The X Factor finale 2009 - part 2

Olly Murs for Simon Cowell
Vs
Joe McElderry for Cheryl Cole.

I really hope Joe wins...

Kicking things off with all 12 finalist acts miming to Never Forget. Did I hear someone say pointless?

Round One (or Four?) - Personal favourites of previous performances.

1. Olly - "Twist & Shout"
A surprisingly good job, much better than last time.

2. Joe - "Don't Stop Believin'"
The most personality he's ever put into a song, and a great song and that. Perfect vocals.

Next up, Alexandra, JLS and Leona, the true X Factor success stories.

Round Two (or Five) - The winner's song - "The Climb".
So the rumours were true.

3. Olly.
The boy done quite good with such a big song. Far from flawless though. Unfair in a way that they have to sing the same song, this is so clearly picked for Joe.

4. Joe.
Left me surprisingly cold. Didn't put in the emotion that Olly did, but you can't fault that voice.

Next up... Macca!?!?! F*** that, where's Madonna?

And the winner is...

JOE! Hurrah!

See you back here next year. All none of you.

The X Factor - The Final 2009 - part 1

Apparently we lose one of the three tonight. I'm hoping it's Olly, given I had a dream this week that he won. I want Joe to win. We'll find out below...

Round one: Audition songs

1. Stacey Solomon for Dannii.
"What a Wonderful World"
Very nice, lacking her trademark bum notes. Well, except the wobbly last one. Good for you, Stace.

2. Olly Murs for Simon.
"Superstition"
What a time to get back on form! Excellent.

3. Joe McElderry for Cheryl.
"Dance With My Father"
Not as good as he usually is, despite the standing ovation- but that's not much of a criticism, still the best vocals tonight.

Round Two: Duets

4. Stacey for Dannii.
"Feeling Good" with Michael Buble.
The sing-off brought out the best in Stacey for sure. Another great performance from Stacey tonight.

5. Olly for Simon.
"Angels" with Robbie Williams.
Eek. Dodgy Olly's back. At least Robbie f***ed up too! Fireworks! Simon Cowell's act by any chance?

6. Joe for Cheryl.
"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with George Michael.
A different class. Shame Joe didn't harmonise more on the verses, as George did with Elton. But what a minor niggle after that performance!

Round Three: Series highlights

7. Stacey for Dannii.
"Who Wants to Live Forever"
The odd bum notes are back, but overall very good. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

8. Olly for Simon.
"A Fool in Love"
Performance Olly is back, vocals better again. As with Stacey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad (though Stacey's were better).

9. Joe for Cheryl.
"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"
Great choice. The only hat-trick of the night. JOE TO WIN!

And leaving the competition tonight is...
Stacey! Shocker!

The X Factor - Semi Final 2009

1. Olly for Simon.
"Can You Feel It"
What has happened to Olly's vocals? He started off as Will Young and had turned into Lloyd. Well, not quite. Glad they've finally sorted out his hair.

2. Joe for Cheryl.
"She's Out of My Life"
Like that they kept it simple. Just him and his voice. Excellent.

3. Stacey for Dannii.
"The Way You Make Me Feel"
Nice arrangement, but the vocals were disappointing, despite a good start. Not a great physical performance either.

4. Danyl for Simon.
"Man in the Mirror"
Seriously bad start in the lower range, then nasal climax. No change there then. That said, easily the best performance so far- if not the best vocals. Louis is such a fucking prick.

5. Olly for Simon.
"We Can Work It Out"
Firstly, it's a Beatles song, Simon, and Olly did the Stevie Wonder version. A song that's not that well known? What is Louis on? Better than Olly's first song, definitely.

6. Joe for Cheryl.
"Open Arms"
Joe nails Journey again. A song no-one knows, Simon? It was top 5 for Mariah. Great vocals again from Joe, though he does lack stage presence. Still my winner though.

7. Stacey for Dannii.
"Somewhere"
A big song, and she handled it well. Definitely makes up for her first song. Excellent- best of the night for me.

8. Danyl for Simon.
"I Have Nothing"
He is NOT the best singer left in the competition, Simon, and we're down to four. Listen to that first verse- bloody awful. I love this song, and this version did absolutely nothing for me.

Final three: Joe and Stacey for sure, not sure which of Simon's should stay. Would have said Olly a few weeks ago, but he's slipped so far, I'm starting to think Danyl deserves it more. But Simon needs to know Danyl is not as good as he thinks he is.