Feature: 'X Factor' Final 24 - The Girls
Saturday, October 3 2009, 12:00 BST
By Alex Fletcher, Senior Entertainment Reporter
The final group of acts competing for a place in The X Factor live shows are Dannii Minogue's Girls. Dannii and her sister Kylie have the unenviable task of whittling these six hopefuls down to just three, who will be given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sing to the nation and win a record contract. Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke have proved that female contestants can go all the way and compete with even the hunkiest and cutest guys, so is there potential for another winner among this year's group?
Stacey McCleanThe story so far: The story started a long while before
X Factor for McClean, who has already achieved pop fame once before as part of S Club Juniors. Determined to make a career as a solo artist now she's all grown up, McClean has only featured briefly at the audition stages (we caught a glimpse of her belting out a version of Christina Aguilera's 'Ain't No Other Man'). However, her experience will surely come in handy when it gets to the nervy judges' houses.
Chances of winning: She certainly has the quality to warrant a place in the Final 12 and unsurprisingly, she looks confident on the big stage. However, whether the public will warm to a contestant who's already had one shot at fame is questionable. There's sure to be criticism from some quarters that she's a ringer and it may hold her back.
Despina PilavakisThe story so far: We know very little about Cyprus-born Despina apart from the fact that she's got a cracking set of lungs on her. Her version of 'The Weakness In Me' at the auditions stage saw her soar into the boot camp, while her cleverly understated rendition of 'Purple Rain' in the second round was equally impressive. She's an ordinary music student from North London and there's no real 'story' or 'journey' to speak of, so she may need to showcase something special to get the nod from the Minogue sisters.
Chances of winning: We have a hunch that Despina could be one of the unlucky ones and not make the Final 12.
X Factor is never just a singing contest and we fear that she may be chopped in favour of more colourful contestants.
Nicole JacksonThe story so far: It's a case of blink and you'll miss it with Nicole. She auditioned last year and made it to boot camp, but second time around she's gone one better. Her versions of 'Think Twice' and 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' have shown that she has a unique jazz-y vocal style, which usually goes down well with the judges. However, we're still to find out whether there's a personality behind the voice.
Chances of winning: It's hard to judge from the brief clips we've been given, but they'd struggle to make a winner's montage with the footage we've had so far. However, there's usually one rogue unknown pick in the Final 12, so she can't be ruled out altogether.
Stacey SolomonThe story so far: Single-mum Stacey from Dagenham, who has the voice of an Angel, should already have this in the bag, right? Well, possibly. Her version of 'What A Wonderful World' was the standout highlight from the auditions thanks to her swift transformation from
Big Brother Chantelle lookalike to sweet pop artiste. She wants to win the show to help change the life of her 17-year-old son Zachary, which is probably as decent and honourable a reason as any.
Chances of winning: Alongside Danyl Johnson, she's a clear favourite to win the show. However, Laura White was the hot tip at this stage last year and she exited fairly early in the competition, so nothing is for certain. But one fact is undeniable - Solomon has all the necessary charm for a winner.
Lucie JonesThe story so far: She's from a small village outside of Cardiff - she's mentioned this a few times - and she has "her eyes on the bright lights". She's got the looks and thanks to some training from Charlotte Church's vocal coach Louise Ryan, she can also pull off Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You'. If the judges' reactions at her first audition are anything to go by, then she should be a sure bet to make the Final 12.
Chances of winning: If she stops going on about the fact that she's from a small town in Wales for more than two minutes, then we can surely expect to see her reaching the final stages of the show. If she can do uptempo tracks as well as she can do ballads, she could well be the best of the Girls this year.
Rachel Adedegi The story so far: Unfortunately for Rachel, the highlight of her
X Factor run so far, for many viewers, was her unfortunate slip when running to greet her mentor Dannii Minogue. However, when it comes to singing, the 18-year-old has proved she's no slouch with impressive versions of 'If I Ain't Got You' and perhaps the most popular
X Factor song of 2009, Paulo Nutini's 'Last Request'.
Chances of winning: She's yet another contestant returning after just missing out in 2008, so there's definitely the required hunger for victory. However, she's probably too quirky and noticeably un-
X Factor to make it very far in the Final 12. She'll likely be fighting with Stacey, Nicole and Despina for the third Girls slot.
It's my fav soap
Feature: 'X Factor' Final 24 - Over-25s
Thursday, October 1 2009, 12:00 BST
By Alex Fletcher, Senior Entertainment Reporter
We kicked off Louis Walsh and his mixed bag of Groups yesterday, but today DS is looking at what many are tipping to be the strongest category in 2009 - Simon Cowell's Over-25s. We haven't had an Over-25s champ since the one we don't talk about - Steve Brookstein - beat vocal troupe G4 to the title in the first series. Similarly, Cowell hasn't won since Leona Lewis in 2006, so he is surely due a victory. Can one of the following six singers deliver the results for him? Keep reading for our verdict.
Danyl JohnsonThe story so far: He has been the hot favourite to win the show ever since Simon Cowell declared his microphone-chucking performance of 'With A Little Help From My Friends' to be the "best audition ever". It earned the 27-year-old Johnson the tag as 'The Next Susan Boyle' and the YouTube video of his performance brought the teacher interview spots on US TV. His boot camp rendition of 'Holding Back The Years' didn't go down as well with the judges, but despite the glaringly obvious blunder of picking a Simply Red song, he still made the Final 24.
Chances of winning: Simon clearly loves him, he's the most well-known of all the contestants and he's got an obvious stage presence. However, Britain always loves an underdog and we suspect Danyl may have started too quickly and could end up missing out on the title at the final hurdle.
Jamie 'Afro' ArcherThe story so far: Is there more to the 34-year-old from Putney than a wacky haircut and a half-decent rock growl? Well, anyone who gets Simon Cowell singing along to 'Sex On Fire' has to be doing something right. One of the most memorable first round auditionees, his version of 'With Or Without You' at boot camp wasn't too shoddy either.
Chances of winning: He doesn't want to go back to playing empty pubs and clubs, but will Simon dare pick Jamie and Danyl, when they are both clearly competing for the same fanbase? Even if he does, we suspect The Afro's pub-rock honed showmanship and cheesy audience participation may wear thin very quickly.
Daniel PearceThe story so far: Daniel Pearce already has two Top 10 hits under his belt with 'Sacred Trust/After You're Gone' and 'Shakespeare's (Way With) Words', but the mohawk-ed singer wants to forget his One True Voice boyband past and forge a solo career. His 'Kiss From A Rose' first audition and 'Purple Rain' at boot camp got Cheryl Cole all welled-up with emotions and bagged him a well-deserved spot in the Final 24.
Chances of winning: He faces stiff competition in a category packed with engaging singers. Would Simon pick someone who has already failed once over Olly, Danyl and Jamie? If he does make the cut, we suspect the public wouldn't be too favourable towards him having a second crack at a reality TV pop career.
Olly MursThe story so far: Arrogant or charismatic? Olly Murs has divided opinion with his renditions of Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition' and Elton John's 'Your Song'. Sensible song choices, an ability to move on stage and an interesting line in hats made him stand out from the crowd and have got him this far. It will be worth seeing him reach the Final 12 to see how many times the producers can wheel out the theme tune from Minder for montages with the Essex boy.
Chances of winning: He could be a good outside bet if Simon picks him for the Final 12. He hasn't been over-exposed and he has the necessary looks to win a sizable female fanbase. His voice might not be the strongest, but that didn't stop a certain chap called Leon winning a few years back.
Nicole LawrenceThe story so far: There were some groans at DS Towers when we heard there was yet another X Factor singer performing in tribute to a late relative. However, despite the sob story comparisons to the likes of Daniel and Niki Evans, Nicole merits her position in the Final 25 after barnstorming renditions of 'And I'm Telling You' and Alicia Keys's 'If I Ain't Got You' at the early audition rounds.
Chances of winning: Nicole could well fit the "old belter" slot in the Over-25s this year. Ruth Lorenzo, Niki Evans and Brenda Evans have filled the role in previous years, but none of them could quite win. Nicole looks unlikely to break that duck, but a West End role surely beckons.
Treyc CohenThe story so far: Probably the contestant we've heard least from in the Over-25s, she's a real darkhorse in the group. She's a full-time student doing a popular music degree, who does the pub circuit to keep her afloat financially. There's no real sob story, but her version of 'I'm Every Woman' at the first audition hinted that she may have the best technical vocals out of everyone in her category. Her rendition of the Simon Cowell favourite, Michael Jackson's 'Ben', at boot camp can't have harmed her chances of progressing either.
Chances of winning: She's got a battle on her hands making the Final 12 and even if she does, we suspect her lack of airtime could leave her vulnerable to an early exit. As we all know, there's more to X Factor than being a very good singer.