X Factor Goss: Gary hits a new low...

X Factor: Gary Barlow vs Little Mix
Ok, let me be the first to say, I think Gary Barlow is fit as. Let me also be the first to say he was so out of order on last night's X Factor.

He has turned into Mr Nasty without any of the warm irony that Simon Cowell had. His comments this series may have been fair at times, but actually when you go back he has undermined nearly every act he saw as competition.

Take Janet. She was a red hot favourite, but slowly he started to criticise her every week, which eventually saw Janet mess up her words, look unhappy with her performances and then last week finally get the boot.

I'm not saying it is all Gary's fault, but I think he definitely had something in mind when he chipped away at Janet for the past four weeks.

Last night he praised Misha B but then laid it out on the table that she can't win the show. That may well be true, because no matter what she does, the audience just don't seem to take to her.

Gary blamed untrue accusations from his fellow judges, but rumours can only do so much, and there must have been a fair amount of truth in them for people to run with them and ultimately turn their back on the once favourite of the competition.

I personally think she will go through this week, after favourable editing in her VT, two strong performances and great comments from the judges. If people still refuse to vote her through however, the producers have definitely failed.

Whatever happens though, Misha B will be a star- Tim Burton wants to work with her and she's already signed up to a Disney movie if reports are to be believed, so for her the X Factor isn't the end of the road.

My real beef with Mr Barlow was his comments about Little Mix, which left me so enraged I threw my pillow at the TV. Yes I know, hardly rock and roll, but still!

He waited until the semi finals to air his opinion that the girls had to face the fact that Perrie was the best singer and should be featured more. Ouch.

After praising their friendship and their talent as a group last week, this comment seemed to me a very low blow and you could see how it literally shattered the group on stage.

Looking close to tears, Perrie was forced to be thankful for the comment but protested that they came as a band and are all lead vocalists. The other girls just looked heartbroken at the comment, which is what made me so upset and angry at Gary.

Yes, I'm well aware this is a TV show, but as my boyf pointed out, nothing splits up a girl band quicker than someone pointing out who is the best.

They had got to this point being themselves, having a laugh and yes, all singing their hearts out. If you thought they would take this kind of comment in the semi finals with a pinch of salt, then you were wrong, because they didn't appear for their second song when they should have done.

The X Factor don't mess around with scheduling with no good reason, and my bet is that they were so upset from the comments they weren't ready to go on and Marcus had to take their place.

When they did close the show, you could tell they were rattled and didn't give the kind of performance that they should have done. It should have been the En Vogue to end it all, but the comments that came back clearly showed they hadn't done their best.

Was Gary threatened by the fact they were the 'new favourites' or did he just say it as he saw it, with no regards for what it may do to them? Who knows...

X factor Gossip: So long, Kitty!

Born this way: Kitty bows out of X Factor 2011
Her nine lives were finally up and her divas seem to have deserted her, as Kitty became the latest contestant to leave the X Factor.

Was I surprised? No, not really but I would have actually preferred her to stay in, rather than Misha B, not least because she is entertaining and makes me laugh every time she misinterprets what Dermot says.

Speaking of Dermot, he seems to have taken his dancing up a level- did you see those moves he strutted on Saturday’s show?! Very amusing indeed.

Back to the show and the Gaga vs Queen theme was one of the best this year- Craig’s rendition of Paparazzi was amazing, as was Misha B’s take on Born this way.

The rest were a bit dull- even Marcus who so amazed me last week fell into the trap of overplaying his new found ‘sound’ which the judges rightly labelled as predictable.

Little Mix too had a bit of a shocker after flawless performances week on week; this was the one time which let them down.

Janet too, even though she went back to what she does best, was dull as dishwater and however harsh Gary was to say she was boring, he was right.

She needs to up her game or the public will soon lose interest, which oddly enough seems to be happening with Misha B.

Ever since Tulisa as good as labelled her a bully, her star has faded and the public no longer seem to want to support her.

Someone who clearly does have the public vote is Amelia, who was welcomed back with open arms. Storming ‘The show must go on’, the episode ended on a high and rightly so, she was voted through to next week with no hesitation.

My tip for the final three at this point? Craig, Misha B and Little Mix… do you agree?

What's wrong with The X Factor?

X Factor: Judges at War?
Last week I posed the question of whether Strictly Come Dancing has the edge over the X Factor this year, and although it quite possibly did, I was continuing to support X Factor.

Well, after last night, I'm seriously considering defecting to Strictly where the yummy Harry Judd, of McFly fame is setting pulses raising week on week with his moves.

All we have to look forward to on the X Factor is Gary Barlow's brooding good looks, and even that is wearing thin thanks to his annoying smugness and fawning over protegee, Frankie.

Last night just fell flat for some reason. Yes the constant sniping isn't helping, but the cringe worthy attempts to gloss over the back stage chaos is so transparent, it's frankly laughable.

That high five, which says we're all friends here, honestly is just a total sham, and although Louis can be annoying, I feel for him being picked on by Gary and Kelly each week.

Gary's jibe at Alexandra Burke from last week was also a bit sour I thought, although judging by most people's reactions on Twitter, he was actually right on the money. (Wonder if the put down was ghost written in advance though?!)

Then we come to the acts themselves. Yawn. Frankie cannot sing- boot him out now. Everyone I know keeps saying the same thing each week- how can he still be there?!

The Risk are flaying now in my view, following a change in the band. They just don't have the spark they had in week one.

Little Mix continue to be my faves, but this week I just didn't think it was their best performance and at this point, they should be getting consistently better.

Johnny had a bit of a weird one this week as well. The Lady Gaga song wasn't good enough; I would have preferred him just to sing 'You spin me right round' as this suited his vocals so much better. He could be in trouble this week.

Same with Kitty, really. For the first week, she didn't fully deliver and I did feel bad for her when Gary slammed her dancing. Following that reported bust up with Derry as well, the public may not support her tonight.

Janet had a shocker too- upbeat is not who this girl is. Her voice is haunting and works best showcased in a Ballard. I loved her song choice and styling last week, but last night it was just all over the place.

Misha B continues her run of singing well, but her swagger has been totally knocked out of her, which I don't think is a good thing. The first few weeks, she could have been performing at the Brits, but now, she is just another contestant desperate to win.

Craig did well last night, despite being out of his comfort zone. Whereas Janet failed to be versatile enough, Craig wowed and even got to dance around a bit too. Love him to bits.

And finally we come to Marcus. Wow, what a voice! how amazing is this guy? Love that he is a Scouser and frankly he deserves to win on last night's performance alone.

Who will go tonight, let me know....

Strictly vs X Factor

Little Mix on the X Factor
X Factor has gone right off my Saturday night agenda in recent weeks and that's a real shame, because as you may have gathered from my blogs, I'm a tiny bit addicted.

What's to blame? well, the media insist that it's the lack of Simon Cowell and the poor choice or acts, but actually I think it may just be the format itself.

Every year for the past four years, X Factor has trounced Strictly in the ratings, only this year, for whatever reason, the tables have turned and the BBC1 show popular with grannies is now compulsive viewing.

No judging shake ups, no crazy contestants and yet people are defecting from ITV in their droves.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still favouring X Factor over Strictly at the moment, but at some point Frankie may just make me crack and turn over to avoid his smugness.

Gary is just as bad though; he absolutely pawns over Frankie in a way that makes him so utterly uncool, it's hard to imagine him as the sexy pin up he once was earlier this summer.

Then there's Tulisa, who is still my fave but is losing her edge in my view, while Louis just gets more and more over animated with every passing week.

Kelly's credibility is sinking fast also, especially this week when she was too ill to make an appearance on the show, but was able via skype to boot one of her acts off! Ouch.

I did feel for Sophie, but as I said in week one, she is too dull to hold people's attention. This is a tough business- just look at Matt Cardle, everyone loved him last year and now, well he's struggling to shake off the winner's tag and make the sales at the same time.

My fave acts at the moment are Little Mix, Craig and Janet, with Misha B and Kitty coming close behind purely for the entertainment factor.

I don't know what's in store for the X Factor over the coming weeks, but I highly doubt they will be able to get it back to its peak this series. Roll on next year, I say...

X Factor: Jonjo, James, 2 Shoes and Amelia kicked off!

Amelia gets the boot in Week One :(
Well Kelly looked much better tonight with her gold Grecian gown, but Tulisa really needs to sort out her hair- the blonde in front just looks tacky. Nice sparkly dress though!

Gary looked as fit as ever and Louis had an attempt at looking stylish in the colour du jour of the moment- a burgundy suit.

As for the contestants, well they still look like a bunch of misfits, but slightly less so now four of them have been sent packing.

Louis' Over 25's: Sammi, Kitty and Johnny through, but the lovely Jonjo was given the heave ho and to be fair it was the right choice. Louis looked quite relaxed by the job ahead- it seems experience does count for something!

Gary's Boys: This was quite a hard decision I thought, and my first thought was that he'd boot Marcus off and keep the other three. I was wrong though, the smiling scouser was the first through, closely followed by the lovely Craig. Not happy about Frankie however, he isn't the best vocalist but the girls will love him. Shrewd move by Mr Barlow there.

Tulisa's Groups: Well, that was unexpected! I totally thought Nu Vibe were history based on last night's horrendous performance, but no the fun Essex gals were booted off instead. Rhythmix, The Risk and Nu Vibe are all through to next week, while 2 Shoes head home to lashes of fake tan and lipstick. Girls, I salute you!

Kelly's Girls: This was by far the hardest category to kick someone out from, but I just had a feeling it would be Amelia going tonight. The judges loved Sophie, even though she hasn't really stood out for the public, Misha B and Janet have captivated both judges and public alike, so that just left Amelia. Bad styling and song choice let her down last night.

So, do you agree with who went? Let me know!

X Factor Live Show Onc... The verdict!

The X Factor: New Generation
I, like so many others plot my Saturday night around The X Factor when it rolls round this time of year.

So, wine in hand, plenty of snacks in reaching distance I was all set for last night to be just as compelling as previous years, but well, it kind of fell short of my expectations.

Maybe it was the never ending adverts, the two and a half hours running time, or the fact that some of the acts just weren't that good, but something was amiss.

The judges were great, if a little too nice (apart from Barlow that is, god he makes Simon look like a pussycat!) and there was too much of praise for other mentor's contestants and idle threats if they didn't put them through to next week.

As for the fashion clash- Kelly chose to go avant garde, while Tulisa played it safe in a gold number with glossy hair. My only criticism is the blonde parting she has going on at the moment- a comment on Twitter that this looked like dry shampoo, which hadn't been combed out was bang on the money.

And while we're at it criticising the hair, Kelly's normally lush mane was put in a messy bun that did absolutely nothing for her. Sacrilege! This woman is gorgeous, sack the stylist quick Kel, before all your good work so far is lost!

As for the boys, well Louis looked his usual elf like self, while Gary exuded a kind of sexiness which only a very secure man can do in tweed.

So, onto the contestants and my verdict on this year's final 16...

Amelia: Opening the show with a belter tune, it was good but not great and I fear she may be going home tonight, as the other gals nailed it. Bad peach hair and rough styling also let her down last night.

Johnny: Oh wow, diva alert. The public have really taken to him and I think Louis will put him through just for the sheer comedy value. Gary's right though, his voice was better than the song and as long as Louis realises he can actually sing and isn't another Wagner, he should be in it for the long haul.

Nu Vibe: No vibe more like it! God, they sounded horrendous despite being so beautiful. Think it's time to pack your bags, lads.

2 Shoes: Aww bless them. I do like these ladies a lot but they are not going to win this show. Points taken off for bad lipstick application as well- must do better next week.

Misha B: She is the front runner at the moment and will be in the final as long as the public keeps supporting her. I can definitely see her as a credible artist in the charts and boy, the girl has got fierce style to back it up.

The Risk: Oh, how I loved these boys last night. They were my favourites by a mile and they actually made my boyfriend sit up and stop twiddling his thumbs. Love them!

Sophie: Nice voice, but too bland for me. NEXT!

Frankie: I do not get the obsession with this guy. Maybe it is because I'm not a horny teenager, but he just hasn't got enough talent in my opinion to go all the way. That said, teenager girls will vote in their droves.

Craig: Awww this was a surprise for me, as I didn't think he would be interesting enough to keep my attention. Well, attention held most definitely- the best vocal of the night and a thoroughly nice chap.

Kitty: I have never warmed to her and I don't think the live shows will make me feel any differently. Lady Gaga she ain't and her attention seeking props and performances will only turn the public off more.

Rythmix: Interesting girl group here- they are very current and don't pose a threat to other girls, therefore they are likely to get the votes. Clever move, Tulisa.

Sammi: What a travesty this lady nearly missed out on a place in the live finals- Louis, what were you thinking! Great voice, but with Louis as a mentor I don't know how far she will go.

Janet: I'm not her biggest fan, but no doubt she closed the show beautifully. I'm still sore that Jade missed out on a place, but Janet's talent is undeniable. If only she would stop being so nervy and believe in herself, she'd be a favourite of mine.

James: I had to think about which one he was, which means an impression wasn't made. Sorry James, you are not in my top 5!

Jonjo: Gutted for him really. Louis should have given him a better song when he realised it wasn't working. The vocal was off and he was far too nervy- if it was the public vote tonight then he would get through on sympathy, as it isn't, he's the obvious one to go.

Marcus: That smile could light up a room. What a nice fellow and great vocal too. Can he go all the way? Hummm... remains to be seen.

What do you think? Am I on the money, or have I totally got it wrong? Let me know...