In spite of the fact that Sir Elton John has made no secret of his opinion that no talent can come from the “X Factor”, they decided to dedicate an entire show to him anyway! That’s right, it was Elton John weekand the contestants took on some of his biggest hits. Louis Walsh was in a particularly idiotic mood this evening, but Simon kept him nicely in check which made the whole process much smoother towards the end!
First up this week was Paije Richardson, His video clip before his performance showed him at the Harry Potter premiere, and after the revelation that he was an extra in the Harry Potter movies, there was strong support for him from the cast! Paije sang “Crocodile Rock” which was a bit of a clownish choice for someone with a voice as awesome as Paije’s. He does cheesy stuff well but it might have been better for him to have had a song which showed off his voice a little better. There was a lot of ad-libbing going on and overall, it was fun but not a winning performance by any means. Louis Walsh said that Dannii Minogue chose the wrong song for him and that she turned him into a karaoke singer. Simon Cowell said after that performance, Paije’s chances of winning are zero.
Following Paije was Aiden Grimshaw, singing “Rocket Man”. He looked a million times more relaxed than usual and even cracked a smile or two. He always looks a little bit like he’s drunk when he’s performing but the fact that he is so different is what makes him interesting. His vocal had a couple of off moments but it was still very good. Cheryl Cole said the thing she likes about Aiden is that he is consistent and Simon Cowell said it wasn’t the best vocal he has ever done but he has great stage presence.
Mary Byrne came next. Her song was “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” which seems like a fairly safe choice for someone who knows how to belt out a ballad. There were a couple of dodgy notes at the start but she soon got into her stride and had the crowd in the palm of her hand, making up for the atrocity that was last week’s performance. Dannii Minogue said Mary had got her mojo back, and Cheryl Cole said it was nice to see the twinkle back in her eye.
The moment we always wait for came next, in the form of Katie Waissel. She sang “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” which is rather apt considering how much people seem to dislike her. The backing vocalists were excessively loud at times, possibly to cover up Katie’s own singing weaknesses, but the times she was singing she wasn’t so bad. One of her best vocals on a live show so far in fact. Louis Walsh took the credit for saving her last week but had an epic tantrum saying that the song choice was wrong – which seems to be the only criticism he has this series. Simon Cowell said that he would remove Louis from the building if he didn’t stop talking rubbish, then went on to say the song was perfect for her and he loves her because she’s not predictable.
Matt Cardle has been the centre of tabloid gossip this week with reports suggesting he is in a relationship with the “X Factor” stylist Grace Woodward, but all of that was pushed aside when he stepped on stage to sing “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”. There is never a bad word to say about Matt Cardle. His vocal range is absolutely amazing and he pretty much showed that entire range in this one song. Cheryl Cole said the song choice was beautiful and that Matt gets stronger and stronger every week. Simon said although it was nervous to start with, it picked up and became very good.
Little Cher Lloyd tried her hand at “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”. When she isn’t caked in make-up, she is quite beautiful. She added a little bit of a rap to the song which was a bit strange but it really worked for her. The tone of her voice is probably the most memorable of all the contestants and she did a great job of this song. Dannii Minogue said she loved the performance but wished there had been a little less rap. Simon Cowell said that the fact that she was down about the criticism from last week shows she is not cocky and that she is now back in the race.
The nation held their breath for Wagner’s performance of “I’m Still Standing”/”Circle of Life”. It’s hard enough for an English person to keep up with “I’m Still Standing”, so for Brazilian Wagner, it was a real struggle! Oddly though, the words were understandable. When the song changed to “Circle of Life”, it was quite interesting to hear him singing reasonably well. Perhaps if Louis let him sing an epic ballad – Mary Byrne style – he might do a little better than making a complete mockery out of him. Maybe. Cheryl Cole said she loved the performance and credited him for giving it his all. Louis then uttered the most ridiculous comment of his life, “You remind of me of Elton John”. I don’t know what planet that man lives on, but I don’t think it’s the same one as the rest of us.
Teen favourites One Direction (affectionately known as Wand Erection due to mis-pronunciation!) were next. Earlier this week they were highly excited to meet Emma Watson at the Harry Potter premiere, and she says she is backing them to win! One Direction sang “Something About The Way You Look Tonight”. Liam Payne and Harry Styles shared lead vocals – Harry was particularly strong. They were absolutely outstanding tonight, and proved that they could easily rival any boy band in the charts at the moment. Louis Walsh said that after that performance they are only going in One Direction – to the final. The screams from the crowd drowned out the things Cheryl Cole said, but Simon said that it was the first time he has ever believed that a band can win the competition.
The final performance this week came from Rebecca Ferguson. She sang “Candle In The Wind” which felt a bit predictable in light of her always singing great ballads. Regardless, the performance was absolutely stunning. It was mesmerising throughout, and was made extra brilliant because she changed it up from the original. Dannii Minogue said it was “so damn classy”, and Simon said, well, what I said…that it was stunning!
The competition is really beginning to heat up now, and with great performances all round, it really is becoming impossible to call it. On tonight’s performances alone, Paije Richardson may be in a bit of trouble, so if you like him, pick up the phone and vote! Wagner should be in danger, but thus far he has avoided being in the bottom two. Katie Waissel may also be in danger simply because the public are so down on her. If there really is a double eviction tomorrow night, there is a good chance we could lose two talented acts instead of just one. Let’s not have another disappointment this week!
