First of all, this week's show was thankfully much, much better than last week's. Simon was in much better form, several acts upped their game and Louis didn't say anything excruciatingly gauche.
In terms of style, neither Dannii nor Cheryl looked great on Saturday. Cheryl had horrible, encrusted, Christmas bauble earrings, and her dress was the most hideous one she's worn so far this series. White here-are-my-boobs bustier: bad; netting: bad; pleated PVC skirt: BAD. It was also so short it was vulgar. In short, she couldn't have looked cheaper had she bought her entire outfit in Penneys with a budget of €30. That said, on Sunday she looked the best she has all series. Her deep violet top looked great with her bright pink satin skirt and her hair and make-up were both lovely. Meanwhile, the red dress Dannii wore on Saturday was fine but too bulky and her hair, while cool in itself, was too young for her and wasn't flattering. However, on Sunday she looked nothing short of incredible. Her hair, her make-up and her glittering, one-shouldered gown were all perfect - bravo!
Now on to the music. Mary opened the show and it was nice to see her get into the spirit of the week's theme by sporting red devil horns. The performance was a bit cheesy and dated but her vocals were good and fair play to her for getting out of her comfort zone and doing something up-tempo.
Aiden - ABSOLUTELY SHIT. He took a much-loved, dancefloor classic and sucked the life out of it. He's a one-trick pony who gives every song the same, dreary treatment. I'd say MJ was spinning in his grave - it was just fucking awful!
My least favourite performance of the night (not counting Wagner). Also, when he smiles, babies die.
Bella Amie - They looked well and I enjoyed it when they came out of the coffins, but despite the freaky costumes, it was a pedestrian performance.
A boring group that added nothing to the competition and that should have been voted off in week one. They shan't be missed.
Rebecca - There's no denying that she's improving but she's still not there. She lacks personality and presence; she was too shy to look at the crowd or make love to the camera and it let down her overall performance. Personally, I find her shyness irritating - she gets ridiculously positive comments from all four judges every week and she somehow still doesn't believe in herself. Every week, she says the same fucking thing about how she THINKS she's getting more confident and how she's STARTING to enjoy performing. Grr! Even Leona had more bite than this limp bitch.
That said, a very good vocal.
Matt - Boring. He does the same thing every week - picks a song for a high voice (usually by a female artist), gives it the Damien Rice, bleeding heart treatment and then finishes by going into his falsetto voice and wailing.
Though a good singer, I think he's limited and his personality is dull beyond belief. His vocal range and his biceps will probably take him to the finals, though.
Wagner - The definition of WTF. He looked like the phantom of the opera sans mask and he began his performance by 'singing' O Fortuna, but I really didn't give a shit. I'm fed of him and I'm pissed off at the idea of people voting for him to be ironic.
I was delighted when the crowd started booing when Dermot announced he was through to next week. If Jedward got booed then this pointless tool deserves to be booed too. (In the words of my mother, "What does he think he'll get out of doing this? He won't even get a Chico Time").
Paije - He's a nice guy and he's got a fairly good voice but Paije lacks a vital ingredient (I believe it's called the x factor...). The more demure look suited him but his performances are samey and he has an intrinsic mehness that makes me sometimes forget he's still in the competition.
Katie - A very Gaga-inspired look which I thought was incongruent with the kitschy song. I thought her voice was husky and weak and the performance was very similar to the one she gave last week (a song from a 1960s Disney film then a song from a 1960s TV show; dancers with saxophones at whom she shouted 'Come on, boys!' before giving a husky fake laugh; low-energy, Charleston-esque dancing).
A flimsy performance but not deserving of the bottom two. Hopefully, her and Cheryl will go back to the drawing board and opt for raw, emotive songs over kooky fluff.
1 Direction - They let Niall sing and he knocked his 'turn around's out of the park! I liked the red, eye make-up and I really enjoyed it when the beat kicked in at the chorus. I thought the song could have really 'gone off' and they could have done something really dramatic, like all dropped to their knees which would have made the performance properly amazing, but the vocals were good and, astonishingly, Zain's one line was completely in tune!
The second best performance of the night.
Cher - A very smart move and an excellent song choice. The vocal wasn't perfect but she emoted when she sang and she was the only act to move me this week with their performance. She reminded me of the Wicked Witch of the West and the lighting was dramatic and effective. The set was sparse and it was a refreshingly simple production for the usually 'more is more' performer.
I was glad she dropped her cocky front and showed some vulnerability and I hope she sings more and raps less in future. The best of the night.
(The quote of the evening came from my mother and was about Cher. "I'd say she had sex when she was ten. Y'know, she seems so ahead of her years. I'd say she was in the fields with the fellas...").
Oh, look at that - I forgot about Treyc. That says it all, really. I thought her vocals were screechy and her performance was forgettable. Also, the black lipstick was a mistake as it drew attention to her gums and gappy smile.
Who is this woman? Who, outside her family, would feel compelled to vote for her?
Okay, so there you have it - that was my recap of the this year's fourth live X Factor show. My favourites this week were 1) Cher and 2) One Direction, with honourable mentions going to Mary and Rebecca.
I hope two go next week, preferably Wagner and Treyc.
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