Who will win the X Factor Final? (The X Factor)

Member Name: glitter_princess

Product:	The X Factor
Date:	13/12/08 (166 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good entertainment, good opportunity for artists to get noticed

Disadvantages: Bad song choices, staged arguments, contestants set up to win, sob stories

I know that as a singer I really shouldn't watch these types of 'talent' shows as I am hyper critical and they have a tendency to see me shouting abuse at the tv. However, every year I am gripped by the X Factor and I never miss an episode, tuning in to ITV every Saturday night, and I will be glued to the tv tonight for the final.

The basic premise of the show is that thousands of wannabe popstar hopefuls audition for the show, before being whittled down to 12 acts who then appear on the live shows. You can enter either as a solo act or as a group and there are then 4 categories- the girls, the boys, over 25's and the groups - and each category is mentored by one of the judges. The early shows provide much entertainment as all of the nations freaks come out of the woodwork, genuinely believing that they are capable of winning the show, only to be told (often cruelly) by the judges that they should give up and stick to the day job.

The judging panel consist of Simon Cowell - the original Mr Nasty, not afraid to tell anyone what he really thinks of them, Louis Walsh, manager of Boyzone and Westlife, Danni Minogue, sister of Kylie and former C list popstar, and the new addition for 2008 Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud. I think Cheryl has been a great addition to the panel, she really seems to care about her acts and is clearly a great mentor. However, she seems almost incapable of being critical and does like to sugar coat everything. I've found that this series has had a lot of sugar coating, with certain acts singing consistently out of tune and the judges overlooking this completely, instead raving about how wonderful the performance was. And that's where it becomes obvious that The X Factor is not a singing competition at all, it's a marketing competition, and the producers and judges have clear ideas about who will be most marketable as an artist.

To spice up the drama side of the show, the judges will have regular squabbles with each other - this season we have seen Danni storm off the show after a row with Louis where he accused her of stealing his act's song, as well as a rumoured feud between Danni and Cheryl. Quite how staged these little 'rows' are is debateabe as they always make the papers and there seem to be a number of them year on year, including last year's return of Louis Walsh as a judge which the producers did later admit was staged.

The acts this year have been a mixed bunch. There have been some very good singers - Alexandra, Ruth Lorenzo (whose Purple Rain was one of the season's most stunning performances) and Laura (who was booted far too early from the show) - and some downright appalling ones - Rachel (who could never seem to find the key she was supposed to be singing in) and Diana (whose voice became more and more affected and out of tune as the live shows went on) - and some very mediocre ones - JLS, the boyband who Louise really doesn't seem to know what to do with, who have turned in some absolutely shocking performances and also some pretty good ones. It's clear from the judge's comments this year and last year that the producer's are desperate for a group to win this show as they have more longevity as an artist as the public are less likely to get bored with 5 personalities as opposed to one! Just look at how well Girls Aloud have done...

The show is presented by Dermot O'Leary, who does a great job. I defy anyone not to love Dermot, with his cheeky chappy appeal and his friendly banter with the contestants and the judges. For the live shows, each week they invite a celebrity guest to do a masterclass with the finalists as well as performing on the live show, and some of these have been lovely to watch - particularly Will Young and Take That. The massive disappointment this year has been Britney Spears' 'UK comeback', which was shocking - very bad miming and she came across as utterly rude and self involved, not even meeting or even commenting on the contestants. I find it annoying that the 'celebrities' who perform on the show are all miming - the only act I've seen this year who didn't was Rhydian - are the rest that scared of singing live that they won't risk it?!

On the subject of singing live, it is also obvious that some acts are given more 'help' with their vocals than others - last week when Diana went out, it was clear that much of the vocal sound had been prerecorded to support the live sound she was making.

Tonight's final consists of Alexandra Burke, a 20 year old singer who almost made it to the live shows 2 years ago but who has come back far improved. Every week she comes out with a great performance and if this was truly a singing competition then she is without a doubt the rightful winner.

Eoghan Quigg is the cute little Irish 16 year old. While Eoghan has a gorgeous voice and blew me away in the audition, he would have been far better waiting a couple of years and trying then, as he has seemed rather nervous and unsure of himself in the live shows. Added to that the fact that Simon, his mentor, seems to be turning him into a High School Musical clone, it's all a bit cringey.

JLS are a 4 piece boy band who seem tipped to win the show. Fronted by Aston, who loves to show off his not very impressive falsetto, and his 3 friends who tend to just stand in the background and hum. Can you tell I don't like them much?!

Whoever wins tonight's show will release their version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which was a song choice that really shocked me. It's one of my favourite songs, and not one that is suited to any of the final acts - a really dark, sexual, and understated song, it's almost sickening to think of either Eoghan or JLS singing this and I am actually dreading this release. I'm not sure why the producers chose this song - did they not look at the lyrics, which contain the line "Remember when I moved in you, and the Holy Dove was moving too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah"? That seems pretty explicit to me. I don't understand why they don't allow each act to choose a song that they feel suits them as an artist. No doubt it will make Christmas number one though!

As you'll gather, I am both irritated and gripped by The X Factor - I tune in every week, but can't help but be frustrated by the often bad singing and by the staged aspects of the show. So tell me, who do you think will win?

Summary: Singing competition on ITV