Eighth Week: Quarter Final
With two weeks to go until the final, this week is a big week for X-Factor fanatics. Whether there are actually any X-Factor fanatics still out there is another question, as this year has not been the greatest for the show. From lacklustre acts, to drug-taking morons and fake, scripted arguments between the judges, this year's show has not totally worked.
Despite that, there have been a few acts that deserve to be where they are and if the likes of Marcus, Misha B and Little Mix can keep up progressing as artists we will probably still have another X-Factor dominated chart this Christmas and into 2012.
So to the quarter-final. This week all acts have to sing two songs, which is always tough for them to do. After being unimpressive last week, Janet and Amelia will be under pressure this week, whilst Little Mix need a big performance tonight to certify their status as potential winners.
1.Little Mix
It has been said before, but Little Mix have been a breath of fresh air in this competition and will be an interesting act once they get signed after the show finishes, which they most definitely will. They need a strong week this week to ensure that they get to the semi-final, as the competition is getting harder by the week. Their first performance is a mash-up of Justin Bieber's 'Baby' and the Diana Ross classic 'Where Did Our Love Go'. This is one of their strongest performances of the season and it is easy to see why they have such a strong fan base. If they can top this off with another good song, then they will be walking their way to not only the semi's, but the final as well. 9/10
2. Janet Devlin
Janet has been awful for the past few weeks, completely losing the appeal she had over during her audition and boring us with her repititive tone and un-original song choices. When she does mix things up, she looks odd and is not a natural performer. Tonight, she was even worse. Looking uncomfortable shuffling along the stage, she forgets her words half-way through. The sound she manages to make when she does remember the words resemble the sound that cat that got swung around the street probably made a few weeks ago. Do not get me wrong, this is the worst performance I have ever seen on X-Factor. Ever. Words cannot even describe how bad that was and, at this stage of the competition, Janet deserves to leave the show straight away and not even perform again. Awful does not even describe that properly. 0/10
3. Misha B
Misha B is the artist that I think the record labels would like to sign the most. She can sing, she can rap and she can even move on the stage like a seasoned diva. It is true that Kelly puts a lot more work into Misha than she does on, say, Janet (seriously, how bad was Janet just then), but there is so much that can be done with the girl it is frightening. Tonight, she is singing 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and returns to her roots. Misha is amazingt, dancing around the stage like she owns it and rapping like the UK Nicki Minaj she will be after the show ends. Unfortunately, it seems like the public do not like the confident Misha that use to come out in the first few weeks and, despite her performance today being brilliant, she may struggle to stay out of the top two especially when she refers to herself in the third person. Brilliant 9/10
4. Marcus
If The Urbanite had to put money on someone to win the show, it would probably be Mr Consistent Marcus Collins, who seems to have had the most positive reputation amongst the media and the public and would be a deserved winner were he to win. In all honesty, however, Marcus has been quite boring for the past few weeks with very similar, un-explosive funk performances. He does the same this week, singing 'I'm Your Man' for his first performance. Again, it is not exceptional but just about good enough. Vocally it is weak at the start, though it does get better, but as an all-round performance it is enjoyable. 7/10
5. Amelia Lily
Amelia has a tough job on her hands in this competition even though she is the strongest vocalist left in the show. Maybe because she came in late, or due to the fact that Kelly has enough on her plate with Janet and Misha, but Amelia was in the bottom two last week and needs a big week to survive the chop again. She brilliantly delivers with her first song choice, 'China In Your Hands', which is note perfect from the moment the song starts. Sounding like a young Christina, this could be the performance of the night so far. It is a shame Amelia was not picked from the start like Janet, for example, as she could have gotten better as the weeks go on. This should put her in the reckoning, especially if she puts in another good song next. 9/10
6. Little Mix
Little Mix were great first time round, and unexpectedly beat their first song choice with a beautiful rendition of, erm,'Beautiful' by Christina. It is not note perfect, but the young girls all sound like four solo singers that have been performing together for years. It is actually hard to point out who can sing the best, and the quiet blond girl that doesn't say much steals the song right at the end with some great high notes. This is really impressive, and if you put those two songs together it is easy to say that Little Mix can actually win this competition. Very, very good 9/10
7. Janet
Janet was so, so bad last time round that she cannot even possibly get any worse. Or can she? Seeing her on stage now is like watching a car crash about to happen but being unable to either stop the accident or look away. She is singing Red Hot Chilli Peppers 'Under The Bridge', which is supposed to tell us that she is a rock chick and sounds shit most weeks because she has to sing pop songs. Well this sounds like shit as well, and is more than cause for people to vote her off. If she is not in the bottom two this week, then expect the phone bills to through the roof in Ireland. Poor again 1/10
8. Misha B
Along with Amelia, Misha B should be worried every Sunday as you never know how the crowd will take to her. She has been accused of choosing safe songs to stay in the show, and her choice of 'Killing Me Softly' could be another example of that. Her smooth vocals fit the song perfectly and it works, but it fails to really excite and, for the quarter-finals you would expect something a bit better. Maybe I am being harsh on her, but Misha missed an opportunity there. Her first song, though, should keep her safe. Average 7/10
9. Marcus
After a first song that was not great, Marcus needs a big song second time round to impress me. His choice of 'Lately' by Stevie Wonder is even more boring than the first song. It can't be faulted vocally, but sounds like something that can be sung on a cruise ship and if I have to be honest I cannot see what demographic will buy his music. His nice-guy image will, however, get him votes. It has not been his best week in my opinion, but he should be safe for the semis. 7/10
10. Amelia Lilly
Amelia smacked her first performance and chooses another powerful song, Kelly Clarkson's 'Since You've Been Gone', to showcase her strong vocals. They even have her walking around the audience and touching some of them, in an attempt to make her look cool. It kind of works. Her vocals are spot on, the look they have given her will resonate with loads of teenage girls across the country (how I know, don't ask) and it is easy to see her sell records. If she is in the bottom two, that would be a shame, because she has been good this week. 8/10
So there we have it. All the contestants have performed twice and now it is up to the public to decide who gets into the semis. On the basis of tonight, Janet is easily the weakest of all the artists. Her performances today were unbelievably bad and she does not deserve a place in the competition anymore. The only question is who joins Janet in the bottom two. Despite having great weeks, it is a split between Misha and Amelia, both of whom suffer from small fan bases. On the basis that she has not had enough time in the show, I think Amelia will join Janet in the bottom two, with Janet leaving.
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