles song on opening night and when compared with good performances from Frankie Cocozza (even though that breathy thing was really irritating), Marcus Collins and a stand-out effort from Craig Coltan, it was inevitable that James would be the one to fall.
The Over 25s category is the weakest this year (and indeed, it's the weakest Overs category I've seen for several years). Sami Brooks has a great vocal but I can't see her competing for long. Kitty Brucknell is a great entertainer but the public don't like her. She will inevitably be in the bottom two for week after week and constantly get saved before the judges finally let her go. Until then she will be the contestant that everyone loves to hate. Johnny Robinson is adorable and I'm so glad he's made the cut. His performance on Saturday was very average but he's such a character and a pleasure to see. Although I genuinely liked Jonjo Kerr, I felt that his performance was boring and lacked sparkle. He wasn't ready for the live shows and it was right that he should go.
My big disappointment in the result came from the Groups category. I rath enjoyed The Risk and Rhythmix. Although I don't find them all that distinctive in the wider market place they have talent and are appealing acts. The other two groups stood out in the category for me: Nu Vibe for all the wrong reasons and 2 Shoes for all the right reasons. I thought Nu Vibe were terrible and by far the weakest performance of the whole night, while I love the fun and cheeky character of the 2 Shoes girls. I enjoyed the performance, even if the song sounded a little odd without the other 3 parts that it was originally written for, so I was very disappointed that they were the ones that went home and not Nu Vibe. I can only assume that the pregnancy was an issue for the show and hope that the girls will be back next year
So overall, a great start to this year's live shows. My early (and I emphasise that this is EARLY) prediction is a winner from the Girls. At this stage, my Monopoly money is on Misha B with Frankie Cocozza the runner up. But it could all change and I can't wait for next week.
I really enjoyed the shows this weekend. Despite initial concerns, I love the new judges; they each have a refreshing air of honesty about them and it's nice to see evidence in the VTs of them actually mentoring their acts. However, I wish they'd binned Louis Walsh as well. The only thing he adds to the show is his hackneyed catchphrase book ("You belong on that stage"... "You could win the X Factor"... "You look like a popstar") and a catalogue of dated music; sometimes he even manages to make his acts dated when doing current stuff. I really don't know how he does it.
The field is also strong this year with several potential winners. It is, of course, always hard to tell how things will play out with so much depending on what happens in the press and whether there are any shocks in the public vote, but even at this stage, I think we're looking at a winner in the girls category. All four performers were excellent on Saturday night and I'm sure it was a tough decision for Kelly. Despite a stunning vocal, I expected her to send home Sophie Habibis - as the least distinctive of the four Girls, I fearthat she will fall foul of the public vote sooner rather than later - but I can't say that I'm disappointed that she stayed. It was a shame to reject Amelia Lily, who opened the show with a strong performance, but at 16 and with her talent, she should have plenty of opportunities ahead of her. In the Girls category, Misha B was the stand-out performance for me. And it's rare for me to enjoy a cover of an iconic song like Rolling in the Deep.
I was unsurprised at the result in the Boys and the Over 25s category. In the Boys category, while James Michael had more potential, he bottled it on the night and put in a weak performance. It was a bad call to start with a Beatles song on opening night and when compared with good performances from Frankie Cocozza (even though that breathy thing was really irritating), Marcus Collins and a stand-out effort from Craig Coltan, it was inevitable that James would be the one to fall.
The Over 25s category is the weakest this year (and indeed, it's the weakest Overs category I've seen for several years). Sami Brooks has a great vocal but I can't see her competing for long. Kitty Brucknell is a great entertainer but the public don't like her. She will inevitably be in the bottom two for week after week and constantly get saved before the judges finally let her go. Until then she will be the contestant that everyone loves to hate. Johnny Robinson is adorable and I'm so glad he's made the cut. His performance on Saturday was very average but he's such a character and a pleasure to see. Although I genuinely liked Jonjo Kerr, I felt that his performance was boring and lacked sparkle. He wasn't ready for the live shows and it was right that he should go.
My big disappointment in the result came from the Groups category. I rath enjoyed The Risk and Rhythmix. Although I don't find them all that distinctive in the wider market place they have talent and are appealing acts. The other two groups stood out in the category for me: Nu Vibe for all the wrong reasons and 2 Shoes for all the right reasons. I thought Nu Vibe were terrible and by far the weakest performance of the whole night, while I love the fun and cheeky character of the 2 Shoes girls. I enjoyed the performance, even if the song sounded a little odd without the other 3 parts that it was originally written for, so I was very disappointed that they were the ones that went home and not Nu Vibe. I can only assume that the pregnancy was an issue for the show and hope that the girls will be back next year
So overall, a great start to this year's live shows. My early (and I emphasise that this is EARLY) prediction is a winner from the Girls. At this stage, my Monopoly money is on Misha B with Frankie Cocozza the runner up. But it could all change and I can't wait for next week.
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