Semi Final Pt 2: The Top 4 become 3

Dermot is in a hurry tonight. I guess the producers have had their budgets cut and so there's less time or, more likely, the Christmas adverts are now so long that there isn't a great deal of time left for the show.

Dalton

Opening the show with the Emile Sande song about a Clown. Not as good as he has been still pretty impressive. He seems to be cruising a little now but I am sure he will pull out the stops next week. Recently, this guy, who must be the winner, seems to be relying on some vocal antics rather than emotional interpretation which he was so good at in the early days. Now he's almost a bit ordinary.

Robbie Williams said he thought he was a bit boring too.

Acacia & Alysiah

I now want to see this pair in the final. Too Big For Your Boots mixed with Shut Down. They do seem to be using the same song several times. I guess being in the bottom two for several weeks has used up a lot of their minimal repertoire and, of course, we have heard nearly twice as much from them as anyone else! This was a bit boring too and really did not have any logic in the link which was more of an emergency stop and hill start. All a bit weird and nothing like as good as they have been before. Not as well-synced either. But I'd still prefer them to Anthony or Scarlett in the final. Simon Cowell says they've claimed the right to be there now. Nice.

Anthony

He sings the Oasis number Don't Look Back In Anger. And that's not a bad idea at all, probably the best song he could have chosen and certainly his best performance so far in this competition. Indeed, it could even save him tonight from what I'd thought would be a certain 4th place elimination. We all like the guy but he really ought to go as Scarlett is more likely to contribute usefully to the charts and British pop scene.

Simon wants to change the rules and put all four through to a 'final'. For a moment I thought we were about to see it happen as he suggested to the panel that they talk about it. Shan would have been very hurt.

Scarlett

Something I don't recognise, maybe called I Don't Know My Own Strength and sounds like a Pink number. She even has a Streisand touch in this number and that's quite a compliment. She has become very competent and has an excellent voice with all her bad habits gone. She gets a standing ovation and so I suspect that she will be through.

Tonight I fear it will be Acacia & Alysiah who fall at the final hurdle on the track to the final. Their only hope will be if they scored very heavily and Anthony scored very poorly last night as, whilst he is likely to pile on a lot more with the Oasis number, I feel that few will be bothered to vote again for the pair.

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Yes, it is A & A who go. They did the Blinded By The Light and something else mash. Scarlett does This Is Me which was good too. I can't believe that Anthony got more votes than Scarlett. The decision is down to Ayda and Louis. I had expected them to leave it to the public vote but they both save Scarlett.