Flown in to The X Factor auditions in separate helicopters to a mighty boom of string instruments playing full blast in the background, you could be forgiven for thinking the too- posh- to- drive X Factor judges were coming to take over the world as we knew it last night.
The reality is that they’re just aspiring to fill the big boots that Simon, Cheryl and Dannii have left wide open and waiting for them, in the biggest and loudest way possible. Ouch! The show should have come with a sensitive eardrums warning.
With a sneaky quip from Dermot O’Leary telling us at the press launch that he’s still there as presenter (“just”), the show got underway in the only style The X Factor knows; bigger and better than ever.
From fame-hungry imposters desperate for their two minutes of fame to the absurdly talented unknowns, The X Factor 2011’s first show certainly aimed to dispel reports and taunts from the press about their abilities to survive without the music mogul himself Mr. Cowell, and boy oh boy did they come through.
With the good always comes the bad, and as much as we continually ask ourselves how their family could let them embarrass themselves in front of the nation, the show would be nothing without the people who sound more like crows in the field than stars in the sky.
Irish (and proud) man Louis Walsh takes his usual seat on the panel this year for his eighth series of the show. Delighted to have lasted the longest out of all the judges, the music genius wasted no time in welcoming his new colleuges to the show. It must be his Irish charm that’s kept him afloat for this long but we’re not complaining. Adding his repetitive “they’ve got the full package” on to the end of every second sentence, we have to say we’re glad there’s still a trace of the past series in the new one. Good old Louis eh?
Although Gary Barlow has profusely denied that he is the new Mr. Nasty of the show, he still felt the need to tell people in the clip that they might not have the same feelings towards him after they’ve seen the new him. “I think people’s perception of me is going to change” he said. Oh Gary, is the pressures of TV going to your head already?
We can’t say anything too bad about the Take That member though, as he happily posed for photographs with fans and journalists in a happy manner (Facebook profile picture all the way). While he’s relishing in his position as an X Factor judge, the star said he’s not “not as excited as my mum, it’s like the first thing I’ve ever done” he said. However he might have wanted to tell his mother to look away on last night’s episode as Goldie, a 50-year-old singer/dancer straddled him, while he looked on, scared for his life. Honesty is the best policy is the famous catchphrase and Gary is certainly putting it to use.
Frankie gave Kelly and Tulisa a cheeky wink when he walked on stage
We predict Janet Devlin will be an overnight Youtube sensation with her rendition of Your Song
Kelly Rowland is the biggest surprise of the show. When an indie styled young man called Frankie hit the stage last night, Kelly couldn’t help but blush as he spoke about his seven tattoos of girl’s names on his behind. “I can be the eighth” she joked to a keen looking Frankie who quipped “You can pay”. Although when asked if she followed through with her proposition later, the beauty replied, “no because he’d have to pay me back.” Frankie went on to sing an impressive version of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie as the judges smiled to each other in that ‘we’ve just found a star’ way they always do.
Obviously a nervous wreck, N-Dubz singer Tulisa couldn’t have seen what or who was coming for her on last night’s show. Admitting at the press launch that she felt like she was being judged by the nation rather than being a judge on her first day, Tulisa has definitely shown that she has a voice of her own.
Dressed to kill and looking every inch the enviable popstar, Tulisa came face to face with George. After auditioning in 2009 with his band Triple Trouble and causing quite a stir after throwing a microphone at Simon Cowell, George claimed he had changed for the better. Unfortunately for him and Tulisa, after the judges interrupted his disastrous attempt at Pitbull and Neyo’s Give Me Everything, he had a chip on his shoulder. Nastily branding Tulisa a dog and the poor man’s version of Cheryl Cole, the arrogant man was taken out by security. Good riddance, we say.
When asked afterwards why she didn’t rise to the bait Tulia replied “well if it was 10 years ago I would have but you know I’m an X factor judge now I’m not allowed”.
Janet Devlin was the star of last night’s show. Making a room full of press cry is no easy feat but the 16-year-old from Co. Tyrone had the whole room on her side when she beautifully sang a rendition of Elton John’s Your Song. You could hear a pin drop as her raspy tones filled the arena. Tulisa branded her “mesmerising” and Gary Barlow smiled at her like we’ve only ever dreamed of. We can’t wait to see what’s next from the blonde talent.
With the promise of even more drama and tons more talent ahead, there’s definitely interesting viewing coming our way.
Whatever you say about The X Factor, you can’t deny the entertainment value of it all.
Sarah Carty
