TOP 8 are singing Big Band tunes and more.
Tonight’s episode starts at 8:15pm GMT, 9:15pm CET, 3:15pm EDT, 12:15pm PDT.
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We are down to 8 acts and half of them are from Simon Cowell’s category. That’s right, Simon’s 4 Overs are all still standing, thanks to Louis Walsh’s deadlock save of Jay James.
I think it will all come down to Andrea Faustini and Ben Haenow. Andrea has a great voice and a big personality, but I struggle to see him as a viable recording artist after the show. Ben seems to be Simon’s best bet to take Andrea down, but even Ben won’t have it easy in the music business.
31 piece orchestra is on stage tonight. Everything is ready or a Big Band night!
The phone lines open as soon as the judges sit down at their table.
Andrea Faustini – Summertime (Ella Fitzgerald)
Andrea is getting English language lessons from Fleur. Mel B took him on a bus tour of London.
Leona Lewis absolutely killed this song in season 3 and it looks like Andrea wants to do the same. Wow. The stage door behind him opened in the middle of the performance for no particular reason? Anyway, Andrea slayed.
Louis: What an opening of the show. You are the people’s diva! He is like a little Pavarotti!
Cheryl: You absolutely brought it to life. Amazeballs!
Simon: I don’t think it was “amazeballs”. I thought it lacked that gritty passion and you are pulling these terrible faces. I was disappointed. I remember Leona Lewis doing this version and it incredible!
Mel B: Simon is so wrong!
Lauren Platt – Smile (Nat King Cole)
Lauren’s little brother visited Lauren in the X Factor house.
Lauren sits in a swing above the stage. She is wearing a beautiful sparkly dress, probably taken from Cheryl’s own wardrobe.
She sings beautifully, but I don’t think she is really connecting with the band? I find the performance a bit boring, even thought I don’t think she could make this song more exciting.
Louis: Singing with 30 piece orchestra is so effortless.
Mel B: You look absolutely stunning. It’s not easy to sit down and sing the song with such commitment.
Simon: Very good song choice. I thought it was good, the end was amazing. I did find it a bit boring in the middle. It was good, it wasn’t fantastic.
Cheryl: For a 17-year old to take on the orchestra …
Jay James – Empire State of Mind / New York New York medley (Alicia Keys/Frank Sinatra)
Jay survived the deadlock last week. He says he needs a moment this week. He is going to wear his grandfather’s suit on stage? I hope it fits him.
He starts with a slowed down version of “Empire State of Mind” and proceeds with “New York New York” that sounds close to the original. I think this song is a bit too big for Jay’s voice. He is belting and struggling towards the end.
Louis: Very clever. The Frank Sinatra song was kinda karaoke. What was the girl doing is a glass?
Mel B: I think Simon did you a disservice. The vocals were not on point, Brian Friedman’s theatrics saved the performance.
Cheryl: I have to give you credit for being the only act not to moan after being in the bottom 2 the previous week.
Simon: You gave the best performance so far tonight.
Stereo Kicks – Mack The Knife (Bobby Darin)
LOL @ Louis face last week when that prankster joined them on stage.
Stereo Kicks changed their song choice yesterday afternoon. Their first song didn’t work with the band. Only two of the 8 boys knew the new song.
They sing parts of the song like solo singers. James Graham’s microphone gives out at one point. I guess it could be worse? I wish they had more time for practice.
Mel B: I think you look great. This is my problem: You are not identifiable. The public needs to get to know you. That was a great performance, but people don’t know you.
Cheryl: Charlie, you are 15, no 14. And have 8 people in a band and re-arrange a song in one day?
Simon: I think Cruella De-Ville … great vocals. It’s hard to be in a 8 piece band … [asks Louis to recite their names.]
Louis: [gets the names right]
Ben Haenow – Cry Me A River (Michael Buble)
He took his mother to a movie premiere. How nice of him!
He doesn’t seem to be into this song. He is singing it with his gritty rock voice. His eyes travel somewhere in the distance. Big FINISH.
Louis: Really big song for you. I don’t think the theme suited you. You went off a bit at the end.
Mel B: It was a good performance and a good deliver and you look a million dollars.
Cheryl: You know I’m your big fan. This wasn’t one of your best. You were “Bubled”, you are more rock n roll.
Simon: It was honest, it was cool, … I thought it was a fantastic performance.
Only The Young – I Wanna Be Like You (From The Jungle Book)
Look, Louis knows their names! They met their families in Louis in a pub somewhere.
The boys sing the lead vocals and the girls are an after thought. I wish they didn’t start the song in the audience. The song is upbeat and almost requires some movement, but walking on stage from the audience, on and from the platform and around the stage + dancing were a bit too much, IMO. The vocals were not on point 100%, but I think they made the right decision to give the boys the lead vocals.
Mel B: I like that. You just know who you are. My children love you, you have your market!
Cheryl: You bring so much fun! It was nice of you to take the lead.
Simon: This is my son’s favorite song. You are fun, you are unique, you know your market. There was a small mistake at the end, but don’t worry about it.
Louis: No one in the competition works as hard as you.
Stevi Ritchie – Mambo Number 5 / She Bangs medley (Lou Bega/Ricky Martin)
Stevi is dedicating this song to Mel B. He is doing a routine, courtesy of Brian Friedman. He used to perform in a duo with another guy, called “American Dream”.
He is wearing glittery purple jacket and has half naked dancers on stage – standard. Just as the “Mambo No. 5” song starts dragging, he suddenly switched to “She Bangs”. The judges look stunned. I am, too. He is taking the WAGNER act to a whole new level.
Louis: Stevi, you are still in the competition, people are voting for you and we lost many good singers …
Mel B: You are such a nice guy, and, you are a dad … But I don’t get it!!!
Cheryl: Did you enjoy yourself? …. I was very distracted with everything, I actually don’t remember the vocal.
Simon: Britain supports the underdog. It was one of the worst performances ever, but I hope people vote for you …
Fleur East – Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj)
She also attended the Hunger Games premiere.
She is doing a big band cover of a recent hit. She sounds out of breath until the rapping part. I think the rapping was fantastic and the ending good. Overall, I think this performance just had too much of everything. Fleur is a great performer, but her vocal abilities are just good, not fantastic.
Louis: It’s very simple, we saved the best for last. You grow every week. You are a star and you deserve to make the final.
Mel B: You are always a surprise to me. You did a great performance.
Cheryl: You are the person in the competition that is an all-rounder.
Simon: I remember the first time we met and I couldn’t remember your face afterwards. This song put you on the map at my judges’ house and now I believe you could win this competition.
Tomorrow: Olly Murs and Nicole Scherzinger perform. Band Aid 30 cover of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” airs.
‘We know YOU weren’t distracted!’ Did Simon Cowell out Louis Walsh on Big Band week of The X Factor?
It was Big Band week on The X Factor on Saturday night and the pressure was really on with 30 musicians behind the acts as they belted out some classics.
But it was Simon Cowell who seemed to drop the biggest note as he may have outed Louis Walsh on the show.
After Louis claimed Jay James’s performance of Frank Sinatra classic New York was marred by a distracting female dancer, Simon retorted, ‘we know you weren’t distracted.’
Read more: Daily Mail
The Glam Factor: Cheryl Fernandez-Versini pulls out all the glamorous stops in sequinned and feathered gown
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini pulled out all the glamorous stops on Saturday night in a feathered and sequinned gown.
Designed by Naeem Khan, the beautiful gown featured a plunging neckline which Cheryl accentuated by pulling her brunette locks back into a chic bun and allowing her decolletage to be on show.
With diamond drop earrings and matching jewellery, it was hard to keep one’s eyes off the X Factor judge.
Read more: Daily Mail
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini turns heads in leather as she leaves X Factor studios with husband Jean-Bernard… while Mel B opts for a comfy onesie once again
They’ve been pitted against one another in the style stakes every week, each trying to outshine their rival judge with increasingly daring designer gowns.
But once The X Factor cameras stop rolling, it’s a different story altogether as Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Mel B revert back to their go-to looks – which for the down-to-earth former Spice Girl means a comfy onesie.
While Cheryl changed into a glamorous head-to-toe leather outfit, keeping her glittery make-up and elegant hairdo from the live show, Mel couldn’t have cared less about the way she looked and left the X Factor studios on Saturday night in comfy loungewear and casual boots.
Read more: Daily Mail
