The Top 4 Perform

Cheryl's dress is what gets all the attention at the start. Once we remember this is a singing competition and have got over Dermot''s well-rehearsed dance at the start and the fact that Peter Dickson introduced him as Santa's Little Helper, Fleur opens the show.

Fleur East

All I Want For Christmas by Mariah CareyThis is a classic, of course, and she gets every note right and performs well too. She is pretty accomplished and the only thing about that was that it was just a bit ordinary. Mel was expecting it to be 'cooler' which is a fair point but she decided to play it very straight and did look good in the tight red leather outfit. I do believe she deserves to be in the final and hope the public votes to see that happen. In many ways she is the most accomplished performer by a long way and someone you feel could be completely relied upon to deliver on a show or in the studio. Whilst she does have a 'modern' repertoire I am yet to be convinced that she would be a chart success for long. So much would depend on who write for her and whether she gets to be a little wild.

Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson

Even Simon hadn't heard this song before so that makes me feel better. Obviously it is one that someone reckons suits her and will achieve this crucial vote for her. She had a change, apparently, from All About The Bass, at the last moment. This, Simon says, is what she would be all about in the real world. Wow. That was impressive. She could have been an established guest act with a new release. Not something I would rush out and buy but I can well see that making the charts easily. That surely has to see her through to the final. She can dance and act and is totally reliable. Well done. Simon puts that in his Top 3 best ever X Factor performances. That single performance really ought to put someone out tomorrow. The thing is, though; you never can tell. Some weeks the public do weird things or the maths just don't work for a particular act. Are there enough people who both support Fleur's material and vote on X Factor? 

Lauren Platt

Stay Another Day by East 17/Girls Aloud

Lauren could easily have been a Girls Aloud girl so she should do well with this. It is one of those awkward start songs and those few seconds are wasted. The low register does not suit her voice at all. The main chorus section works well and she tries hard to make the most of the sections that match her voice. I wasn't impressed, though, with that song choice for her. It didn't work after all. That may not have helped her so, at the moment, she is going to have to hope someone else is less popular and that her second song is something special. That was a bit disappointing.

Story Of My Life by One Direction

Nice song. She needs this to be very very good. It was quite good but not stunning. She was accurate but the low register doesn't give us the kick that we get from the middle bits. She had a go at making 'a moment' but I do feel, unfortunately, that she will be lucky to get through. Will she get the public votes? She needs more than Fleur or Ben or Andrea. It is still possible.

Ben Haenow

Please Come Home For Christmas by The Eagles

Slightly cheating, with two Christmas linked singles. Alexandra Burke made Christmas No.1 with it. Anyway, it's a game and Simon knows how to win! This is a simple affair. Ben does his raspy thing, looks pretty good and even has a choir in a sleigh on stage. Quite a nice job done. Sugary and not what I would expect to see him do but that'll be popular I am sure. Lightweight but probably all that he needed to do.

He gets a really nice compliment from Cheryl. A warm and cuddly programme tonight.

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

You just know that Ben will make a super job of this. For a moment at the start I did wonder and it may not be my favourite version of it but that was pretty good. It was a bit of a risk. His story about his mum and general 'niceness' should carry him through. It won't be his performances that get him through this week when compared with the others. He is still the bookies' favourite to win at the time of writing - just ahead of Fleur. 

Andrea Faustini

O Holy Night by Mariah Carey

Oh holy sh*t. This was quite painfully tinny to listen too and not easy to watch. Very wobbly and he might have been better singing in his own language too. The judges were very good to him. I didn't get it at all but I suppose I will have to accept that all those people in the audience and, indeed, many of you readers here, love this guy and will be voting for him.

Will it be enough? I guess he and Lauren are very firmly in the bottom two after round 1.

Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus

I am sort of dreading this. It is a superb song. What on Earth is he wearing? This was actually one of his best performances in my book. The song suited him, strangely enough. That was pretty good and that may have sealed Lauren's fate. There is a chance that there won't be enough Italian votes and that Ben gets the girls' votes and the grannies just don't like anything to do with Miley Cyrus. Mel is begging people to vote but I think it was Fleur who deserved the real plaudits tonight.

It is pretty open. Fleur would win on songs and Lauren might do well on that too. Both girls match what we expect from X Factor. Fleur may have frightened off some voters with that dancing so it's not that easy to choose between them as I feel there are more natural Lauren voters there. Of the boys, Andrea didn't do badly but didn't do that well either. he just wasn't quite as annoying this week. Ben was a little weak but was very appealing. So they sort of end fairly evenly too. It could be anyone that goes. Fleur or Ben would be a shock. Rule them out and it's between Lauren and Andrea. Another passionate and effective performance by Lauren would be needed to make it 2-2 and I couldn't predict which gets the lowest. I fear it would be Lauren. I can't imagine her being 1st or 2nd and so, by definition, she is up against someone and likely to go.

Anything else will be a surprise. Or a shock.

Big Band Night

Andrea

Andrea starts with Summertime, a wonderful song but it needs careful handling and kept simple. His facial expressions and style didn't natch the words and I didn't like his interpretation that much. It wasn't at all bad, though, for all that, and in tune as most of what this guy does always is. He deserves to be in an X Factor but I am still not sure it should be the UK one. the ending was awful but no doubt it will impress the grannies. He'll be around for another week.

Simon also makes a comment about his expression and has some criticism too which is good to hear as Andrea has been very much shown as the winner so far.

Lauren

I like Lauren and her attitude. She has been well-mentored by Cheryl and is mostly presented in a nice, pretty natural way. Smile just trundles along and, whilst she sang well and it was in tune and nice to watch, it was just 'nice' and not exactly stunning or something I want to rush out and share with everyone. Once again, Simon says it absolutely right - it was good but not fantastic. I would hope that she stays and she really ought to. She's taken a risk but I am pretty sure that there will be several with many fewer votes tomorrow evening.

Jay

Jay was pretty disappointed with his 8th placing last week and was fortunate that Paul simply didn't have the looks to match the voice. He really should outlast Stevi, at least. He starts with New York Frame Of Mind but after just two lines at most switches to New York New York in good old fashioned belt-it-out style. You sort of wait for it to return but it doesn't. That was pretty good but Louis calls it karaoke. Mel B is miserable but Cheryl is much more positive and quite complimentary. Jay was certainly a lot more 'in' with the band and interacted with them but I wasn't convinced that was memorable enough to keep him in the competition.

He should, as I said, outlast Stevi but from an entertainment point of view, and attracting people to vote for the act, I have a suspicion that Stevi will do much better and may even escape the bottom two again with 7th and 8th places being shared by Jay with someone. That makes him vulnerable. there are also two other good male acts for people to vote for so that splits things in a way that can't help Jay.

Stereo Kicks

Stereo Kicks changed their song at a very late stage indeed and presented Mack The Knife. That was great. Not my choice of a song for many different people but this was actually quite good. Everyone performed well and I was impressed. I'd like to see them stay due to that. Mel B pretends that she didn't know they had changed the day before. Nonsense. It was in all the papers. Playing with Louis about the group members' names was a bit unfair.

Ben

Ben should be the winning guy this year although that may not mean he wins overall. His song is the classic Cry Me A River which has had extra legs given it with Michael Buble's release. Comparisons, of course, are bound to be made. Ben does a good job but there is something missing. He has the voice, adds more rasp than most, but I am not sure the meaning of the words gets across as it should. For all that, nit at all bad and he vertainly beats both Jay and Andrea this week in my view. Definitely safe this week.

Only the Young

Yet another risky week as obviously Big Band Night doesn't suit them at all. They've chosen a popular little tune from Jungle Book - I Want To be Like You oo oo. They were really very professional and that was a pretty faultless performance. They danced and entertained. The first to dance so far tonight. I like them a lot and would so much like to see them survive and win this thing. However, they haven't been getting the votes so far. I can't see them getting any extra votes for this but so much hope they do get enough to get through to next week. That was a difficult routine too. Well done. Fingers crossed for them.

Stevi

I don't know what to make of this. I do think it is time to go now. Simon even says of his own act that this was the worst act on X Factor! There are many worse than that was but I get the point. So, maybe this could be the week that Stevi does leave? That would be great news for the others. Louis makes the point that good acts are now falling because he is there and that's why Stevi needs to go, as Jay or even Only The Young could suffer.

Fleur

Closing the show tonight is this different and impressive girl. She looks glamorous and seems to get better each week. She is trying to do a really modern track to an old style band backing. Maybe it could have worked but it needed a much stronger lead than she was able to provide. The rap was good and she gradually started to pull the performance back. Her voice just wasn't up to it. She put an awful lot into that and deserves credit for the effort. How that will gain her votes enough to survive I don't know because I feel that was well out of the typical audience zone.

People were very complimentary. It's all about the votes.

My feeling is that Jay is in trouble but that he could be up against Stevi after all and will, therefore, survive.

'Fright Night' - especially for one act.

Tonight is a little riskier for everyone with the one with the lowest vote going straight home tonight. So, in some ways, going first is good as that gives longer for people to decide to vote for you.

Ben kicks off with Highway To Hell which certainly sounded quite like AC/DC. Whether that's a good thing I'm not sure but it shouldn't do him any harm. It was well performed, good notes and with confidence but just a bit bland. Once you've heard Ben yell the first few lines you've heard them all really. I'm sure he'll survive with that.

Lola has a nice song in Crazy. She has been one of the weaker performers to date. After a good start she returns a bit to a wedding singer style and belts out lines. This was a good job overall, one of her best so far, but I still feel she could be vulnerable, if not tonight then maybe tomorrow. Much depends who she's up against. Lauren will be stealing many of her votes if she does well. But some guys may save her.

Fleur was always going to have a tough job with Thriller and may have taken on a bit too much here. She started a bit too gently and, whilst she did improve a lot as it progressed, and Louis called her the 'best performer' of the competition but I do feel the vocals suffered a bit. It was not bad, though, and, whilst she may be at risk if everyone else does well, my guess is that someone will be less impressive tonight.

Jack is the first of Mel's boys and possibly the next to go if he doesn't get the message across. He has an unusual track to do that with - Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love. Again, not bad but I am not sure that was good enough for the voters. He's a nice lad and there was an odd moment when some woman comes and pretends to be a vampire while he was singing. Anyway, this is a good singer and one that Mel may have taken out of a comfort zone. I reckon his own choice would be strumming in a corner. He could be good but not doing that sort of thing. So far, I would put him in the 9th to 11th danger zone.

Jay James next. He had a good week last week, and before that too. Tonight he has a track that ought to suit him. He starts a bit too nervously. Mad World slowed even further at the start was odd but not as odd as the speeded up version that followed. Hmmm. Another risky performance but qith quite a bit of quality. Like Ben, he gets the notes right but unlike Ben, puts a totally different angle on the song. Quite weird. Will people like it? Yes, I think they'll show respect and he'll be well out of the 9-11 zone. Well, maybe not well out of it.

Andrea sings Lulu. OK. Figures. This is not very good. mel B has not done him any favours at all with some very odd gold make-up and a song that is pretty useless. He puts quite a bit into it after a while and does some uncomfortable dancing too. I think he was thinking so much about his required moves that he forgot about the song. No I didn't enjoy that but the crowd seemed to. I guess he'll be safe tonight, though. And tomorrow,

Lauren is someone who ought to make the final. She may be young but she is determined. Dark Horse is difficult. She starts very dodgily but once the song gets into its main chorus she is good. It doesn't really work well, though, and I think Cheryl should have changed the track. Tough. She could be in for some criticism but I feel confident that she is in the Top 8 which is all she needs to get through to next week. Simon is very complimentary. I had not expected that.

Paul is doing Meatloaf. There could even be some resemblance in several years' time. We're led to believe that he didn't want to do the song. It suits him well, though, so I don't see the problem. He should pick up lots of needed support from that too. It's a bit underdone. The song is not easy to do justice to, though, to be honest, and Paul just does what it says on the tin for this track. They make a lot of his not wanting to do it. Not sure why - it was the production team who showed all the problems in the background in the first place.

Only The Young perform Monster Mash. I see that they've done this before and made a good job of it on YouTube too. I like this group and they'd be my choice to win from what I've seen so far. I thought that was brilliant. A totally professional performance. Surely that must save them. Best performance of the night so far.
I do hope they get the votes they deserve for that.

Stereo Kicks do a Backstreet Boys number. They do it pretty well too. Nothing spectacular but that ought to see them safely through.

Stevi closes the show. He knows that song well and made a very good job of that too. Quite surprisingly well. I have no idea what to make of this. Maybe the audience will actually vote for him this week sufficiently to stay out of the 11 zone. He may still be in the 9-10 zone, though, but should survive the night with The Music Of The Night.

Who goes? I think the order is 1 Only The Young 2 Ben 3 Stereo Kicks 4 Paul 5 Andrea 6 Lauren 7 Lola 8 Jay 9 Fleur 10 Stevi 11 Jack

Dermot announces Lauren, Only The Young and Ben. Then Stevi! Fleur makes it and so does Paul. Two more safe: Stereo Kicks and Jay. So it's Lola, Jack and Andrea. They're not the bottom three. But one is 11th and going home. Jack. Poor guy. Didn't stand much chance. Dermot says 'See you next week' to Andrea but just 'See you tomorrow' to Lola. I have a feeling she's in the 9-10 zone.

Scary Stuff for X Factor: The Song List and who goes home *Saturday*

So, with the act getting lowest public vote leaving on Saturday (according to Cheryl after only a few minutes voting!) it will be all the more important that the contestants put on a good show. here are the proposed tracks they'll be performing.

Andrea Faustini – Relight My Fire (Lulu & Take That)

He is still running as firm favourite so I guess whatever he does will not see him foot the table. The only scary bit about the song is the word Fire but watching him perform will be enough to get me well behind the sofa.

Jack Walton – Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis)

He's vulnerable. It's another track that has nothing to do with scary other than having the word Bleeding in the title but it could be a bleedin' mistake as the Leona Lewis classic is not an easy one to redo.

Paul Akister – Bat Out Of Hell (Meatloaf)

I would have had Paul as a possible leaver this week but this is such a classically lovable track that I believe he can do justice to that he ought to be just about safe on Saturday at least. He may need to brush off a sing-off tune for Sunday, though.

Lauren Platt – Dark Horse (Katy Perry)

I am impressed by this young girl's choices so far which have been modern and in the vein that I can see her doing for real, rather than going for the granny vote with old classics. Many of the voters, though, may not have heard this and it will require a pretty good performance to get it across first time for them. Having said that, Lauren is the one I am currently predicting to win so I reckon she'll be just fine.

Lola Saunders – Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

Cheryl's other girl is only here by virtue of Louis' rescuing her with a wild card. She has shown some wobbliness in the Live Shows so far and, whilst having had a superb job done by the make-over people and gaining some confidence, she isn't in the Top 6. That doesn't mean she's going home, though, as you need to be 9th, 10th or 11th and this god choice of track should save her. I can imagine her doing a very good job with this and it may be one of the show highlights for her.

Only The Young – The Monster Mash (Bobby 'Boris' Pickett & The Crypt Kickers)

Here's a video of what they have done already!

Last week they will have realised that they're simply not getting across to the voting public, nearly going home. It was a poor song choice, though, that wasn't going to win them many new fans in telephone voting land (although app voting land is a more forgiving place for them, luckily). This week they have a cool, fun, song and, by the seems of things, are well practised in performing it too. That all bodes well. They are the act I would like to see win but I don't yet feel confident enough to say they will. I hope they keep out of the bottom three.

Stereo Kicks – Everybody (Backstreet Boys)

Happy to see these guys go home. Eight is simply too many for me. They all seem likeable and talented people and I hadn't realised till last week just how young a couple of them are. That might explain some pretty nervous stuff that most of their tracks start with. I have no idea how they'll fare with this.

Ben Haenow – Highway to Hell (AC/DC)

This is a risky choice by one of the second favourites. His has lots of support so he should be OK like Andrea but I am not expecting anything particularly memorable.

Fleur East – Thriller (Michael Jackson)

Talking of risk - this is the most risky of all tonight. She's a brave lass and last week seemed to impress with the current #1 All About The Bass which isn't as easy as it may have looked. It is, of course, the track for the night in many viewers' eyes (although I prefer the Crypt Kickers) and she will either be up there with all the smiles and success or looking a bit dejected as her name is left till near the end. I say 'near' the end as I think she'll survive Saturday. Not sure about Sunday yet.

Jay James – Mad World (Tears For Fears)

Nice choice and, for pure scary sounds, this is the best choice by far. I think this will be a stand-out of the night and see him safely through.

Stevi Ritchie – Music of The Night (from Phantom of The Opera)

If you've been counting you'll have reckoned that there is a possible 9th and 10th already and this would, for me, be No. 11 and bye bye Stevi. It ought to be so but it may be that we have to wait until Sunday as he has quite a lot of appeal and my guess is that he isn't coming at the bottom of the voting. He does, in fact, have bags of experience on stage and this is probably a track that he has performed to an audience many times before. Not in the West End production but very possibly in a lesser venue. So he'll know what he's doing. As I said, he ought to be the one to go.

Week 3 Saturday Night At The Movies

Cheryl lost two acts last week. Stephanie certainly deserved to go as she really has had tuning issues but I did think she'd be saved for a little longer for all sorts of reasons, not necessarily related to talent. But with the lowest public vote that was it for her and then we had quite a surprise with the 8 boy band with the annoying name Stereo Kicks seemed not to have impressed as many voters as others and Chloe taking 12th equal position.

In the sing-off there was no doubt that Chloe had to go. I really had expected better from her but her performances were not great. The boys were quite a bit better but i still don't see them going very far,

Tonight it's Saturday Night At The Movies which really means they can sing anything other than a very recent track as it's probably not too difficult to choose a track you like and then look it up on the movie database!

Jake's on first. Nice choice of She's Like The Wind from Dirty Dancing. It sounds like his sort of song but something was missing and when he tried to do the falsetto it was completely off key. With some nude Cosmopolitan magazine features going on in the background I don't know what the public will make of him. There are lots of cool and good-looking boys around in this competition so he needs to perform better than them if he's going to survive. Not a good start. I would imagine that he'll be in trouble unless there are more disasters coming from the other eleven tonight.

I couldn't make sense of Louis' introduction to Only The Young. It seems they're doing something called Boom Clap. OK. Never heard that before. As before they put on a professional performance and, although I didn't like that much at all, they are still my favourite for this competition. Not the act that I would bet to win but my own favourite so far. That was a performance that sounded as if they had learned it yesterday. Apparently, that's about right but that shows what they can do. These are good guys. Louis had to look up the film it had come from.

In complete contrast we have the Skyfall track from Jay James. he stole the show last week with an extraordinary version of 500 Miles and so what will happen to this one? I was not particularly fond of Adele's track and Jay stays pretty straight with this one so you can't help but make some comparisons. But they're good comparisons. I hate the rhyme of skyfall with crumble anyway so this was never going to get me voting but well done for a cool job on that one.

Andrea is the favourite by quite a way with the bookies. No idea what he's singing and I am beginning to get a bit tired of the yelling and wobbly stuff, however passionate it sounds, it doesn't work for me. He is a good singer but I feel this isn't the right competition for him. Having said that, the audience went mad and were as noisy as I have ever heard them. Seems like he'll be here next week.

Lola is one of just two young girls left and she was lucky to get a wild card too. Add Fleur and there are just three females and the two in Only The Young.

She sings When You Believe and you get the feeling that she really does believe. That was pretty powerful and not at all bad. She looks good after the make-over team had been at work. I don't see her winning but she ought to survive a few more weeks.

The third of Mel's boys on tonight is Paul. Try A Little Tenderness is a good song for him with his ability to hit all the notes and he has the right sort of voice too. But it isn't the right song to have dancing girls all around! He was also smiling in a song that isn't really about smiling and throughout all the action he was rather static. A very good voice and soul but not a performance I'd want to watch again. Excellent vocally, though.

Cheryl's last girl and someone who I think can win this thing is Lauren. Demi Lovato's Let It Go is pretty well known and even Demi called her and chatted which is nice. She comes across as confident and that is remarkable as she is so young. Actually, this is quite a tough song to sing and she struggles a bit on her own. Once the backing singers join in she recovers well but that wasn't as good as she has been. Andrea will be even further ahead in the polls now. She'll be safe, though, despite a bit of a dip this week.

For all that, Lauren puts Mel B very cleverly in her place when responding to some criticism! When Mel says she could have taken some risks and done something different with the Demi song, Lauren said that she'd taken risks in previous weeks and wanted to show she could do some songs as they were. 'There's a reason why they're like that,' she said. So true. Well said. That'll get repeated back stage for sure.

With five acts still to go it's the last of Mel's boys. Eye Of The Tiger is a great track but what will he make of it? Weak start. It isn't really the sort of track that lends itself to just a vocal with guitar. Later it gets the heavier backing, dancers, lights and goodness knows what. In fact his guitar looks a bit odd and I think he'd have been better going for one or the other styles not try to combine them. He was spot-on vocally and that is a good thing that ought to keep him in.

Simon has two left and introduces Fleur. Some nonsense from Mel about a backing track helping Fleur was annoying last week. Bearing in mind how poor Mel was in the Spice Girls that was not the right thing to say! So expect some obvious talent tonight. Fleur performs the sexy Lady Marmalade with the Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? line that I guess they won't be translating for the kiddies. Not a bad job of that, at all. As good as the Pointer Sisters. She is good and I'd expect to see her around for another week or two. So far I feel she is doing what she has some experience in doing. That's not a problem - it has meant that she appears professional and confident which is what we expect at this stage of the competition.

Third one from Simon is Stevi. Oh boy. This is the joke act but you can't help but laugh at him. This time he wrecks Footloose. To be fair, that was quite entertaining! The Daisy Duke girls helped. It may keep him in. I do actually believe he will survive another week or two. I know and he knows he won't win so it's more bearable than Baloney (who thought he could) was.

Stereo Kicks sing Let It Be. So a Beatles song ought to keep them safe this week. It gives plenty of opportunities for each of the guys to get themselves across. I always find their performances to be similar to mini Live Aid efforts - you, the sort of track that stars perform one line at a time. Oh, it turns into Hey Jude and they do the long chorus. Except it isn't a long chorus just a couple of lines. It was pretty reasonable to be fair. They'll be out of the bottom two ths week.

Ben Haenow gets to close the show. he didn't do well last week but survived OK. So he has something to prove this week as Jay has taken a bit of a lead and he needs to try and consign Jake and Jack to the also-rans too. Jake and Jack have definitely underperformed this time so he has every chance. With a great choice of Aerosmith's I Don't Want To Miss A Thing he closes the show in really strong style. Another potential winner and I much prefer his strength of song to Andrea's and if they were in a final I would see Ben winning in a straight battle. Could be interesting later as Andrea is set fair for the final.

So farewell Jake I think, or maybe Jack. Only The Young might be vulnerable but I do hope they survive. It'll be one of those three though. The oddball Stevi will stay.

Week 2

Last week poor old Louis lost two groups: Overload Generation (who Mel B brought back and actually completely skipped Judges' Houses!) and Blonde Electra who I had been calling Blonde Electric. Not that that made any difference. The two girls performance was not the worst but they did get the lowest votes so didn't even make the sing-off.

The bottom three had included Stephanie Nala who really had been off and deserved to be there. I kinda reckoned that they'd find a way to keep her and, sure enough, the group was sent home leaving Stephanie looking very relieved and Louis two down in one week.

Another two go this week. It's I Love The 80s week which few of them actually ever experienced but never mind - the tracks are pretty simple.

Jack kicks off with Straight Up from an old colleague of Simon's on the American idol judging panel, Paula Abdul. He makes a predictable but good job of this. he's a good performer and comes across with a lot of confidence and a bit of style. Obviously it all depends on what the others come up with but thatw as a good start and I'd expect him to stay with that standard. Something was missing but it'll still take some good work from others to put him in the bottom three.

Stephanie looks fabulous and is interesting - she just need to get the notes right, or sing in the right key and she'll win lots of support back. Call Me she does pretty well - and gets the notes right and adds a strange and slightluy hypnotic dance move to the performance. Not brilliant but not bad either. She's a likeable girl and could be a little pop star. I just don't see her being let go by the producers just yet. So she may be in the bottom three but will survive.

Cheryl's dress is weird. Probably expensive but with some pointless parts.

Mel brings on Andrea next. he is by a long long way the favourite to be this year's winner. The bookies could well be right although it is very early and he may get boring. He has a massive Whitney Houston song to sing and, of course, he'll do a fabulous job of the notes and stuff. The words? Well. One Moment In Time has been overdone on this programme over the years. I was not impressed with his mangling of some of the lyrics and watching him was not that pleasant and this week I felt the notes weren't that great either. I see a chink in his armour and maybe that will allow someone else to pip him to the winning post in several weeks' time. for now, I guess he'll be pretty safe, regardless.

Two potential competitors for the prize are coming next: Lauren and Ben. Lauren seems to be the best of the girls while Stephanie struggles to find a comfort zone and Chloe excludes quite a chunk of people for all the wrong reasons but that's life. Ben is the best of the Oldies and doesn't actually seem very old at all either. he should be in his element in the 80s.

What A Feeling was Irene Cara's. Now it's Lauren Platt's. That was excellent. Far far and away the best so far and that will take a lot of beating. Very very good and all that was missing was the dancing which I was so much waiting for her to do but it stayed slow. That's all I would change but well done Cheryl for choosing that.

Ben isn't on top form - some sort of throat problem. His track is John Lennon's Jealous Guy and I would have expected that to be fabulous but it was just average. It seemed as though he was holding back and hoping to drift through to next week. He should do but that wasn't so good this week. OK. Just OK. What you do when you're not in good shape I suppose.

Another of Simon's Over 25s that I like and I would hope to see do well is Fleur. She shows more flesh than all of the others put together but that's not unattractive and she has the ability to put on a professional-looking performance and it stays pretty classy despite the clothing or lack of it. It's A Shame was pretty boring. The rapping in the middle sort of helped a bit and reminded me of a later version but it wasn't that interesting and just seemed to go on. She got great reviews but I wonder whether the public get her. She doesn't deserve it but I wonder if she might not drop into a public bottom three? Hope not.

Stereo Kicks are eight guys who may each be good singers but they're completely lost individually. I don't see them doing as well as the bookies say. The Boys Of Summer is a classic and the public will like that. It was damn good and worked really well for all of them. Good choice, Louis. They looked as if they were enjoying themselves too and that always counts for a lot. Cheryl doesn't sense hysteria and has a fair point about that, no matter how good they are. They should stay.

So choices are getting difficult. At present I can't call it in terms of who's going. We may be in for two shocks and it's only Week 2.

Lola has Imagine, the second John Lennon song of the evening. A very good make-over has her looking excellent but the singing hasn't improved, with annoying gestures and phrasing and sometimes she seemed to be shouting a little and the whole thing just lacked the class to match her clothes and make-up. Pity but she was not on Cheryl's Top 3 choice list and could be vulnerable tonight. First one I've thought that about, assuming that Steph gets 'saved'.

Mel B has returned to her annoying style of talking and can be tedious to listen to. A lot of what she says is fair comment but the accent gets on my nerves. She introduces Jake who sings A Total Eclipse Of The Heart. Nice choice and he does a pretty good job of it too. Not easy but it shows him in a good light. That was a lot better than Ben, with whom many will compare him and so represents his main competition for votes. Nice job. I was prepared to say he'd be at risk but now I've changed my mind and say he's safe.

Chloe is one who is excellent but I don't know where she fits in to this competition and I do worry about how she will go down with the public. Fame isn't something I would have dreamt of her doing but let's see. Stunning set and big links to Marilyn Monroe visually. This was a slow boil version of the song with a dark feel to it. I liked it but I am not sure how many others will. There are times when her voice isn't quite right and she does miss notes. That may put her in the danger zone.

Paul is the last of the 'boys' (although I swear he looks over 25!). He is the least 'screen friendly' but is as talented as most. He needs to come out with something a bit special to keep surviving. The makeover people have actually done a huge amount for him and he was looking very smart and with a very cool performance of If You Don't Know Me By Now he really does well. He'll be safe. It got a bit boring and didn't take off as a performance but that was pretty good none the less. One of the best of the night.

Chloe, Lola, Ben are, in my view only, the ones oscillating around that bottom three at present. There are three acts to come: Only The Young (who I really want to do well and not change that list) Jay James (who ought to stay) and Stevi (who really needs to go home, whatever he does tonight).

80s Night is worryingly Stevi Ritchie-like. This is worse than Stars On 45. He does a Rick Astley. Badly. I can only grimace at that performance. Please send him home folks. I fear that the public see him as a comedy act and are voting for him.

Only The Young get Come On Eileen from Louis. I'm not sure that was a great idea. They make a damn good go at it and deserve huge respect for taking this on. It was cheerful and bright and they're very talented and together. I so hope they stay in. My favourite act but that was not my favourite performance. I so much wish they don't suffer at Louis' hands.

Jay finishes the programme with a surprising version of 500 Miles. Remarkable. The Proclaimers in English. This will either work or it won't! Wow. that worked all right. Yes, it really did. Well done and all credit to the team putting that on stage. he is definitely safe and that could be a further problem for the other guys.

I really have no idea who'll go this week. It ought to be Steph or Stevi but it won't be either. I worry about the three I've mentioned already. All will be revealed soon enough.

X Factor 2014 song list and Taylor Swift doing Shake It Off – Week 1

Not long to go before the first Live Show and here's some news about what to expect. Look away now if you don't want any spoilers!

First, if you think it's just twelve acts then you've got another four to choose from. Although not yet officially confirmed, it is expected that Lola has been rescued for the Girls by Louis, Jack Walton for the Boys by Simon, Overload as the extra Group for Louis and, surely not, Cheryl brings back Stevi Dad Dancer for Simon. Oh dear. I had hoped there wouldn't be any Baloneys in this year's shows but I have a horrible feeling this likeable idiot will be around for a while if the rumours are true. Oh how I wish they're not. There were good alternatives in Lizzy and Helen.

As well as a possible 16 contestant performances and what's likely to be the usual dreadful sing-a-long with all of them the highlight could be Taylor Swift doing Skae It Off, possibly for the first time on UK TV. That'll be nice. Pharrell is also hoping for another commercial success with his latest catchy number. He looked like a kid in his spot at the start of God Only Knows for Children In Need. maybe he'll look older tonight.

The songs look good choices apart from Chloe's, as Britney's tracks are never as easy as people seem to think and seldom come across well. Earth Song will need to be cut down considerably! Some interestingly up-to-date stuff in the list too and all credit to Fleur for taking on the current #1. She could excel with that and establish herself very early on whereas I have a feeling that Lauren could fall flat with her #1 Happy cover. Favourites to go with the bookies are Blonde Electra which won't surprise anyone as Louis does a Louis by including them in the first place.

These are not in performance order! Acknowledgements to TellyMix who seems to have secret cameras and microphones installed in the X Factor studios and offices. No-one seems to know what the wild card acts will perform.

Andrea Faustini

Earth Song by Michael Jackson

Jake Quickenden

She’s The One by Robbie Williams

Paul Akister

Ghost by Ella Henderson

Chloe Jasmine

Toxic by Britney Spears

Lauren Platt

Happy by Pharrell Williams

Stephanie Nala

Everything I Own by Bread

Blonde Electra

Kids In America by Kim Wilde

Boyband

Roar by Katy Perry

Only The Young

Jailhouse Rock by Elivs Presley
Twist n Shout by The Beatles
(Mashup)

Ben Haenow

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel

Fleur East

All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor

Jay James

Changing by Paloma Faith

Mel B and Emma choose the three Boys

Mel B has Emma Bunton to help her. I always liked Emma.

Jack Walton is first of the Boys and gets stopped by Mel mid performance. I get the feeling that she wanted him to do a lot better than that, even after getting a second chance. He looks good and I wonder that they might put him through despite his obvious nerves on the occasion we see.

Andreas is the obvious one to get through, with his slightly broken English and Italian lovability. I really didn't like his performance there but I don't think it matters. He'll be through, one way or another. Both Spice Girls seem really taken with him too. Maybe they'll like everyone.

Danny Dearden has the high voice and is a good singer but he struggled with the notes this time.

Jordan made a much better song choice and should have secured himself a place with that.

Jake lost out at Judges' House last time. He is 25 but presumably isn't an Over 25. He's good and a bit too much like the guy he followed. In many ways it was a bit monochrome and I feel sad for the bloke as he may need a wild card to get through. I think he will get there but not sure how.

Paul is maybe the least 'attractive' of them but I think he has the strongest voice. He does a pretty good version of Bridge Over Troubled Water which I presume we don't get to see all of. I was not sure, though, that he nailed it, to use the expression many do on this programme, or used to at any rate. I was not that impressed and a bit disappointed. He may make it through but I don't see a winner amongst any of Mel's team. Sorry guys but it almost doesn't matter who goes through in some ways.

Andreas, Jake and Jordan, I think.

No, Jordan doesn't make it. So Jake is a certainty and maybe Paul takes his place? Andreas does, as I think anyone would have guessed. Paul gets through. Looking at Jake v Jack again I am thinking of changing my mind and putting Jack in the Top 3 Boys. Difficult. I guess that one or the other will get the wild card, though.

No, Jack loses out and Jake gets his second chance like Paul.

So it's Jake, Paul and Andreas,

The six Boys that Mel B has chosen

Andrea Faustini

Jordan Morris

Jack Walton

Jake Quickenden

Danny Dearden

Paul Akister

Boot Camp Pt 3

Kisella is the shock eviction as the idiot dance stays when Jay James gets his place.

Fleur East is last but one up and is very modern. Wobbly voice and not pleasant to listen to but she would be a better bet than that idiot dancing bloke who shouldn't really be there. She gets a seat and Raign goes out. No love lost between her and Cheryl.

Helen Fulthorpe is the last one. I remember she was good before. She is way better than the other girls and, of course the idiot who must be wondering how he is still there. That was excellent and, yes, she has to have a seat. It looks as though she'll take the blonde one's place. Yup, Lizzy goes. idiot is till there. No, Lizzy stays and Janet goes as he changes his mind and 'listens to the audience'.

I do find that chap's survival very strange. Surely he can't make the Live Shows and so this is, in a way, academic if Simon has, as we must assume, decided who he'll take through, subject to reasonable performance at Judges' Houses. You'll remember that acts have still made Live Shows after poor Judges' Houses efforts so there is a certain amount of predetermination going on here.

The Brooks kick off Louis' Groups round. They're good. As they're under 16, if they get a seat then they keep it. They're home and dry. That's pressure for the others.

Next is a group made up from some of those rejected before. In fact, all of them are in an 8-boy band that Simon has put together for Louis to play with. So that'll be different. No name yet! 24 hours only together and they do Leona Lewis' Run. Really well. Each individual vocal sounded great which made me wonder how on earth they hadn't been selected before. Obviously they get a seat! Not sure how they'll get on in various stages but it is an experiment that could be interesting.

The Groups seem so much better than the other categories. And I've only seen two of them so far.

Blonde Electric are next up. I Love Rock n Roll was fun but I wouldn't take them through. They can have a seat for now, though, as they can be kicked out later.

The Pow Pow girls are not that good and not as together as they have been before. They might not make it. He could have kept them for a while at least. 'You kept Blonde Electric in!?' said Simon. 'Bring them back!' shout the audience. This is mad. So the Pow Pow Girls get a seat. I am sure it will all change soon enough anyway.

Overload have been good too. Another boy band? How can he take three through? And there could be more to come. Nine To Five was a bit boring. The audience love them but it wasn't brilliant. Again he could give them the seat and change later. He does that.

Five girls in a new band. Each one was sent home as a single audition. I don't feel they worked that well as a band although they did only have three hours apparently. They get the sixth seat. That's fair enough as now he can replace a few easily enough. I reckon Overload, the new girl band and Blonde Electric could all disappear fairly quickly.

Concept are very well matched. I reckon they sounded better than Overload and on a par with the 8 boy band. They're through and Blond Electric go. No they don't. Louis kicks out the new girl band instead.

Only The Young do Nine To Five and seem much more professional. I think they were persuaded to enter by Simon and weren't that enthusiastic at first. They're chosen to go through. Louis tries to send Overload off but there's almost a riot! One of the lads from Overload says he'd like to fight to stay and so Louis says that it would be between them and the Pow Pow Girls. Cheryl then says he should bring the other new girl band back. So the three get a go at that last seat. Overload sounded best to me. The new girl group get it! Wow.

I do feel that was all a bit manufactured for our sakes.

So Simon has Ben Haynow, Lizzi Pattison, Jay James, Fleur East, Helen Fulthorpe and idiot Stevi Ritchie.
Mel B has Jake Quickenden, Jack Walton, Andrea Faustini, Paul Akister, Jordan Morris, Danny Dearden.
Cheryl has Lola Sauders, Chloe Jasmine, Stephanie Nala, Emily Middlemas, Lauren Platt, Kerrianne.
Louis' Groups are: The Brooks, Blonde Electric, New Boy Band, New Girl Band, Concept and Only The Young.

Wembley Auditions 2014 Pt 1

187 survived through to the Wembley Arena auditions. In what seems to be a vastly improved show the range of talent should be as good (or as bad) as any other year but I am hoping that the annoying acts can be kept off our screens. Whether there'll be anyone phenomenal discovered remains to be seen and, so far, I haven't been able to find any reliable spoilers at all, despite these auditions being held ages ago! Having Simon Cowell back adds a bit of quality to the show and a combination of humour and authority that Gary Barlow just couldn't manage. I am surprised Louis made another year and also that Cheryl agreed to return. She is good but then so was Nicole. Mel B was not very watchable on the few occasions she appeared last year but so far seems to have become a lot more pleasant and is making reasonable decisions. So it's a decent panel that may not be particularly 'current' but it's a huge improvement on last year's!

So without any background information, I'm seeing these auditions for the first time.

James Graham
Essex 17
Cliff Richard c1958
Simon's thinking that he could put him in a group. Decent singer and performer but probably wouldn't last long on his own, like several previous single male winners. Good Top 12 material though and a good start to the evening.

Next we get an annoying one. This is just old-style X Factor  'entertainment' except it isn't entertaining at all, just a bit embarrassing. Some woman that someone thinks is like Cheryl. Awful. Louis even joins in with the ridiculous nonsense. I know it's all meant in good fun but I actually felt sorry for Cheryl being compared to that attempt at a singer.

Oh dear. A couple of 51 year olds. They look scary. Louis would have them in his Live Show trio. It is slightly worrying that Louis is around as he might get the Oldies although I am really hoping he doesn't. It'll probably be Mel B.  They're terrible. But for some reason I completely fail to comprehend, despite watching this show since it began, the crowd loved them and they actually get through to Boot Camp. That'll be it though.

Rebecca Jones
Wales 18
New Look ad.
She does gigs already around Cardiff so she'll have a bit of experience and won't just be doing this for the first time.  Really nice girl. Nervous Moon River. That didn't work at all. She just didn't cope with the pressure, Wasn't expecting that.

Charlie Brown
23
First audition sounded like I've been shaved by a woman but never mind. He has one of those Bryan Adams voices. We only get a short burst. He wasn't great by the seems of it but gets 'saved' by Simon. Cheryl is doing well by saying No.

Steve
Young red head
He wasn't Feeling Good. All over the place. Simon saves him as well. Extraordinary. That's three in a row that Cheryl ahs said No to. Quite right too.

Paul
He got to Louis' 'Judge's House' last year. So we know he'll get through to Boot Camp and maybe a Judge's House again. he sings well. Nothing particularly different for our charts today, though. Good but not someone I see as a star. Could be a reliable Live Show contestant.

Cheryl and Mel B did some dancing of a sort as Paul sang Get It On. I get a bit tired of Simon going on about Louis not putting him through last year. Louis chose Sam Callaghan, a very popular guy who did well but actually the worst of the three. Luke Friend was a well-deserved 3rd and Nicholas MacDonald the boring Runner-up. This Paul chap wouldn't have done any better.

Lauren Platt
16 Essex
Now here's someone worth watching! She is original and actually really good. Looking very plain, despite all the clothes that she said her mother had bought her. That's no bad thing but I'm looking forward to seeing what the Makeover team do with her in the Live Shows. Yes, she'll be in them. Super audition. With so many compliments I am amzed at how she remained composed on stage. That says a lot. I guess he knows she's good already.

Indiana Ifill
Fluffy Blonde
That didn't work. She'd made herself look

Lou Bou "would make a great stripper" says Simon. OK.

Kieron Winter sings through his nose.

Amy Connelly
Returning after many years.
Amy has transformed herself well since a few weeks ago. She made Cheryl's Judge's House in 2008 I think. But she was really off key on stage this time. That was quite painful to listen to. The judges' expressions were priceless. But what will they tell her? Cheryl almost has to put her through. Mel B wasn't impressed. Nor Louis. Simon wasn't either. I reckon Amy had really expected to get through - at least to Boot Camp. Maybe when she watches herself back she'll hear why no-one really wanted to support her. It would have been fairly easy to give her a Boot Camp place, though. There were, as Cheryl said, several much worse singers already in! But it wasn't to be. But sad but probably right.

X Factor Week 3: if you recorded it, just fast forward to the last act.

The Manchester auditions and Scary Spice is on the panel again. Louie's hair seems to have changed yet again but I think that's because we're seeing these clips in a completely different order to when they were filmed. [Continuity guys please note.]

A very chirpy and energetic Nicola emerges and looks like Tulisa might be in a few years. She has a strong voice but is totally breathless even before she starts some 70s style dancing that would frighten the pants off most men. I get the feeling she's used to performing in some clubs around town where blokes cheer a lot. She might improve with a bit a training and gets through to bootcamp. I can't see her getting much further unless they're short of older candidates for Louie to look after.

Jake's next. Jake's a lifeguard and you get the impression that two of the judges, maybe three, would like to use his some body as he performs Use Somebody well, apart from an odd microphone technique that makes you wonder just how long he's been picking up bad habits on the local scene too. Still, not bad and safely through to bootcamp.

Taylor has a much better sound and seems better than Jake who he follows. He's more naturally talented and I can see him in one of the manufactured boy bands.

Jessica and Matt get through next with some very rough cut editing which shows us not a great deal. all I can say is that Jessica is pretty and one of the younger entrants at 17 and she deserves her place at the next round. Matt looked a bit geeky but was quite different vocally and strummed along on a guitar quite nicely. He may have a niche of his own if he survives bootcamp.

We then get some awful mother called Alison who is very loud and embarrassing her kids even before she starts singing. When she does all the kids can do is shake their heads and, quite frankly, she's only on the show for the shots of them as far as I can make out. Dreadful stuff.

We then get to Joseph. He's some hunk of a guy who demonstrates tools on building sites and that's just the sort of thing that appeals to Tulisa and Scary as the camera waits for them to make suitably approving smirks to each other. Tulisa has an amazingly flirtatious look even when she isn't trying but here she is definitely trying. Joseph does a nice rock audtion with a Zeppelin track and that goes down really well. We get some crap about him doing it for his son which we could do without as presumably there's a mother somewhere and tool salesmen don't do that badly. The star the two girls reckon he is? I doubt it but he's good tv. We'll see more of him, anyway.

Next stop is Scotland where we start with Dermot in a grey T shirt and jeans warming up the audience. Waking them up, more probably. It gets dark early in Glasgow. No men in the audience. Glasgow men don't do to X Factor shows.

Well, some wimpy guy called Alan from Alloa does and he would have been so much better advised to have stayed at home. pathetic and I really do have to wonder why on earth his audition was the intro to Glasgow? Strange. Alex Salmon will be furious. Loretta follows - a huge black lady in a red dress. We get the rear view camera for some reason and her backside looks as if it is glowing like some setting sun. She sings appallingly. What is going on?

Hester appears but the plastic horns, white tights and pink bits say it all. Well, they don't say it all, actually as she launches into a completely unexpected Wild Thing which is almost in tune and at least she tried. Still not much good, though. It's getting near the end of the show so you just know that they've saved up something good for the end. On comes Melanie who says she teaches children music. Usually music teachers do OK but they can be a bit formal so, with some reference to fairies or silly names, I'm waiting for her to do the Noddy theme or something light and airy when she wails into an amazing version of Janis Joplin's Cry Baby. Excellent. She will go far. Pretty sure of that. And that's why I put the video at the start.