..är en av de sexigaste män jag vet. En gång höll jag på att åka på stryk när jag sa det.

Bland Brits are spending big bucks on giving their homes the personal touch 80% would like to make a greater style statement with their homes, and are looking to celebs like Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell for inspiration when it comes to decorating their dwelling.

Bland Brits are spending big bucks on giving their homes the personal touch 80% would like to make a greater style statement with their homes, and are looking to celebs like Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell for inspiration when it comes to decorating their dwelling.

The survey of 1,000 people by Mira Showers showed that the celeb wed most like to steal interiors tips from is Cheryl Cole, who was the top choice for over a quarter of ladies as well as the majority of respondents under 25.

Which celebritys home would you most like to visit for style ideas?
1.Cheryl Cole 19%
2.Simon Cowell 16%
3.Nigella Lawson 15%

Which celebritys home would you least like to visit for style ideas?
1.Jordan 27%
2.The Queen 17%
3.Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen 16%

Source

I have to say, when I first listened to Cheryl’s debut solo album, I wasn’t keen, I really wasn’t. I’ve listened to it all week now and LOVE IT. It’s definitely a grower. Just give it a chance if you felt the same. I mean, I’m a massive Girls Aloud fan so there was always going to be the painful comparison of Cheryl on her own without the girls…. it wasn’t ever going to be the same. But hell, it’s not half bad, not half bad at all! Alas, I degress, 3 Words is one of the songs I was finding myself humming and singing, badly. So it’s quite nice that this is Cheryl’s follow up single to Fight For This Love.

In the 3 Words video, Cheryl takes on three ‘personas’: her usual Hollywood glamour look with big big hair, a blunt brunette bob and unusually her final look is a gaga inspired platinum blonde style. It’s definitely fair to say Cheryl looks best with her brunette locks!

Unfortunately, as the video has only just last night had it’s world premiere, I’m unable to embed the youtube video as of yet, I will indeed [edit] this post when the embed is available. Take a look at the screen shots below – video link at bottom of this post!

It’s not difficult to see where the stylist got Will.I.Am’s winterful look from for this new video – ALLSAINTS. You can buy all items on this ‘Outerwear’ AW09 campaign image on the AllSaints website – www.allsaints.com.

FOR NOW, YOU CAN VIEW THE NEW 3 WORDS VIDEO HERE FEATURING WILL.I.AM.

Let me know your thoughts!!

Cx

As this year’s edition of the X-Factor begins to hot up, Fingertips’ Showbiz correspondent Simon Wright takes a look at the story so far

Changes have been made, controversy and allegations have dogged the most famous judge on TV and let’s not forget The Louis Walsh Book of Rules & Regulations: Version 1.0.

Yes, this year’s X-Factor has seen it all and with an average of ten million viewers for Saturday night’s live performances, then at least 13 million tuning into Sunday’s results show, it’s a major ratings winner. With the nation glued to ITV’s latest reality extravaganza, it is time to look back at some of the moments that have made this X-Factor the most dramatic yet.

Firstly, there is no doubt about the vocal talents of Simon Cowell’s contestant Danyl Johnson. However, he has often been accused of being too arrogant by the judges and lambasted in the media for his actions. For me, if it was purely a talent show, Danyl would be firm favourite, but now the public get the only say in who leaves the competition, it must be doubted how long he will remain in the show.

Let’s also not forget Rachel Adedej’s constant battle to avoid the dreaded bottom two and Miss Frank – destined not to prove they were the best of the groups this year.

This leads us nicely onto the most topical debate: Jedward. Some people adored the twins, and others loathed them. Although vocally challenged, their entertainment value could not be faulted.

Maybe that is what Simon was thinking when he controversially sent the November 8th show to a deadlock, which eliminated the hugely-talented but under-rated Lucie Jones. Lucie was cruelly treated by Cowell, and didn’t get the credit she deserved; we are bound to hear her name in the future.

Of course, we will continue to hear of Jedward too – but hopefully not on a music basis.

What of the judges then? In the Over 25s, it is clear that Simon has had the strongest category this year. However, despite the talents of Danyl, Jamie ‘Afro’ Archer and Olly Murs, he now stands in real danger of losing the competition.

Louis is now out of the running, while Cheryl has made some inspired song choices for favourite Joe McElderry, yet pulled some very questionable moves that have seen the cute Lloyd Daniels hung out to dry.

This year though, Dannii Minogue deserves a load of credit for the way she has dealt with her girls and the shock of elimination of both Rachel and Lucie. Ignore the media reports about her supposed disagreements with Cheryl – they get along perfectly.

So, three weeks left, five acts remain in the form of Joe, Olly, Danyl, Lloyd and Dagenham Duchess Stacey Solomon. Who is going to win? Only time will tell, but we are definitely in store for a classic and dramatic final furlong of the X-Factor 2009.

For all the latest news and view on Showbiz check out Fingertips.net

So the decision is in. Or rather, we stumbled across the decision. A small lump sum muscled its way into our bank account unannounced. It was labelled “Deposit Scheme”. And the numbers were wrong. They’d given him half the disputed amount. That’s nearly 500 quid. As far as we can tell, that’s 500 quid for a screw for the oven and some paint.

We rang them, obviously, the deposit people. And they said they “knew nothing”. Of course, why would they? “Ring the agents” they said. And they went back to downloading porn and eating Skips with big clammy fat hands oiled with the hand cream in the toilets paid for my the tax money they are given to do FUCK ALL when asked to adjudicate people’s deposit disputes

It’s no surprise, you know, that the amount is roughly half. They probably think it’s clever. Not enough to piss either person off enough for them to complain. 50:50. That’s fair. Yeah, caus that’s the sort of intelligence we are working with here. The TDS seems to be some sub-species of human intelligence where they think that despite having unarguable documentary proof that we did not owe any money and were due our entire deposit back, a 50:50 arrangement is fair.

It’s not

Because our ex-landlord is a scar along the centre of his head away from being a massive penis. Actually, fuck it, he is still a massive penis, whether he actually resembles one or not (which he sort of does, minus a scar along the centre of his head). HE ignored every rule in the contract and then added some new rules for his own fun. He’s a massive cunt.

But the options, alas, are limited. We are bound by what the half-brains at TDS decided. Of course, there are options…

1 Find the ex-landlord and egg his face. Ok, so we wouldn’t have any money back, but I’d have a massive fucking smile on my face.

2 Complain to the TDS. That would be like asking an X-Factor contestant to quantify there effort in a percentage less than 100%. Pretty fucking pointless.

3 Take them to court. All of them. Well, yes, that would be lovely, but the only winner here would be the lawyers who would be able to buy a nice new merc in which to fuck prostitutes.

4 Cry. And collect the tears to drown the ex-landlord. Tempting, but the saltiness of my tears and proliferation of gusty wind may mean quick evaporation by the time I found him and all I’d have left was some mushy salt crystals. Oh, and men don’t cry innit.

5 Put up with it and get on with my life. Ah the higher ground. So unsatisfying. And not even really higher ground. People are wrong, childish impulsive insults are much more appropriate than a David Mitchell-esque witty comment and a purposeful walk in the opposite direction. Shouting twat and throwing someone the finger is the more adult response. Surely

In the end of course the only thing I am likely to do is live out revenge fantasies on this blog and probably get locked up under some obscure terrorist legislation before being deported to the US of A for some interrogation and jail time. Caus that’s how the world works these days.

The world sucks. And my ex-landlord is the lucky cock it’s sucking.

Susan Boyle inspired me to follow my dreams after watching her on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.

The expression on Simon Cowell’s face was priceless.

simon_cowell_the calamity girl

After his initial shock, he got this funny grin on his face, when he realized Susan Boyle was a winner!

I knew she would be, because she is determined to become a winner.

It takes persistence and hard work to reach your goals and dreams.

So never give up, dream those dreams and watch them come to life!

Janet Jackson & Lady Gaga are both confirmed to perform on the X-Factor next week (Dec 6th). Janet is set perform something off her new greatest hits possibly new single  ”Make Me” or a Medley while Gaga will perform “Bad Romance” off her latest EP “The Fame Monster”.

What a show stopper it’s set to be, Can’t wait!!!

IMG|SOURCE: Andre DeVeaux Via Getty

Could you even imagine? Eminem sitting between Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh… Seriously?

We probably shouldn’t even entertain this story but ‘apparently’ Eminem wants to be a guest Judge on X Factor and has even nominated Dr Dre as a guest judge too…. yes Dr Dre!

Eminem ‘reportedly’ said “No disrespect to the current judges but you need people who are global, platinum-selling stars. You need to prepare contestants for what it’s really like out there, and what sort of pressure you are going to be under.” He continued: “So much average talent comes out of these reality shows, it’s time to give people a chance who deserve it.”

“A hip-hop star will never win a show like The X Factor without somebody like me on the panel.”There are a lot of very talented hip-hop stars who would kill for a break in Britain but the judges aren’t qualified in hip-hop. I keep my eye on the urban scene in Britain and there is a lot of talent out there. It needs somebody in power to open a door for them.”

“I am not sure I would have the time to do it full-time, but I would come and be a guest judge. Simon tells it like it is and I am down with that. If somebody ain’t good enough they ain’t good enough.”

what do you think?

The Sun (always a reliable source) revealed today that Hip Hop mega-star Eminem wants to be a judge on the X Factor. He is quoted as saying:

WND

Openly ‘gay’ Adam Lambert simulates sex acts with men on ABC broadcast

Editor’s Note: This story contains references to very objectionable adult material, which also is included in the video of the Lambert performance.

Openly homosexual former “American Idol” performer Adam Lambert shocked the American Music Awards audience last night by shoving dance team members’ faces into his crotch, leading others around on dog leashes and delivering a passionate on-stage kiss to his male keyboard player during theABC broadcast.

The performance of his new song, “For Your Entertainment,” marks his first public appearance since his “American Idol” competition loss to Christian Kris Allen.

According to the London Telegraph, Lambert was unapologetic to anyone who might have been offended, saying, “Maybe I’m not your cup of tea.”

Lyrics of the song included: “Hold on until it’s over. Can you handle what I’m about to do. It’s about to get rough with you.”

The video (Viewers please be aware this includes offensive material):

Shortly after word of the performance started spreading, the video was withdrawn from YouTube because of a “copyright claim” from Dick Clark Productions.

Immediately following the performance, Adam Lambert was the most trending topic on Twitter. Lambert was defiant on his Twitter page, proclaiming, “All hail freedom of expression and artistic integrity. … fans: I adore u.”

But viewers were not necessarily responding in kind. One observer described the performance as a “modern Sodom.” On a New York Daily News poll asking, “Do you think Adam went too far with his performance?” two out of three respondents agreed.

Sixty-four percent said, “It was unnecessary and inappropriate for television.” Only 24 percent said, “He took a risk and did something different that was worth watching.” Another 12 percent said the show would have been more appropriate for cable television.

Lambert’s provocative performance began with him dragging a leather-and-fishnet-clad dancer across the stage.

Wearing eye makeup and a pompadour, he then grabbed the head of a male dancer and pulled him into his crotch.

He broke off his gyrations long enough for a long kiss with his male keyboard player and finished with a high-pitched howl he’s known to deliver.

ABC producers were unaware of the planned same-sex make-out session, reports Rolling Stone. However, Lambert’s performance was advertised as “eye-popping” and something “you’d be talking about tomorrow.”

Lambert told Rolling Stone he didn’t do anything female performers haven’t done on television already – and that if ABC censored any part of his performance for the West Coast rebroadcast, it would amount to “discrimination.”
“It’s a shame because I think that there’s a double standard going on in the entertainment community right now,” Lambert told Rolling Stone backstage after the show at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre. “Female performers have been doing this for years – pushing the envelope about sexuality – and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. We’re in 2009; it’s time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people’s eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I’m not for them. My goal was not to piss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom.”

The Telegraph reported the Federal Communications Commission was preparing for an onslaught of complaints over the graphic nature of the performance. The report said on Twitter and other Internet forums, watchers called the show “disgustingly vulgar.”

“Has ABC lost their minds? How on earth do they think airing this is OK?” wrote one forum participant.

Ironically, Sunday’s awards were opened by Janet Jackson, who was embroiled in controversy following her infamous “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Pop star Justin Timberlake ripped off a portion of Jackson’s costume, exposing her breast to millions of viewers. The incident was investigated by the FCC and CBS was fined.

Lambert had been defeated on “American Idol” by Kris Allen, a mild-mannered Christian described as a “dark horse.”

The outcome of the vote stunned many who thought Lambert would be the victor.

“Huge upset,” said WFLX-TV news anchor Eric Roby, who said he and co-anchor Suzanne Boyd were shocked as they watched the program from their West Palm Beach, Fla., studio. “We were both screaming in the make-up room. Couldn’t believe it.”

Lambert had been dubbed a “rock god” by “Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi, a songwriter herself.

Simon Cowell, the judge known for his put-downs of less-than-stellar competitors, had predicted Lambert would win the contest and that he likely would become a worldwide star.

Absolute Radio is of course brill. Another excellent thing that Absolute do is that their website contains a marvellous community full of music fans.

Also gets a mention of Cliffmas! Of course

http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/artists/cliff_richard/news/

Well, the singing and choreography aren’t going to get Simon Cowell’s attention, but I am empathetic to the sentiment.

X-Factor this week was very eventful! We had Susan Boyle performing her new single of her new album, and Also we had to re-appearance of Mariah Carey! Unfortunately we don’t have the video of Mariah’s performance because X-Factor hasn’t uploaded it on YouTube but Mariah’s performance was SPECTACULAR! But here is Susan Boyle’s. Her track is called “Wild Horses”

The remaining contestants sang “Wake Me before You Go” which made all the male contestants look very… Homosexual (iTried to make it sound professional as possible!) The skinny jeans was just a NO! The X-factor Stylist needs to go back to Fashion school. If all the contestants could dance iThink this performance would be a great High school Musical moment!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE X-FACTOR COMPETITION CAN NOW BEGIN!

Moving swiftly on to the Bottom two announcement, and iWas HAPPY! It was Olly & John and Edward! Can Someone shout Hallelujah!? John & Edward was in the bottom two, and iKnew they was going home, because Simon’s act was in the bottom two and once Simon’s act is against John & Edward they are bound to go home! I did say Olly would be a bit vulnerable this week. His performance was slacking something! But let the battle begin!

So Satan and his demon performed first: They performed BoyZone – No matter What. And they was DREADFUL! and iWas waiting for John & Edward to sing a Ballad for the public to see how dreadful they r! And they did! and it just proved to the whole nation that they are absolutely SH*T! They are Tone Deaf! and they just need to go home!

Olly was next and he performed “Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton” This performance by far was better than John & Edward’s Vocally! If Olly went home after this performance it would be an uproar! Because he was better than John & Edward by far!

The result judges had come to a decision and here it is: 

Well done Olly for defeating Satan and his Demons! It was about time John & Edward was sent home! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE X-FACTOR COMPETITION CAN NOW BEGIN!

"El Factor X"

El Factor X: 27 años de edad, profesor Danyl tiene una pasión por el canto y se roba el escenario por completo en una increible primera audicion!

The X Factor: 27-year-old teacher Danyl has a passion for singing and manages to completely own the stage in an incredible first audition!

Connie Talbot singing Ben and winning her Britains Got Talent semi final

Andrew Johnston

The X Factor: It’s difficult to surprise Simon Cowell, but Stacey Soloman manages to do just that… Does she have The X Factor?

Jamie Archer AKA Jamie Afro has never had his chance to break into music, despite it being a lifelong dream. Will he get that chance today?

Joseph McElderry The X Factor: Joe from South Shields immediately got a yes from Cheryl before he started singing! But will he be able to perform well enough to impress the other judges?

Susan Boyle – Memory from Cats – Made Amanda Cry – Piers said brilliant!

You voted him, out of thousands of entrants, your X Factor winner 2007! Watch Leon Jackson perform his brand new single When You Believe!

Lucie Jones,The X Factor 2009: Nervous Lucie takes to the stage, but her choice of song is questioned by Simon. Has she got The X Factor?

The X Factor: 24-year-old Duane returns to The X Factor after failure at last year’s Boot Camp. Has he got what it takes for this year’s competition?

Shaheen Jafargholi Britains Got Talent Wins Semi Final,UNBELIEVABLE 12 YEAR OLD BOY SINGS!!!

Nicky Evans, who recently lost her father, tries her luck at the auditions – and manages to amaze even Simon!

X-Factor this week was “Wham! week” With a touch of George Michael. There was a lot of press circling a certain contestant this week on X-Factor, but all that will be revealed as the blog goes on. I Was kind of excited to see who will sing what this week. My favourite song by George Michael is Faith, and iWas very anxious to see who will sing it, and if they will sing it good.

First to open the show was Lloyd with my favourite song by George Michael. Yes – he performed Faith, and surprisingly he sang it well! It was in his vocal range. Lloyd also done something to his hair which made him look a bit better, he also had fake tan on him (which iDidn’t see the need for) But this performance was okay! Lloyd does need a MASSIVE improvement though!

Next to perform was Stacey, she sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me – George Michael”. She looked stunning, but iDo think she should do more than singing ballads! It was a bit pitchy as well. But Stacey is a brilliant singer and she could be in the line to win, but last week’s performance was better than this week’s performance. I felt the emotion with last weeks performance, this week it was just all about her vocals which was kind of on point. Stacey would defiantly get far. However iDo think Stacey looks like Leona Lewis!

Then it was John & Edward to do their Weekly exercise (aka jumping and down on stage). It was very predictable that John & Edward was going to perform a Wham! song. They can’t sing ballads which we all will see later. What was up with JEdwards Skinny Jeans! They was too tight! They looked like they was entertaining Simon though,  But here is the dreadful performance

This week the Press was surrounding Danyl, because he ran out of the X-Factor studios throwing a tantrum because Simon wouldn’t let him sing the song he wanted to sing (which he ended up singing in the end anyway) also Danyl threaten to quit the show. Danyl you must learn you are not a Diva yet! You cannot be throwing Tantrum’s because your not getting your own way! U haven’t even won the show yet and ur throwing unnecessary tantrums! And the thing about u quitting is RIDICULOUS! It’s a once in a life time to be on X-Factor, do not take that for-granted Son! The public could take that from u at any moment in time! Going back to his performance Danyl was trying to hard in the song and he went a bit off tune, without a doubt Danyl can sing, but iThink he needs to tone it down. But iDo agree with Cheryl Cole his image is on point!

Olly was after Danyl, and sorry to say it, Olly was a big threat to be in the Bottom 2, this week. Also it was predictable that He was going to sing “Faster love” I personally want to hear Olly sing a Ballad. I do want him to slow it down a bit. Olly is dancing week in week out. iActually want him to do a Stacey and stand still and sing But yes iWas fearing that Olly would be in the bottom two this week.

The winner was next to perform. Yes the WINNER! I’ve found my winner! Joe McElderley to WIN! However – during the video of Joe going home to see his family and College friends, Joe was walking like Beyoncé in the video… Joe that is a big No No! Tone it down! Do not get to feminine! Scariest thing is – He actually knows how to do the Beyoncé walk… Moving on! This performance Was Brilliant! Joe has a good voice! And He can SING! His performance touched me and was a good way to end the show! Joe McElderley to win X-Factor by far! He is brilliant! Joe turned me into a big fan! I do agree with Louie It was the best performance of the night!

X-Factor this week was very interesting! And iWas determined that John & Edward and Lloyd would be in the bottom two! I was expecting them to! However I Was mistaken! This week we had Shakira performing her single “Did It Again” and also the X-Factor Finalist performed their single “You Are Not Alone” which all money raised is going to charity.

This week the contestants performed “Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen” which iThink was a bit HIGH for all the male singers in the competition but they pulled it off well. It was very melodramatic performance.

“KARMA IS A BITCH”

Next was the Contestants to perform their new single “You Are Not Alone”. I personally thought it was lip-synced but that can be justified that it wasn’t because the song was performed different to how the studio version of the track is. For example on the track Rachel’s vocals are more powerful but in the performance you can hardly hear Rachel! By the way iWant Joe’s white jacket! It was good seeing Miss Frank and everybody else again. Also the staging was good as well.

Shakira was next singing her new single. I don’t like the single and her performance was okay. Thats all I have to say about Shakira . To be honest iHave no idea why she was on X-Factor in the first place! She’s not a great singer! She can’t teach the contestants nothing apart from Belly Dancing!

The result was announced and Jamie & Lloyd was in the bottom two! iWas highly shocked at this! I was expecting It to be Lloyd and John & Edward. Jamie is a brilliant singer, wasn’t expecting him to be in the Bottom 2 at all, but iGuess everybody needs to have their time in there. Everybody has to feel the fire at some point. Lloyd’s felt it more than Jamie though, but that’s the way this competition goes.

Jamie sang “The Show Must Go On” Which obviously was fantastic and was just brilliant! Here’s Jamie battling to keep himself in the competition:

Lloyd was next singing Last Request. Which I Like this song by the way! Rachel sang it at Boot Camp, which Rachel sang brilliantly obviously! But this song did kind of suit Lloyd. But Lloyd is not a brilliant singer. I don’t think he is that good enough to be in X-Factor by far! Here is Lloyd’s performance

The Judges came to a verdict and it went to deadlock. One thing I have to say is KARMA IS A BITCH! Because Simon wasn’t expecting it to go to Dead-lock, but it did! Now he knows how it feels when your on the verge to loosing your act Simon! Karma hit Simon Cowell in the face hard! As he sent to dead-lock a few times which got the WHOLE nation upset! Heres the result of who got sent home:

See you soon Jamie. You was a brilliant singer and God has a lot of things in store for u! Keep your head up!

Well I know it’s a bit late and virtually everyone in the entire world knows what happened on last Sunday’s The X Factor so just for those people who have been living under a rock for the last few days, this is a mid-week X Factor update.

On last Saturday’s show it was Wham! week, and all of the finalists sang their socks off to try and avoid the dreaded ‘bottom two’ in the results show.

Unfortunately for John and Edward they found themselves there once again, with probably the biggest surprise of Sunday night’s show, Olly who was also in the bottom two.

Now if I know The X Factor, and I think I do, this will simply been the result of everyone thinking that they don’t need to vole for Olly because he is safe and everyone else will vote for him. When this happens, the ’safe’ act finds themselves in the bottom two and singing for survival.

Olly and John & Edward find out who will be sent packing

John and Edward were voted off by Simon, Cheryl and Dannii, and thank goodness! There were cheers of joy in my house as Dannii said she would be sending them home!

So now let’s look to the future and talk about this coming weekend’s show. There will be two major differences from now in on The X Factor. The first is that each of the remaining acts will have to sing TWO songs from now on, which means twice the pressure. It also means less time to practice your song so anyone who can still deliver polished performances is obviously putting in a lot of hard work. This week the final five acts will be singing songs by Elton John and Take That.

Alicia Keys

The second difference is  that the judges can no longer decide who goes and who stays from the bottom two – that’s right, it’s all down to the public vote now which means that if you like someone, you really have got to vote for them.

This week’s theme is Elton John & Take That! Whoohooo! When I found this out a very big part of me hoped that Take That would be performing on the results show but alas it is not meant to be, and instead Rihanna and Alicia Keys will be singing!

Rihanna

So that’s all for now folks, don’t forget that The X Factor is on Saturdays and Sundays at 8pm on ITV1.

Davide Maggio colpisce ancora! E’ suo lo scoop che vedrebbe Simone Annichiarico, conduttore della versione italiana di America’s Got Talent. Il format, ideato da Simon Cowell, negli States spopola e in Inghilterra ha sfornato la “tenera” Susan Boyle, la bruttina dalla voce d’angelo. Insomma, Gerry Scotti non avrebbe convinto, o meglio il suo nuovo impegno in primavera (la nuova edizione di Bravo Bravissimo) lo terrebbe così occupato da trascurare un programma a cui Maria De Filippi terrebbe molto. In molti però riconducono questa scelta al timore di Gerry di mettere la faccia ad un programma che in fondo potrebbe anche andar male, trasformandosi in flop senza precedenti per Canale 5. Tra i giudici spuntano la stessa De Filippi, produttrice dello show (nelle medesimi vesti di Cowell in Amercan Idol), Rudy Zerbi, numero uno della Sony, e Gerry Scotti, relegato al ruolo di giudice. Secondo Maggio la puntata verrà registrata tra il 2 e il 3 dicembre, presso il Teatro Massimo di Roma. Il tutto ancora non è ufficiale ma siamo sicuri che il buon Davide Maggio non si farà sfuggire niente!

FONTE: www.davidemaggio.it

Simon Cowell is that little British man, who convinced America that he could spot talent. The truth is, talent already has talent before they ever even meet Cowell. Simon capitalizes on an artists talent to remain a fat cat. He’s extremely convincing at it.

Entertainment Tonight reports that Cowell wants to turn Scottish singing sensation, Susan Boyle’s life story into a Michael Jackson-esque This Is It styled documentary with the TV Guide Network. Simon (or his stand in, not allowed any credit person) has actually made the doco already.

TV Guide Network will premiere the film called I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story on December 13 at 8 p.m.

The doco better star Susan’s cat Pebbles in the lead role with Susan, as Boyle’s talent blossomed as she sung everyday alone around her Scottish apartment singing to Pebbles the cat, and not Cowell. I joke! But the doco should. This is the story of a forgotten cat lady who got discovered when she put herself in a talent show and her voice changed the world.

Cowell’s take on the story is that the doco will “chronicle Boyle’s journey from obscurity to making global headlines with her angelic voice.”

Not a bad idea. Always ambitious Cowell aims to broadcast Boyle’s story just one hour before The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty’s reality TV series special episode premieres the same night on A&E. He’s a cheeky little Pom living in LA aint he?! Props. Watch out Janet Jackson, stay away from Simon Cowell, who wants your family’s lucrative music markets in the world.

[Susan Boyle at LAX Image courtesy of Bauer Griffin]

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 11.24.09~

There is a law in most countries concerning monopolies that says any company or companies that grow too large or merge with other larger companies the government will step in to stop said business from cornering the market. This is so that one company does not have sole control over a certain section of the market. This is a good law in my opinion as it assists innovation and progression in our society. One man should not have all the power. This is, unfortunately, not always the case (see Rupert Murdoc, Bill Gates, etc.) but by and large it is and even if mergers are not prevented a tax is applied so as to suck some of the money from the company. In the arts, however, the same cannot be said of the arts. Particularly music.

I am a musician and a songwriter, the son of a musician and a songwriter, and to say it depresses me to see that there is no less than FIVE Cowell/X Factor-ites pestering the charts would be a grave understatement. Cowell has developed a strangle hold so tight on the musical windpipe of the west it is slowly falling to its knees and gasping for breath as its vision fades waiting for the cold embrace of death. I wouldn’t mind if any of it was good but as it is all the most watered-down, piss-shit-awful crap to have ever disgraced the ‘pop’ chart i find it all the more saddening.

In the age of the internet and a CD burner in everyone’s home, there should be more brave and exciting artists making an impact. Bedroom geniuses and pub-slumming bands are still out there but in a time when the power is meant to be with the people the PR companies utilise this medium for their own ends, saturating the market with this regressive drivel. My only hope is that with the dawn of Spotify, last.fm and such, independent artists will get themselves heard. But what’s the point of being heard if it earns you nothing? The record companies should be finding the buzzing hot young things that are blazing a trail for the future of music. But no. They merely rehash a well trodden path of using the decade-before-lasts’ nostalgic sensibilities to recreate God-awful sound-a-likes bands with none of the rebellion. So many bands want to look and sound like the Clash et al, yet have none of their verve, presence, showmanship or intelligence. ‘Guns over Brixton’ would never be written now, let alone heard or bought. I realise there are many great artists plying their trade, some even enjoying moderate success but they will never get the backing of a major label. 

Someone once said “The public gets what it wants”, which is true but only because we are TOLD this is what we want. “BUY IT NOW!” That’s actually a phrase used in every advert for this shit. “The epic/amazing/breathtaking/beautiful/brilliant/awesome/critically acclaimed new album from – insert talentless fly-by-nighter name here – out now”. I would urge anyone reading this blog to vote with your wallets and invest in a truly original and vibrant young act not JLS, Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis or the redundantly titled ‘X Factor Finalists’ but I know you already do. Everyone I speak to seems to realise this stuff is rubbish but it still seems to be selling by the kebab-bin full.

The worst part is it devalues the currency. I like Girls Aloud or rather, I love their writer. The songs are beautifully crafted pop. Cheryl Coles’ single is, to be generous, pig-swill. When other people come out with brilliant nuggets of pop (Jarvis Cocker, Paolo Nutini, Lily Allen, Kings of Leon) I feel like shouting with joy that something well written, thoughtfully produced and enjoyably performed has cracked the charts then it is lost and forgotten amongst a pile of mediocre tat. I realise this is entirely down to personal taste but this brings me back to my original point.

Simon Cowell is clearly a very shrewd and intelligent man. Too shrewd. He has two of the biggest television shows under his belt that create the biggest selling artists of the year. EVERY YEAR. Christmas No.1s are a foregone conclusion as is any other song with the Cowell/X Factor seal of approval. Some may even be talented but the fact remains the man has too much power. He/his record company has a monopoly on the charts and the music industry as a whole and that, and I mean this, is dangerous.

The arts are what we create to make sense of our world and help us through our lives. Art is created for us to admire, ponder and discuss and this can only be achieved through diversity. There is nothing diverse about the charts or ‘Pop music’ at the moment. Great art challenges and provokes. The only thing that travesty of a cover of the classic Rolling Stones song provokes in me is to Vomit. I can see no end in sight either. This will roll on as long as the money keeps coming in which of course it will, I merely hope the public will get bored of this tosh soon and go looking under rocks and in nooks and crannies for the really brave and innovative stuff.

This is all entirely irrelevant anyway as I bought McFly’s last album but my point is still valid. Y’know. Monopolies an’ shit… yeah. N’stuff. *sigh*

P.S. Why is  it still called Indie Music? Since when have a band signed to SONY been independent? It’s SONY for fucksake! That is not an independent label! Grumble grumble…

Susan Boyle Album Cover

The juxtaposition was remarkable. We’re used to our musicians and actors being these young, stunning, darlings with out-of-this-world beauty and panache. And yet, this is as far from the case as we could have imagined. Susan Boyle’s singing was remarkable, while the looks, well, were also remarkable, but not in such a good way. The spectacular incongruity of it all made us all watch her, rapt attention paid to the voice referred to by some as angelic, leaving us with perhaps even an ambivalence about her looks, wanting the two to “match”.
Millions followed her rapid ascention to worldwide fame, almost overnight, watching one who might have been a hermetic recluse adjust to the constant, frenetic pace of the media and those who circle above, waiting impatiently to swoop down with their cameras, unafraid to badger and bewilder their prey until the inevitable breakdown.

After a long while, the day has come when Ms. Boyle has released an album of her own, allowing her international brood to no longer be limited to internet videos and random snippets from here and there.

I was looking forward to finding out whether her celebrity was merely due to her less than pretty looks, or whether her well-known set of pipes could hold their own and allow her to be a singer instead of the media freak she’s been until now.

My advise – stick to the videos. The voice we all absorbed in shocked amazement as we heard Les Miserables brought to life in the least likely of actors is still pretty good, but when the surprise and curiosity of her fame is gone, much of the luster and elation disappears, leaving you wanting more of the rare voice, less the empty celebrity. Don’t get me wrong; her voice is very nice, and the songs are all generally well-known, but the expectations for someone who wowed the entire world leave one very disappointed.

We were transported back to the 80s this week, as the final six contestants sang songs by either George Michael or Wham.

Lloyd Daniels was up first, singing ‘Faith’.  Despite having a new haircut this week, once again I wasn’t wowed by Lloyd’s performance, but it was alright.  Simon was surprised, saying: “That wasn’t bad at all actually”.

Stacey Solomon was next, singing ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’.  Miss Solomon is doing her bit for the girls and I thought she did a great job this week.  Cheryl told Stacey that she needs to start believing that she can win.

Then it was Jedward’s turn, with their version of ‘I’m Your Man’ (with an added bit of rapping in the middle of course.)  For me, this performance was just as bizarre as the rest!  Dannii was ‘totally confused’ as their singing was in time, but the wrapping wasn’t.  Dannii, I don’t think it was just you who was baffled by it all!

Up next was Danyl Johnson singing ‘Careless Whisper’.  I thought he was really good this week and put his own unique twist on the song.  Louis said: “You’re a great singer, but I think you’re trying too hard”.

Olly Murs sang ‘Fast Love’ this week.  It was nice to see him doing an up-tempo number for a change.  Cheryl commended Olly saying: “You always come out and deliver”.

Joe McElderry closed the show with ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ and received a standing ovation from the judges.  Louis got his rule book out again saying that this wasn’t a George Michael song.  Yes it is Louis!

The Results

On Sunday, we were treated to performances from Mariah Carey… (This video is from her GMTV performance, but you get the gist!)

and Susan Boyle.

This week, Olly and Jedward were in the bottom two this week and (dare I say to the relief of most of the nation), Jedward were given the boot.

Next week, the final five will have their work cut out, as they’ll be singing two songs each – I can’t wait!

Ciao for now!

We do love a bit of celeb and yes, we do tend to focus on the more youthful stars of today but there can be no ignoring the transformation that Scottish singer Susan Boyle has gone through since her initial appearance on Britain’s Got Talent.

Susan at her audition for Britain's Got Talent

We all saw the show and we all saw thousands of people sniggering in their seats as Susan had a pre-performance chat with the judges. The majority of viewers at home were probably having a wee chuckle to themselves as well as producers did their best to set our Susan up for a fall.

Well, the phrase ‘never judge a book by its cover’ sprung to mind as Susan delivered a jaw dropping performance that brought the audience to their feet and propelled her to superstar status within hours of it airing on national television and was very soon making it’s way around the world via You Tube.

It’s the perfect fairy tale story of someone who deserves to do well in life. It didn’t happen without a few aches and pains along the way but Susan Boyle finally released her album, I Dreamed A Dream, yesterday. It had already broken all records for the highest number of sales an album has ever received on pre-order and will no doubt break a few more before the end of the week.

Susan performed her version of the Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses on the X Factor on Sunday night receiving a standing ovation from the audience and a beaming smile from Simon Cowell, before jetting back over to the States to promote the album launch. What a difference an album deal and a bit of self confidence makes, you’d barely recognise her!

Sparkling at the X Factor

Well done Susan – we wish you every bit of luck as you continue to show the world we don’t have to fit with convention to achieve our dreams! The fan sites say it all.