Watchdog rules out X Factor probe…

X FactorBroadcasting watchdog Ofcom says it is not investigating some 3,000 complaints to ITV about X Factor hopefuls John and Edward Grimes staying in the contest.

ITV, whose message boards was deluged after Sunday’s result, said the show “can divide opinion and provoke comment from our viewers”.

The Irish pair survived the sing-off with Lucie Jones after judge Simon Cowell turned to the public result.

Cowell has been criticised for not casting his vote for a second week.

‘Big stars’

Sara Nathan, showbusiness editor of the Daily Mail, told BBC 5 live: “This is why there have been 3,000 complaints to ITV.”

But she added the music mogul “was doing the right thing”.

“You have to go slightly past a singing competition and realise this is now a big reality juggernaut.

“‘Jedward’ could be fantastic. They could be really big stars,” Ms Nathan said.

Lucie Jones

Maureen Coleman, writing on The Independent’s website, asked: “Was this a Machiavellian master-stroke on the part of the most influential man in the entertainment industry?”

An Ofcom spokesman said that it launches formal investigations into complaints including the treatment of TV show contestants and flaws in voting processes, but not the outcome of programmes.

But the watchdog added that it reviews every complaint that it receives.

One complainant to ITV’s X Factor message board said of Sunday’s result: “He [Cowell] will make more money out of the twins being on the show.”

“After banging on, week in week out, about how the twins were rubbish and it was a singing competition, he threw away the chance to prove it,” said another.

Cowell has consistently criticised the twins, saying he would leave the country if they won the show.

 

‘Jedward’ saved by X Factor fans…

Lucie & Jedward

Lucie Jones has become the fifth contestant to leave ITV1’s The X Factor, losing out following a sing-off with twins John and Edward Grimes.

The deciding vote was left with Simon Cowell, who refused to send the twins home despite previously saying he would leave the country if they won the show.

Instead, the fate of the two acts was decided by the public vote.

ITV’s X Factor message boards have been flooded with support for Jones, 18, who was a 16/1 outsider to leave the show.

One wrote that Cowell had deferred the decision because “he will make more money out of the twins being on the show”.

“After banging on, week in week out, about how the twins were rubbish and it was a talent/singing competition, he threw away the chance to prove it,” another wrote.

“Lucie sang beautifully – she should still be in. I won’t be watching anymore.”

But another said: “Simon was spot on, she was never going to win.

The pair “pull in the crowd”, they added.

John and Edward, nicknamed “Jedward”, have divided public opinion with critics saying they lack the singing ability to justify their continued presence in the competition.

On Saturday night’s movie-themed X Factor show, they sang Ghostbusters while Jones performed This Is Me, as featured on Camp Rock.

In the sing-off on Sunday night’s results show, the twins sang Robbie Williams’s Rock DJ while Jones sang Whitney Houston’s One Moment In Time.

Following those performances, the Irish double act’s mentor Louis Walsh voted to keep them in the competition.

But fellow judges Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole both wanted 18-year-old Jones to remain in the contest.

Left with the deciding vote, Cowell said: “I think, Lucie, my problem has been with you that I believe there’s a ceiling and, with John and Edward, we’ve had some horrific performances.

“Having said that, who would I rather see again? I’d probably rather see the boys.”

He added: “I’m going to let the public decide.”

After she learned of her fate, Jones, from Pentyrch near Cardiff, said: “I’m gutted but the boys deserve to be here – they work harder than anyone.”

Minogue, who mentored Jones, said: “I just wish all the good singers good luck in the singing competition.”

Cowell has previously said it would be “a complete and utter disaster” if John and Edward won the X Factor and that he was “praying” it did not happen.

But on Saturday night, he praised their Ghostbusters performance as “possibly more entertaining than anything you have done before”.

The Sunday night results show attracted the biggest X Factor audience so far this series – an average of 14.4m, according to overnight figures.

On Saturday, it attracted 11.8m viewers, compared with 8.7m for BBC One rival Strictly Come Dancing.

The two overlapped for just 15 minutes on Saturday night.

The BBC and ITV were criticised in September when the shows clashed for up to an hour, forcing some viewers to decide between the two.

 

X Factor….My views so far….

 x-factor

So with bootcamp over, the topic of x-factor related conversations has gone from ‘I like/hate the new format of the auditions’, to ‘Who’s gonna win?’. So here is my predictions of what is gonna take place from now until the final:

Judges houses, who will make it to the live show?

Cheryl Cole

Cheryl Cole & The Boys:

1.Duane Lamont   2. Rikki Loney   3. Ethan Boroian

    Duane Lamont                                Rikki Loney                            Ethan Boroian

Duane looks and sounds modern and I genuinely think there is room for him in the pop market. Rikki has the bouncebackability factor, and Cheryl will find it hard to send him home from this stage for a second time. Ethan is the eye candy for the girls, not a great voice but if my flatmates views represent the views of the country then he will stay and stay for quite some time, however there is only so far looks can get you! I can’t honestly say that there is anyone in this group that will win X-Factor this year.

Danni Minogue

Danni Minogue & the Girls

1. Rachel Adedeji    2. stacey solomon  3.Lucie

Rachel Adedeji                                 Stacey Solomon                       Lucie Jones

Slightly sticking to the last formula, Rachel is the cool, modern one, with a voice to match think Rhianna with Amy Winehouse vocal capabilities. Stacey is the character of the group, the typical Essex Girl who also has the ’sob-story’ that she has a little baby to provide for. Lucie Jones however is someone I think could make the final, she has one of the best voices in the competition, but something is telling me that she doesn’t have that little extra something to actually win the whole thing. The only other one that could be in the final 3 and a little bit of a black horse is Stacey McLean, as she is already a D-list pop star apparently so Danni may want to go with someone who has a little experience in the industry. We shall see….

 louis walsh

Louis Walsh & The Groups

1. John & Edward     2. kandy rain    3.Miss Frank

   John & Edward                               Kandy Rain                             Miss Frank

Well what can I say? The groups this year are definately the worse since X Factor begun, not a hint of a JLS or even a Same Difference!!! John & Edward are the most annoying creatures to ever grace the X Factor stage, but Louis will pick them because of the Irish Connection. Miss Frank is a group put together at the last minute because there was an obvious lack of talent in the group auditions, it most likely Louis’s idea though so he will put them through to prove himself right. Finally the only group that may stand half a chance is Kandy Rain, purely because they look like a group, think Pussycat Dolls without any decent singers. My predictions are that all of the groups will go out before any of the others.

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell & The Over 25’s

1. Jamie Archer2. danyl johnson3.Daniel Pearce

Wow, have I saved the best for last. This group is so good that I can’t decide on the third one. Jamie Archer is a pop star, he already looks like he should be on stage at Glastonbury, his rendition of Sex on Fire made me dance in my seat and I think he will go fire. Danyl Johnson has THE best voice in the competition, and although he wasn’t great in bootcamp, in my opinion he is the one to beat. And then it comes to between Daniel Pearce, Nicole Lawrence & Olly Murs; I think Olly is likeable but don’t think his voice is strong enough, he showed that in a mediocre performance of Elton John’s Your Song, so he is a no. But it is tight between Nicole & Daniel, Nicole has a great voice, she is the female representation in the overs and she has a sob story which we know Simon likes. However Daniel has proved he can win (he was a winner in Pop Stars-The Rivals, the TV show that shot Cheryl Cole to fame), and he would inevitably sell more albums than Nicole would, which after all is what Simon is looking for which is why I have gone with Daniel, but we will have to see!

 Who will go out each week?

So here is the order in which I think each act will be eliminated;

Week 1: John & Edward, surely they can’t be kept in!

Week 2: Miss Frank, they just don’t bond together, get them off!!!

Week 3: Kandy Rain, Louis has a mental breakdown as all his acts leave first!

Week 4: Ethan Boroian, As I said earlier, there is only a certain point that looks can get you to, and that’s week 4!

Week 5: Duane Lamont, Just doesn’t have the extra umph to get any further in the competition.

Week 6: Stacey Solomon, It’s curtains for the Essex girl as the judegs realise she can only do ballads.

Week 7: Daniel Pearce, Should be in the final, but will come up against someone like Jamie or Lucie and the judges will keep the youngsters in.

Week 8: Rikki Loney, He’s good but not good enough, as the Scot heads back up North!

Week 9: Rachel Adedeji, Unfortunately comes up against Jamie and the judges plump for the most versatile of the two.

THE FINAL: Jamie Archer, Danyl Johnson & Lucie Jones reach the final. Jamie teams up with the Kings of Leon for a superb rendition of Sex on Fire, Danyl Johnson sings a duet of my endless love $with Mariah Carey and Lucie Jones joins Miley Cirus for a rendition of her new Christmas Ballad! 

3rd Place goes to Jamie Archer

2nd Place to Lucie Jones

And the winner of X Factor 2009 is………….. Danyl Johnson!

Bookmark this page to keep checking back and see how correct I was!