The X-factor is defined as: A British Primetime Television series where vocal acts perform against each other for their celebrity judges in a competition to beat off their opponents through live rounds. It is also defined as the indefinable – its that ‘je ne sais quoi’, the something extra, the something special someone has that makes them a popSTAR.
The X-factor is Simon Cowells baby. You know Simon Cowel he’s the obscenely rich guy with the high waisted trousers and a rather square looking head...yea you know who I mean now. Excellent. So its his baby – he coined the term and named his show after this uniqueness, this star quality and recently he has taken it to America...I’m curious, any Americans out there watch it? Is it good?
For the purpose of this blog I am focusing on the British X-Factor which IS still pretty good for something thats been going 8 seasons! ‘X-factor’ always begins with the audition shows followed by the bootcamp (aka get rid of the crap and make it more serious) to the Judges Houses (check out Simon Cowells right hand man...lady Sinittas outfits...) to the live shows and the LIVE FINAL.
The auditions are designed to draw you in with their hilariously bad and awesomely good acts, they also throw in several dozen sob stories to try and draw you in more but truth be told its the deluded tone deaf sometimes eccentric always quality acts that I turn on for...if they ‘think’ they can dance that’s generally a good sign too! So here’s my top 5 X-factor memories:
Number 1: Ruth Lorenzo. Ruth won me with one song in the live shows. Purple rain and I cant express it so here is a youtube clip. A show stopping, jaw dropping, goosebump enducing, fantasmic performance from the 2008 X-factor...I think it was season 3 or 4?
Number 2: Beula. From series 1. Beula was not as memorable for her audition but more for what followed. She was bad. Really bad but in a time when everyone but Simon Cowell was trying to be tackful or polite Louis Walsh said he liked her. I believe this was to soften the blow but Simon Cowell took this to mean Louis could work with her and gave Beula Louis’s personal number. Beula then called Louis with a ‘Helow Louis its Beula’ and Louis had to try and get her off the phone while she attempted to ask for a date and talk over him. Hilarity ensued. So thank you Beula. Thank you for the laughter.
Number 3: Olly Murs. This needs no explanation. Olly is a cheeky chappy Essex Boy who was a runner up in the 6th season of the UK X-Factor and had a real Robbie Williams meets Justin Timberlake Vibe which I loved. He is also the only one of my top 5 to have had any top 10 hits and effectively ‘made it’ in todays market.
Number 4: Stacey Solomon. Google her. A finalist in 2009. She has since been Queen of the Jungle in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and I just LOVED the way she talked – she possibly may have been seen to come across as rather simple but when she sang she, for me, just transformed into something so special. Plus she seems a true, genuinely, lovely person.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=pPoyh39vkvw&NR=1
Number 5: Penelope from Barcelona. I am unsure if you will find her on youtube or anywhere other than the X-factor DVD from series 1 but Penelope was CLASS. She made it through the first auditions but possible not for the right reasons. Penelope had a rather strong Spanish accent and chose to sing ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ which came out ‘Some-bear ober da rainbowwww’ and subsequently left all 3 original judges laughing so hard that Simon had to leave and Sharon wet herself....literally. On the other side of the television it left me struggling to breath from actual ROFL’ing (Rolling on the floor laughing!) Where ever you are Penelope I thank you.
Well thats my top 5 X-factor People – I would like to add a special mention to One Direction who despite their Beiber looks are my guilty pleasure, to Eton Road whos lead singer looked like Liza Minnelli but HE worked that look, to Wagbo...no further comment, and to Chico because at some point there will always be a CHICO TIME!
I could continue to babble on about the dramas that always occur the fights between the judges – the fights between the contestants, the sacking of everyone and anyone, the staging, the lights, the beautiful judges houses, the dramatic pauses, the dramatic back music but really the show is about finding talent and so far they’ve done alright!
Who was your favourite act? Have you ever auditioned? I’d LOVE to hear your stories or your memories so please let me know if you think of anything otherwise. Goodnight angels and thanks for reading X for X-factor!
xxxxxxx
P.S. The guy who announces the acts names every week is blooming EPIC and I want to say I love him. Phew thank god its out there in the world now :)
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