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Wow what a week for gossip and sensationalism. Wagner and Matt had a big bust up. Mary has moved out of the shared house, so has Katie, Cher isn’t speaking to anybody and somebody left the shower on and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. That was what the newspapers were saying anyway and you can’t buy publicity like that.

Anyway on to this week the Beatles song week. Instead of writing my review the day after I’m going to have a change and write it as the show happens. First of all:

Matt Cardell – Come Together

Showed some versatility at last except for his white vest, sort of thing my dad wore with his pyjama bottoms back in the 60s and oh dear Simon thought that he looked like he’d been dragged off the loo – true. As far as the performance went it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t a performance of a winner.

Cher Lloyd – Imagine

I love this song and it’s never failed to give me goose bumps until tonight. Cher sang it well, probably one of her best performances but this little girl with a big voice just didn’t do this massive hit justice, but can a 17 year old?

One Direction – All You Need Is Love

So far I haven’t been able to see why there is so much excitement about this very young boy band and I still can’t. A bland but competent performance, but this song is one of the original pop anthems, a crowd stirrer. That didn’t happen until after they finished and the girls in the audience were screaming.

Rebecca Ferguson – Yesterday

I would have loved to have said “Another cracking performance” from Rebecca. After a very shaky start she picked herself up and it was a good performance but not great. As always she looked great, so classy but I don’t think it was the right song choice for her.

Mary Byrne  – Something

Out of everybody I absoulutely expected Mary to do well with this beautiful song, an excellent choice. For the first time for me Mary looked and acted the part, probably because her confidence was there and yes she did do well, the best so far this evening.

Paije Richardson – Let It Be

When I saw this song choice for Paige I though ‘crap, Danni has done it again’. I was wrong. There was some slight timing issues but as the song went on and as he built confidence, his soulful voice and great performance put him right back on the map. He was dressed pretty natty as well.

Wagner Carrilho – Mash up of Get Back, Hippy Hippy Shake and Hey Jude

Will somebody please put him out of his misery. I’ve seen and heard better karaoke performances. He was out of tune but when was he ever in tune. I don’t get him at all, he is not entertaining. Cheryl had a go at him for being catty about her in the press and good for her. Please stop voting for him, far more talented singers are being voted out and surely they have more of a chance of success.

Katie Waissel – Help

I wasn’t sure what I thought of this song choice, but I’m not sure about her either. Her new haircut suited her and made her look like a different person. Her performance was brilliant, her version of Help was the best cover I’ve ever heard and perhaps better than the original and that’s really saying something.

My favourite of the night

Katie Waissel – Help

Looks the part

Rebecca Ferguson

Which would I buy

A tie between Katie’s Help and Paije’s Let It Be

Should be voted out - Wagner Carrilho, his performance was the worst and has been every week.

Despite some of my favourites not being as good as normal this week I still enjoyed the show. Perhaps my expectations were a little too high when realistically there are few who can sing Beatles songs anywhere near as well as the originals, but there were some nice surprises too.

The Sing Off And Results

This show is getting ridiculous, Cher and Paije in the last 2 when the slimy untalented Wagner gets through to the next show. The X Factor is becoming a travesty, gossip, falling out, and a joke being supported over talent.

Paije Richardson sang ‘Stop’ and gave an excellent performance to a song that well suited his soulful voice.

Cher Lloyd gave a powerful performance of ’Stay’ again and it became a foregone conclusion afer the first few seconds.

I felt so sorry for those 2 talented youngsters while they were waiting for the verdict, but somebody had to go and it was my favourite Paije, who was the most gracious to be voted out yet. I’m absolutely sure that Paije has got a great future ahead of him, now I’ve got a feeling that the rest of this series of the X Factor is going to be boring without him.

Note. I was absolutely disgusted to see the headlines in a Sunday tabloid I do not give a monkeys what any of the contestants relatives do for a living, it’s none of my business, nor is it anbody elses business. It’s because of that sick sort of journalism that I stopped buying newspapers years ago.

These are my personal views. What did you think of the show? Please let us know in the comments.

Paije Richardson singing Let It Be

Blimey after last weeks contentious vote off of Treyc Cohen the judges were at it again bickering over the acts. Sometimes I wonder if the arguing and ‘sensational’ stories are diliberate to create more interest in the show.

I didn’t have time to write about last week but for the record my personal opinion is that Cheryl Cole shouldn’t have been put on the spot like that and forced to choose between her 2 acts at an early stage in the voting. If Cheryl had been asked last she could have sent it to deadlock and let the public vote decide.

I felt that Katie Wassail should have gone, her vocals are nowhere near as good as Treyc’s, her performance was better,  and Katie sitting down on the floor like a spoilt brat shouting out ‘sod it’ was pathetic. It’s funny how one week the judges will say that their decision is based on the performances in the sing off, then another it’s based on how much further the judges think the acts can go, then another it can be decided upon how interesting they are, then another how flexible, get my drift?

Anyway I’ll move on to week 6, the Elton John song week.

Paije Richardson

Started off the show and the bickering with a good rendition of ‘Crocodile Rock’. Louis Walsh said that it was the wrong song choice and Danni Minogue tried to stop him from speaking by calling him snappy and snappiung her fingers in his face – I would have slapped them away that’s for sure. Although I love Paije’s voice and thought his performance good I also agree with Louis and felt that it wasn’t a good song choice.

There is a promise in Paije that is being unfulfilled. I remember him singing ‘It’s A Mans World’ in his audition and loving his powerful, soulful voice. So far Danni has not picked a song to show off his voice to the best and I’m beginning to fear that she never will. Simon Cowell said that Paije would never win the X Factor. How rude and how cruel saying that about a sensative 19 year old. Paije came back with a retort about flexibility and he was right, he has more flexibility than some of the others.

Aiden Grimshaw

Was voted off after being in the sing off with Katy Waissel. It was her umpteenth sing off but still she scraped through. I liked Aiden’s performance of ‘Rocket Man’ but I had a feeling that he would go because he was not standing out in any way.

Mary Byrne

Got her mojo back thanks to her daughter who she was missing flying over from Ireland with Westlife and being in the audience. Mary sang ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ really well, and it’s great that somebody older is doing so well in the competition, but I don’t think that she will be in there much longer.

One Direction

Sang ‘Something About The Way You Look Tonight’ pretty well, but if you are a One Direction fan I’m sorry. Sorry but I don’t believe the hype Simon is generating about them. I still can’t muster up much interest in them, but I’m sure young teenage girls will be able to.

Cher Lloyd

A mash up of ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’ and Eminem’s Mockingbird was young Cher’s choice. One of the best performances, Cher has one heck of a voice and it was a good choice of song to show that off. A little bit of rap in the middle didn’t spoil it but I’m wondering if Cher indulging herself with the rap additions might end up losing her the contest.

Katie Waissel

Katie sang a reasonable performance of ‘Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting’  but it wasn’t anything special. It’s been said that her performances in the sing offs are stronger than those on the main show and I agree with that. Simon threatened to have Louis thrown out of the building after Louis upset Cheryl by critisizing her song choice.

Matt Cardell

Brilliant yet again with his version of ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. A bit shaky to start with but excellent after that.

Rebecca Ferguson

Gave a magical performance of ‘Candle In The Wind’. I don’t think that I’ve seen Rebecca falter once, she is so darn good.

Wagner Carrilho

Last but not least…. er rephrase that. A mash up of ‘Circle of Life’ and ‘I’m Still Standing’ that yet again left me feeling embarrassed for him. I’m sorry but I don’t find him entertaining at all and wonder if he is still there to add some contention to the show. Wagner even had to ask Louis to pronounce his name properly for the umpteenth time, shows just how seriously his mentor takes him.

Who do I think will win?

This is what I said 2 weeks ago: At this stage it looks like either Rebecca, Matt or Cher, but secretly I want Paije to win because apart from making me smile with his freshness I think that he could be a bigger star than any of the rest given time and the right training.

I’m mainly sticking to that but this is my order of preference.

1. Rebecca
2. Matt
3. Cher

My X Factor Wish

That Wagner would run off with Ann Widdicombe who is also making and ass of herself on Strictly Come Dancing.

Best X Factor Moment

Take That together again – sheer magic!

and here is Aiden Grimshaw singing Rocket Man

This week was the 4th of the live shows and supposedly an Halloween special. I say supposedly because most of the song choices had little or nothing to do with Halloween and apart from the odd outfit you wouldn’t know that there was a theme never mind heavily themed as was stated on the show. It was tame in comparison with the competing Strictly Come Dancing Halloween show and in that respect disappointing.

Most of the acts were not a disappointment if you can forget the theme. Following is my personal opinion of the remaining acts

Aiden Grimshaw

Sang his own version of Michael Jackson’s Thriller which I did not like at all. I have enjoyed his act on previous shows, but this didn’t gel with me. Some of the judges were going on about him being too intense, to me that’s rubbish, intensity his part of his style and I don’t think he should change, just be careful what he picks to sing.

Belle Amie

Performed Venus from Bananrama – or to be fair Shocking Pink. They sang it ok but to be honest I’ve seen pub groups sing it better. Despite that I still think they put on a good show and didn’t deserve to go when you think that Wagner is still in.

Cher Lloyd

Ended the show with Stay from the Shakespeare Sisters and what a finale. I liked Cher’s rapping when I first saw her but I was getting bored with watching her. This week she left the rapping out and we got to hear her just sing and it was wonderful. In my opinion she should continue to sing instead of rap and give herself more chance of reaching the finals.

Katie Waissel

Sang Bewitched from Steve Lawrence and ended up in the bottom 2 again. It was a good performance but I think that Katie would excel in musicals and not as a recording artist.

Mary Byrne

Barry Manilow’s Could It Be Magic was Mary’s choice. She sang it really well proving that she can sing more up tempo tracks. I think that she needs to update herself more to have a chance to stay in until the end.

Matt Cardell

Sang the Leona Lewis track Bleeding Love, but not as well as in previous weeks. I love listening to Matt and think he will probably get through to the finals, but he is getting too same as for me and I would like to see him doing something in a different style.

One Direction

The last band in now sang Total Eclipse Of The Heart from Bonnie Tyler. We keep getting told how good they are but so far they haven’t stood out for me. This week’s performance was the best so far from them but I doubt anybody will ever sing Total Eclipse anywhere near as well as Bonnie Tyler.

Paije Richardson

Paije sang Back To Black from Amy Winehouse and started to show that he is a real contender. This guy has improved every week and I hope he goes all the way because I love his voice and think that he is capable of great things if he is given time to learn and improve.

Rebecca Ferguson

Wicked Game from Chris Isaac was Rebecca’s number. As usual Rebecca was awesome. She was called world class by Simon Cowell and I have to agree. Like Matt she is getting a bit same as but in her case I don’t think I could ever get bored listening to her.

Treyc Cohen

Sang Relight My Fire from Take That well but I preferred her performance on the Led Zeppelin number last week.

Wagner Carrilho

Started with Oh Fortuna and then went into Bat Out Of Hell from Meatloaf bizarrely. How on earth he got through to the live shows I don’t know. I cringe every time he is on and wish that the public would stop voting for him and then a more talented act would get to stay in a bit longer. Maybe a better choice for him would have been Monster Mash

Who do I think will win?

At this stage it looks like either Rebecca, Matt or Cher, but secretly I want Paije to win because apart from making me smile with his freshness I think that he could be a bigger star than any of the rest given time and the right training.

Question by SMI05011459: Can the x factor winners single be stopped from being the xmas number 1?
I am starting to hate x factor and there is no one I like left. I think it should be a christmas song for this years no1 spot.

Best answer:

Answer by x-MissPiggy-x
Probably not but on the bright side who ever wins will fade after a while

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Article by Musa Aykac

The X Factor is set to hit our screens again in just under ten days; it’s amazing that the time of year is once again truly upon us. X Factor for me signals the end of summer and the beginning of the cold winter months. I am certain that the show will once again have millions of viewers tuning in and this year’s show is set to be even bigger and better than any other year. Simon Cowell has indicated that he wants to find a worldwide superstar again. So in the run up to the show, let’s take a look at some of the previous winners and where they are down.

Steve Brookstein – Steve Brookstein was the winner of the first ever series, the X Factor was still fresh for the public who had been used to the Pop Idol format, so probably a lot of talented singers were waiting for the more successful at the time Pop Idol auditions to begin. There was a bit of talent and one was in the form of Steve Brookstein, Steve shot to number one with his debut single and then disappeared out of the limelight after he was dropped from his record label.

Shayne Ward – The second season of X Factor started to produce some real and unique talent and personally the second season helped X factors shelf life, simply because the public saw their was talent. Shayne ward went on to sell millions of singles worldwide and dominate countries such as Asia; a new album is planned for 2009.

Leona Lewis – The X Factor had truly built up momentum by the third series and this is one that the public will always remember. Leona Lewis literally came on the show and blew every one away. Since the show Leona has gone on to become a multi platinum selling artists, her singles have shot straight to number one and she has been the one of the most successful UK acts to ever break America.

Leon Jackson – After the two successful seasons of the X Factor, there was bound to be one failure, the fourth season just really did not cut it and I do believe that there was much talent. Personally I believe the fourth season was more about the judges as Danni Minogue was introduced. Leon went straight to number one with his debut single, but failed to impress after. In March 2009 he was dropped from the Sony record label.

Alexandra Burke – The most recent series again saw some good talent come through, the winner Alexandra Burke shot straight to number one with her debut single and her album is set for release in October 2009. The show also produced JLS who were runners up and have since launched a successful career.

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Who would have thought a few months back that this 18 year old fresh faced singer from South Shields would win the 2009 X Factor final? Not me anyway. After the auditions I sort of favoured Jamie Afro, that was based on his great performance of Sex on Fire. Problem was that Jamie never set the stage on fire again so my attention turned to Miss Frank. This girlband was 3 contestants who were encouraged to form a group after they failed to get through to bootcamp. They were great, original and interesting and I’m sure will have a good future if they stay together.

I always liked runner up Ollie Murs, he is a great performer though I didn’t think that his singing voice was the best. Up until the last 3 weeks I would have chosen Olly over Joe because his performances entertained me more. Then I saw that Joe had constantly improved and that his confidence was growing. Suddenly young Joe McElderry was beginning to look like a contender. His voice is probably the best of all of the contestants with perhaps the exception of Danyl Johnson who came fourth.

In third place was Stacy Solomon, the Dagenham girl with the big voice. She never really did it for me until the last show where she sang the Freddie Mercury classic ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ and performed a duet with Michael Buble. That duet was something else and to me was better than the Ollie Murs/Robbie Williams duet and the Joe McElderry/George Michael duet – to be honest I was disappointed in George Michael and thought that Joe outsang him. 

The final was one of the most entertaining shows that I have ever seen and included a performance by Sir Paul McCartney, the most successful singer songwriter ever. When the X Factor finalists joined him on the stage it must have been massive for them – or epic as Olly says.

Congratulations to Joe, a very worthy winner. Congratulations to Cheryl Cole who mentored her second winner in a row. Congratulations to all of the other finalists who never failed to entertain during the best X Factor year yet.

I love Joe Mc Elderry t shirt

(more…)

This year there are several strong contenders in the finals with a strong showing for the ladies. On Saturday nights programme the contestants had to sing a Mariah Carey song after some coaching from the star. Following you will find my thoughts on the remaining acts and the performances.

Simon Cowell Male Singers Last 1

15 year old Eoghan Quigg is a bit of a conundrum to me. The panel reckon to be wowed by him and predict great things. I watch him and yes he is a great performer, cool as a cucumber on the stage and he connects with the audience, but when I just listen without watching I don’t find his voice that brilliant and wonder if it is strong enough to sell records.

On Saturday night Eoghan sang ‘Anytime You Need A friend’. A convincing performance but in my opinion vocally not one of the stronger acts.

Danni Minogue Over 25s Final 3

Spaniard Ruth Lorenzo is a very convincing performer and the sexiest – it’s rumoured that Simon Cowell fancies her! She has a good singing voice and especially when she belts out the choruses.

On Saturday night Ruth sang ‘My All’. I enjoyed listening though I thought that she was a little out of tune in the early stages of the song. Wearing a long red dress she looked great and I’m sure that her sex appeal will get the votes of men. The judges weren’t so keen and the put down from Louis Walsh ‘More Mariah Scary than Mariah Carey’ was unfair.

Rachel Hylton has an amazing voice as a soul singer but I don’t think that she is flexible enough to win the show. Rachel can be quite temperamental and that could affect her chances in the competition and her future.

On Saturday night Rachel chose to sing ‘Against All Odds’, possibly to reflect on her past and to remind voters of it (am I being cynical?). Her performance was good but to me not great and I don’t think that she will get through to the final with performances like that, but I think that she is talented enough to become a big star away from the X Factor.

The likeable Daniel Evans is a good singer but he hasn’t got the X Factor for me and like some of the judges I can’t see Daniel becoming a recording star.

On Saturday night Daniel sang ‘Open Arms’. It was a good performance, better than previous ones as the judges Louis and Simon sarcasticaly pointed out, but not as good as the other acts in my opinion.

Cheryl Cole Female Singers Final 3

Laura White has been one of my favourite singers since the auditions. This talented girl has a lovely voice and personality that I hope will bring her stardom in the future.

On Saturday night Laura sang ‘Endless Love’ beautifully, I couldn’t fault it. On first viewing I thought that to have her playing the piano at the beginning of the performance was a mistake, but the second time that I watched I liked it. My second favourite performance of the night.

Alexandra Burke was dropped 3 years ago by Louis Walsh and has come back this year as a very strong contender. Alexandra has a brilliant voice and a great personality.

On Saturday Alexandra sang ‘Without You’. It was a bit flat at first but ended brilliantly. My favourite performance of the night.

17 year old Diana Vickers is very different vocally and my favourite to win the contest. Diana is a breath of fresh air, with what the judges call a quirky voice and surprising flexibility. Her performances are mesmorising and every time that she has been expected to fail she has risen to the challenge.

On Saturday Diana didn’t perform because of severe laryngitis. Thankfully Diana was given a by and can still continue with the contest.

Louis Walsh Groups Last 1

I like JLS but I don’t think that they will win the contest. So far I’ve enjoyed their performances but none of them have been outstanding to me.

On Saturday they sang ‘One Sweet Day’. It was disappointing at first but when the harmonies kicked in it was great. Cheryls comments about not letting Louis turn them into Westlife started Louis and Simon arguing with her but I could see what she meant. JLS are full of character and when they let their own characters show through they are very entertaining.

The Results

The public voted the bottom 2 performers in week 5 to be Laura White and Ruth Lorenzo. A shock result because their performances didn’t merit being in the bottom 2, but unfortunately what seems to happen with the public is that they tend to vote for who they want to stay in rather than who gave the best performances of the night.

In the sing off Laura sang the Judy Garland song ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and Ruth sang Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’. Both girls gave extraordinary performances, reinforcing my belief that they shouldn’t have been in the bottom 2. The judges voted 3 – 1 for Ruth to stay in the contest and Laura sadly to leave.Up until week 5 I agreed with the acts which were voted off but in my opinion Laura is better than that. Well there it is – my opinion, but feel free to comment and leave your own opinion.

Below you will find videos of Laura’s Endless Love performance, extracts from Laura and Ruths sing off and Mariah Carey and the finalists singing ‘Hero’ – The X Factor finalists number 1 record for charity.

Laura White – Endless Love

Ruth & Laura Sing Off

X Factor Finalists & Mariah Carey - Hero

At the beginning of series 5 of the X Factor I can’t help wondering why some contestants put themselves through excruciating auditions. Some are embarrassingly bad and I can only think that they are either suffering from delusions or they know just how bad they are but still think it worth the embarrassment to appear on TV.

This year the popular UK TV music talent contest has attracted over 180,000 contestants at auditions up and down the UK. All of them dream about hitting the big time and winning a lucrative record contract. Though this year one of them was more interested in meeting and giving her idol, panellist Louis Walsh a red rose. Just as well she was there for love – she isn’t exactly a singer!

The panel of 4 judges has altered this year after Sharon Osborne quit. I liked Sharon being in the show and felt that she offered experience, compassion and was pretty good at standing up to judge Simon Cowell – billed as the most influential man in pop. She knows what she is talking about and calls a spade a spade – sometimes OTT but not to the point of cruelty as sometimes happens on the X Factor.

The official reason for Sharon quitting is not being offered enough money to work on the show for 6 months a year, but there are also rumours that conflict between Sharon and panellist Danni Minogue was the real reason. On the Graham Norton chatshow Sharon likened Danni to her backside and said “She knows she’s there because of her looks, not because of her contribution to the music industry.”

Personally I have wondered why Australian singer Danni Minogue is on the panel. She seems a bit too wishy washy to me and not as knowledgeable as the other panellists. Although her act Leon Jackson won last year I agreed with the other judges when they often criticized her choice of songs as a mentor. Maybe my view isn’t totally fair, it’s supposed to be reality TV but I wonder how much is real.

Replacing Sharon is Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole. The girl band won TV talent show ‘Popstars: The Rivals’ 6 years ago and having been a contestant herself should understand what the contestants are going through. It’s early days with Cheryl as a panellist but there are already rumours that her and Danni don’t get on!!

Simon Cowell is the mastermind of the X Factor and is also behind the TV shows Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol. A very busy man who to me appears to have a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Sometimes his remarks about contestants singing or appearance are very caustic and rude. Then at other times he mellows and is really nice and helpful to the contestants. I’ve often wondered if the cruel or blunt comments might be purposeful to help increase the viewer ratings!

Dubbed King of the Irish Pop Scene Louis Walsh is the fourth panellist. I sorta like Louis but not enough to give him a red rose! There occasionally seems to be some rivalry between Louis and Simon but not enough to mar the proceedings.

The first 2 shows of the 2008 series have already produced some dramas. Notably one contestant made claims about his childhood that were then disputed in the press. As he is a great singer and a hunk I couldn’t give a flying fig what the press says. I want him to do well in the series because of his talent and not because of his background whatever it is.

On the first show panellist Cheryl Cole walked out of the audition room in tears when she realised that she knew the contestant Nikk Mager. Nikk was a fellow contestant of ‘Popstars: The Rivals’ and Cheryl did not want to make public judgments about somebody that she knew. I don’t blame her for that; I couldn’t have done it.

Once the initial auditions are over the selected contestants go through to bootcamp where they go through a further selection procedure. After that they are split into 4 groups: bands, female singers, male singers and over 25s. Each of the panelists is allocated a different group to mentor and the contestants in their group get to visit the panelist’s homes where the finalists are chosen – 3 for each group.

By then only the best acts remain and we should be treated to some great shows. Last year my favourite act was Welsh singer Rhydian Roberts. He put on an amazing performance every time that he hit the stage. His Phantom of The Opera gave me goosebumps, a great singer and performer that left me spellbound.

This year it’s wide open with many auditions still to be seen. I would like to see a band win for the first time instead of a solo artist. Next year who knows? It won’t be me that’s for sure, I don’t want my mouth comparing to a cave or my singing likened to stepping on a cat even if it is true!

The author Patricia Jones writes for several websites including the UK travel guide where you can search freely for the best hotel deals worldwide.

Patricia is also the co owner of Mega Music Videos where musicians can upload their videos and audios for members to watch, download and share and the Mega Music Site where you can find lots of music information.

The X Factor has become very popular in the UK with millions of viewers glued to their television sets every Saturday evening whilst the series lasts. Some watch the talent show because they want to have a laugh at the awful auditions, some watch because they want to see new performers do well.

Personally I feel uncomfortable watching some of the really awful auditions. I hate it when the panel (Simon Cowell, Danni Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole) laugh inanely at the efforts of others. I don’t find singers trying their hardest to impress funny, just sad when they clearly can’t sing. Neither can I, but like those poor singers I wish that I could sing. I’ve got to admit to laughing at the effect scary Ariel Burdett had on the panel during her audition.

After the auditions the contestants who have got through the first round go to bootcamp. Bootcamp sounds like a tough camping exercise but on the X Factor the contestants split into 4 categories and visit the panel’s luxorious homes. The categories are: male singers, female singers, over 25s and groups. The acts get some training and perform in front of the panel who become mentors. Each mentor chooses their 3 favourite acts and the final rounds begin.

The mentors choose the songs and help with rehearsals, the acts come up against each other and each week 1 act is voted off by the panel and telephone votes. I like watching the progress of the different acts. Some improve tremendously over the weeks and not just in the way that they sing. You can see a massive gain in confidence with some of the acts as they change from would be singing stars to performers.

Eventually a winner emerges though we might not always agree with that choice. Every year on the day of the final show there are discussions and arguments up and down the country about who we think should win. The prize is a £1m recording contract and the promise of stardom but do the X Factor winners become stars.

Steve Brookstein won the first series in 2004. After that he released a cover version of Against All Odds which became number 1 for one week in the UK single charts in January 2005. Steve released his first album Heart and Soul in May 2005 which came into the UK album charts at number 1. His record company dropped him in August 2005 after he reportedly refused to record another album of covers instead of his own material.

Steve then formed his own record label and released his second album 40,000 Things in October 2006 but it didn’t do well. Currently in September 2008 Steve is touring with the Madness musical Our House. Not so much fame and fortune as you would expect but I still like his singing.

Shayne Ward won the second series in 2005. Shayne’s first single That’s My Goal became the Christmas number one single and stayed in the top 75 for over 5 months. The single became the fourth fastest selling record of all time. After a second hit single he released his first album called Shayne Ward, which gained second place in the UK album charts.

Shayne had problems with vocal chord nodules in 2006, but fortunately they were treated successfully and he was able to continue his singing career. After releasing his autobiography ‘My Story’ Shayne completed a successful solo UK tour and after a hit from his double sided single If That’s Ok With You/No U Hang Up released his second successful album Breathless. He is currently working on a third album that is due out late 2008. Dishy Shayne has done well for himself and he certainly has the X Factor in my eyes.

Leona Lewis won the third series in 2007 and has become a big international star, certainly the most successful of the winners so far. Her first single A Moment Like This became the UK Christmas number one and sold more than the rest of the top 40 put together. It also broke the record for Internet downloads.

Leona’s first album ‘Spirit’ was released in November 2007 and became the fastest selling first album of all time in the UK and Ireland. Spirit also became the fourth fastest selling album ever. In January 2008 Spirit became the number one album in several countries worldwide and in April hit the US Billboard 200 at number one. Leona’s second album is planned for 2009 and then she goes on a world tour in 2010.

I wholeheartedly agreed with the choice of Leona as the X Factor 2007 winner. She was impressive on every show and her singing gave me goosebumps. Leona has a wonderful voice and came across as a really nice young lady. She seemed a little shy on the first few shows and although her confidence grew she never seemed to realise just how good she was.

Leon Jackson was the controversial winner of the fourth X Factor series. Scottish Leon won a lot of hearts with his cute looks, big gorgeous eyes and self-effacing manner. His singing performances never seemed to be winning performances but he still pulled it off in great style.

Leon’s first single When You Believe was the 2007 Christmas number one – that sounds familiar! His first album ‘Right Now’ is due to be released in October 2008. The highlight of his singing career so far is a joint performance at Wembley arena with his hero Michael Buble. Although Leon’s win was controversial it’s extraordinary that he didn’t start singing until not long before the X Factor auditions.

Who knows how successful Leon and the other X Factor winners will be in the future. Success isn’t guaranteed despite winning, but the television talent show and all of its competitors give winning entertainment value – including scary Ariel!

The author Patricia Jonesis the co-owner of a music information site and a music download site. Patricia has been writing reviews and articles for several years. You can find more of her work at www.bb-articles.com where you can also submit your own articles and find free content for your websites and ezines.

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