Alexandra Burke Wins Simon Cowell’s X Factor

I’ve been following this years XFactor religiously.

I think it started as THE BEST reality show i have ever watched.

Alexandra had a fantastic voice, but i never ever pegged her for winning the whole thing. I thought it would have come down to Diana (4th place) and Laura (8th ish place). Laura was incredible and her getting voted off was a travesty. I also loved austin (9th place ish) and rachel hylton (6th place?- kinda choked but crazy good voice) and ruth.

The talent in their competition was unreal, but i have to say the top 3 was disappointing and i have no idea how that happened, except of Owen (who spells his name really weird) bc hes just the cute little kid.

Anyways, it had the potential for being an incredible season, but kinda fell a bit short. But Alex deserved to win in the end, fantastic voice- but i think she will get lost in the crowd in a few years.

But all in all, very good season. loved it. wish american idol would follow their set-up.

I don’t think the intent of the artist is as important as how the work might affect the audience. One could listen to a song, read a story, or look at a painting and have an entirely different emotional reaction than the artist intended. That’s what makes art beautiful, IMO.

That said, I was bored to tears by this version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hallelujah.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  It didn’t work for me at all.

^^^ Yes, I know Jason Castro’s interpretation of the song is religious. Mine isn’t, and the whole “Christmas Song” deal just doesn’t work for me at all. But of course, YMMV.

There’s no comparison of this version with the Jeff Buckley or the Jason Castro versions. They are both far superior. I agree with pj. I found it to be very boring and OTT musically. It did nothing for me.

Duke, same here. Followed X-Factor results every Saturday via You-Tube. Agree- the number of talent was prodigious – although since this is the first time I watched this – don’t know how this season compares with past ones.

Agree that Alexandra Burke has great vocals – IMO a combo of Tina Turner, Gladys, and Donna Summer all rolled into one. She is impressive with covers but not so sure how she’ll come across with new music – will she be more of pop, blues, rock, or gospel?? Leona Lewis appears to have a “more unique” voice and style – but what do I know…

Anyway, also thought that Diana would be in the finals — she does not have strong vocals but she has a distinct uncommon style –. And Ruth – Wow– a true rock chick – pity that she’s non-British – Simon himself was quite open about discouraging public from voting for a non-British winner.. I was indifferent to both the boy bands and the girl bands so JLS didn’t do it for me all.

Was impressed with Rachel, too, in the beginning – but disappointed with her later song choices.

For “big voices” IMO the final 3 should have been Alexandra, Ruth, and Laura.
For the non-big voices, final 3 should have been Diana, Eoghan, and Austin.

So since final 3 was a mixture, of course, the big-voiced contestant won – which is logical, I suppose.

> (Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking Cohen didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t exactly have the holidays, or even religion in mind when he wrote it, but whatever).

Absolutely…I am also thinking he would have liked Jason’s or Jeff’s better. I do think it is a terriric song.

I am so glad to hear people remembering Jason Castro’s version. Although, I did feel David Cook deserved to win, there was always a place in my heart for Jason and his crooked smile and disarming charm.

IMO, although it certainly was a famous song before Jason did it on Idol, Jason revived it for some, brought it for the first time to others and (although I know it will never happen) deserves some of the *money* for the cash cow this song has now become.

Leonard Cohen at the very least owes Jason Castro a dinner and some good introductions in the music world.

Again, IMHO, Hallelujah’s resurgence belongs to Jason Castro and of course the huge audiences that watch AI. Of course also, had Jason not delivered the wonderful version of that song, none of this would be happening. JMO.

The talent in their competition was unreal, but i have to say the top 3 was disappointing and i have no idea how that happened,

Well, I said it before, it was the judges that messed it up. The critical point was when they kept the very mediocre Daniel over the better singer Scott. It was apparently Daniel’s sob story about his dead wife that got the blabbering judges to vote for him. He managed to stay on for a further couple more weeks, while two of the best singers got voted off (Austin and Laura), and the whole season went downhill. Of the top 3, Eoghan got there only because he is a cute young thing, the boy group JLS is distinctly very average, so there could be one winner – Alexandra. Personally I thought there were three other singers more deserving of the win.

It’s probably the season with the best talent overall (except that there was no someone outstanding like Leona Lewis – in her season the rest of the bunch were pretty uninteresting). That it was the judges that messed it up is pretty galling, and I hope American Idol will never give the judges a say in who gets voted off in the voting round. If the public chooses to vote off a better singer, then so be it, but it is unacceptable for the judges to do it.

I hope Leonard Cohen can get some money out of this Christmas single although I don’t know if he still owns the copyright to the song. He got robbed by his manager, and had to come out of retirement and go on tour because he had no money left. I just hope that this beautiful song won’t get ruined by getting overplayed, over-familiarised and oversang.

Alexandra was eliminated by Louis Walsh 3 years ago in the top 6 girls round hence (I think) explains the hyperventilation lol.
I like this show and I think the quality (contestants, the show itself, and the judges) is much better than AI. I like how every week the judges dress up for the show (Simon wearing his black shirt on AI?), and the contestants sing with backup dancers (and maintaining their vocals in spite the difficult routine), like a real concert.
Having said that, AI is still my favorite show and I can’t wait for the brand new season.

I don’t watch the show, and wouldn’t want to if this chick and Leona Lewis is what they go for. That? No. Ugg, she even did the tapping the fingers on the microphone thing. And the cheesy choir… Just no.

I need to get me some brain bleach and some Buckley. (I did like Jason’s version, too, for the record.)

I love JLS and think they are amazing. I am so tired of the runs and of this type of music that Alex goes for. JLS performing Umbrella was sensational and their No Air too was superb. There is such a need for a young contemporary boy band in the UK. All those staid Men Bands who keep reviving year after year. JLS have the dance moves and the harmonies and are amazing and do not need to appear with Westlife, because they are entirely different. I wish that Rihanna had fulfilled her promise to appear with JLS on the finals and then we would have seen their best as they paid Beyonce 1million pounds to appear with Alexandra especially to encourage the public to vote. If anyone thinks Diana was so good, listen on utube to her murder Yellow and you will think she is speaking Spanglish. Not one word is distinguishable. Laura was great and I was disappointed to see her go.

I’d only seen one performance from this year’s X Factor, which was when Simon made that poor guy (Austin, I think?) perform DC’s edit of the Chris Cornell arrangement of Billie Jean. I mean, the guy poppified it up, but the edited arrangement was the same, including the insertion of that one glory note. I actually felt bad for him, really.

At least with Hallelujah, there are dozens of covers, so while we all know that Simon probably picked it because of Jason, it’s not quite as bad as the Billie Jean situation. That said, I’ve heard several of those covers, and this was about my least favorite that I’d heard. If you want to hear a woman do a gorgeous, meaningful job with Hallelujah, check out kd lang’s version.

I love this show, go back and check out Leona’s perfromances. The only thing thats bugs me is all the standing ovations Simons gives for so so performances.

I love this show, go back and check out Leona’s perfromances. The only thing thats bugs me is all the standing ovations Simons gives for so so performances.

Alexandra was eliminated by Louis Walsh 3 years ago in the top 6 girls round

She was not put forward by Louis Walsh during the X Factor equivalent of the AI Hollywood round in series 2.

For those who haven’t seen the show before, here are some notable contestants I liked -

Season 1 – G4 (runner up)
Bohemian Rhapsody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTB67uSA4Lg
That season was won inexplicably by Steve Brookstein, a mediocre singer who disappeared without trace, while G4 went to make a few best-sellings album before they broke up due to conflicts between members of the group.

Season 2 – Journey South (3rd place)
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNjSp5CyvyM
The Season was won by Shayne Ward (not the kind of singer I like) who had some big hits.

Season 3 – Leona Lewis
I will always Love You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbuvLJnAysM
And you know what happened next with her career, the biggget star from the show so far.

Season 4 – A crap season won by Leon Jackson who apparently only won by non-stop blubbering. The runner-up Rhydian Roberts is a better singer although I can’t say I like his singing much –
I Vow to Thee, My Country http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOvgUnRfDW0

Season 5 – As indicated by the title of this piece, won by Alexandra Burke. Not my favorite.

Leona is obviously the best thing to walk out of X-Factor- most of her performances were show stoppers when she was on.

And i agreee, i tried following last year and found it to be pretty crappy. I thought just like last year, that Eoghan (pronounced Owen) was going to take it this year. I mean, it would have been hilarious to see him beat out all these other amazing singers- not that he isnt good, but he just didnt have that big old voice the others had.

I also think Shayne Ward from Season 2 is incredible. HIs voice is amazing, wish he would hhave made it in the US, but i dont think his albums were quite strong enough.

Chiqui,

Yeah, it took me a while to warm up to Diana, but once i did (around top 9) and when Laura white went home ( my screaming F*@*^#*#@ at the top of my lungs) i figured Diana had it in the bag- and ironically, she does have the weakest voice of the entire bunch. BUt it didn’t matter- she was quirky, interesting, and SOOO Unique. Rachel totally blew it. Ruth’s knockin on heaven’s door was insane.

I believe Laura was sabotaged because of the scandal about her dating one of the producers, if you watch that live show back and then the results where 3/4 judges sent her home, it just doesnt add up AT ALL. total bs.

Having said that, I PRAY Hannah Bradbeer tries out again next year. She was cut just before the live shows because she had to go up against the powerhouses of Laura, Diana, and Alexandra. I think she could win. I think lack of image/necessity of diversity/ and insane competition kept her out this year.

And I like Alexandra’s version of Hallelujah because its different. She didnt pick the song, and she did what she does best with any song. I like the R&B/ Gospel tone to it. Hope she does well she deserves it.

Ok im done being a dork.

I was rooting for Diana Vicker, but oh well…

Simon was way to nice on this show. Its weird, when someone really sucked, he would say great things about them. He’s so much meaner on American Idol.

THIS is my favorite version of Hallelujah. I still get chills.

I love this show, go back and check out Leonaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perfromances. The only thing thats bugs me is all the standing ovations Simons gives for so so performances.

Agreed. Of course I love Leona so I love her X Factor performances. I also love Shayne Ward. IMO his Somewhere Over The Rainbow was one of the best I ever heard.

THIS is my favorite version of Hallelujah. I still get chills.

My favorite is El Divo’s

With all the theatricallity of x-factor how would you really ever judge how someone was able to sing or how they were able to command a stage. Everytime I watched a video I was so underwhelmed with all of the lousy dancing, the cheesy costumes, the horrendous back-up vocals that I ended up turning off the vocalists the show was trying to have the audience “fall in love with”.

Hurrah for AI. A contestant cannot dissolve into the background when there isn’t the over-the-top Vegassy back-up to dilute the performance. A good entertainer MUST connect to the audience 1 on 1 and no matter how glitzy the background a real singer must be able to use their voice to sell themselves. I would put up most of the winners of X-factor up against the “singers” on AI and they wouldn’t have the vocal chops to succeed. (Leona being the lone exemption).

If anyone thinks Diana was so good, listen on utube to her murder Yellow and you will think she is speaking Spanglish.

She was good, the problem was she peaked too early. She was amazing a few weeks back IMO. And about her rendition of Yellow, well, I think everyone has had a bad hair day. lol

THIS is my favorite version of Hallelujah. I still get chills.

That was lovely, thank you. This would be mine. RIP Jeff. :glurps_tb:

Loved it, Trina.

Since we are going this route THIS is my fav version of Hallelujah.

The guy who sings the last verse, Kurt Nilsen, won world idol.

Hallelujah: This song has been officially ruined. I did not realize it had been Il Divo-ed.

I hate the trotting out of the gospel choir cliche on Idol and shows of that ilk as much as I hate the room full of lighted candles cliche to signify the big romantic gesture on shows like Grey’s Anatomy and other chick flicks. FAUX, FAUX, FAUX!!

I think some songs are more powerful when they are stripped of all the over-the-top trappings such as gospel choirs, endless runs and bandzilla arrangements and that is why Jason’s “Hallelujah” and “Daydream” were such a breath of fresh air.

I just can’t stand the final three- boyband, that little freak Eoghan, and this woman. Diana was the only one I liked.

Jason Castro should get some money for this song, because he brought it to the attention of millions of people. Xfactor winner won because of this song for crying out loud!

The best version so far is Jason Castro and I didn’t vote for Jason!

Hallelujah: This song has been officially ruined. I did not realize it had been Il Divo-ed.

They ruined the song, but not in the way you might think – they sang it in Spanish and changed the lyrics completely into some religious nonsense about sick child getting cured, atheist becoming believer and whatnot. Complete rubbish.

I don’t connect with her version. Jason’s version does it for me.

Just to let everyone knoe, bon jovi does a beautful version of this song!!

I love Jason but I could never say his version of Hallelujah is the best. I am partial to kd lang’s version. It’s awesome that he sang the song on Idol and I give him major props for that, but Jason’s version is about 4th place for me in who sings the song well. He’s following kd lang, Brandi Carlile and Jeff Buckley. That’s just of the versions I’ve heard. Alexandra doesn’t make the list.

Now if we are going for White Christmas with ukelele, Jason wins

Loved kd lang’s version. Thank you, Trina, for posting that.

There are so many versions of this song! Here’s the dreaded Il Divo version. Plus: Imogen Heap, John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, and, of course, Leonard Cohen.

I’m happy Alexandra won! I was rooting for her since the finals started.

I thought her duet with Beyonce was great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-ERgAHqXo

from fan-wars to Hallelujah-wars! only here @ mjs.

I’ve listened to all the versions posted and other than the one i posted, I have to say my favorite is deff Kd Lang’s. he gave me the ‘ole goosebumps.

Rea,
Yeah that duet was incredible. I think that really gave her that extra umph to take the title. I love her underdog story too.

I personally like Jeff Buckley’s, Jason’s, and Phil Wickham’s interpretations of “Hallelujah”. I would never claim that Jason’s cover is the best (that superlative will belong to Buckley, imo), but I do think it’s the best cover done on a reality show.

Alex Burke’s version is impressive, but doesn’t do anything for me. Me thinks Simon is trying to make “Hallelujah” the next “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Ladybug is correct: this song has been officially ruined.

Oooh—I haven’t heard the Brandi Carlisle version. That would probably be awesome.

Let me also toss into the mix John Cale’s version of Hallelujah.

I know there are tons of versions of Hallelujah out there and I too wouldn’t say that Jason’s is the best ever. It’s near the top for me, but Buckley is still the definitive version IMO. Best on a reality show, sure.

That said it sickens me that Simon obviously realized that the song could be a moneymaker (due to Jason) and as a result he has been whoring it out constantly. First with Il Divo and now making it a Christmas song on X Factor.

If Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah was really one of Simon’s favorite songs, as he so claims, he certainly wouldn’t be doing this to it.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve listened to all the versions posted and other than the one i posted, I have to say my favorite is deff Kd Langà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s. he gave me the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹ole goosebumps

Duke, not sure if that was a typo, but he is really a she. Yep, KD Lang is a woman.

KD Lang has sung several versions, and the one Trina posted is quite nice, but, her most sublime version, imo, is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UlZZbVyJtY . While similar to the one Trina posted, there are no shout-outs from the crowd to ruin the song. And maybe the acoustics at the Sydney Opera House help make this version so amazing.

KD Lang IS A WOMAN?!?!?!?!?! That was no type-o. Wow, i feel stupid. BUt watching it again, im not surprised now. Oh the world of music…

Grayson Capps did a version recently that I also love, but he’s probably an acquired taste.

Duke, I thought that was a typo with the he lol.

I love different versions of songs and I thought this was a good diva version of the song. It doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t erase memories of the original but for me it can be appreciated for what it is. I really liked K.D. Langà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version of the song because I think she brought the emotional side along with some amazing power vocals. As for Castroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version I loved that he did the song and thought it was one of his best but I still canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get over the stoned constipated performance style that he has. To each their own of course.

As for this season of X-Factor I usually listen and watch when the seasons are over with and loved the girls Ruth, Laura, Diana, Alexandra, and Rachel.

If you want to see all the videos of all the performances, the official Xfactor site has them as well as other stuff about the contestants. Xfactor videos
Someone mentioned the performance by Ruth of Knocking on Heaven’s Door, it is not on this site but well worth seeing if you can find it on Youtube, she knocked out the person pegged to win it with that performance, they both made bottom two and she nailed it to stay in the competition.

The show has had its mix of talent and some good acts have come out of it. Simon is pretty one dimensional when it comes to music, he had his cute little boy sing “Imagine”, nothing to compare to Archie, and another one of his acts did “Billy Jean” in the style that Cookie did. (one of the judges called him on it) Original thoughts Simon??

MJ, you should’ve really posted that performance of her singing with Beyonce, Beyonce’s part alone blew me away. Seriously everyone needs to check out that performance, someone posted the link already, but I’m going to do it again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV-ERgAHqXo&feature=related

Alexandra’s amazing, but I think this performance really won it for her.

Sunchick, seconding you with Jeff Buckley’s version of Hallelujah as my favorite – however, not the live one but this one …(studio version)? :

Here’s the non-pretty link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dwwaS5B_vY

I’m sorry I missed this show. I will have to watch next time.

I love the Hallelujah wars. hee! My favorite female performance is by KD Lang. She just blows me away. There are at least a dozen different performances on youtube and she’s hard to beat.

Having said that, my favorite male performance, besides by Jeff Buckley, is Jason Castro’s. I was unfamiliar with the song (I know, I know, head under a rock) until he sang it on AI and I fell in love with it.

But there is another performance by Jon Bon Jovi that is pretty amazing too. It’s got a different vibe, obviously. Here’s a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnPg0MyKydc

ETA: Jon’s is also worth watching because he’s very easy on the eyes!

bigjr6633 Thank you.
Beyonce was amazing. Beyonce and Alexandra duet was great.
My favorite was Ruth. Especially, purple rain and Knocking on Heavenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Door was insane. She blew me away. She was 5th. right? I’m fine with that.
I think Alexandra has showed various type of music and performance during the competition. She can sing and dance. That’s why I enjoyed her performance.
Anyway…I was a little disappointed with top 3. Among top three finalists, Alex. was a right winner. well…the competition is over. I just wish her best luck.

Dlynne – I forgot about Bon Jovi’s version; thanks for reminding me. I love his version as well, though not quite as much as KD Lang’s.

There is another Bon Jovi tubey link that was posted about a year ago. On that one some of the comments re Bon Jovi were really hateful and mean. I guess lots of people just don’t like the guy or his singing or something. And many people thought he shouldn’t have dared to sing Hallelujah. Regardless of what one thinks of a singer’s prior work, you would think a person would try to judge a performance on its own merits. I am not a huge Bon Jovi fan, but I thought his version of Hallelujah was right on. I especially like the violin – thought it brought a beautiful, haunting quality to the song.

I love how Alexandra grabs the single from Dermot. :lol_wp:

BTW I thought Alexandra’s earlier version of Hallelujah was better. She wasn’t quite so emotional at this point yet…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wRzOxi086A

Anyone heard Halleujah done by Allison Crowe? She covers in on the piano and it’s quite lovely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMOdVXAPJ0

I’ve got her version in my ipod along with Buckley, Castro, and Rufus Wainwright’s.

I really love some of Leonard Cohen’s versions of “Hallelujah”. I had never heard the song and had never heard of Cohen until Top 24 week when Jason sang the song. I had heard of Buckley but I didn’t know any of his songs.

After Jason sang the song, I bought his version and the Cohen and Buckley versions. I also looked up their videos on YouTube. I can look at the Cohen ones for hours (and I have). Some of the live performances this year are terrific. I love the versions that he did years ago too. I love how he changes up the song verses whenever the mood strikes. The audience can never know which lyric set he will sing in concert.

Jason must have reminded Simon of how much he liked the song and when both versions had great sales on iTunes, Simon probably just saw dollar sings from then on when he heard the song.

I love this song and loved it way before Jason sang it on AI. If I am not mistaken it was on the AI radar for some reason it was discussed during season 5, not sure why and it what context, and that was when I heard scores of covers. My fave will always be Leonard Cohen’s because of the ‘character’ of his voice, the lyrics are emphasized. With this song, that is key. I loved the Buckley and Lang version equally. Both stunning. John Cale’s is prolly right under those. Haven’t heard Bon Jovi do it so I will check that one out now. I just think it’s an incredible song. I didn’t might the Alex Burke rendition too much until the caterwauling began. She needed to realize that less is more in most cases.

That being said, I’ve heard some other stuff of hers and she ain’t bad. I do want to kick Simon’s ass for treating Syesha so bad, yet praising these clones of other singers across the pond. Syesha’s listen was every bit as good as Ms. Burke’s maybe even better. Maybe one day he will be youtubing and catch it.

This girl has a nice voice but her take on that song doesn’t do it for me like Castro’s…or the original by buckley or cohen. I think its the maie sentiment that makes it work. I still love JC’s version but maybe becasue that is the one I heard first. I have herd him do a more complete version sense Idol and he rocks that song. These “me too’s” can’t cut it. I am waiting for someone on Idol to do it.

I happen to think that Jason broke the song for Idol. Nobody can live up to that. While his isn’t the best version ever (imo) it is the quintessential Idol version that can’t even be lived up to. Some songs (like anything David Cook sang) should never be attempted on Idol (or X-factor or whatever you want to call it) again. That Simon asks people to do them again is really sad although he wanted David Cook to do FTEISYF and he nailed it…how many times could that happen?

That being said, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve heard some other stuff of hers and she ainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bad. I do want to kick Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ass for treating Syesha so bad, yet praising these clones of other singers across the pond. Syeshaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s listen was every bit as good as Ms. Burkeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s maybe even better. Maybe one day he will be youtubing and catch it.

Simon didn’t praise Alexandra at first. She got some critique similar to Syesha. I remember they showed a backstage video of her crying and saying it’s difficult to hear Simon say that Laura and Diana are so unique and she isn’t. (Or something like that.) Later she was able to sing some better songs (like Relight My Fire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ia9k679kBU ) and show her personality. Maybe if they would have had different themes on AI Syesha would have also been able to prove herself as a performer more. But I do think that Simon expects to hear big voices in the US but when he hears them in the UK he is pleasantly surprised.

ETA: Here is the backstage video and Alex singing Candyman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvb07wFpJhY

Two R & B divas in a row though for X Factor, like the world doesn’t have enough R & B divas, is that all the UK’s got?

Well yes is there such as thing as too many good R & B divas. At least Leona Lewis has a unqiue quality to her voice that I can’t put into words.

It was kind of Beyonce to appear esp. after what Simon said about her in the past. A good sport.

As for Alexandra, sorry but I see Broadway in her future, like many of the ex-Idols. The field is too crowded right now with her type of singer. If she cannot break out of the Diana-ross-cross-over-pop-R&B mode, (say go the Sharon Jones or a blues singer mode), then she’s toast. The entertainment field is just too crowded. And for Simon to say she’ll make her a bigger star than Leona….well, I wonder how Leona is taking that….he always manages to get singers to compete against each other.

If anyone’s looking for a really good woman’s version of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hallelujahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , try k.d. lang. Here’s a live performance of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE

I think these 2 guys (Not famous) sing better than Alex… Check this out. David choi (the guy on ur left) is good.

My thinking: X Factor will be coming to America in 2011, once the AI broadcasting deal expires.