Well, The X Factor live shows returned in fine form this week with the epically cheesy 80ās week: aka the episode that aims to make everyone cringe.Ā
The acts came out in force, in a blaze of neon and dodgy fake tan- Yes, Sam Callaghan, I noticed that you were actually ORANGE this week- and they made sure to āgive it their allā.
There were many highlights for me, and I have a few early favourites:
Firstly, Nicholas. This came as a surprise, as generally, I actively dislike child acts, however, this year I canāt help but root for the young Scot. Despite being a bit baffled by how to say Spandau Ballet, he managed to belt out their classic āTrueā and seemed unfazed by the particularly rowdy X Factor audience. I think he will definitely get the mums voting for him.Ā
I also absolutely love Kingsland Road and Rough Copy.Ā
Kingsland Roadās rendition of āIām your manā surpassed Shane Ritchieās version (a classic that he released for Comic Relief years back, if you donāt know it then youāre definitely missing out!)Ā I think they have potential to do really well in the competition, provided they keep their amazing bouffant hair.
With regards to Rough Copy, I canāt believe how slick they sounded. Despite press gossip and prominent visa issues, they seem to have a pretty good chance in the competition because they are SO cool and in sync. Although having said that, their retro white outfits they wore on the Sunday show were pretty horrendous, particularly as I didnāt realise the 80ās theme was running for both daysā¦
Another highlight was Abi Alton. Not for her voice, though. But because Iāve been wondering for weeks where I recognised her from, and itās because of her uncanny resemblance to The Voice Ukās 2013 winner Andrea Bagley! Judge for yourself (Abi is top; Andrea is bottomā¦ supposedly)
The judges were on top form this week, with the return of Mrs O injecting some much needed energy in to the panel, with her and her little LouLou bouncing off each other, and #TheScherzy spieling off her usual Americanisms and looking amazingly hot in a slinky silver dress.
But we did have to face some troubling news: GARY BARLOW IS LEAVING THE X FACTOR. I think I speak for most people when I say that weāre going to miss his sharp suits and āMr Nastyā style position on the panel: does this open the position for the ORIGINAL Mr Nasty, Simon Cowell, to make a dramatic come back to the show next year?!
Lastly, wesaid goodbye to Lorna after a slightly luke-warm bottom two battle between herself and Shelley, and I wouldnāt be surprised if Shelley followed her home next week.Ā
Whatās hot and whatās not this week in TV:
HOT
The return of Made In Chelsea this week:
Jamie and co. are finally back! The cast released a humorous and self-deprecating video last week, wetting the appetite of those impatiently waiting for their favourite Chelsea boys and girls to return, singing and mocking their day-to-day lives. For those who havenāt seen it, hereās a link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ps76YLVe4
NOT
The rape scene in last weekās Downton Abbey:
Iām not an avid Downton fan, but I watched last weekās episode after hearing about the amount of complaints received after the rape scene featuring Nigel Harman (ex-Eastender, aka Dennis Rickman junior) and Joanne Froggatt I decided to check it out. Whilst I understand that this was screened way past watershed, I can also see why the scene provoked such controversy. Downton is seen by fans as a Sunday night drama to watch with a cup of tea and a cake to unwind and relax, and so I donāt think such a shocking scene was exactly what the audience had in mindā¦
Image Sources:
1)Ā http://blog.churchservices.tv/about-2/
2)Ā http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/x-factor-live-1-sam-callaha.jpg
3)Ā http://i2.cdnds.net/13/40/300×225/uktv-x-factor-abi-alton-1.jpg
4)Ā http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/384×216/p01bs674.jpg
5)Ā http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Made_in_chelsea_logo.png
Ella Duffy