X Factor 2009 finalist, Lucie Jones showed her fans she’s not going anywhere last night after performing at Coventrys’ Chicago Rock Café
After being defeated in a singing showdown by the notorious John and Edward, it looked like the show was over for the welsh student, but she’s currently touring the UK doing one-off performances. When asked how she felt about leaving the X Factor, she claimed she was “gutted” and that she thought there was “no way” she could have squared up to John and Edward in the eyes of the public.
Unfortunately this sentiment was somewhat justified by the crowd last night, who described her performance as “dissapointingly short” and “not as good as she is on TV”, though many compromise that this may be due to the venue’s strict budget and poor sound equipment.
In the eyes of her die-hard fans, who got to meet her shortly afterwards however, her rendition of Katy Perry’s “Hot n’ Cold” was described as “amazing” along with her covers of, “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey and “Climb” by Miley Cyrus and “This Is Me” from the Disney movie Camp Rock which all received scattered praise.

Last night I made steak for dinner. I sure most of you have noticed that steak is not cheap. I figured I would splurge a little and Corvette loves steak.

I made potatoes and a salad to go along with it. It was all done and sitting on the counter. I went outside for just a minute. Corvette was in the bedroom.

That is when it happened. I walked back inside to find Lucie, my big red dog licking her dog bed. There was a brown stain were she was licking. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach at that point. I walked to the kitchen and looked at the counter and nooooooo! Actually yes, Lucie had helped herself to the steak.

As much as I did not want to do it I had to break it to Corvette. He took it pretty well. No blood was shed. Mostly he had a few choice words for the dog.

Note to self: Make sure food is not reachable by big red dog. Stop at store and get another steak.

Where is The Dog Whisperer when you need him?

Ou comment approcher le vide d’un peu plus près…

I’ll admit it.  I would never, in a month of Sundays, put Sadie on my daughter’s birth certificate.  It would be Sarah, thanks very much, just in case she grows up to run for office or take up brain surgery or otherwise wants to sound like a mature, serious adult.

I’m not necessarily in the majority.  And I’m not necessarily right, either.  Plenty of women named Julie and Jodie have turned out just fine.  And plenty of Sarah/Sadies are irritated at having to constantly explain that yes, Sadie is a nickname for Sarah.

So for your consideration, I’ve pulled together a list of ends-in-ie-names just might stand on their own.

I’m excluding choices like Katie and Maggie -  names easily connected to formal versions, as well as feminizations like Billie and Charlie.  And if it more commonly ends in -y, you won’t find it here – so no Mollie, Lillie or Lucie.

That still leaves bunches of names:

• Arlie – Arline started out as a well-born child kidnapped by gypsies in a nineteenth century opera, but today she’s the outdated Arlene.  Arlie might be a short form, or she may related to a surname.  Either way, she sounds fresher than the -een ending original.
• Birdie – Lady Bird was worn in the White House.  Actress Busy Phillips bestowed this avian appellation on her daughter.  While there are more subtle ways to evoke the finely feathered, Birdie isn’t quite unthinkable.
• Bonnie – Worn by the ill-fated daughter of Rhett and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind – who was actually named Eugenie Victoria.  She means pretty – and she is just that.
• Callie – If Kelly and Kaylee are independent given names for girls, why not Callie?  She’s also a possible nickname for classics like Caroline and Charlotte, as well as the less-expected Calla, Calista or Calliope.
• Dessie – In Ireland, Dessie is a nickname for Desmond – and thus, exclusively masculine.  In the US, it sounds more like a riff on Bessie.
• Dulcie – She’s sweet – literally, from the Latin dulcis.  Longer form Dulcinea conjures up the Judybats, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Don Quixote – though the literary Dulcinea was actually named Aldonza.
• Erie – Eir was a Norse goddess; Éire, a Celtic one – she lent her name to Ireland.  Eiry is a Welsh girl’s name – related names abound, all meaning snow.  Erie may be linked to any or none of the above, and could rhyme with fairy, or have a totally other pronunciation.
• Hattie – You might put Harriet or Henrietta on the birth certificate, but millinery references aside, Hattie has some style.
• Hettie – Another possibility for Henrietta,  as well as Hester or Hestia.
• Lettie – Formal name options include the salad-esque Lettice, or the lacy Letitia.  If Victorian valentine isn’t your style, Lettie might appeal.
• Lindie – Lucky Lindy was aviator Charles Lindbergh’s nickname.  The Lindy Hop was a swing-era dance craze named in his honor.  Linda is a Baby Boomer – as are elaborations like Melinda and Belinda.  But today, Lindie might work as a nickname for hippie chic tree name Linden – or on her own.
• Lottie – Charlotte is in the US Top 100 and rising, but it seems as very few Charlottes are answering to this nickname – so far.
• Maisie – Like Maggie, she could be a diminutive form of Margaret, via the Scottish Mairead.  But if Daisy stands on her own, maybe Maisie does, too.
• Millie – Mildred might be too dowdy to ever make a comeback, but Millie is Thoroughly Modern.  She’s also a spunky nickname for the super-sweet Millicent.
• Minnie – Yes, there’s the mouse.  But there’s also the actress – who was actually born Amelia Fiona Driver.
• Tillie – Matilda is ever so fashion forward.  Short form Tilda brings to mind the actress.  Then there’s Tillie – perhaps a bit too cute, but possibly wearable on her own.
• Trudie – It’s hard to imagine naming a daughter Gertrude.  But Trudie seems like a logical sister for Sadie – spunky, retro and not too flimsy to stand on her own.
• Zadie – If Sadie stands along, why not her zippy cousin?  The z-to-s switch has worked out just fine for novelist Zadie Smith.
• Zelie – There have definitely been women named Zelie, but her exact origins are unclear, though some link her to the French Zéline and she brings to mind the Yiddish Zelig.

I could go on – there’s Winnie and Elsie, Flossie and Roxie.  But I’ll stop here and just ask: would you consider a short, ends-in-ie name for a daughter?  And if so, would you put it on her birth certificate or opt for a more formal version?

Today was an interesting day, it was weird, creepy and kinda sad that i’m sharing it. Hopefully the involved won’t mind.

Today i spent a good 3 hours thinking why are you sad, the you being my 10/10 girlfriend. When i finally asked what’s wrong we were thinking the same thing. I was wondering if i was boring her or what i did to make her mad…she was thinking why is he upset with me what’s wrong and why won’t he share it. Freaky.

Apart from that all i did today was criticize Xfactor. Jedward are still horrific, Lucie should of still stayed and Joe or Stacey will win. Everyone was below par tonight i’m my opinion especially Lloyd, Jedward were usual horrible self and Stacey belted out an amazing act. Tomorrow night Jedward will go as the nation is guilty for getting rid of Lucie. I’d like Jedward, Lloyd, Jamie and Danyl to go leaving Olly, Joe and Stacey. Olly will get found out that he can perform but not sing whilst Stacey and Joe march on and both get record deals. (Stacey winning ofc)

Fran your ace, night folks. Talk later.

X Factor’s Lucie Jones is cheered by hundreds of fans in an open air homecoming show in Cardiff city centre…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: world city. For a different topic see peach recipe. The blog is also related to: sun city.

Every year Nantucket Bay Scallop season starts in October and it’s like Christmas come early. I was first introduced to these delicious little mollusks (about 1/3 the size of sea scallops) back in 2004 when I was living on Nantucket. For $25, residents of the island can pick up a permit, throw on some waders and grab as many scallops as their floating baskets can carry (babies must be thrown back). It’s hard work but fun and very rewarding! It also can be economical- in stores they can go for well over $20 per lb.

Now I’m in Boston and not getting as many scalloping opportunities as I’d like but I’m lucky enough to live right near Mercado del Mare, a local fish store that gets bays in stock. When I found out they were in last week I rushed down and bought a pound, half to eat and half to freeze (they do freeze extremely well). I went home and made this recipe which I found on Mercado’s website:

Scallops in a Snap

My favorite scallop recipes are like this one- only a few fresh, quality ingredients since their so sweet and flavorful on their own you don’t need anything overshadowing them. Just sauteed in butter, they are perfect. Some people even choose to eat them raw! I’m also a fan of wrapping one in bacon, sticking a toothpick in it and popping it in the toaster for a few minutes. Ahhh…heaven on a plate.

My only question is when will a similar site be created for Dannyl who strikes me as about as sincere as a used car salesman, instead of these guys who lets face it are a couple of rather eccentric enthusiastic kids having a good time. And good on ‘em I say…

http://www.punchjohnandedwardintheface.co.uk/

Simon Cowell encouraged Cheryl Cole to vote against Lucie Jones on Sunday night’s X Factor, a report has suggested.

According to sources quoted in The Mirror, the music mogul was keen to see the Welsh singer eliminated rather than twins John & Edward, but did not want to face the embarrassment of backing the brothers himself.

An insider said: “It seems Simon may have tried to get Cheryl to vote for the twins so he could save Lucie and then it could have gone to deadlock without him, or the show, losing any credibility.

“But Cheryl knows her own mind and didn’t want to take the fall for him. She thought Lucie deserved to stay.”

Jones was sent home in the latest results episode after Cowell failed to support her following her sing-off against John & Edward. As the judges’ verdict had reached deadlock, the earlier viewer poll, which saw Lucie pick up the fewest votes, determined the 18-year-old’s fate.

The newspaper has also claimed that Cowell is worried that he has “damaged his own reputation” by making the controversial choice.

Source

Just because the X Factor didn’t go the way you wanted it to DOES NOT mean it’s fixed!

[RANT] I’ve been trying so hard not to blog about the X Factor.

Yes, I watch it.

Yes, I love it.

No, I don’t care what you think about it.

I’m one of the people who love watchin John and Edward. I know they can’t sing but I don’t take the X Factor so seriously. It’s purely an entertainment show, you need to remember that it’s sole purpose is to entertain the 6 million people who are watching rather than it’s sole purpose being to find someone who can sing really well. The past has shown us that it doesn’t matter who wins. Steve whatever he’s called and that Leon lad from 2 years ago could sing really well, won the show, and now where are they? Anyone? Exactly! No one knows or cares. JLS didn’t win, they weren’t the BEST singers in the show last year, but they’re doing pretty damn well.

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO WINS.

The point of the show is to last from August to Christmas and pull in millions of viewers each week, get some headlines, and get a lot of people to spend their money voting. If the result of that isn’t what you wanted, it doesn’t mean it’s a fix, it means you didn’t vote enough. It also means you’re stupid enough to think that the whole point of it is anything but to entertain people.

John and Edward might not be able to sing, that’s true, but they’re damn fun to watch. Simon Cowell was exactly right when he said what he did on Sunday night. Neither them nor Lucie were going to win. What’s more entertaining, watching her for another few weeks, singing some average songs, in a normal way then getting voted off in the second last week where she ‘deserved to be’ or watching the twins for another couple of weeks being really funny and jumping around like idiots with a strange edge of incest in the songs they choose? Which one would entertain you more? We all know that it’s going to be Olly who wins anyway.

People are also saying that Simon is only chosing to keep the twins in so that his acts have more of a chance of winning so therefore it’s definitely fixed. Surely that’s his job? To eliminate the competition to help his acts? Isn’t that the whole POINT? Otherwise you could just say the exact same thing about Louis wanting to send Lucie home. Use your brain you daft people!

Oh, and if Lucie is so good, why didn’t more people vote for her then she wouldn’t have been in the bottom 2 in the first place!

I can’t even be bothered to find a song. [/RANT]

I read this article today, and I too immediately understood what it was going to be about from the title. There are some interesting points in the comments as well, particularly from ‘New Yorker’ but I am also pleased to see the level headed response of ‘CalibriQuaker’.

I think there’s a touch of recovering Pharisee about me too, mainly due to the truths of God’s grace that I am seeing more vibrantly than ever before in my life, but I’ve touched on that before.

On a side note, and I realise that this publicly exposes me, but I’m a bit shocked that Lucie is out of the X-Factor, tragedy.

Actually fuming, the disgrace of Lucie Jones going home although she, in my eyes, could of won and John and Edward still in the competition is stupid. Horrific singers with comedy value just beat a quality singer.

This ruining my perfect day, saw the family, met up with the lady, bought a nemo teddy and had the best dinner ever, made it my self and it was splendid. Pork Chop, Mash, Yorkshire Puddings, Peas, Croquettes all smothered with chicken gravy. Delicious, best meal I’ve ever made myself, better than spoons.

All that was ruined by the number of idiots voting to keep Jedward.

We love you Lucie Jones, come back and win next year. I’ve changed my mind about Simon, he’s a douche bag.

Good Morning Everyone! We hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Unless you’ve had both eyes and ears closed today, you are probably aware of what a roller-coaster ride last night’s X Factor results show was! When Lucie and John and Edward were announced as the “bottom two” contestants, we were all hanging on the edge of our sofa’s waiting to see what happened. In all honesty, we expected Simon to be sending the twins homes, after all of his feedback on the boys performances. Still though, it went down to the public vote and we were very sad to see Lucie go.

We were however delighted with Leona’s performance; it goes to show this show really can help find some amazing talent. Not only did she look absolutely stunning but her vocal performance totally blew us away. In 2006, The X Factor winner Leona Lewis visited the hospital days after her victory to share her success with the patients. In doing so, Leona began one of our favourite annual traditions – the visit of The X Factor winner to the hospital. We will always love Leona for this!

We were also very excited when Dermot O’Leary, the show’s presenter announced the news that all the final contestants are releasing a single soon, with the proceeds going to us here at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. We are really looking forward to the weeks ahead and following the single’s success. Hopefully the single will help raise lots of money, which will really help out this important cause.

This is a photo we have of the single being recorded:

How exciting to see them all in the studio together; that is a glimpse of some magic happening! By buying the single you can help keep the magic alive here at Great Ormond Street.

It’s become a bit of a joke that talented acts are getting knocked out of the X-Factor show aggainst John & Edward but….it is the people voting. Although on this occasion i really think Simon cowell should have stepped in and saved Lucie maybe a bit of a strategic move by Simon to ensure he wins.

MG

I don’t even know where to begin! OK let’s try the beginning.

Cheryl’s hair was pretty fugly last night and it looked a million times better tonight so that was a good start, but then it went down hill from there.

As it was movie week last night, I was hoping that the group song would be something from Grease or High School Musical etc, but alas they once again picked a horrific song – Katy Perry Hot n Cold. If you want to see it, and I don’t know why you would, click here.

Black Eyed Peas strike a pose

Then it was the Black Eyed Peas who will no doubt be zooming up the charts as I type despite the fact that the song was well, a bit boring really (you can watch it here). It’s probably a grower though. And they didn’t seem to do much other than stand on the stage did they? Well Fergie and Will.i.am got to do cool things but the other two didn’t get any special treatment did they? Oh well. Also, I want to send thoses stupid keyboard/guitar things into outer-space and hope they never ever come back – who ever thought that they were a good idea?

Leona Lewis returns to her spiritual home

And then on to Leona who half the time I couldn’t see because she was a tiny dot in the middle of a largely black screen, but aside from that she was a bit good wasn’t she?! At times the heavy eye makeup made her eyes look a little odd but I thought she was great and you can watch it here.

After about the millionth break it was time for the results. Once again I got my predictions totally wrong and was over the moon to see John & Edward in the bottom two, not so much Lucie but it wasn’t too much of a shock.

In her song for survival Lucie was pretty good, but there are some notes that when she sings it makes me cringe a little bit, see what you think here.

John & Edward sang Rock DJ, and I was curious to see how they would do without all the hideous choreography that it normally going on, and they were bad, really bad. Their dancing was bad, their singing was bad, their rapping was bad, it was just hideous, if you have a strong stomach then you can have a look here.

The Twins and Lucie find out who is leaving

So obviously Louis was going to pick Lucie to send home, being loyal to his act. Dannii was also loyal to her act and picked John & Edward to go home, and here was me sitting at home thinking ‘yay! thank god I don’t have to watch them every week anymore!’

Then Cheryl picked John and Edward to go home so once again it was down to Simon. Pick Lucie to go and it goes to ‘deadlock’ or pick John & Edward to go and away they go. So what does he do? Of course he takes it to ‘deadlock’.

Lucie’s head goes straight to her hands and she begins to cry, and I suddenly realise that John & Edward are going to stay, ‘no, that could never happen’ I think to myself. Unfortunately I was wrong – it can happen. WHAT??  I shout think at the TV, WHAT??? And it is probably what anyone who is sane is thinking.

Afterwards on Xtra Factor Simon admitted that he didn’t think it would go that way, which begs the question – why didn’t you just vote for Lucie to stay then? But I suppose John & Edward will pull the viewers in.

Right, so next week Shakira is going to be performing on Sunday and all 12 finalists will be singing The X Factor charity single – that means the welcome return of all your favorites – Kandy Rain, Rikki Loney, Miss Frank and Rachel Adedeji. It’s not one to be missed! TV gold I tell you!

It’s on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm on ITV1.

Images are copyright of ITV plc 2009

oh my god!

what the fuck is wrong with the general public. are you sick. can you hear?!

Jedward? your seriously kidding right?! you send Lucie home to keep JEDWARD?

I cant beleive how angry and upset I am right now… dammnit and i said i wasnt going to watch the x factor this year. im a let down, i know, but i got mega attatched to Lucie. she had style, she had a fantasmical voice, and you send her away.

thick shits.

if anyone reading this voted for Jedward, go away, dont come back. you’ve upset me big time.

nah, dont go away, my blogs more important to me than x factor. kinda. have to say a big ass WOW to Leona. i love that girl WAYYYYYYY to much. shes the best. she realy is. AND shes so normal.

JLS’s albums out tomorrow, wahoooooooo. soooo cant wait. gonna make my mum treck across town and get it me thinks.

im sooo proud of myself right now. i dont know how, but ive managed to save almost thirty pounds. im amaising. go me. i think a round of applause is called for.

im just kidden, you should go out and buy me a present instead… and dont cheap out on the gift wrap.

so earlier I was thinking what I could focus my blog on, and first I thought money, because Im so good at spending it, but then I kinda thought, thats probably not the best idea in the world, because, you know, i dont wanna make people bank rupt.

and then i thought id blog about music, and I was like yeah thatd be awesome, but then id either go bank rupt myself from buying the music OR get sent to jail for pirating the music, and i dont plan on either.

so, untimately, i just decided to stick to my self centeredness and blog about me

night! xo.

One minute it’s Friday, the next it’s Sunday tea time already Not good.
Thought I’d comment on The X Factor before the results come in a little later this evening, and well….. because the weekend went so damned quick.

I love, love, love Saturday night TV. Not only do I get to watch The X Factor, but I flick the channel after the show and I get to watch CSI and Law and Order. I’m an evening TV junkie
I missed the first few minutes of XF because I was busy sorting out my cafe in ‘Cafe World on Facebook. I swear Zynga makes their games so I have to wait 15 minutes just to serve up some food. But that’s a whole different story!

Last night on XF it was ‘Movie’ week.
The songs had been leaked, I almost peed myself at some of the choices and really couldn’t wait to see them.
Lloyd was supposedly doing ‘Footloose’ *coughs*. While I think the song itself is extremely cheesy [sorry Footloose fans, but it IS!] I just couldn’t imagine Lloyd singing it.
I was right, they changed the song. He did the most awful cover of ‘Stand By Me’.
Why is Lloyd even through? It’s week 5 and he still does nothing for me. His singing is average. I’ve heard better on karaoke.
Must be his ‘pretty boy’ features which by the way do not appeal to me.
Jamie was supposedly doing ‘Unchained Melody’. Yes, Jamie the rocker. I kid you not.
If you had to mentor Jamie, you would give him that song choice? NOT!
Thankfully Simon Cowell did a song change at the last minute and he sang ‘Crying’. [you know, that Roy Orbison number]
I personally thought the performance started out limp, but ended with fireworks!
Jamie is one of my favourites, but he has a habit of starting out really bad and knocking your socks off at the end.
Something for his mentor to work on. That’s if Mr Cowell can tear himself away for a moment from Danyl…..
Ahhh, Danyl. He sang ‘Purple Rain’. I’m not a huge Danyl fan.
I think it stems from his audition when he did ‘A Little Help From My Friends’ [Joe Cocker version, not The Beatles].
He came across as so cocksure of himself.
I personally don’t think his voice is as good as they make out. A good singer is consistent every week, and for me Danyl hasn’t been.
His version of Purple Rain was ok, but not as good as Ruth Lorenzo last year. [Danyl, you should have watched that clip and studied, that's how you do it!]
Mr Cowell is tipping him to win. He’s the ‘pet’ of the ‘Over 25’s’ along with Olly….
I don’t ‘get’ Olly. He does nothing for me. He comes across as a ‘ladies man’ and I really don’t have time for those type of people.
Olly’s performance is the one where I usually stick the kettle on.
Except for last night!
He did an exceptional job of ‘Twist and Shout’.
People have said that he did the ‘Thriller’ dance halfway through. Where?
That’s how they danced in the 60’s! Maybe Michael Jackson stole some moves
He deserves to stay after that one.
That leads me to Joe.
Joe sings note perfect every time. I can’t fault him on that.
The problem with him is that I don’t like his style of music.
He reminds me of Neil Sedaka. But he’s the only one to sing in tune week in week out.
He did ‘Circle of Life’, and while the song does nothing for me [don't watch Disney films, sorry] he gave another faultless performance.
As did Lucie.
Good song choice for her this week. ‘This is Me’ from Camp Rock.
I should know that song off by heart, my kids have seen that film so many times.
I actually thought she did a better version than the girl in the film.
And do you know what? I can’t even remember Stacey’s performance.
I know she did ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ but I really don’t remember…. it was *that* good….:P
Which leaves me to finish up with John and Edward.
Ahhhh, JEdward.
Can’t sing a note, but the team puts on a huge performance every week, you just have to watch.
‘Ghostbusters’ really suited them.
I know they shouldn’t still be in it, but what can you do?
If they do go through I’ll probably look forward to whatever they’re doing the following week.
Hey, it’s fun!

Who will go?
Seriously, I can’t answer.
The voting this year is so ridiculous it’s hard to tell.
But at least we have something to brighten up our Saturday evenings

“Songs from the Movies” night on The X Factor last night, and there were some unusual choices. No ‘My Heart Will Gwaaaan’ from Titanic, thank the lord, and no ‘I Will A-Hallways Love You’ either. Instead we had some creative choices, such as Jamie’s decision to sing ‘Crying’ (the old Roy Orbison song) from everybody’s favourite movie, Gummo (no, me neither, but it is real).

Joe stuck to the tried and tested ‘Circle of Life’ route, and he sang it well. The judges all agreed that Joe ticks all the boxes – he sings in tune, his voice is pleasant to listen to, he’s a nice person, and he’s good-looking. So why am I finding his performances so forgettable? The answer, I think, is that he’s just not sexy. I’m sure he’s as hormone-packed as the next boy, but there’s just no sense of it when he performs. Granted, ‘The Circle of Life’ is hardly the tune to start exuding animal magnetism to, but I’m not talking about thrusting pelvises or pouting into the camera-type sexuality (yes, Stacey, I’m talking about you here – good try, love, but no).

Compare Joe to the older Olly and Jamie. Both of them, and particularly Jamie, look like they’ve had a memorable night or two in their time. Compare also to the younger Lloyd. He’s all pretty Welsh innocence at the moment but he has that glint in his eye…

Anyway, before I start speculating too much about the glints in eyes of 16 year old boys, let’s move on to how everybody else did this week. I’ve been criticised for criticising Olly, but I like Olly, honestly I do. He’s a lovely bloke and he throws himself happily into his performance every week. Sadly this week he sang ‘Twist and Shout,’ a song that John Lennon put so much into when he sang it, it left his throat bleeding. You’re never going to top that (though to be fair to the lad, he fair brought the house down). Lucie was revisiting her Avril Lavigne look this week to sing a song from Camp Rock, and the judges all said she was “authentic” and “relevant.” If they think they’ve found a British Miley Cyrus they’re deluding themselves. Brownie points to Stacey for managing to walk on unfeasibly high heels and sing at the same time. Jamie’s version of ‘Crying’ was heartfelt, but I didn’t like the way he had to keep switching octaves to suit his range. Danyl was much better this week, and his new Ashley Cole haircut has at least gone down well with Cheryl. Lloyd, bless him, is, as the judges said, out of his depth in a singing competition. But he should be snapped up for Hollyoaks immediately – he has the face of a pixie angel.

Which leaves John and Edward and their ‘Ghostbusters’ routine. If Jedward had to just stand on the stage and sing, they’d have been out of this competition weeks ago. But, thanks to Simon Cowell realising (following Britain’s Got Talent) that what the nation wants is a variety show of a Saturday night, they get the Brian Friedmann routines and the full force of the costume and props people behind them, and produce an amusing little routine each week. And, frankly, it’s often the highlight of the evening.

So who will go tonight? I have no idea, to be honest. The bottom two will probably include Lloyd or Danyl, but I think Jamie may be at risk (noooooooo!!!). Go on, Britain – vote Jamie!

Movie night this week, and most contestants handed in an at-the-very-least-acceptable performance. Again, there was one obvious stand-out, a lot of ‘good’, and some not so good. Dannii’s back in her old position (beside Louis, not Simon), Cheryl’s a cow, Simon’s patronising and Louis is funny. He also namedrops Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift, so go Louis.

The performances…

Stacey opened the show with a decent version of Dusty Springfield’s ‘Son of a Preacher Man’. She sang it quite well, performed it quite well and looked hot, and it’s a great song, but there’s a problem. This song has never been one that’s translated well on these kind of shows, IMO. It lacks the punch required to make a real impact, and it’s a hard song to – I’m stealing an X Factor cliche here – make your own. Add that to the fact that she opened the show, and Stacey could be in trouble this week.

Olly sang ‘Twist and Shout’, and it’s typical Olly. Goofy dancing, screwed up face, okay-ish vocals, a big production…you get the point. Louis criticises the song-choice, and Dannii doesn’t think he (Olly) was fussed on the song himself. I agree…there was a bigger disconnection than ever this week. You can barely hear the other two over the audience. Well, at least some people get him.

Lloyd was out to redeem himself, and he was certainly better than last week, but that’s not saying much. He sang ‘Stand By Me’, and his voice sounded pretty enough. He fell flat quite a lot though, and he completely lost the melody at one point. Oh, and there was this one really cringy moment where he went down to Chezza, held onto her hand and pleading with her to stand by him. Gosh, he’s totally infatuated, and she’s loving every moment of it. Ethan should do something.

Jamie sang ‘Crying’ pretty badly. He was flat to begin with, and kept switching between keys. Still, he’s a ‘rocker’, so he’s allowed to go off-key, obviously. He just wasn’t very good. Story of Jamie’s X Factor run thus far. I hope he finally goes this week.

Lucie sang ‘This Is Me’ from Camp Rock. It’s an awful, bland nu-Disney song, but still, she managed to make it sound good, which says a lot about this girl’s talent. It wasn’t as good as the last two weeks, but that’s understandable. I sort of wish she’d sung a proper Disney song, like ‘Colors of the Wind’ or ‘I Won’t Say I’m In Love’ or something like that. Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as contemporary, but she would’ve sounded great. Oh well.

Danyl won the night with his version of ‘Purple Rain’. No questions asked, really. The song absolutely complimented his tone, and he didn’t overdo it or try too hard. It just worked. Was it as good as Ruth’s? Maybe not, but the situation’s different, and it was a different take on the song. Cheryl compliments him for toning down the cockiness, but he was never cocky to begin with, so she really needs to drop it. And Cheryl’s the last person to criticise anyone’s personality, to be honest. Punched out any toilet attendants recently, Chezza? One other thing: Danyl cut his hair! He still looks sexy as hell, but I liked the old hair. :/ Oh well. Great performance.

John&Edward sing Ghostbusters. Ha. Dannii’s not even humouring them anymore. Go Dannii. I’ve been over these two since the Britney song. Whatever.

Joe closes the show with ‘Circle of Life’, and sounds great (as usual), but is brought down by the weird production, and he chose to modulate the pitch and arrangement in some weird places. Good though. And reliable. Joe’s very reliable. And I don’t his musical theatre-ish-ness much, because he’d do great in that area, and X Factor doesn’t necessarily have to lead to a major recording career.

My ranking:

1) Danyl

2) Lucie

3) Joe

4) Stacey

5) Olly

6) Lloyd

7) Olly

I won’t bother including the twins. They’re like an interval at this point.

Bottom 2: Stacey and either Olly or Jamie. Most likely Jamie.