The four wildcards were introduced at the top of the show. I have to say, I was pretty WTF over Louis Walsh picking Wagner. But then, most of the Overs really sucked anyway. My favorite performances tonight were: Matt Cardle, Diva Fever, Mary Byrne and Treyc Cohen.
Aiden Grimshaw seems to be a favorite, but his performance felt nervous and unsure to me–but not like he was acting a part. OK, I just watched this again, and I’ve changed my mind. He was definitely playing a part, but it still seemed a little weird to me. His performance of “Mad World” was staged exactly like Adam Lambert’s. They watch American Idol in Britain, right? Hm.
Wild Card picks
Wagner Carrilho – Louis Walsh (Overs)
Treyc Cohen – Cheryl Cole (Girls)
Paije Richardson – Dannii Minogue (Boys)
Diva Fever – Simon Cowell (Groups)
UPDATE: Now with FULL VIDEOS including judges comments.
Live blog and VIDEOS after the JUMP…
FYD (Simon) – “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy – Louis likes them for the most part, but thinks they are better dancers than singers. Cheryl thought the dancing interferes with their singing. But Danni thinks they should move MORE. Simon calls them relevant because people on the charts are singing and dancing. Louis insists they have to sing in tune. Actually, Louis? They really don’t. But I agree with Louis, they aren’t great singers.
Matt McCardle – (Dannii) – “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland – Matt gets off to a rough start, but once he gets going, he delivers an emotional performance. Louis calls him the real deal, and a “Music Man.” Cheryl really likes it too. Simon says he wasn’t convinced during his audition, but came around at boot camp. He think this performance topped boot camp. He thinks he could have a hit with the song. He tells Matt to have more confidence. Dannii says he nailed it.
John Adeleye – (Louis) – “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey – Hm. Not sure if this was the right song for John. Dannii loves his passion. She didn’t think the song choice made him sound current. Cheryl says he sang it beautifully. She’s not sure he’s put his stamp on the competition yet. Simon liked the final note, but thinks John wasn’t given a chance to do much with it. (A dig at Louis) Simon and Louis argue about whether it was #1 in America. Louis says he’s genuine, and knows he’s got a lot more to give.
Rebecca Ferguson (Cheryl) – “Teardrops” by Womack & Womack – A disco song? For Rebecca? Really? Standing in one spot, clutching the microphone, she barely moves. She brings very little energy to her performance. She’s got potential, but she’s got to step it up. Louis calls her a class act and tells her she’s got an amazing recording voice. Dannii loves her style, but wants to see her grow over the weeks. Simon thinks she should emphasize her fun side now. He thinks she’s got tremendous potential. Cheryl thinks she’s “real” and “incredible”.
Storm Lee (Louis) – “We Built This City” by Starship – OMG. The eye makeup! The dancers are wearing rubber face masks. This is pretty bizarre. Storm’s vocals are overwhelmed by the huge production. He’s going for some hair band/glam rock thing, but the performance isn’t memorable. Dannii says he sang it really well. Cheryl said the image was “a little bit much”. She likes that he’s never given up. Simon says “it is what it is…Louis has turned you into something out of batman.” Simon says without the theatrics, he’s somebody who failed to be a rock star. Louis loved it, of course. Simon adds that he sang it really well.
Belle Amie – (Simon) “Airplanes” by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams – This band was put together by Simon. Wow. This performance is a HOT HOT mess. Off key, un-together and tentative, not sure if more rehearsal would even help this bunch. Even Simon can’t fake a smile through this. Louis sees chemistry and thinks they have great potential. Dannie liked the song choice. She thinks they are gelling really well. Cheryl felt unsure about them. (finally some honesty). She liked the song choice. Simon says they need time. He thinks the show needs some girl power and that there’s a place in the market for Belle Amie. Eep.
Cher Lloyd – (Cheryl) – “Just Be Good To Me” by The SOS band – OMG. Girl looks like a crack ho. Honestly, she’s got so much makeup on, and she’s scarily thin. She’s got a strong voice and some charisma, but I’m sensing she’s a train wreck waiting to happen. Cheryl loves Cher, I think, because she sees her younger self. Louis says she’s got incredible stage presence. It could be a #1 record, he says. Dannii says she’s “so watchable” and commands the stage. Simon says any doubt people have about Cheryl’s choice were just blown away. Simon says she’s “a new little star.” He thinks she’s part of a “new generation.” Cheryl says she breathes star quality–cool current and young.
Diva Fever – (Simon’s Wild Card) – Sunny by Bobby Hebb – This…does not suck. Kind of an interesting song choice, and their vocals are solid. Fun to watch, too. Louis calls them fun. He says they remind him of Simon and Piers at the Christmas party. Ha. Dannii loved it. Cheryl says they reminded her of a song you’d here on the telly to motivate you out of bed in the morning. Simon thinks the world has become boring. He thinks the music business should be fun and entertaining, and that’s why he welcomes them on stage. The neon outfits they’re wearing are hilarious.
Paije Richardson – (Dannii) “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack – I was impressed with Paige’s audition and Houses performance. But, this is kind of a mess–really off key. Louis is comparing him to Luther Vandross. What? Cheryl says he sings like a Diva. Simon says was praying that Dannii would bring him back. He likes his attitude. Simon says he’s infectious. Dannii says he put personality on it.
Katie Waissel – (Cheryl) – “We Are the Champions” by Queen – How the heck does this girl keep advancing? She’s forgotten her words, broken down on stage, and tonight she’s mediocre on a song that’s WAY too big for her. The hat she’s wearing is redonkulous. Louis thinks she’s more style than substance. He thinks the song was too big for her. Dannii thought it was vocally fierce, but doesn’t like her look. Simon likes her look, he thinks she’s original. Loves that she’s a drama queen. He compares her to Cyndi Lauper. He thinks she’s a pop star. Cheryl loves that she’s expressive like Lady Gaga. Cheryl says she’s a nice girl (There was some negative gossip about Katie in the papers).
Mary Byrne – (Simon) – “This is a Man’s World” by James Brown – The X Factor twitter says Mary’s got a sore throat. She’s got really powerful pipes. I didn’t like her audition much. I thought she was Suebo 2.0, but she’s got a pretty fierce bluesy side. The crowd is going nuts. Mary is crying. Dannii says, “That is one of the best vocal performances on the show.” She calls her a “new wave” of pop star. Well that would be interesting. Cheryl says you can feel the energy in the room. “It was like you waited your whole life to sing that.” Simon says it was fantastic because she’s a trier. He says she gave 110%. Louis says she’s become a Diva, and he’s so proud of her.
Nicolo Festa – (Dannii) – “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga – I wouldn’t have picked this song for him. His strength is his quirkiness. This mainstream dance stuff does not suit him at all. Boring. Louis says Nicolo is his cup of tea. Cheryl didn’t love it–he wasn’t connected. His sunglasses didn’t help. Simon liked it, he thought it was different–says Nicolo looks better than he sounds. Dannii thought he sounded great. She knows she took a big risk, but she believes in it. Nicolo insists, however, that he’s “normal” and not a diva.
1 Direction – (Simon) – “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay – Well, I expected this to be worse, but it’s still pretty bad. This is a really stupid song choice. They’re staying in tune mostly (The whoa whoa whoes were pretty rough, and some of the boys are better than others). But the world does not need a boy band version of “Viva La Vida”. Louis loves what they did with the song and thinks they could be the next big boy band. Dannii says they look like they fit together. She thought the song was fantastic. A perfect pop band performance. Cheryl thinks they have all the ingredients for a perfect pop band. They need more time to develop. Simon put them together in a boy band, because they were too good to throw away. He acknowledges they screwed up at the end, but commended them for bringing it back together. Simon, for some reason, is going to leave the styling up to the guys. I agree with Louis. They do look like crap.
Wagner Carrilho – (Louis – Wildcard) – “She Bang/Love Shack” mashup – This is literally like bringing William Hung back to the AI live shows as a wild card. Seriously now? WTF was that??? Dannii says, “It was entertaining, but we’re looking for the next recording star. Very karaoke.” Cheryl said he was very earthy and nice. Simon says, “that was the most bonkers performance I have every seen in my life.” But…embrace the madness says Simon. Louis says everyone will be talking about Wagner’s performance tomorrow.
Aiden Grimshaw – (Dannii) “Mad World” by Tears for Fears’ – Yeah, he’s doing the Donnie Darko version. He seems really nervous. Not his best performance. Wow, kid. Calm down! It’ll be alright. Louis says it was one of the best performances of the night. He is the next big male pop star. Cheryl thinks it was brilliant. Simon mentions Adam, but not by name. He says it was the second time he was blown away by that song–it happened once in America. You are so current, he says. He compares his voice to Michael Stipe and says it was the best of the night. Dannii said his performance had legs–vulnerable and arresting.
Treyc Cohen (Cheryl – Wildcard) – “One” by U2 – Wow. How did this girl not make it through in the first place? She’s got a powerful voice coupled with charisma. She’s the best of the girls. WTF? Louis says this is her time. Dannii says she can sing anything, but she needs to put her stamp on it. Simon says she looks vulnerable and lacks confidence, yet he’s amazed they overlooked her. He also thinks it was the best vocal of the night. (I agree). Cheryl can’t believe she was overlooked (Uhm yeah, you overlooked her, Cheryl).
