Do We Really Need Another Version of Skyscraper?

Yes, the bookies were right this year as Sam wins the X Factor UK Final.

Katy Perry brought along her new single Unconditionally from yet another variation on the suspended theme we've had on the stage this year. One Direction also performed something new - a much raunchier number about midnight somewhere like Madison (I think).

Nicholas sang well. Sam sang better. Neither strike me as long-term star artists but Sam has massive support out there amongst an older generation and I wish her all the best. She certainly has talent and can entertain and is a worthy winner of this competition.

The show itself dragged terribly and seemed to be stretched out far more than it should have been with Nicholas being asked at almost every break how he felt or, if was not him, how his mum or someone else felt. All the family stuff went on and on and I lost interest after the first few questions. The judges were also straining to find anything new to say and, despite wearing ridiculous MacDonald tartan trousers, I swear I heard Louis say that we should vote for Sam and that her version of Skyscraper would be No 1.

Why on Earth have they got Sam Bailey recording another version of Skyscraper? What is the point of that? Demi Lovato, interestingly a judge with Simon Cowell on X Factor USA, has charted twice with this in the UK already, reaching the Top 40 in 2012 and No.7 in October this year.

Although this was not a particularly memorable season, I must say that the quality of performers did seem a lot higher than on many previous occasions and we have been spared the 'joke' act too.

The one memory that will remain for me, though, will be Nicole Scherzinger's remarkable performance yesterday.

The X Factor Final. Part 1.

Dermot starts by descending from some pole for no reason that I could fathom at all. The obligatory sing-a-long next with Luke looking a bit uncomfortable. Sing-a-longs aren't really his thing. Thereagain, they weren't James Arthur's either.

We then get a very long drawn out visit by Nicholas to Scotland with Louis. He eventually starts singing Candy from a silly balloon and an absolutely huge number of dancers and whoever on stage with him. He sort of disappears. Gary makes a good point about that performance not exactly showing off his voice very well. That was very average. I almost expected Robbie to emerge at one point.

Another long, long set piece of Sam in Leicester. She and Sharon doing karaoke at some pub more or less summed the night up. Oh dear. Sam is better than that. Maybe the producers aren't that bothered. They did get Peter Dickson to do the announcement at the Leicester Hall, though!! Unless it was a recording. Still, sounded quite impressive.

When Sam eventually gets going it's the splendid The Edge Of Glory. She is doing reasonably well but then very deliberately puts down the mic and grabs some fireman's pole. Terrible blue outfit and she did not look at all right doing the pole thing. Good voice but I'd rather watch Lady Gaga. That wasn't an obviously winning performance like some of her past have been.

48 minutes in and just two performances. That'll give you an idea of how tonight's going.

Luke does the Fun number We Are Young. Not the best of starts but once he gets going it's better. He doesn't have a pole but he has a train set. Looks good on TV. That was OK but no better really than Sam. Beat Nicholas, just.

The bookies started off with Sam 1/5, Nicholas 9-1 and Luke 11-1. Nothing seems to have changed half-way through.

Tom Odell is great - and actually if you listen to him you can see how successful Luke could be. Now it's Luke with Ellie Gould supporting him. Anything Could Happen is one of those songs that come true - remember what it did for Fifth Harmony? Launched them into outer space, chart-wise, although I suppose they did still come 3rd.

Nicholas gets Shane from Westlife. He only gets to sing a line before the compulsory intro. Whereas Ellie and Luke genuinely seemed together, Luke was quite dominated and outclassed by Shane in the annoying Flying Without Wings song.

Sam gets Nicole Scherzinger who is pretty amazing! She should do more like that. Actually , despite Sam's efforts, Nicole totally dominated the whole thing and that was quite a good reminder of how Sam, good as she is, is not stunningly good and may only just ever be an album artist doing good covers after winning. I hate to say that but I guess we needed the reminder as to just how powerful you need to be really to warrant the prize.

Unbelievably, Kitty JEdward, Rylan, TwoShoes, Diva Fever and goodness knows who else, oh, Johnny Robinson and the ghastly Wagner too, appear n some crazy reminiscence that reminds us how weird this show has been.

In complete and utter contrast, The Killers have a set and start with the marvellous Human. Second track Mr Brightside, also excellent and here is a band that set the whole place alight.

Nicole, Tom Odell and The Killers really have shown what the X Factor actually is. And, to be really honest, so far only Luke has shown a glimmer of that.

Dermot's results time: first through has to be Sam. Yes, of course. This is the big one, though. Luke or Nicholas? Grannies rule. It's Nicholas they vote through. That's going to be a tedious Final.

I wonder what else is on next Sunday? X Factor may be very missable.

Michael Bublé and Leona Lewis entertained with old and new performances. Someone has written a great and really commercial Christmas track for Leona which I expect will be played in supermarkets all over Britain next year.

This the the time when the final three are chosen and they're the ones we get to vote for as winners so getting on that Final show is pretty important. Anything can happen on Final night as we've seen in the past with unexpected results. I don't think anyone is planning to put any money on anyone other than Sam Bailey this year, though.

Then we get an extremely long an very tedious and poorly produced ad for Sainsbury's. I have remembered who is was for, I suppose, but, if anything, it has inclined me to keep well away from the orange-coloured store.

Dermot announces the results and, sure enough, Sam is through. He couldn't really have called out another name anyway. As whoever had been left would then know who the Bottom Two would be. It is the next name that is the important one. The one I didn't want to hear was Nicholas but that was the second one through, implying that people are voting still in a big way for him.

So Luke v Rough Copy in the sing-off. The worst result as both would have enlivened a Final next week. Luke performs really well again - he is proving very consistent and ultra-reliable but still original. Rough Copy do another Smooth Copy number and, for the first time, really are not terribly good at all. In fact several notes are distinctly off and,in particular, the last one was quite painful to listen to. Will that make a difference? It is, after all, just down to Sharon and Nicole to decide. Nicole saves Rough Copy. Sharon does the decent thing and saves Luke, so taking it to the public vote results.

Luke gets through and the boys go home. Coming 4th ain't bad, though, and they've got a lot of fun coming up on the UK tour as well.

So now we have the three finalists. If the public chose Nicholas over Luke based on Saturday's performances then I can't see them changing their minds next week. Not that it will matter a great deal. It'll be Sam Bailey that hs the big Christmas single this year and the other two won't. I predict that we will, however, hear a lot from Luke in 2014 and absolutely nothing other than a load of covers for the Grannies from Nicholas.

One thing's for sure. I shall find something else to watch is Luke is eliminated first. The prospect of Sam and Nicholas singing endlessly does little for me. It'll please the Grannies though. God bless 'em.

It Really Does Have To Be Sam, Doesn't It?

Straight in to performances tonight.

Luke Friend is singing The Best Thing I Ever Had and is a pretty unlikely Beyonce track singer. He is so good that I think you could give him almost any track and he will turn it into something that is his after all. That distinguishes this guy from the others: he has that ability and will always produce honest home-grown performances and he deserves to do well. Great.

Nicholas MacDonald has Halo. This is a massive song. Terrible start. He gets going but it really is just Nicholas singing words to notes and certainly isn't something that people should be rushing out to buy and only grannies are going to vote for this. For the first time in this series, he also missed some key notes. He brought it back to life a little at the end but that was a very forgettable performance.

Sam Bailey is apparently so far out front in the betting that it breaks all records in this competition. She will be in the final next week, whatever she sings. If I Were A Boy is not an easy song either - it seems that whoever wrote Beyonce's songs started very very low and then sent them racing for high notes a few seconds later. Not easy. Sam's fine with high ones and just about managed the others without anyone worrying too much. Nce makeover team work again. I still don't see her as a major chart act but she is very competent and probably will win if the voters are as they usually are.

Rough Copy sing Survivor. They do this pretty well. I don't know if it really suited them but they may not have had much choice. They need the next song to go well. This didn't. Whilst my choice would be for Ncholas to go, that may mean they are more at risk than I'd expected.

Next it's Elton John tracks time and Dermot tells us that it will be Nicholas MacDonald who is first up/ Now that's unusual - a change of order.

His song is Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and he sounds pretty much like the guy who wrote it. Much better. A bit boring, but accurate and confident. Very 90s.

Luke Friend has Something In The Way You Look Tonight which is more Nicholas or Sam territory. I am not sure this will help him despite it being a quite sweet performance. It's just that Luke shouldn't do sweet. At the end he begins to be himself again and at last. Still, that could well have pleased the grannies.

Rough Copy doing Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word was a stroke of brilliance by Gary. Starting one at a time worked very well and each were spot-on vocally. Yes, they seem more like Smooth Copy than Rough Copy but I guess that's the act they want to be to make the money so that later they can be something more modern. That really ought to see them through to the final but someone else will have to not make it. So whose place will they be taking? Not Sam's obviously. So Luke or Nicholas?

Sam Bailey closes with what Dermot describes as the biggest selling song of all time. I suppose that's true if you include the Diana version but it will be Goodbye Norma Jean that Sam's singing. Candle In The Wind is a lovely song and suits Sam. No-one can really criticise that performance. She has to go through and I can't imagine anyone else winning.

I still think Luke should though.

Grannies Decide The Top Four

Watching the replays, Luke is the one that stands out. The others were comfortable and didn't make any mistakes. I can see Rough Copy and Tamera doing well in our charts and Sam and Nicholas may have some albums too. How that is reflected in results is anyone's guess.

As if to remind us, Rebecca Ferguson is on stage and showing how well someone who doesn't win can do. (She was beaten by Matt Cardle but put 1D in third place!!) If someone could write some really commercial tracks for Rebecca she'd do even better.

So I suppose it doesn't really matter. Across the Pond, X Factor USA have seen two excellent acts fall before reaching the Top 6 - one great girl group that could be very commercial and a super young boy have been voted off. They'll get picked up more cheaply by SYCO perhaps but I still reckon they'll be making good careers before long, regardless of who actually takes the prize.

James Arthur, who did win, is also on tonight's programme and that's his first single since winning. He is not a typical 'winner' but, to be honest, the show would have not survived Jahmene wailing his way to winning so voters may well have been in short supply anyway. Low turnouts give almost anyone a chance. He really didn't have much competition once Ella, Lucy and Union J had gone. A strange year and it may be that we recall this one in similar vein.

The results programme does feel as if it's been dragged out a lot. Apart from the acts brought in for the show, the first three quarters of an hour are taken up with replays and the acts just rambling on in pre-recorded tapes. You almost want to see the sing-off just to have someone perform.

So here we go. Who makes the Top 4? Rough Copy make it. Sam. Of course. So one more gets through for certain. That's Nicholas. Oh dear. So it's Tamera v Luke. Bad choice. The grannies have it. It'll be Tamera whose time is up then. Pity but just wait and see who makes an impact in the 2014 charts and then decide who really won.

What a way to go, though! Tamera sings her heart out with real passion. Very good indeed. Luke was simply fabulous too and there is no way he could have been sent home after that. Possibly the best performance of the series this year. That was brilliant.

The judges take it to deadlock and the lowest vote is Tamera.

And, of course, she's going to be a stand-out star on the X Factor Tour around Britain and well cared for by influential people in the industry.

Top 5 Perform

It ought to be getting tough now but we're still waiting for someone to do something that says 'Yup, that's a future British star we can also see on the American stage and even breaking into Europe'

If Sam wins as expected then she wins and there'll be an album out but I don't think we'll be that bothered. Our only real hopes are that either Rough Copy get some street cred back, that Tamera remembers what she's doing or Luke breaks loose of Louis' chains.

Nicholas starts the programme and we've voted for him to sing Just The Way You Are which is a lovely track but this guy is not going to set the UK music scene or charts alight I'm afraid. He did put his own quite individual spin on this but just look back a couple of years at how brilliantly Matt Cardle did this very same track. Now that was amazing. Seriously, this was very average. Good singing but very average - even a little nervous-sounding for the first time I can recall. That may have been his being unnerved by Gary's very fair comments last week.

Sharon makes the point that he sings beautifully but, well, that's all. there's no performance. Gary wants risk. He says he's middle of the road. Now there was a good group. Nicole seems taken by the cute guy and liked it. Louis, obviously, talks him back up again and puts him in the Final. Louis might be right but i have not the faintest idea why, apart from grannies.

Sam Bailey is a dead cert to move on through to the Final. So it is almost irrelevant what she does between now and then. However, we've given her Whitney's How Will I Know? to sing. This lady is a superb cover singer. You can rely on her to do a great job time after time. But she doesn't look right trying to do the stage thing. She's no dancer and looked quite odd tonight next to all the girls. Yes, she sang all the right notes and it was jolly good but... but it was quite uninspiring. She is very, very good but, you know what.. she doesn't have the X factor. That may sound harsh but she's a bit like Nicholas in that respect - brilliant singer, effortless, nice enough person but not a star.

Judges talk of cruise ships but are mostly following the bookies who have her as the winner by a very clear margin indeed. I am still not sure the votes will, eventually, go her way if Tamera is there up against her and Nicholas. Tamera could extract this from the grannies' hold like James managed last year. But she has to do a lot of work.

Let's see how she starts. She has just one golden opportunity to do so with the track we chose for her. It is a pity that she's not on last with this which would have improved her chances too - as it is the old memory will clash with the opposite style Rihanna number. Perhaps that'll bring two sets of votes in though.

Ah, it looks like she is getting to the Rihanna number first. Good. She looks so much more relaxed and puts on a great performance of an average We Found Love. I expected her to move around a bit more - she seemed rooted to the spot. Attractively so but still a bit stuck there. That was a great show and welcome back, girl!

Luke is the one who has to hang in there this week. Skinny Love is his public choice track. He is just one natural, talented singer and performer. He'll be doing music whatever happens here but it would be so good if he could actually win and stuff the boring old Sams and Nicks into the also-rans. It should be him, Tamera and Rough Copy in the final. It won't be but maybe two out of three. This track was good but I fear it may not get the votes he needs so it is very much down to the second song tonight for him.

He gets good reviews all round. Actually, the best so far.

Rough Copy are looking and sounding good with their double mix of Jukebox numbers. I'm not sure You Got That Vibe worked as well as the first track but they were a star act for sure. Easily beating Nicholas and Sam B this week. But will that be enough to survive? I can't seen them avoiding the bottom two but they deserve to stay.

Second round and Nicholas is telling us how he got a birthday cake last week. Yeah, OK, now let's move on. He's got a Gary Barlow song and is worried about getting the high notes. I'm sure he'll manage just fine. Greatest Day is not easy but he does a good job and makes though key notes just as well as Gary does. It's just all a bit meaningless - more a technical task than a performance to entertain. Lukewarm response from Gary. Polite and pretty compliments from Nicole who does look lovely. That'll please whoever had been voting for him so far. By rights he ought to be in the bottom two this week but I will be surprised if he is - and even then he'll probably get saved.

Sam Bailey should be in her element with Clown. That was very professional and reliable - a clearly excellent singer. X Factor winner? Not for me but probably for many many others and I can't see how she can't reach the final.

Louis says that the competition is all about helping someone like her. Not so sure about that although it sort of has been for many.

Luke is next - a slight change of order in this half. This is a wonderful track and he can't go wrong with it. Very well selected by him. You know - if he can keep up this style then he could actually win! This is exactly what people are buying this year and they'd flock to see him at concerts too. Really good and he just has to stay and grab the granny vote away from Nicholas at least, if not even Sam too.

I can only live in hope. Things don't usually go the way I want them to on this programme with power ballad and big singing so often winning over pure talent.

Next, Miss Tamera Foster. She has a beautiful song: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. She knows this song - having performed it before and so is confident again. She only got to do half of it but that was very nice. She really ought to stay. I see a battle still on the cards.

Gary says he thinks she'll have a massive career over the next 5 years and I agree. Interestingly, what happens in this competition may not be indicative of that, he adds. She should be well pleased at doing justice to both songs this week.

Rough Copy get to close the show with the awful I Believe I Can Fly song. They do a good harmony sing-a-long version of the well-worn number and keep most people happy enough.

This will be a tough show to call. It really could be anyone in the bottom two this week as the two most likely to have been at risk, Tamera and Luke, performed the best. Rough Copy did an entertaining job too. They may be the ones going, though, although it ought to be Nicholas.

Not The Five We Expected

Wow. That was a show! JLS open and remind us that coming 2nd in 2008 didn't do them any harm. Great performance all round but one of their last. Then we get One Direction too, a few days after doing The Story Of My Life on X Factor USA doing the same thing here and sowing that coming 3rd in 2010 didn't do them any harm either.

It was terribly embarrassing to watch Louis and Sharon waving their hands in the air and chair dancing but maybe Simon can have a word with them before he returns next year.

So, Dermot takes charge and does the results bit. With just six acts left on the stage there are only three names to announce before the scary one - you know, that last one who escapes the sing off! It could be someone who got the most votes, you never know, as the announcement is, indeed, in no particular order.

The three are predictably Sam Bailey, Nicholas and Luke, leaving Tamera, Hannah and Rough Copy in limbo. Now, I know what Iwas thinking, and I am pretty sure most other people watching would have been thinking the same thing. The next name Dermot announces will be Rough Copy. Hannah had been excellent the previous day but had been persistently in the Bottom Two so was likely to be in again. It might have been her name that Dermot called safe, though, as Rough Copy really hadn't exactly done that good a job and were a bit vulnerable. The thing is, though, that, either way, Tamera was going home.

I had even put money on it. That's not like me at this stage of the proceedings but, however much I like the girl and do think she has an enormous talent and, yes, I would love to see her steal the show, but no, I didn't think there were that many people in voting land who would be supporting her. So, sad though it would be, whoever she was up against out of the others, Tamera was definitely the one to go tonight.

Tamera announced Dermot. The crowd went silent for a split second. There were then cheers from her surprised fans and boos from those who weren't fans and who had realised what that meant. Tamera herself looked really shocked and almost collapsed. No-one appeared to have expected that. She proved to be more popular, even after getting criticism from everyone, and quite awkward stuff too from Gary, Sharon and Louis who effectively dismissed her completely, even after that, she was more popular than the Rough Copy dudes and the girl who had had almost ridiculously complimentary comments from everyone.

The camera moves from her to Hannah, the producer clearly realising that she's going now, whatever she sings. She looks pretty down. Hannah does a good job and easily beats Rough Copy in terms of performance but it's Rough Copy who get voted through by the judges. I'd thought Sharon might have taken it to the public vote with a 2-2 split but no, even she recognised that if the public don't want someone in the competition then they're equally unlikely to buy their records later.

So that's the five now: Sam Bailey, heavily predicted winner, Luke French, the dark horse who might just surprise everyone but seems a classic 3rd or 4th place to me, Nicholas McDonald, the typical X Factor finalist who sometimes actually wins and then gets forgotten about, Rough Copy, the group who could be Gary's G4 against Sharon's Steve Brookstein and Tamera Foster, the one real star in the show who ought to win but probably won't.

And Then There Were Five

This is a 10 Year X Factor Celebration show, with lots of nice little clips and memories.

Olly Murs starts the show, possibly instead of the annoying sing-a-long. X Factor USA are celebrating the British Invasion (presumably they mean pop music) and had 1D so this is in a similar vein. 1D jet in tomorrow's results show and will probably get asked the same questions and sing the same song, They made a good job across the Pond - see the video on my XFactorUSA blog.

Olly's a great ad for the show. He lost to little Joe McElderry who has never been seen since. The only thing that bothers me about Olly is his grammar is absolutely dreadful and Pur Yer And on My Arse doesn't sound quite how I imagine the writer wrote it.

Olly's backing Rough Copy. They'll like that. He adds Sam Bailey at the last minute, just in case.

It's interesting to compare the two shows this and t'other side of the Pond. Dermot O'Leary is such a good presenter - he seems to have totally taken on board the role and, whatever his real views, seems to like all the acts and, as listeners to his Radio 2 Saturday afternoon show and several other more serious projects he has done recently, the chap is intelligent and very much in the zone. Mario Lopez is improving week by week in USA. He doesn't have the depth of knowledge that Dermot possesses but he does have a pleasant way of dealing with people and, above all, comes across naturally and not as scripted as the dreadful Khloe and wooden Steve Jones had been in previous years.

In fact, Dermot almost leads the show, now that the judges have been changed around a fair bit and do seem to have lost their authority these days. Sharon is so out of place in 2013. She may have just managed to fit in at the show's start but now, no.

First off of the contestants is little Nicholas. Ha ha! I'm writing this live so it's so funny to see little Joe McElderry (who I'd said seemed to have disappeared!!) helping him with, of all tracks The Climb. Or The Ruddy Climb as Olly would have referred to the song as it was that track that Joe excelled at in the final.

That was some coincidence. Nicholas has an over-produced version for this year compared to the very note perfect and gentle Joe version. This was quite boring. When he was singing alone without all the pzzazz, he wasn't as good as he had been in previous weeks. He made a good job of this but I cannot see anyone wanting to buy this stuff except grannies and his mum. Louis wouldn't either - and he's his mentor. He gets a ridiculous birthday cake. All credit to whoever made that, by the way. I expect Nicholas will be in the Top 5 and many have him in the final.

Nicholas is 2nd favourite but still some way behind Sam Bailey.

Hannah is doing Hallelujah. Seeing her meeting Alexandra Burke really cannot have improved her view of her own appearance but she does sing well. This is a classic song that I now feel has been sung too much. I am not at all sure that Hannah knew what it was all about. She was also a bit breathy tonight and this was not my favourite version of the song at all. The makeover team deserve a mention in the New Year Honours List for the work they've done with her appearance. All in all, much as she's not my favourite in this competition, I have to give her credit and that was, as Louis said, her best performance in the competition. She is still favourite to go but after that Luke may struggle.

And here he comes. What Makes You Beautiful is the 1D hit that he's performing. It's pretty good. What the voters will make of it I don't know. To me it seemed like a star performing on a stage and this was a confident and immaculate show that he put on. If it is between him and Hannah, as expected, then it will be sad if he loses. Who knows? Voters may lift him and so everything now depends on what Tamera and Rough Copy do.

Rough Copy do Little Mix? Good grief. That might save Luke after all! I have never been very impressed with Little Mix's song writers - especially when compared to 1D's and Olly's, amongst others. So someone else doing a song can often make it sound even less good. In this case Rough Copy were great and current and I have to admit that the audience liked that a lot but it didn't strike me as something that will get the voting viewers lines particularly hot. Obviously the audience loved it so I may be wrong but I can't see that working well for them generally. Nothing they do seems to fir X Factor anyway. Well, it may fit X Factor but it doesn't fit the group.

Rylan Clarke, Chico and Shayne Ward behind the scenes seem to be having a great time. I bet Leon Jackson isn't around. Or Eoghann Quinn. Maybe Ray though.

Tamera Foster needs something special tonight. Gary was spot on, saying last week that she has to have that moment. She says to Olly how she remembers watching X Factor at her grandma's. And her grandma loved Olly. That says a lot. She's singing Impossible. As if we hadn't already had enough of this from chewing the words James. Se looks beautiful with short and straight hair. I hope for her sake that it was mic problem that broke the words a couple of times near the start. I would rather watch and listen to Tamera than James any day. 

It seems that she did, indeed, lose the words and got caned for it by the judges. Not a good review although I don't think that it was anything like as noticeable as Gary said. I like her and hope that she survives. Against any of the others, though, I would worry about her chances and so as there is a good chance she'll be Bottom Two tomorrow this could be farewell Tamera. And she has only herself to blame, I'm afraid. Pity.

Sam Bailey closes the show with Leona Lewis to match Bleeding Love. Leona looks quite a bit older now! Sam intelligently comments that she doesn't want to be someone who just sings other people's songs. I don't know what she could do to change this one, though. Near the end she did manage to take it somewhere quite different, however, and I was quite impressed. Well done. 

Sharon mentions something about the papers. I suppose that's the news we hear that she has been getting 30% of the votes, topping the poll by a mile every week.

Top 7 Perform

Hannah hasn't been my favourite act this year but I have to give her credit for doing pretty damn well opening the show with Satisfaction. Great choice by Nicole. Now, by all normal predictions, having been in the bottom two two weeks running, Hannah should be at risk. If anything's going to save her then that was. It looks like it'll be someone else this week who gets sent home so which of the other five can it be?

Luke
He's got a tough track. Nice to see Seal giving him support and it sounds like Luke actually chose this himself. I wasn't at all sure but this has worked really well for him. Loved it. He brought something out of the Elton number that few can manage. Well done. Nice job.

Sam B
Well, we knew she'd do that justice and she certainly did. That was like watching someone performing on the show as a guest. Nicole talks about butt cheeks for some reason best known to herself. That was good and, as someone who hasn't been that kind in the past about her performances, that is saying something. Up until now she has bee a superb singer but not someone I could see selling records or appearing on TV shows. Whilst her audience is older than most of the chart act purchasers and I don't see her being around for ever, she is very likely to win this show and will have some big numbers in the charts come January. In terms of who I thought the show was designed to find - someone with the 'X Factor' and a new chart act with some life - there are one or two better this year but I am not sure they'll get the votes. Sam, on the other hand, is very likely to get them and, if the papers can be believed, has regularly tied up the top 30% every week so far.

Rough Copy
They've got a crazy choice! Viva La Vida is not something I'd have had them doing. It is easy to hum along to and doesn't test them too much. Obviously very commercial but I wasn't that impressed with their singing. It seemed a bit wobbly and even a bit off key sometimes. Nevertheless, this is a great group and I am sure we'll see lots more of them. They ought to be Top 3 this year.

Sam C
It's odd but everyone seems to want this guy to go - except those who actually vote! He cruises pleasantly enough through Faith. We know the judges will not say much nice. Sharon says he looks defeated but knows how many Twitter followers he has. Gary does his best to support him and actually finally shows some respect for what the guy's trying to do. Nicole says he has the right attitude which is fair. Louis doesn't want him in the bottom two. I can't see how he can't be.

Tamera
Taking on a Bond song was brave and really not the sort of thing she would be doing in her own right. She did have a close call as the words escaped her for a moment but she avoided disaster. This was not a good week for her in a week that she really really needed to be good. Hannah had performed well and I can see Tamera hitting the bottom two this time. And if she's up against anyone other than Sam C (unlikely as he has a massive following) then she's going home.

Nicholas
A fabulous voice - by far the best performance tonight. Even the Adele track didn't seem tedious this time. Excellent. He deserved a standing ovation but no-one seemed interested. Quite how a 16 year-old schoolboy can understand those lyrics I don't know.

So that's that. There'll be just six left tomorrow.

The Top 8 do something with big bands

While X Factor USA has Simon Cowell and acts doing this year's No.1s, indeed one doing Lorde's Royals, the UK recent No.1, we have Big Band week. Hmmm.

We do have Dermot O'Leary, though. Nicole Scherzinger appears in an extremely yellow dress. 'No more backing tracks' says Sharon. Not so sure that'll improve anything. Some rather needed that.

Abi gets to start off the show. Quite how she'll cope on this very unusual night no-one knows. That's Life doesn't sound like her scene but we learn that her dad's in a big band and she is familiar with the genre after all. The make-over team have done really well, she certainly looks great. She sings well and with confidence - a lot better than I'd expected. A nice job. She did seem a little 'stuck' on her podium and some of the movements were a bit forced and not that natural. I'm not so sure she was that comfortable but still she made a good effort. Much depends on how the voters see her. She's not that popular so I reckon she'll still be vulnerable this week.

Sam Bailey is the current bookies' favourite, not that they're been right much in the past. she seems to have been visited by Michael Bolton. Not quite sure why, and will the others get called upon by their heroes? I don't know. But anyway, back to her performance. Well, she can sure sing! I can't see anyone beating that in terms of good old style bashing the notes out. For those who like that sort of thing, she was excellent. That's not what people are going to buy in 2014, more 1974 if not before. However, that's what will get her through easily to next week and let's hope that she gets to bring something more today to the show. She has the ability and the make-over team have stripped years away from her so she has every chance of appealing across the board - just needs the right material and not merely to sing like someone else does.

Nicholas will sing well. We know that. But will it all hang together? I'm not quite sure what Louis had in mind in terms of 'Big Band' with the Dream A Little Dream track. I suppose there was a band in the background but this was more a clever Louis move to get the youngster through safely. He seems to be the most popular boy at the bookies and also on some on-line polls. This was a simple, sing-a-long performance. Really nothing spectacular or anything that anyone other than grannies and his mum would buy. Big band week was always going to be this way so I shall not draw any more conclusions. The guy will get through, end of story.

Luke is a very likeable character. He just gets up and does what he feels like. This is a good song for him but not an easy one at all. He struggles. Despite a lot of effort to bring it back you just feel that he is singing one track and the band are playing another. This was not so good. He could be in a spot of bother after that.

Hannah has another voice problem apparently. I can't see that stopping her belting it out on the night, though. She has a great song to perform. Dressed in a dark suit she looks pretty good and sings well. After a while I get a bit tired of her tone but no-one can deny that she has power and talent. I find her style revolting, though. Those low notes and what she does with her mouth are not something that I can listen or watch easily. However, she was confident and did a good job of the number. That ought to see her through, depending on how her popularity holds up amongst voters.

Rough Copy
They enjoyed this. It was a very cool performance and a great track choice for them. Great! Best of the night so far. Really good job and so unlike what we'd expect from these guys on a CD in 2014. Now that is how to put on a show - even if the theme is not of your choosing. Nicole and Louis both say they should make the final.

Tamera
This is a wonderful performance by the girl who should win this whole competition. Not an easy track at all, especially with the live band but she makes it seem simple. Looking fabulous with near perfect make-up and dress and hair. A really good act. I have to make her best of the night. Now, will the voters vote for her or will the reports of her attitude in the background cause trouble again. There were rumours again of Simon Cowell getting involved and insisting that every effort was made to put her across as well as possible. Well, they certainly have done that, whatever and whoever's behind it all. Amazing. She has to get through.

Sam Callahan

Sam is closing the show which is quite a responsibility for the fellow who has probably suffered more than anyone from bad comments and reviews so far. Not a week has gone by without someone criticising him. It seems that he loves the Big Band genre so that's a good start. He certainly seems at home with the band and girls on the stage. All very old style stuff, pleasing enough on the eye and actually quite decent on the ear too. The notes were right and he came across well. OK, so the voice wasn't as strong as it could be but I don't think that mattered. He showed himself as a great performer, and someone who could be relied upon to do a good job out there on the stage. The judges made a very special effort not to say anything negative this time. Dermot tried to push Gary but Gary hung on in there and just did the 'A for effort' thing like the others had done. 

It would be a shame if Sam Callahan were to go in the very week that he performed his best but I feel it has to be either him or Abi. Again, Nicholas could be the shock entry in the Bottom Two with a pretty tiresome performance two weeks running. He'd be safe, though, and whoever he's up against would go.