X Factor 2009: Highlight’s from the judges houses
Last week, the Judges whittled down their choices from the 200 successful contestants who made it through auditions to the bootcamp stage of the competition. 24 successful acts will be seen tomorrow night, visiting the Judges in exotic locations across the world, hoping to impress their mentors with their singing talents once again.
Simon Cowell has been appointed mentor of the Overs category: Daniel Pearce, Treyc Cohen, Nicole Lawrence, Danyl Johnston, Olly Murs and Jamie Archer, who are delighted to discover they are travelling to his house in LA.
Louis Walsh has the Groups category: John and Edward, Miss Frank, Project A, Kandy Rain, Tru Colours and DeTour. The groups are heading to Lake Como, Italy.
Dannii Minogue is to mentor the Girls category: Despina Pilavalis, Stacey Solomon, Stacey McClean, Rachel Adedeji, Nicole Stuart and Lucie Jones. They are travelling to Dubaii.
And Cheryl Cole takes the Boys: Rikki Loney, Ethan Bororian, Daniel Fox, Lloyd Daniels, Joseph McElderry and Duane Lamonte, to a riad in Morocco.
The Judges must deliberate – individually, with their chosen friend for assistance – which three of these acts they will take forward to the live shows.
The Boys arrive in Morrocco, and are greeted by Cheryl and Will Young…
Will Young: “Firstly I’m really thrilled to be here and secondly we know how you feel we know how important it is so take the chance relax and give us some great performances”.
The Over’s group arrives in LA, and are greeted by Simon and his helper Sinitta, who is wearing a rather daring outfit made up purely of some well-placed palm leaves…
Sinitta: ‘Hi guys, I wanted you to have fun!’
Boys: ‘We Like it we love it!’
Simon: ‘I actually can’t do this with you standing there like this, walk backwards, I’m being serious I can’t do this’.
Sinitta: ‘See you shortly, good luck’.
Sinitta turns back into the house to change into something more comfortable!
The Girls arrive in sunny Dubai, and are greeted by their mentor Dannii, and her sister Kylie Minogue…
Kylie: ‘Hi girls, ladies there isn’t a second chance to make first impressions so be yourselves I think that’s the most important and have a blast and show us what you’ve got, I’m very excited’.
The performances begin.
Performances: Boys
(Elton John) Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Cheryl: He has got all the different sounds to his voice it just needs to know when to use them probably.
Will: You’re so right you’re so right, just loads of colours my only worry is the control of the belting at the top.
(Lenny Kravitz) Love Love Love
Cheryl: He’s really improved since his first couple of auditions actually.
Will: Has he? I would be worried about his age and whether he can cope.
Daniel Fox
I Can’t Live (Mariah Carey)
Will: Is just a different type of singing it doesn’t mean that it’s not going to work on a pop show and that was really moving, out and out moving.
That’s why they call it the blues (Elton John)
Cheryl: I think he could be one of them people that think his look is going to carry him through.
Will: He didn’t do a great vocal, but you know he’s really handsome.
Cheryl: He definitely gets the girly vote.
Will: He started off I thought my god he is in the wrong key and his pitch is bad, I would be worried.
Cheryl: When he is on it he’s amazing and he’s such a nice guy.
You’ve Got A Friend (Michael Jackson)
Cheryl: Rikki will absolutely pour his heart out every Saturday night.
Will: Yeah but whether he can deliver it week after week, there is something that is making me think I’m not sure.
Cheryl: I totally agree.
Performances: Groups
(4 Non Blondes) What’s Going On
Ronan: They have something, there’s something there, there is a chemistry there.
Louis: There is obviously chemistry amongst them and they have likeability but I don’t know if they could win the show, they are good but there’s nothing special there are just another girl band.
Ronan: There’s no magic.
Paparazzi Lady GaGa
Coco: Everyone does have a past I mean you can’t say everyone’s perfect
Azi: To be actually sitting here I feel really grateful and people need to stop concentrating on what we used to do and kind of thinking you know what these girls can sing, these girls can actually perform they are taking this competition very serious.
Azi: If we smack this performance Louis please put us in your top three, we promise to keep our clothes on, I’m only joking.
Ronan: I really enjoyed that and it was very strong, they shone there they really did.
Louis: They totally did.
Louis: It’s going to be hard to get girls to like them?
Ronan: Yes I don’t know if girls are going to vote for them.
Louis: I would feel very confident with them.
De-Tour
Ronan: Vocally they struggle a bit but I will put it down to nerves and there is no chemistry between them and harmonies were terrible.
Louis: It should have been good.
Ronan: Yes it should have been a lot better, as I know it’s there the talent is there but they didn’t gel at all there it just didn’t work.
Louis: I think they could be a lot better Ronan but I’m very disappointed they didn’t show it too us today.
Ronan: Yes I agree with you.
Respect (Ottis Reading)
Dermot: How much do you want this?
Graziella: It’s at that point where, did we do it did we do it
Louis: I thought vocally they would have been better because they are great singers, I gave them a tough song but I was expecting a little bit more.
Ronan: It will be tough as there is a lot of work to do.
Louis: I think there’s something there though, I think potentially we have got a good group.
I want it that way (Backstreet Boys)
Ronan: They should have the most chemistry between all these acts, they are twins they have grown up together and they look uncomfortable beside each other.
Louis: I think people will like them.
John & Edward start crying
Edward: I don’t want to be crying
Dermot: What is it?
Edward: I don’t know I just feel like, we go home and then it’s just like what the hell that’s it, then that’s what we’ll be remembered for, that’s the end no.
John: Yeah like on a bad note, unbelievable bad note.
Dermot: What like messing up?
Edward: Yeah, I think we meant our best it could of gone well and it didn’t but its better just to go for it because it could of gone well.
Performances: Overs
Sinitta: He was really nervous
Simon: He was wasn’t he
Sinitta:It’s hard song
Simon: I really like him but it just shows you what the nerves can do to somebody.
Treyc Cohen
(Whitney Houston) All the man that I need
Simon: Sounded really good, but she is missing that star belief.
Praying for Time (George Michael)
Simon: He realises that this is his last shot he gave it a million percent there, he cracked at a couple of points but ….
Sinitta: You could feel where he was doing.
Simon: I like him.
Sinitta: This is horrible, I like all of them so far are there any bad ones.
Simon: Now what do we do?
Sinitta: She’s amazing right?
Simon: She’s incredible and I genially don’t know what to do now, I’d put the first four through and we still have two more to go.
Fallin (Alicia Keys)
Simon: A little bit over the top, but he is good.
Sinitta: Do you think some people will love him some people will hate him?
Simon: Yeah, he’s marmite.
Stop crying your heart out (Oasis)
Simon: He felt every minute of that song, he didn’t just sing it there was more there I’ve never seen him like that.
Sinitta: So tender isn’t it.
Simon: He’s got to start believing in himself and I’m not sure because all the years he’s been beaten down he actually knows how good he could be and that’s the problem.
Performances: Girls
Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Judy Garland)
Kylie: That has provided me with so much joy she is so kooky.
Kylie: I sung that song every night on tour for a while and it’s one you don’t want to mess up but for me it was flawless.
Danni: I guess I’m just worried about her confidence.
Kylie: She doesn’t need to be that worried but when nerves take a hold anything can happen.
Stacey McClean
(Britney Spears) Sometimes
Danni: She kind of looked really nerves.
Kylie: I think it’s more nerve racking doing this than doing a show but that’s the way…
Danni: Maybe were that scary.
Danni: The main thing for me is that you’ve got to connect with the emotion of the song and she definitely did that, tick.
Kylie: Tick, engaging tick.
Danni: There were just two bits I thought that she was just going to smash that through and she didn’t and that was a big mistake.
Trust the voice within (Christina Aguilera)
Danni: It’s a hard song to sing.
Kylie: But she made it look pretty easy though.
Danni: I’m sure that she put her stamp on it I’m not sure she showed me something that was different.
If I were a boy (Beyonce)
Kylie: She’s got great control and I would like to know more about her.
Danni: She’s got the voice but its having that little bit of pizzazz inside yourself, I’m worrying if she has that.
Nicole Jackson
Talks about her dad to the camera:
“I haven’t spoken to my dad in a couple of years and if he sees me get through I think that we could get to know each other again.”
After the performance
Kylie: I feel like crying for her.
Danni: You could see it going through her eyes I don’t where I am in the song I don’t know the words, granted you can hear she has an amazing voice I love the quality and the tone of her voice is beautiful. I think maybe what she did was to try and change it too much and lost her way with it.
Nicole talking to Dermot
Nicole: I just put so much pressure on myself, oh my god.
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