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| X Factor 4 - Final 7 - Disco Night |
Earlier in the week the final 7 sang for this week's special guests Girls Aloud. The 'Pop Stars The Rivals' winners know exactly what these acts are going through and they gave plenty of encouragement. Tonight's theme is 'Disco'. So, who will get dissed and who will go? For a refresher on how the finalists performed and what the 4 mentors had to say, check out the links below... |
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1. Leon Jackson
Song: Relight My Fire  g(11703474)a(1435280))  (Take That ) |
| Performing for Girls Aloud earlier in the week, Leon forgot the words to his Disco number. Cheryl Cole's hug assured him there's no need to be nervous, "I voted for you meself!" Nadine Coyle also lightens his load by admitting she's still having problems with the words of the band's early songs. |  |
| The pep talk seems to have really helped Leon, because he gets all the lyrics right tonight. Working the stage, stalked by five leggy lovelies, he seems much more confident than last week. The heavy musical arrangement sometimes threatens to drown out his vocal, but he sings well and receives a great response from the panel. Leon's X Factor fire has definitely been relit tonight! |
Panel-Bites: Louis Walsh: ...You have really, really surprised me. I am starting to see a little bit of personality. I think that was your best performance so far... (Cheers) ...but I still think Rhydian is going to be hard to beat. Sharon Osbourne: Well, I don't think it is all about just having voice. You've got to have likeability. (Cheers) You've got to have charisma. Okay... And all the best things come in little packages and you're all little and lovely. Leon: (Does Sharon's squeezy-hands gesture. Sharon laughs.) Simon Cowell: ...Other than the fact I thought the dancing wasn't great...(Boos) ...it was okay. You spent the whole time looking up the dancers' skirts, (Laughter) but... Sharon Osbourne: (Poking Simon) Like you then! Louis Walsh: He's like you. (Laughs) Simon Cowell: But... I thought it was actually a very good performance... You actually sang it with a bit of soul. Dannii: ...Leon, let me just say that is your best performance. Forget big band. Disco, you did it! So cool.
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2. Niki Evans
Song: Hot Stuff (Donna Summer ) |
 | Coiffed in curls and looking like a proper disco diva in her low cut black evening dress, Niki begins her song lying down on a sofa, apparently suspended in a mist of stage smoke. She sings of her need for some 'Hot Stuff' and soon her wildest wishes are granted when four handsome hunky male dancers spring from nowhere.
Niki hits the high notes, then reaches down lower to squeeze one of the dancers buttocks! It's a fine, well delivered performance. Our only gripe is that Niki's vocal is a little too well controlled. We'd like to see her go wild on stage and really let rip.
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| The panel love Niki tonight, with the exception of Simon who likens her to a "Mum at a wedding". Simon must go to some fabulous weddings! |
Panel-Bites: Sharon Osbourne: Niki....(Cheers) Niki, you are hot stuff. Do you know what, you have got an unbelievable voice. You can dance, missus, because you have got heart and soul... Dannii Minogue: ...Extra jalapeño! I want what you're having! Rrrrhhhhh! Simon Cowell: ...It has no place in the modern world that performance... For me it was 'mum at a wedding'. (Boos and groans. Audience chants "Off! Off!...") Louis Walsh: Niki.... you know, the audience disagree with Simon... again! You sang, you danced, you've got a heart, you've got soul. It's called disco Simon. That was a different era. You're still wearing the platforms from the disco era! Niki: Simon, can I just say I would like to see you get up here and have a go.
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3. Rhydian Roberts
Song: Go West (Village People ) |
Uh-oh, Rhydian's singing Village People dressed in a sailor suit. It's entertaining, it's camp, (also as in Butlin's holiday camp)... and it's all too gimmicky.
Dannii may have found Disco to be a difficult theme to find the perfect fit for Rhydian, but we're sure she could have chosen better. Last week was 3 steps forward for Rhydian, this week it's 2 steps back.
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Panel-Bites: Louis Walsh: ...As camp as Christmas. ...The problem is, Rhydian, you are a talent and I think Dannii is giving you too many gimmicks now... And she's acting as if you have won the contest already... Sharon Osbourne: Yes, it was extremely camp but I love 'extremely camp' and on my camp Richter scale it was definitely at a hundred. Fabulous! Fabulous! Simon Cowell: ...Uh, Rhydian, I think you may have a problem tonight, because I think there is a proportion of this audience who would love that but I think your traditional audience are going to hate that. I do. So I think Dannii for once you may have put this guy in a very vulnerable position which is a shame because he's a talented guy. Dannii Minogue: Okay, let me just say it's disco week and on behalf of the nation we salute you Rhydian, you are here to stay! Dermot O'Leary: ...What do you make of the comments? Rhydian: By and large, I agree with a lot of them and even Simon's... I think the spectacle was great. Great to have a chance to perform with so many male dancers... you know... (Laughter. Rhydian laughs) ...That sounds a bit odd!
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4. Hope
Song: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (Abba ) |
 | In the pre-performance VT Simon singles out young Phoebe Brown as the band's "little secret weapon". It's a lot of weight to put on the shoulders of the 16-year-old, and the Phoebe-focus is further underlined as she sings lead vocal during tonight's performance.
It's a suitably sassy performance from the Hope girls, Pheobe sings with a lot of confidence and the harmonies sound good. The girls entertain us, but we're not yet bowled over by this bevvy of beauties. We're still listening up, waiting to hear a vocal that has the wow factor. We haven't run out of hope yet, but 'Hope' may be running out of time!
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Panel-Bites: Louis Walsh: ...You look fantastic. Meeting Girls Aloud must give you a lot of hope because there is a big space for a new Girls Aloud or a new Sugababes. You're better than the Spice Girls, that's all I know! (Sharon Laughs) ...Vocally! Vocally I'm right Sharon. Sharon Osbourne: (Laughing) I love you, Louis, I do! Anyway, girls, you look amazing. I love the way... you know, the whole theme thing, fantastic. I think it really suited you and you felt comfortable tonight and confident. I could feel that. Probably one of the first times I've really felt that. It was well done. (Cheers) Dannii Minogue: Girls I have to say you look like a proper girl band tonight! Yes! Really happy with that. Very happy. (To Simon) What did you do to them? Simon Cowell: Talked to them. Sharon Osbourne: You don't want to know, Dannii. (Dannii laughs) Louis Walsh: Simon, did you dress them? It's all a bit 70s. Simon Cowell: It's Disco night Louis. ...This was a very, very difficult song to sing. I think you made it sound contemporeary... You actually look and sound like a proper girl group now. And what you bring to this competition is a sense of fun. You're representing the girls. I thought it was terrific performance. (Cheers)
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5. Beverley Trotman
Song: I'm Every Woman (Chaka Khan ) |
Tonight Beverley is every woman. Of course not every woman can sing like Beverley, except in their dreams!
Backed by 3 Alisha lookalikes, Beverley gets her disco groove going with an accomplished, controlled start to this Chaka Khan classic. In the second half of the song she really lets loose with a volley of beautiful big notes. As Dannii Minogue puts it, Beverley is "so in the zone".
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| After the shock of dropping into last week's bottom two, Beverley bounces herself back up to the top of this week's charts. |
Panel-Bites: Sharon Osbourne: Miss Trottman! Mrs Osbourne thinks you are a very special woman, you really are. And so does 6T over there. They love you. (Beverley waves to 6T) Seriously a fantastic performance. Really strong. Very, very strong, commanding, you owned it, loved it. Beverley: Thank you Sharon. Dannii Minogue: Beverley, by the end of the song you were so in the zone. That's all I can say. You are every woman. Wow! Watch out! I'm scared now Louis. I'm scared! Louis Walsh: You should be. Dannii Minogue: Yeah, I'm scared. Simon Cowell: Well, lesson learned Beverley, you choose your own material, right? Big difference. Hated the outfit, didn't think you... Louis Walsh: It's 70s, it's disco! Simon Cowell: ...Didn't like the start of the song. Loved the second half of the song and I thought it was the best performance of the night so far. (Cheering)Louis Walsh: Beverley it was the best performance of the night. Rhydian had better look out, he's got competition with you. You can make the final, but we need people to vote for you. You were in the bottom two last week, it wasn't fair and don't listen to Simon, he knows nothing. Sharon Osbourne: He only likes outfits where it's like this far below your bum, that's all. (Laughter) Dermot O'Leary: Were you shocked last week to be in the bottom two? Beverley: Well, you know, every week I do my utmost, best. So you just never know. But everybody at home please vote for me, thank you.
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6. Alisha Bennett
Song: Young Hearts Run Free (Candi Staton ) |
 | What in Heaven's name is going on? Just when Alisha gets on a roll she gets roller skaters wobbling all around her, threatening to knock her off the X Factor stage. Symbolic? Hopefully not.
Brian Friedman's over-zealous choreography is costing Alisha dear tonight. The dancers and the inelegant skaters are extremely distracting. Credit to her for doing her best up on stage. She sings well and we're a bit surprised at how well her voice suits the song. Apart from faltering twice on the tricky high part ("¯ ...and I just can't break away... ¯ "), she performs the song really well. Considering the comedy circus that's spinning around her, that's quite some achievement.
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| She then faces the panel and witnesses a raging argument between Sharon and Simon. Simon blames Sharon for the choreography. Sharon insists that she doesn't make decisions, she's just a "paid hand". Alisha watches on like a helpless child whose parents are arguing about her. It's not her fault, but she may well end up paying the price on tonight's results show. |
Panel-Bites: Louis Walsh: ...You are getting better and better as the weeks go by and you are starting to look and act like a popstar and I hope you are not in the bottom two tonight. Dannii Minogue: ...I did not like the disco playground because it didn't match you. You like fierce tonight. I didn't think that those two things went together at all and I think there were some flat notes that came out today that shouldn't have been there. (Boos) I'm sorry! Simon Cowell: Alisha, can I be honest with you? Alisha: Yes. Simon Cowell: It was a complete and utter mess. (Groans) It would help if you got people on roller skates who could actually skate... Sharon Osbourne: She's not the choreograper. She doesn't choose the dancers... Simon Cowell: Okay, but you should have stopped it. Sharon Osbourne: You are giving the public the false impression Simon Cowell: There is one point where they're all kind of practically falling over around you like some sort of nightmare circle and then you sang out of tune, Alisha. (Groans) Sharon, it's your responsibility to stop that kind of thing happening for that girl... Sharon Osbourne: I don't have the power on this show to stop anything. Simon Cowell: Oh rubbish Sharon! ...If you'd have been at rehearsals you could've stopped it. Sharon Osbourne: You hire, you fire. I don't pick the dancers. Simon Cowell: I did not hire those dancers. Sharon Osbourne: Your choreographer did. Simon Cowell: You should have stopped it. Sharon Osbourne: It's not up to me. I'm a paid hand here! I'm a paid hand here. Simon Cowell: You're coppin' out. Sharon Osbourne: Hey, I get a pay cheque every week, I don't make decisions on this show. That's not my gig.... Simon Cowell: So, you couldn't have stopped those dancers. Is that what you're saying? Sharon Osbourne: I didn't train 'em. Simon Cowell: You could have stopped it. That's the point! Sharon Osbourne: ...We shouldn't argue in front of Alisha, okay... Dermot O'Leary: It's not fair to Alisha guys, just be fair and honest... Alisha, in terms of... coming to your performance, what do you make of it? Alisha: Do you know what? I actually enjoyed it today. Maybe I did have some flat notes Simon, but I enjoyed it and I thought I was being more of myself... you know... what the judges have asked me to be... And I just want to be better. I am growing every week and I just want to do better.
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7. Same Difference
Song: Blame It On The Boogie (The Jacksons ) |
Same Difference were originally earmarked to sing Kelly Marie's "Feels Like I'm In Love", but last night Simon changed the song! He says this was because the original song "didn't work", but surely leaving Sean and Sarah with just a couple of hours to rehearse a brand new song and dance routine is a recipe for disaster.
Well, remarkably this talented brother and sister duo do a great job, considering the circumstances. They sing well, they nail the dancing and they deliver yet another feel good performance.
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| Same Difference's kiddie appeal is still very much in evidence. Indeed they may well carve out very successful careers targetting the younger end of the market. However, we would love to see them perform a more adult oriented number. |
Panel-Bites: Sharon Osbourne: ...It's so good to see you guys having a fun time at something that's appropriate. You're young, it's just (the) perfect song for you. It was really, really well done... I know you guys had a really hard time because you changed things just last night so you literally picked it up in like an hour or something which is amazing. You have done so well tonight. Dannii Minogue: I know you guys had a lot the deal with overnight, the song got changed. I wasn't sure about costumes, I wasn't sure about your pitching tonight, but you know I still love you. It wasn't my favourite performance for you. (Boos) Simon Cowell: Well, I will take responsibility for this, since it's my job.... Louis Walsh: Hang on, I've got an opinion as well Simon and I'm next up by the way. ...You're really nice people... You'll be great for kids parties and Butlins and all that... I'm not going to blame this on the boogie, I'm going to blame this very firmly on Simon Cowell again. Simon Cowell: Like I said, I will take responsibility for what happened. I changed the song last night because it didn't work. You've had about two hours to get this together. I don't think it was your strongest performance and I don't think I chose the best song for you tonight. But within the circumstances I think you deserve to be back here next week and I hope that we can still get you in the final.
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