X Factor Final: Little Mix vs Marcus

Wow, this has been some final. After a so so series, the right two acts are in the final I think, but if you follow me on Twitter you will know that my heart truly lies with Little Mix.

They are just amazing! After Gary tried to bring them down last week with his 'lead singer' jibe, they have come back this weekend stronger than ever.

Last night they weren't the best, but deservedly they were put through and tonight they have smashed every single song.

But in the interest of fair journalism, let me break down the songs and the acts tonight one by one...

Marcus: Higher and Higher
Good song choice, but his heart doesn't seem to be in it tonight. I think I knows he's not the favourite to win and it has affected him. 7/10

Little Mix: En Vogue
OMG I honestly didn't think they could get better than the first time around, but this song SMASHED Wembley. Well done girls :) 10/10

Marcus: Last Christmas
Again, not the best vocal from someone who can sing so well. I think this wasn't the greatest song choice and it showed. 7/10

Little Mix: Holy Night
Simple, stripped back and a big 'we can all sing, thank you Gary' in the face of the head judge here. Beautiful, despite the horrible styling.

Marcus: Cannonball
Lacklustre and really dull. The big crescendo was the best part of this. 5/10

Little Mix: Cannonball
Even they struggled to make this song sound good. Such a shame that this is the winners song for whoever wins. 7/10

As I finish writing, we're in an ad break and the winner has been chosen. So, who will triumph!? LITTLE MIX TO WIN!!!!

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 Verdict: Week 2

Kitty as Alice in Wonderland
I never thought I would say this, but Kitty has grown on me and I am now a fan. Yes I know, she's irritating, can come across as a bit self absorbed, but I loved her performance on last night's show.

The Alice in Wonderland theme was fabulous and even managed to upstage fellow diva, Misha B with her wonder brand.

Whether she will still be in it tonight remains to be seen, but there is no doubt she has the talent.

Louis's other acts could be in trouble as well, with Sami belting out a Whitney tune which was good but as Gary pointed out, too much like a Cruise ship performance.

And then there's Johnny. Oh my god, Johnny. What has Louis done to you?! I know he likes to camp it up, but he is becoming a circus act and needs to really focus on the vocal if he is here next week.

No doubt he entertains and is the only person to make Gary laugh, but the whole Aladdin look really wasn't working for me this week.

Someone who did totally pull it out of the bag style and vocal wise was Rythmix. Damn those gals can sing, and as Tulisa pointed out- they represent normal young women who aren't stick thin robots!

I said last week that girls won't feel threatened by them and that's exactly what came through last night- they are cool, won't steal your boyfriend and have bags of talent.

The Risk were also amazing- vocally sound and they look soooo hot together! Wish the same could be said for Nu Vibe, which Louis pointed out last night sounded more like no vibe.

They just weren't any better from last week in my view, and it's the same with Sophie, although she has the talent there is just no chemistry, or as Gary put it, 'spark' there which will get people voting.

Frankie, Craig and Marcus were all average this week, after having a belting time last week and I think Gary is to blame for that- the song choices just weren't good enough this week.

Janet was amazing once again, although I'd like to see her personality some out a bit more; she's a bit too timid for me. That said she will sail through to next week.

What do you think? Who will go tonight?

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...

X Factor: My verdict so far...

The new generation of X Factor
I've been pretty quiet on the X Factor judging panel since it began again three weeks ago, but now it's time to deliver up a verdict on the new series.

Well pretty amazing actually would be how I'd describe it. I loved the new judging panel from the start, as did most people, but as the weeks go on they get better and better.

Gary Barlow... phwoar! and I bet I'm not the first lady to say that given how fit he is looking on the panel each week.

Tulisa....very sweet and a style icon in the making. She may have a tough girl image, but she is really holding her own so far on the panel and is coming across very well indeed. Cheryl who?

Kelly Rowland... I'm not a big fan of OTT American sass, but Kelly is pretty fab and is absolutely stunning to boot. Gal knows her stuff and has a nice friendship with Tulisa, which is a refreshing change this year don't you think?!

Louis Walsh... Ahh Louis, he seems much happier this year now he's not being bullied by the other panelists. Good chemistry with Tulisa as well, this could be the year Walsh triumphs again!

The contestants I have to admit have been less than great. Plenty of crazy people, sob stories and borderline great talents, but no-one who has really struck me as hot favourite to win.

To be fair, last night's Jade Richards has come the closest for me- she was lovely and her gran moved everyone to tears.

A talent, yes she is, but at the moment she doesn't have that Leona Lewis knockout voice, which you need these days to make it worldwide.

Hopefully she will get the best coaching to bring her out of herself, but equally I hope she doesn't go through an X Factor OTT makeover, which strips her of any personality.

There have already been reports that she has been asked to ditch the 'goth look' and take on someone else's persona instead.

Fingers crossed that she tells them where to go, because the last thing we need is another manufactured pop princess with no personality.

Rant over... can't wait for next week and the double bill. The countdown to Christmas has officially begun.

New X Factor Line Up Revealed!

Finally- with The X Factor auditions due to kick off in the next few weeks, the new judging panel has been revealed for the first time.

Is it a great shock? No not really, all the rumours have turned out to be true. Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland and Tulisa from N-Dubz will take their place next to Louis Walsh when the talent show returns later this year.

There had been rumours that Cheryl was to return following her alleged axing from the US version, but alas it seems Queen Cole is no longer wanted for the UK version either.

I look at this two ways- either, as reports have suggested, she wanted too much money to return, or the ITV bosses simply didn't want her back.

I think it's more likely that Cheryl wanted more money than they were prepared to give. Even despite her popularity waning last year, she is still a HUGE draw and they would be keen to hold on to her.

I'm more upset about Danni being ousted- she was my fave judge last year and the fact that she mentored the winner speaks volumes about her talent.

She won the style wars with Cheryl each week and was all set to sign again, but as the auditions were moved and she was already committed to Australia's Got Talent, it was impossible to get her back. *Sad face*

So, with Cowell already confirming he was all about the US version this year, that just left Louis Walsh, and thankfully he has signed on for another year of cheesy comments and fun frolics.

I think Gary will prove very popular, but is he a match for Cowell? Probably not. Tulisa is obviously the new Cheryl, but will she be able to go from chav to chic like Ms Cole before her?

Then there's Kelly Rowland- with huge chart success under her belt both with Destiny's Child and then as a solo artist, I think she may well be the sneaky favourite to win this years show.

So, what do you think of the new line-up? Should Cheryl have come back? Do let me know!