X Factor 2007, painful showoffs, blah blah blah

prediction: Girlband screw up the harmonies on "Don't Wanna Miss A Thing"

Well, OK, so they didn't...

They didn't a lot of things...

I don't like MJackson's stuff, but boy did I appreciate his talents after seeing all those people sing less well and dance insignificantly to his songs!

Having never watched X Factor before, I'm thoroughly enjoying it this year.

(xpost) same with Girls Aloud - their performance on Saturday was only average, but they still wiped the floor with Girlband and JLS.

The new Girls Aloud single now reminds me of the Polyphonic Spree. But not as promising (ahem) as that sounds.

Eoghan was pure eurgh and Ricky Gervais was like an uncalled for missing link between Val Doonican and Billy MacKenzie (if only) but they'll survive because of The Sympathy/Underdog Vote; Eoghan definitely, Ricky for another week or two at least.

Lot of hamming and stupid choices for covers and enough of these stupid 1975 "dance routines."

Generally Michael Jackson Week was a bad idea. How about a Gary Numan Week to make up for it?

Cowell not remembering the names of the contestants - is this deliberate?

My picks - Diana and Rachel but they both need better material.

I think he was genuinely embarassed: At first he bluffed a "excuse me" but later apologised properly, and made damn sure he referred to his (auto)/cue cards which he had obviously been ignoring, previously.

'Came out of character' as it were...

I definitely agreed with his "sorry Girlband, you were robbed, yr mentor was shit" assessment though.

He forgot Ruth's name last week because he was leering over her breasts, not sure about Rachel (although she was singing Dirty Diana so maybe that did it).

I don't get the Daniel=Ricky Gervais comparisons, he looks more like Jim Davidson.

Louis insisting on pronouncing Gervais as Gervay was annoying.

He giggles exactly like him as well...

I worry that JLS may be in trouble tonight.

(which is ridiculous, considering Daniel, Scott, and Eoghan are still in)

I think that Daniel and Laura will be in the bottom two this week. Also the judges will force another DEADLOCK ("It's DEADLOCK!!!" sayeth O'Leary, DUN DUN! go the drums) because no-one wants to be the bogeyman.

Yeah fuck the deadlock that's so LAME.

there's no way Laura will be in the bottom two.

after initially hating on Diana, i have to say i liked her the last two weeks but this week was contrived and irritating.

my top three were Alexandra (amazing performance), Rachel (about time but LOL she obviously HATES Danni) and Ruth. it's basically all about the women this year. Ruth is in the worst position because she has no regional support.

JLS were terrible. as bad as Daniel, and that's really saying something!

Yeah I know, but they're usually so good. I blame Louis. It's a really good year for women--I love Diana, Rachel, Laura, and Alexandra. Ruth was great great great tonight but has no future on this show.

i agree about ruth, sadly. she will survive this week though.

eyoughwan and austin both crepe the fck out of me.

At any given moment, if Austin is

• not performing, and
• conscious

I didn't think that Diana's performance was too bad. She's slowly moving towards an individual singing style and away from this Eva Cassidy/Dido template. At least she isn't trying to sound like Whitney. Seconded on this being a good year for the women - Laura and Alexandra would be up at the top in previous years, but they're put in the shade by Rachel and Ruth. I don't think lack of regional support will make any difference to Ruth's chances - it didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference to the Leon/Rhydian final last year.

Also, Austin looks more like he's about to start blubbing. Any worse and Dermot's going to have to lay out a hanky on his shoulder to stop his suit getting wet. And this is what Austin is like when he does well...

disgraceful

Are JLS the only male act who haven't cried onscreen yet?

Including Daniel's fake-blubbing (followed by being fine 3 seconds later), that is.

Utter pish

eh, Daniel was worse over all, but I can't say I was unhappy to see Scott go. I find him a lot more hateable.

Louis' crying outdid the lot of them. Daniel had a full team of wild horses pulling at the collective heartstrings there though, didn't he? He should maybe think about making something of his backstory though, in case anyone didn't know what it was.

Meanwhile Scott looked like he'd just been sentenced to break rocks in a convict labour camp.

He had the 'I ain't got a dead wife' blues. I thought he was gonna lash out, not start crying though.

Yeah, I thought he was going to start shouting and swearing...
Dermot: "Go on Scott, say something. Cheer up mate. Is there something you want to say?"
Scott: "Er, yeah... FUCK YOU ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS, ESPECIALLY YOU COWELL YOU SQUARE HEADED DICK SLOPPER!!!"

Walsh's blubbing actually seemed more like an attack of gas than anything else. This really is going to be the year that everyone on X Factor cries at the drop of a hat. I blame the presence of 90's new man O'Leary. You'd never get this happening with Kate-what's-her-face presenting, but then she is an android or some kind of emotionless alien. So everyone this year will cry, except eternal cynic Cowell and stone faced Dannii (note to self, never play poker against that woman).

Dermot: "Go on Scott, say something. Cheer up mate. Is there something you want to say?"
Scott: "No"

"Actually Yes.." (takes mic..)

was where I thought it was going to kick off....

Basically, when he saw he was bottom two with Daniel, his face was "That's it, I'm fucked"

So much for no more weepathon.

Maybe O'Leary ought to be replaced with someone a bit more hard headed and realistic, like Theo Paphitis. "No, Scott, your singing is less attractive to me. Than. A. Fort. Night's. Holiday. In. Afghanistan" and all that sort of thing.

I have no wish to have a go at Daniel in the sense that I have no wish to have a go at people who've been through the same thing as me but to me it looks like he's currently in the same state of ardent self-denial I was in circa 2003/4. And the constant note-missing/point-missing of his "Lady Is A Tramp" was somewhat annoying.

Rachel technically and emotionally the best this week, Diana the most individual of the voices but I'm not sure she was paying much attention to what she was actually singing ("Smile").

JLS - great suits, great choreography, atonal voices and not in a Lennox Berkeley way.

It was right that Scott went, though, twittering "That's Life" in the mode of someone who knows nothing about life, but clearly that's Louis' fault for picking the wrong song.

Also, a modest reality show proposal: ban all contestants named "Austin" 'cos the Strictly Come Dancing one is equally irritating.

I missed the main show, but saw the 'results' play out (So, scott next week to be the most miserable man ever to be number one at the same time?)

I did think of you when Daniel did his "This was" monologue prep, I would say it's more that time of "anything I do it doesn't matter" hopelessness. It's going to end up a couple years down the line where he has a fir to middling singing career he doesn't actually want anymore, reliving his lost partner for Cabaret audiences.

Didn't someone do this also, made an album of their dead husband/boyfriend's songs, produced by 2 of Steely Dan, album got nowhere, she then did her own songs and did rather better?

(xpost thankfully, not watching it, it doesn't apply)

Cowell's fault, not Louis', with Scott's song choice.

Scott looked utterly defeated as soon as he realised it was him and Daniel. I hope Daniel goes next week.

I would have actually liked Ruth to do (whatever it was she sang) in Spanish on Saturday, I think it could have been good.

I think Alexandra and Laura are the best of the women, but it's close; Rachel and Diane are both awesome too. Rachel needs consistency and discipline.

JLS looked very weak. I could see them going if they don't do something very good next week.

Austin can sing, and work a crowd, but by god every time he's on camera otherwise I want to slap him.

Eoghan or whatever is just the CBeebies version of Daniel O'Donnell, but no one will say anything bad about him because he's so ickle and sweet. Uergh. No range.

They're going to be doing a "ringtones" theme week shortly. Eoghan's doing "I may be small" by Sweety the chick.

(xxp)

As regards Daniel, what I hope is that he manages to find a new partner/wife as a result of doing this. That someone he never knew existed sees him on TV, or maybe even in cabaret a couple of years down the line, and connects with him in a way that no one else can. And he has children, so I suspect the day-to-day busy-ness of bringing them up will go some way towards alleviating the pain he evidently still feels.

I don't think he's going to win, and I suspect he probably will go next week unless JLS really do pull off an epic fail.

But, you know, good luck to him, whatever he does.

As long as he uses the love he has from his past to help build himself a future, he'll be OK. It'll take time but it will happen.

Who in god's name is voting for Daniel?

Leon Jackson's assault on superstardom continues as, er, he turns on the Christmas lights in Paisley in a fortnight.

Reality show contestants always do our lights (we've had local boy David Sneddon, Darius, Journey South, some Elvis impersonator from Star In Their Eyes, Michelle McManus and the McDonald Brothers the last few years). I wouldn't bet against Austin or Daniel next year, put it that way.

Not that I'm innocent of rather uncaring jibes against Daniel meself... but I was so annoyed when Louis and Simon laid into him again, and specifically when Simon said "this has gone on long enough". Fuck you, Cowell. You let him get this far, knowing he wasn't good enough, just for the ratings factor in his emotional back story. And now you're trying to have your cake and eat it, getting him to milk that story to the max while you try and jettison him in favour of the real talent. And all without a thought of how this is affecting the guy. At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

I completely agree, ledge.

Cowell's comments were a disgrace, and the general treatment of Daniel in the media has been disgraceful - "stop spoiling our fun, you miserable premature widower," "you're just using your wife's death as a crutch."

Sound familiar?

But no doubt Cowell's comments contributed to (as far as I understand) Daniel actually topping the viewers' poll on Saturday.

Diana, though, is the one potential genius in this pack - her "Call Me" sounded like Liz Frazer singing Blondie! - and I hope that she gets steered in a creative direction and not towards becoming the next Dido or Dolores Cranberry.

In a fair world Diana should win the contest, but the Mothers' Vote will probably ensure that Eeeeeeeeeeeoghan triumphs, and proves as costly a flop next year as LEON has done this.

Was in Derry and Coleraine last week, "Vote Eoghan" posters everywhere, he's got 3rd written all over him tho.

i've only watched youtube clips of this, who was the girl who tore up 'purple rain' in whatever week it was?

rachel's the one i'm most aware of and i think she's awesome, though have no idea what they'll do with her if she wins - i mean, can you imagine early mary j going through the x factor system??

Austin was never happy or smiley and there was always something vaguely threatening about him so of course he had to go. I suspect Laura will go the same way soon - the second best voice in the competition after Diana, but "doesn't LOOK like a Pop Star."

As far as Louisa "I want to see her dancing!" Walsh is concerned I think he needs to put in for a transfer to Strictly Come Dancing since he's clearly on the wrong programme.

I'm not sure Rachel is as good as she thinks she is - "No More Drama" is all about pauses, tension and release, and she missed that at several points, not to mention several key high notes.

JLS's arrangements have been shit and I'm not sure if it's a deliberate handicap or just the result of pop-ifying them.

I couldn't actually hear the rest of JLS behind the shaky-sounding lead singer on Saturday; they were drowned out by the music.

Then again, yet another Mariah Week next week (calm down Lex) - have they really run out of ideas?