X Factor UK – Top 11 – Performance

The X Factor Top 11 sing songs (tangentially) connected to Halloween! Check out the spoilers HERE.

Some of those picks have me scratching my head. What do you think?

Live blog, stream and VIDEOS after the JUMP…

Tonight, it’s “songs inspired by the dark side”. The judges take their seats to the strains of “Thriller”. Simon has fangs inserted into his blindingly white teeth

Mary Byrne – (Louis – Over 28s) – Could It Be Magic (Barry Manilow, Take That) – The judges asked her to take on a contemporary song and…she doesn’t take their advice. She’s wearing a black evening dress and…red devil horns. She starts off as Shirley Bassey and then segues into this disco thing. OK, it’s settled. Louis is a really shitty mentor. I mean, WTF? This is a different side of Mary? It’s like a really bad Vegas act, and not the least bit contemporary. Danni says, “Mary that was incredible.” The crowd is chanting. They love her! “I really hope that you are talking all of this in…you are a class act…you are turning into the diva we love.” Cheryl says, “I think you could have gone a little more “I put a spell on you” but you can sing anything.” Simon says, “Liked you last week, loved you this week…Mary you are a horny little devil.” Louis says, “You are the people’s champion and I love you!” Am I crazy? I thought that was horrible.

Aiden Grimshaw – (Dannii – Boys) – “Thriller” by Michael Jackson – Uh. Wow. This could be a trainwreck. Hm. I’ll give him points for taking a risk and trying to make it his own but…he sings it like a menacing goth ballad. And it sorta works, but his vocals aren’t completely there–lots of bum notes. Interesting, though. Louis says, “Big challenge, and you totally changed the song. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I liked it.” Cheryl says, “I think it was a brave thing to do…I can’t work out my mind if it was really right or really wrong. Not sure every song needs that intensity. Smile.” Simon says, “It was bizarre, I think it needed to pick up tempo much sooner. It was indulgent. It was too much to the left. It could have been fantastic.” Danni says, “You did everything that was asked of you. You’ve grown so much since show one.” Dannii throws out the “Only 18” card.

Belle Amie – (Simon – Groups) -Venus by Bananarama – OMG. I can’t believe these girls are still here. They stink. Their voices don’t blend well, and they don’t sound together. Also, they are boring as hell. Louis says, “You’re getting your act together. I love the song choice. We need a little bit of girl power.” Dannii says, “I think when you hear it back the vocals are not on track.” Cheryl says, “You seem more excited, you seem confident up there, but don’t do something so girl band next time.” Simon says, “Plates of milk for the girls! I don’t think you got enough credit for what you just did. Great fun, creative. It was your best performance so far.” Simon is full of crap. Dannii was right. Their vocals were sub par.

Rebecca Ferguson – (Cheryl – Girls) – “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak – Vocally, this song is a stretch for her, and she didn’t always hit the mark, but she’s got an interesting, sultry style. This will probably be a really good recording. She’ll be great with the right songs. Louis says, “I love everything about you…you stand out from the crowd.” Dannii says, “I would love to hear your version of that song over and over and over.” Simon says, “You’re nervous…that was total, utter class. You remind me of Leona Lewis….week after week turn into a star. Great choice of song.” Cheryl says, “I just love you so much. You are exactly what this show is about. Perfect ambassador for Britain, but world class.”

Treyc Cohen – (Cheryl – Girls) – “Relight my fire” by Take That – So much for the rock chick. Treyc plays it safe this week after landing in the bottom 2 last week. She’s back to singing R&B and she sounds fantastic, but this is a generic performance. She wants to connect to the audience this week, and I’m not sure she’s accomplished that. Louis says, “You came back, you frighting, Brilliant performance.” Dannii says, “You can sing people off the stage. What is it that’s your signature? I really want to know what that is.” Simon says, “I can’t fault that vocal. You are a great singer. I don’t think there is a connection between you and Cheryl. You aren’t turning her into a recording artist. There’s nothing original yet.” Cheryl says, “We work with the themes, and I pick the best song. I thought she was fantastic. We have a great connection.” Simon asks Cheryl where Treyc lives and Cheryl hesitates for a second before she answers correctly. Treyc doesn’t see the ability to sing different genres as a negative.

Matt Cardle – (Dannii – Boys) – “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis – Is the chick song thing turning into Matt’s shtick? Regardless, this performance is much better than last week’s stab at Britney Spears. Good arrangement, Matt’s sweet tenor is on full gorgeous display here. Simon will probably hate it. Louis says, “You are one of the strongest people in the competition. I wasn’t as crazy about this as last week.” Cheryl says, “There’s so much love out there for you. You seemed a little bit defeated when you came out. Off week.” Wow, Am I hearing the same thing? Simon says, “I can really feel the nerves in the air, you and the song were having a punch up in the middle. It wasn’t a copy cat version. You’re giving it a 100%. It was a smart choice of song. You’ll be here next week.” Dannii says, “I’m blown away with the other comments. You sing that incredibly. I dare any other guy to sing this song. That was not cheesy. I want to come to your concert.” Matt says, “That was tough…it was a fight, but I enjoyed it. I wasn’t as confident as I usually am.”

Wagner Carillho – (Louis – Over 28s) – O Fortuna/Bat out of Hell – O dear sweet lord. WTF kind of segueway was THAT? This is off-the-hook ridiculous. Honestly I have no words. Funny thing? He’ll probably get through again this week! Dannii says, “I wasn’t expecting that at all. It’s different.” Cheryl says, “It was a little bit out of time.” Simon says, “What the hell was that. Louis, what are you drinking? I didn’t understand a single word. People like you, they vote for you. I can always leave the country. Louis says, “You are the act everyone is talking about on the street.” Wagner says he is very happy with Louis’ direction. And then he apologizes for something I don’t understand.

Paije Richardson – (Dannii – Boys) – Back to Black by Amy Winehouse – I like this song choice for Paije. It shows he can do more than adult contemporary R&B. He looks really good tonight, too. Louis says, “You’ve come alive on that stage tonight. I love your style. You’ve got it all.” Cheryl says, “You seem more and more confident. You can really sing.” Simon says, “Loved the attitude Paije. It’s like the contestants bit back this week. You’re turning into a big diva. I like that.You gave it 100%. Second half was terrific.” Dannii says, “Soul man was in the house. You had sparkle. Your singing was brilliant, You look fantastic. I’m very very proud of you.”

Katie Waissel – (Cheryl – Girls) – Bewitched by Ella Fitzgerald – Katie looks really…CRAZY! She needs to dial back the make up. Not as good as last week, but still good. This retro stuff is definitely her thing. Louis says, “This week was just as good. You were born to be on the stage. I’m glad people are judging you on your talent.” Dannii says, “You’ve identified your style. The makeup was distracting from the singing.” Simon says, “You are like a singing scarecrow. I think this competition would be a more boring place without you. You embraced a theme. You show that you don’t take yourself so seriously. You chose a great retro song. You’re like Gwen Stefani.” Cheryl says, “You throw yourself headfirst into things, and you sang fantastic.” Katie feels like she’s embraced who she is.

One Direction – (Simon – Groups) – “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler – What was Simon thinking picking this song? This is terrible. The lead singing is even worse than usual. The backgrounds are all out of sync. Argh. They’ve got the Twilight/vampire thing going. This is supposed to be a duet between a guy and a girl. “But it absolutely worked. You definitely gel as a band. It’s working.” Dannii says, “You are a boyband doing exactly what a boyband should do. I want to come to your party.” Cheryl says., “I think that you’ve got a really long way to go in this competition.” Simon says, “A great performance. A total pleasure working with you.” Liam hurt his leg, but he’s managing. The girls are screaming so loud, I can hardly hear.

Cher Lloyd – (Cheryl – Girls) – “Stay” by Shakespeare Sisters – She’s only a teenager. I wish they didn’t tart her up the way they do. TOO much makeup. Cher is actually a pretty good singer, but this song is a little too big for her. The high notes are a stretch. She’s crying, and I’m not sure why. It was an emotional performance. Louis says, “That was an absolutely incredible performance. You proved that you can sing. Best performance of the night.” Dannii says, “That was a beautiful performance. You brought that vulnerability to the stage.” Simon says, “It was the performance of the entire season. I think that you are special. You’re not somebody that does one thing. Incredible.” Cheryl is trying to turn you into her.” “You put every single emotion into it, and everyone felt it. You can really really sing.”

About mj santilli 34841 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!