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The X Factor - Semi-final nightTonight the contestants were fighting for a place in the final and with none of them having been in the bottom two before it was anybody's game. Kicking off tonight's show was Niki singing 'Songbird'. In her VT Michael Bublé had said he thought she had the whole package, high praise indeed. Sharon said she sang it beautifully but thought Louis had picked the wrong song for this stage in the competition while Dannii agreed it was a beautiful performance. Simon also thought it was a bad song for this stage and described it as pretty rather than beautiful. He thought she looked and sounded good but he also said that she was very lucky that she had a second song tonight. Next to take to the stage tonight was Leon with 'The Very Thought of You'. He started flat and it was a bit of a dreary performance to be honest. Strangely Louis told him that he owned the stage tonight and Sharon thought he was smooth. Simon got real though and told him that it was one of his weakest performances for a while. Dannii, Leon's mentor, admitted that there were bits that were out of tune and she felt responsible for choosing a song that is so hard to sing. Rhydian was up next with 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. Sharon thought he was 'breathtakingly perfect, unbelievable' and that it was nice to see another side to him that was not so operatic. Simon thought that it was 'bloody fantastic' and was absolutely in a different league to the previous two performances of tonight's show. He said it was probably Rhydian's best performance so far if not the best performance of the contest so far. The last act to perform their first song was Same Difference with 'Chain Reaction'. A strange song choice for a brother and sister act when you listen to the words! This week they had a load of circus performers on stage with them...sums it up for me really! Sharon didn't think the song showed off their voices, to which Louis retorted 'What voices?!' Dannii thought it was too high in some parts and too low in others but she loved the performance. The second songs were the ones the contestants chose for themselves, the first having been their mentors' choices. First up with their second song was Niki singing 'One Moment in Time'. Louis said in the VT that when she sang it to him in rehearsals the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Sharon thought that it was a brilliant performance and she looked like a star and sounded like a star. Simon said it was a 'bit shouty in the middle' but then admitted that he was just nit-picking and it was a great performance. Leon's choice for his song was 'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)' and I thought it would be much better suited to his voice than Dannii's choice of song but he still seemed out of his depth performance-wise. Louis, however, said he was a great singer and entertainer and that he was going to have a recording career...Simon hated the arrangement and thought it was too jazzy and indulgent. Has Leon done enough tonight? I'm not too sure. Third to perform their own choice of song was Rhydian with 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Dannii said he was world-class again and Simon said that he was just what they are looking for in a winner of the show. For me this was the performance of what was, admittedly, a pretty disappointing night. The last performance of the night came from Same Difference with 'Never Had a Dream Come True'. They were playing for the sympathy vote tonight in their VT with Sarah once again talking of the bullying she suffered at school and shedding copious amounts of tears...she also blubbed her way through the judges' comments. They performed to the backdrop of a winter wonderland but that was the only magical thing about their performance though I agree it was nice to see them just sing without all the dancing around. Louis said that he likes them as people but he is there to judge their singing and there are better singers in the competition. Simon said it was one of his favourite performances so far... Who will make it through to the final? Personally I think that Rhydian and Same Difference will be safe but not sure about Leon or Niki. Tonight's songs: Niki Rhydian Same Difference Tune in to ITV1 at 9.25pm to see who has made it through to the final. |
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