The News Of The World have today released video footage that would imply that both Eton Road and Ray Quinn cheated their way onto the X Factor stage.

The News Of The World reports:

Our sensational shots show the boys auditioning for a showbiz agency in Liverpool just weeks before they appeared on the ITV1 show.

The footage confirms BOTH acts were put together by professional management and entered into the talent hunt in a cynical attempt to fast-track them to stardom.

The tape, in possession of the News of the World, also reveals that scouts experimented with including Ray as a member of the band before choosing to enter him as a solo artist.

X Factor rules strictly forbid contestants to have any management. Last month boyband Avenue were kicked off after it was discovered that they were put together by an agent.

But judging by these shocking pictures Ray, 18, and Eton Road are every bit as GUILTY.

The video does seem convincing, and if the story is true what does this mean for ray and Eton Road. Is it too late for them to be disqualified or will mentors Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh be able to turn a blind eye…..

Its chart time of the week….so here we go:

1) Leona Lewis: Of course! She was amazing tonight and I couldn’t agree more with Simon’s comment “That was world class!”

2) Robert Allen: Robert sang ‘Always and Forever’, a song that meant a lot to him, the last time he sang it was at his sisters funeral. Robert’s vocals were soulful and strong and almost hypnotising.

3) Ben Mills: Ben had a shaky start to his version of ‘Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’ but he quickly recovered and this song was right up his street.

4) Ray Quinn: Ray’s swing version of ‘Crazy Little Thin Called Love’ shouldn’t have worked, it should have been awful….but it wasn’t. It was fun and energetic and engaging. This boy can work a crowd!

5) Nikitta Angus: This version of ‘Last Dance’ was Nikitta’s best performance to date. She showcased her vocals at the start of the song and then she just took off as the tempo lifted. The judges liked it for once and Nikitta was thrilled!

6) The MacDonald Brothers: Tonight the Maccy D’s gave their strongest performance to date. I knew within a few bars that they were going to do well this evening and I think that for once Louis picked a good song for the boys that showed their personalities off well.

7) Eton Road: I love Eton Road but Louis let them down tonight. The vocals were great as always, but the dance routine was too corny and very stilted. Eton Road are a funky band and this was song not in their style at all! Anthony’s solo in the middle was majorly strange. It did show off his vocal range but it didn’t fit in the song and it was just bizarre.

Ray - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Robert - Always And Forever
Nikitta - Last Dance
Eton Road - From Me To You
Ben - Don’t Want To Miss A Thing (so Ben obviously had a blonde moment on the radio this morning!)
Leona - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
The MacDonald Brothers - She’s The One

I have just finished with my weekly dose of Xtra Factor: The Aftermath and thankfully I now know what songs lie ahead for the contestants in this weeks show.

I can spend the next two days debating the judges choices and wondering how they will all measure up. Roll on Saturday!

The song choices are:

Eton Road: With Love From Me To You

The MacDonald Brothers: She’s The One

Ben Mills: Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing

Leona Lewis: Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

The song choices for Ray, Robert and Nikitta weren’t revealed on the show, maybe the judges are trying to maintain the element of surprise!

What I can tell you is that Ray will be singing in a ’swing’ style…..yet again! That should please Louis.

Tell us what you think! Jump over to our forum and hera what everyone else thinks of this week X Factor songs!

Little Britain star Matt Lucas is tipping Eton Road to win this year’s X Factor.

Matt had originally been backing The Unconventionals to win because lead singer Drew is one of his “closest friends” - but as we all know, The Unconventionals were the first group to be eliminated from the live finals.

Now Matt has decided to back Eton Road, and “one member in particular”.

Appearing at the National Television Awards earlier this week, he explained to Digital Spy: “Let’s just say that they’re boys I have an affinity with.”

Eton Road singer and X factor finalist Anthony Hannah has had a lot to cope with in his life so far.

Last night a family friend told The People: “It’s amazing that Anthony has got where he is today.

“He had the worse possible start in life. All the odds have been stacked against him.

“His dad was in prison and his mum was unable to look after him.

“To see Anthony in front of the cameras on X Factor is just unbelievable. He’s an inspiration to anyone who starts out life in such unfortunate circumstances.” Anthony has only hinted at his troubled childhood.

Asked about his upbringing, he would only say: “My parents split up when I was a baby. Thankfully I was taken in by my Nan.”

But the family friend revealed that his upbringing was far more heartbreaking than he has let on to his millions of fans. His father spent a total of seven years in jail.

“Anthony’s dad was just not around at all for him for most of life,” said the source.

“He was a crook, who hung around with a gang in Liverpool who were involved in drugs.

“They were always in trouble with the police.

“Anthony Snr was a drunk. He was no sort of father to his son. And it was no surprise when he eventually ended up in prison.

“There was robberies and booze - Anthony Snr’s life was an absolute shambles really.”

Young Anthony’s heartache was made worse by his mother’s chronic battle with alcoholism.

Carol Ann Yates has spent much of her life fighting chronic drink addiction . Her craving for booze left her unfit to look after Anthony for much of his childhood.

The source revealed: “Carol is well known in the area for being a bit of a drunk.

“She fell into this relationship with Anthony’s dad Anthony Snr, but the pair of them were never married when their son was born.

“They split up soon after, and that’s where Carol’s mum came into Anthony’s life in a full time way.

“Carol just couldn’t cope with her life at this stage. She would still see her son Anthony quite frequently. But as a result of her drinking she was in no fit state to act as his mother.”

The show has finished, we have no idea who will leave tonight, but here’s our Unreality TV weekly X Factor chart.

For a rundown on each individual performance including judges comments, jump over to our forum and let us know what you thought of tonights show!

1) Leona Lewis: Leona Lewis took on Chiquitita tonight and until I heard her I wondered if she could make it interesting. However Leona made the song sound like a completely different song, she sounded vulnerable yet confident all at the same time and her vocals were astounding (as always!).

2) Robert Allen: Robert Allen tackled ‘Take A Chance’ as part of tonights Abba week and I thought he did Abba proud. Robert is a superb performer and an excellent vocalist and I don’t think there is a song he can’t sing!

3) Ray Quinn: I loved Rays performance of Waterloo tonight, he was cool, confident and very very suave.

4) Eton Road: I didn’t think it was the boys best performance, but I think much of that was down to sound problems rather than their vocals.

5) Ben Mills: Tonight Ben sang SOS in a soft rock style and I didn’t think it worked. His vocals were spot on, but he looked uncomfortable and I didn’t like the arrangement very much. I don’t think the Abba theme did Ben any favours this week.

6) Nikitta Angus: Tonight I thought that Nikitta failed to nail the song she performed. In theory ‘Dancing Queen’ should have been just up her street. But it didn’t allow her to show off her vocal range, if anything her tuning was out at times. I hope that people will vote for Nikitta and that next week she gets a song that truly suits her.

7) Ashley McKenzie: Tonight Ashley sang ‘The Winner takes It All’ as part of the X Factor Abba night. I didn’t like it, I thought his tuning was off in the lower aprts of the song, I thought he looked scared and entirely uncomfortable. I think Ashley could do very well in the music industry at the moment and I think Simon could make a lot of money from him, however he failed to shine tonight.

The MacDonald Brothers: Tonight the MacDonald Brothers sang ‘Fernando’ and I think Louis did them a HUGE disservice by giving them this song! It is a boring song and this week we needed to see a bit of MacDonald soul, we didn’t. They were in tune and sang nicely, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to vote for them.

As you all know this weeks X Factor show will be following an Abba theme. The judges have chosen the songs for their contestants, so for the curious ones amongst you here they are:

The MacDonald Brothers - Fernando
Eton Road - Does Your Mother Know?
Ben Mills - S.O.S
Robert Allen- Take a Chance On Me
Ashley McKenzie- The Winner Takes It All
Nikitta Angus- Dancing Queen
Leona Lewis- Chiquitita
Ray Quinn- Waterloo

X Factor judge and mentor, Louis Walsh, reckons this year’s X-Factor is already a two-horse race.

Louis thinks the final competition will be between his group Eton Road and Sharon Osbournes act Ben Mills.

He told The People: “It’s early days but at this stage it’s a two horse race. They’ll be going all the way. It’s a tough call to say who will win.”

Louis also predicted Simon Cowell’s star, Ashley McKenzie, 20, would be third.

Another week, another show, another Unreality X Factor chart!

Be sure to let us know your thoughts and suggestions either here or on our forum!

1) Leona Lewis: Tonight Leona blew the judges away with her version of ‘Summertime’. Her performance was reminiscent of early Mariah Carey (before she turned to crap) and her vocals were truly amazing.

2) Ben Mills: Ben took a risk this week with the big band number. He performed for the most part without a band! Ben sang ‘Smile’ and accompanied himself on piano. His vocals were unrivaled by any other male on the show tonight. Without the backing singers and band we were able to fully appreciate Ben’s voice, it was one of those hair raising performances. This man has to make it to the final 3!

3) Robert Allen: Tonight Robert sang Mr Bojangles and it was a much more restrained performance than we are used to seeing from Rob. Probably because of that, I found the performance a bit bland to begin with, but as the song went on, Robert began to let go somewhat and he really took off from there. I have loved Robert’s performances every week and this week he didn’t let me down!

4) Eton Road: The boys tonight gave a great performance of ‘Mack The Knife’ and although Simon thought it was a “complete and utter mess”, I loved it! I think the boys manage to shine no matter what the genre of music and can somehow adapt themselves and the song so that it seems the track was written just for them.

5) Ray Quinn: Ray opened the show with ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’ this evening and I thought it was his best performace in the competition so far. He looked confident and comforatble with his song, he danced brilliantly and for once his cheesines was entirely suited to the song.

6) Ashley McKenzie: I realised something was a bit off with Ashley’s rendition of Moondance tonight even before he fluffed his lines. I thought he looked nervous and like he was really concentrating and for once his performance did not seem anywhere near effortless. Ashley has a fantastic voice and a great style, but tonight though he got a lot better as the song went on I felt he struggled a bit with this number.

7) Dionne Mitchell: I love Dionne’s voice, she is probably one of the best vocalists in this years show, but tonight she failed to blow me away. I didn’t feel that she was given the chance to show off with this song and I felt that in picking it Sharon made a very poor choice. Dionne is every bit as talented as Leona but tonight she did not manage to showcase her talent in the way which Leona did. I agree with Simon that at times Dionne can look uncomfortable on stage and certainly did at points tonight, however, I imagine that with some coaching this could easily be rectified and I don’t think it is nearly as big a problem as Simon would have us believe.

Kerry McGregor: Tonight Kerry performed ‘You Can’t Take That Away From Me’ and I think it was her best performance in the competition so far. Kerry looked much more relaxed and confident than last week and the song definitely suited her voice very well.

9) The MacDonald Brothers: After much debate The MacDonald Brothers and Louis Walsh finally decided on ‘I Love You Baby’ for this weeks song. The boys harmonies were good and their vocals were spot on, but it lacked something. There was no spark, I just couldn’t get excited. I hope these boys last another week though, I thought they were really good in bootcamp and maybe with a different song they would be a bit more impressive.

10) Nikitta Angus: Nikitta had a hard task tonight, not only did she have sing but she had to perform a choreographed dance routine as well. Sharon Osbourne felt that her vocals suffered somewhat because of the dancing and I would strongly agree. Firstly the song didn’t allow her to show off her vocal ability and secondly she was trying so hard to get her dance steps right that she forgot to put her heart and soul into the song. I think Nikitta has massive talent for such a young girl but she didn’t quite hit the mark tonight.

And what don’t I want to talk about? How the flipping MacDonald Brothers are STILL in this competition.

They are souless, they are boring, they keep missing their harmonies (which was about their only strong point for me) - and the ‘ooh I know, lets get them to lift their kilts’ think was so contrived as to be ridiculous.

This week (again) I had them and Ray in the bottom two. Ray did so much better with Its a Wonderful World, but there was so much cheese and gurning in is performance, that I did wonder if he’d morphed into a character from Wallace and Gromit. Now, I can understand to a certain extent why Ray keeps missing the drop - but I have no idea who can be voting for the MacDonalds.

However, I’ve decided to stop declaring my favourite acts, one of them always ends up in the bottom two. Ben and Robert gawe outstanding performances, and Robert should never have been singing for his life. It was the same last week with Dionne - I hope she sings better next time, as last night she just didn’t make an impact.

Furthermore, even if the price is that the MacDire Brothers stay in another week - could someone please sack the stylists? Kate Thornton looked as if she’d chucked on an old pair of curtains, Leona had rummaged through Bet Lynch’s wardrobe, Nikitta had borrowed something from her granny… and I still don’t wanna talk about the MaccyD boys..

I was impressed with how much time Rod Stewart gave the contestants though, and that he wasn’t just on the show to plug a new single - I can cope with a new album, especially after the great show he gave. He’s the definition of showman. And I definitely think it would be fairer to give the guest star the decision on who should go home out of the bottom two - it stops it becoming such a grudge decision between Sharon, Louis and Simon. Having said that, 4Sure didn’t perform well last night, and were definitely not in the same league as Robert.

I’m still hopeful that Louis is down to just one act next week - and that he stops messing around with Eton Road’s individuality..

If you’d like to see my individual run down of each of the contestants, you can have a look at dreamytimes.co.uk/blog/

Leona Lewis singing First Cut Is the Deepest.

Simon “she looks like a star and acts like one but we have a shyness issue with Leona that she needs to get over. But I would rather work with someone shy and sweet than someone who is arrogant and cocky backstage.”

Rod admits to Leona that even he suffers from his nerves, “I couldn?t sing in front of three or four people and I still get nervous today when I go out and perform.”

The MacDonald Brother singing Sailing

The MacDonald Brothers said “We got a battering form the judges last week and it was quite hard to take, we are used to doing small clubs and weddings and we’ve never felt that pressure to perform. Meeting Rod brings it home and this week we are going to show everyone what we are made of, and it is the quiet ones you have to look out for”

Judges Comments:

Louis - You don’t look like the same 2 guys who were on stage last week, you had a mountain to climb but you did it.

Sharon - first time I have ever seen anyone play a guitar with a sporran. Definitely better than last week and I think Rod is right, concentrate on your voices and the rest will come.

Simon - Guys, I think you are 2 really nice kids, but I thought it was terrible, I hope Rod was watching with the volume down. It was verging on the insane, all the key changes, the guitar and the dress. After a performance like that there is not a cat in hells chance of you boys winning this competition. Even the boo?s in the studio are low.

Ashley McKenzie singing I’d Rather Go Blind

Ashley, “Last week it was Motown which I loved but this week it is Rod Stewart which is really not my thing and if I had been asked to sing this song two months ago they would have kicked me out the competition because I wouldn’t have done it, but tonight I hope I don’t let anyone down.”

Judges Comments:

Louis - That was a classy and very polished performance, thank be to god you are in this competition. You are different

Sharon - You know how to work it kid, you have everything going for you. You know how to milk those notes and I have to hand it too you. And I can tell you are going to be a right handful, you have a right attitude but you’re a great performer.

Simon - I thought you did really well, it’s not a well known song and it did take me some time to pick the song for you this week, but you made it your own and we are very lucky to have you, you are original and it was a mesmorising performance.

Dionne Mitchell singing Tonight’s The Night

Dionne “Last week I was devastated and my confidence was knocked quite heavily and it has made me doubt myself”

Rod on Dionne “She could be wonderful, she has such a powerful voice but it is in the lap of the gods”

Judges comments:

Louis - Last week I said you were my favourite and I could not understand why you were there, you deserve to be on that stage 100% you are like Tina Turner.

Sharon - You owned that stage tonight you so deserve to be there, I love the inclination in your voice, you got it going girl.

Simon - I was very surprised to see you in the bottom two last week. There is no question of doubt you are a very very good dinger, but there are a tonne of backing singers who are as good as you, and if you stay in this week you need to spend a week in front of the mirror practising your performance

4Sure singing You’re In My Heart

Rod Stewart “For your style I know this is not your thing, and last week you had your shot with the Motown thing so you just have to give it your best this week”

Judges comments:

Louis - I know this song was out of your comfort zone, but that is show-biz, Jermaine you were great on leads and I think you did well.

Sharon - It was a very good arrangement, and I agree with Louis but you did very welll with it and you all look great

Simon - I like you guy’s but I didn’t like the arrangement

Nikitta Angus singing Bring It Home To Me

Nikitta “Last week I felt comfortable on stage and I knew my Mum was with me, as whenever I have performed in the past when my Mum has been there I always felt comfortable on stage, and that is how I felt last week. This is the best thing to ever happen to my and I have never been more happy in my life”

Judges comments:

Louis - You know I like you, but last week I didn?t like your song and this week is the same, I am not blaming you but I am blaming Simon, why the silly song Simon?

Sharon - You are a very talented young girl but Simon is very wrong tonight with both the song and the styling, it looks like you are wearing OJ Simpson’s glove. It is a shame you are not in our group as we would look after you

Simon - Louis, was Nikitta in the bottom 2 last week and Louis what do you know about fashion?

Louis - More than you I don?t wear my trousers up here!

Simon - You’re not exactly Giorgio Armani! Nikitta I know we have made some changes to the song and you were nervous before you came on tonight but you did yourself proud.

Robert Allen singing Try a Little Tenderness

Robert “last week being the first to perform was nerve wracking but I just went out there and gave it my best. I got great comments from the judges but I am not going to let it get to my head and I will keep myself grounded”

Rod Stewart “I love energy and he has tonnes of it”

Judges comments:

Louis - What can I say! You have everything, soul, emotion, great singer great performer best of the night so far!

Sharon - You have to stop being so shy! You were running around like a bat and you do have to be careful because of your tuning as you fell out of key but your performance made up for it.

Simon - You need to listen to Sharon, the audience love you but you have to be careful your performances don’t get too clownish, it was like a Chippendales performance, which Louis would know!

Eton Road singing This Old Heart of Mine

Eton Road “Appearing on the stage on Saturday was fantastic, the buzz we got off each other was amazing.? Anthony, ?I am hoping that being different is good and meeting Rod proved that being odd can result in success.”

Judges comments:

Louis- You have improved 100% you are already looking like a slick sophisticated boyband. Fantastic, I hope you get the votes

Sharon - Just when you think boy bands are done to death, and then come you guys, you are so unique and you know I love you Anthony, I adore you, and you know Kelly has already proposed to Anthony today!

Simon - There were some tuning problems, but it didn?t matter because something is starting to work for you guys. You are young you have energy and are really enthusiastic and the only decent group Louis has got is the one he didn?t put through!

Raymond Quinn singing What a Wonderful World

Ray “I don?t want to go home tonight, I am loving being in this competition I am just so excited.”

Judges comments:

Louis - Much better vocals than last week and if this was a smiling competition you would win it. But the song was a bit boring but the Mum’s will vote for you

Sharon - You are in a tough category and I feel you are in the wrong time zone compared to all the cutting edge acts in your group.

Simon - the first time you walked in the audition room you sang a Dean Martin song the other two wanted you in their category. What I disagree with what Sharon says is that although there are a million kids out there who could sing what you did tonight, you have the charm and style they would all lack.

Ben Mills singing Maggie May

Ben “I loved it last week, the crowd went wild and that is why I am here. Last week the judges compared me to Rod Stewart so this week is going to be a challenge. I don?t want people to see me as a Rod Stewart sound-a-like”

Rod “He has got a very powerful voice but he just needs to channel it.”

Judges comments:

Louis - What can I say, you owned that stage, you are brilliant, you are not just a great singer but you are also a great performer, you are going to give Robert a run for his money. I am going to predict that you make the final, with one of my acts!

Sharon - I would never be biased but I loved the arrangement, it was fantastic

Simon - You are in a very difficult position tonight as you have been compared to Rod Stewart and you performed one of his biggest hits. But you have an amazing voice and you have showed a different side to yourself tonight and I agree with Louis you should be in the final.

Once again its time for the weekly Unreality TV X Factor Chart.

Be sure to let us know your thoughts and suggestions either here or on our forum!

1) Ben Mills: Once again Ben tops our chart tonight. Rod Stewarts ‘Maggie May’ was perfect for Bens voice. The fact that Ben showed his musical talents off by playing the first verse on piano just added to the whole performance. Ben had fantastic energy and there wasn’t a dull moment throughout the whole song.

2) Robert Allen: Tonight Robert sang ‘Try a little tenderness’ and to say he nailed it would be an understatement. Robert obviously loved every minute of his performance and although I would have to agree with Simon Cowell’s comments, that at times he came across as a little desperate, it was still an amazing performance.

3) Leona Lewis: Leona opened the show with ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’ and her vocals were astounding. Leona looked much more confident and less shy this week and all three judges praised her highly.

4) Ashley McKenzie: Ashley was at a bit of a disadvantage this week as the song that Simon chose for him was one of Rod Stewarts lesser known numbers. However I felt that this actually turned out to benefit Ashley as he was able to make it 100% his own. Ashley as always was supremely confident and sang fantastically. I would not be surprised to see this boy in the final.

5) Dionne Mitchell: Tonight Dionne sang ‘Tonights The Night’ and to be fair I don’t think that Dionne could sing any song badly! Dionne’s voice is so powerful and both Louis and Simon compared her to Tina Turner tonight. Simon thinks that Dionne’s performance can a times be very clumsy and while I remain a strong Dionne supporter I definitely think she needs a bit of coaching in that area. She can sometimes look uncomfortable on stage and if that could be remedied I think Dionna could go far.

6) Eton Road: Eton Roads performance tonight wasn’t perfect. There were definitely some tuning issues and at points the song seemed to run away from them. But the energy that the boys brought to the stage made up for any problems. Both Simon and Louis compared the band to an early Take That and I definitely got that vibe.

7) Nikitta Angus: Nikitta sang ‘Bring It On Home To Me’ tonight. She sang brilliantly and did not appear to be in any way nervous. However I agreed with Sharon and Louis when they criticised Simons song choice for Nikitta. She looked like an older woman, which took away some of her charm and the song didn’t entirely suit her voice. I hope she lasts until next week though, I really would like to see her doing some more contemporary numbers.

4Sure: I really liked 4Sures version of ‘You’re In My Heart’ on stage tonight. It was obviously out of their comfort zone but I liked the new slant they brought to the tune. The boys performed it flawlessly but for some reason it failed to blow me away.

9) Kerry McGregor: Kerry sang really well tonight and I liked her version of ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’. However it wasn’t very exciting and I think that with her voice she could have attempted something a bit more adventurous.

10) The MacDonald Brothers: I think The Mac Donald brothers have really great voices and although they came across much better tonight than they did last week I just couldn’t get excited about their performance. I loved their kilts and I liked their arrangement of ‘We Are Sailing’ it was a bit mroe adventurous than their song last week. However a few acts tonight really blew me away and The MacDonald brothers just didn’t move me much at all.

11) Ray Quinn: Tonight Ray sang ‘What a Wonderful World’ and it was….well….. a bit boring. Ray has a nice voice and he is so so cute. But his performance lacked the edge that it needed and if it wasn’t for the teenage girl vote i don’t think he’d last long on The X Factor.

Last year we did a chart after each episode of X Factor with our take on the performers and what we thought. So, welcome to the very first X Factor chart for 2006!

Now, bear in mind I don’t have Tabby here tonight to talk me down, so I may be wrong. I’ve you’ve got better suggestions for the chart, leave them in the comments or jump to the forum for X-tra chat!

1. Ben Mills - As I said, Ben is possibly the most developed artist in the competition. He’s got the look and definitely the voice. Tonight he played a blinder, despite the material being miles away from his comfort zone. I’m backing Ben!
2. Nikitta Angus - Nikitta looked like she was enjoying herself, sang well and looked cute. I thought she was a great entertainer and the best of the females tonight.
3. Dionne Mitchell - Dionne put in a wonderful performance tonight and showed her potential for later stages of X Factor. For such a nervous person, you couldn’t tell it when she got up on stage!
4. Leona Lewis - Another strong singer. I don’t think she was a Mariah mimic as some said - her performance was closer to the original that Carey’s terrible warbling. Liked her.
5. Kerry McGregor - Again, I disagree with the judges here. Kerry put in a great performance and looked stunning this evening. I had my doubts about her ability to perform, but she had no problems at all. Maybe the song was a bit safe, but that’s not going to stop her.
6. Ashley McKenzie - I was slightly disappointed by Ashley’s performance tonight. Although he had confidence and good stage presence, his singing wasn’t up to scratch.
7. The McDonald Brothers - Despite a good performance, the McDonald Brothers were less than impressive. They could get better though - Louis thinks they’re this year’s Journey South.
8. The Unconventionals - Unconvincing. Another group with great potential forced into mediocrity by Master Walsh. As Simon Cowell commented, it was a mess - everybody singing at once. These guys are capable of so much more!
9. 4Sure - I’ve no doubt they’re a great bunch of lads, but they did nothing exciting tonight. Another blogger likened them to Boyz II Men, but the gist is they’re in danger of becoming forgettable unless they do something to distinguish themselves soon!
10. Robert Allen - While I thought Robert performed well, I noticed in the playback that I couldn’t actually make out what he was singing. His diction is quite bad.
11. Eton Road - The camp one looks like an extra from The Munsters, and the band is as bland as…well, anything else Louis Walsh has a hand in. He’s taken a fairly unique group and turned them into production-line pop. Rubbish.
12. Ray Quinn - What can I say? It’s the X Factor, not the pretty-boy factor. Ray can only grin his way through so many mediocre performances.

So, that’s my opinion. I’m staring at the wrong end of a bottle of red wine, so forgive any inconsistencies in my post!

Lionel Ritchie is guest mentor on tonight’s X Factor show, which has a Motown theme. All of the acts will be singing songs from the Motown era including Ritchie’s own songs and the likes of Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, etc.

Like the new stage set. It seems longer than previous years - probably so that the losers can be whisked off on the final night while the winner gets the limelight!

Robert Allen - All Night Long

First up in this section was Sharon Osbourne’s act Robert Allen, singing Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long. Decked out in a silver two-piece suit and purple shirt, Robert looked fantastic, but he found it difficult to stick to his key. He broke from the stage at one point and walked around the audience which seemed to boost his confidence quite a bit, ending on a high.

The performance drew praise from all the judges. Sharon said “You did me proud.” while Simon commented that “I don’t know why, but I don’t remember you from the auditions…..That was absolutely fantastic.” In his short interview with Kate Thornton, he was obviously overcome with emotion.

My verdict: the nerves were obvious at the beginning, but he put on a solid show. Shows promise.

Eton Road - My Girl

Eton Road may have drawn the short straw with The Temptations’ My Girl. Poor song choice to start with. The camp one kicked things off wearing a bizarre low-cut top (what was that about?). Wick haircuts all round and bad suits. Louis Walsh at his worst!

Speaking of Walsh, he gushed at the band being a modern boy band. Simon voiced my thoughts completely when he commented that he didn’t like the boy band dancing and all that stuff. He quipped that they shouldn’t pay much attention to Louis Walsh “because he’s 65 years old!”

My verdict: Louis did a ‘job’ on them and made them a bland boy band, instead of taking risks with their image. Singing was bleh - didn’t do much for me!