Week 4 results.  Live performances from Bon Jovi,  Jamiroquai and Rihanna.

20:05  Oooh, Bon Jovi! They’re all ‘halfway there and living on a prayer’ minus the 80s hair.

20:06 …and plus the remaining contestants, apparently.

Here’s the video:

20:09 Lovely. Didn’t hear a word of what Wagner said.

20:11 Recap of the performances – the good, the bad, and the very odd.

20:15 Jamiroquai onstage now.

20:17 Some very interesting dance moves going on.  Like the song.

VIDEO HERE

20:19 LOL, at Jay Kay being upfront about his ‘reservations’ and saying he only knew two of the judges.  They didn’t look too happy there.

20:24 Gotta laugh at Louis saying Wagner will be fine because he’s got a huge following!

20:26 Rihanna and her red hair on stage at the moment.

20:29 Looks like she’s singing live, unlike some people last week.

VIDEO HERE

20:30 Food fight! SMH

20:36 Why isn’t Wagner singing O Fortuna now??

20:37 Paije and Cher through

20:38 Aiden and Wagner.  Was thinking if the former made it through there was definitely hope for the latter!

20:39 One Direction and Matt through.

20:40 Rebecca and Mary (lots of chanting for her there)

20:40 TreyC makes it through.  Belle Amie and Katie will *Film Trailer guy voice* fight for survival.

20:46 Aaaand we’re back. Time for Belle Amie to sing.

20:47 They’re doing ‘Breakaway’ by Kelly Clarkson.

20:49 The little pause was awkward, with bad timing and off-key singing.

20:49 Time for Katie. She’s doing an Etta James song.

20:51 I’m feeling the nerves.

20:52 Survival Verdict: Katie > Belle Amie

20:53 Okay, the audience is really annoying. Do they boo for anything?

20:54 Ooh it’s gone to DEADLOCK!

20:55 And Belle Amie are going home.

20:58 Shayne Ward is back? Where on earth has he been?!

And that’s it! Love it or hate it, share your thoughts below!

We’re a month into the live shows and it really feels like the competition is hotting up!  Here’s our recap of the live performances.

Mary – Could It Be Magic

Vocally delivered with added emotion. Kudos to Mary.

Aiden – Thriller

As if it wasn’t hinted enough in the VT, Aiden sang Thriller. I have just one question for Danni: What were you thinking?

Yes, it’s nice when people can ‘make the song their own’ (a now overused phrase in X-Factor world) but some songs should just be left alone. The words ‘rolling’ and ‘grave’ come to mind.

Belle Amie – Venus

Off-key in places. No bueno.

Rebecca – Wicked Game

Hauntingly poignant. A very believable and powerful performance.

TreyC – Relight My Fire

I’m gonna agree with Simon about TreyC being the neglected contestant. Just look at the whole video: TreyC says maybe she is not reaching the young audience because the song is too old. Cheryl picks  ‘Relight My Fire’ -  a song first released in 1979 before being covered by Take That and Lulu in 1993. Bear in mind this week tickets went on sale for the first complete reunion tour of Take That. Yes, that’s right – in the time this song was last released the band broke up, before getting back together as a 4 piece, and more recently as a complete 5 set band. In conclusion, this means the song is old and if there is concern about TreyC’s relevance, this has done nothing to resolve that. It was a good, if forgettable performance.

Matt – Bleeding Love

Taking a certain X-Factor alumni’s hit song was definitely a risky thing to do, and for Matt it wasn’t his best performance. It was good, but not the great Matt standards we’re used to seeing.

Wagner – O Fortuna/Bat Out Of Hell

The beginning sure was…a surprise. I hope they let him sing the intro to every episode now. The rest of it? Even more comedy.

Paije – Back to Black

The song suited him really well and he gave a strong performance.

Katie – Bewitched

An entertaining song. She would be good in musical theatre. Simon is wrong in saying she’s like Gwen Stefani though.

One Direction – Total Eclipse of The Heart

5 multiplied by (Edward Cullen x Justin Bieber) = One Direction. In other words: tween vote WIN! Simply genius!

Cher – Stay

Glad to see a stripped down performance Read: No Rapping from Cher with strongly conveyed emotion and beautiful vocals. She doesn’t always need all that ‘yeah, yooof, unique’ thing going on. This works just fine.

Ok, your turn. What did you like/dislike? The floor is yours!

For those of you who missed the results show or want to relive some of it, here’s our recap!

The show kicked off with a performance of Lady Gaga’s Telephone from the contestants:

Works muuuuch better than last week’s ‘everybody-singin’-altogether’ song.

Next former semi-finalist Diana Vickers took to the stage with her new single ‘My Wicked Heart’:

In parts, was reminded of this:

Katy Perry then performed shouted her new single ‘Fireworks’:

Elimination time, which meant goodbye to Storm and left Belle Amie and Diva Fever (both groups – either way Simon loses another act) fighting for survival, sing-off style.

Diva Fever sang ‘I Will Survive’ which is about as effective as performing ‘Please Don’t Save Our Act’ because any song about survival/overcoming/goodbyes when fighting for survival, overcoming odds or not leaving is usually met with the opposite result:

Belle Amie sang ‘Big Girl’s Don’t Cry.’ Mmm, it was ok.

In the end Louis, Danni and Cheryl sent home Diva Fever.

That’s it people. Were you happy with the result, or not? Did you enjoy any of the guest performances? The floor is yours

X-Factor Week 2. Theme: Heroes. The contestants sing music from their own musical heroes. What’s the opinion at Koko central? Read below…

Storm: Covering Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ it feels like he’s yelling (in a slightly off-key manner) more than singing.

Danni’s converted to liking his look, blaming last week’s negativity on the shock of it all. Really? Cheryl said she wants to see him sing and stand still to be judged on his vocals. Simon described him as a ‘singing fly’ and ‘all over the place.’ Um…Diva Fever anybody? That aside, while I’d agree that Storm is a bit gimmicky (the red hair is not helping with this), he actually does have reasonable vocal ability and stage presence. He appears to be one of those contestants that might be criticised whatever he does. If he manages to fly over the voter radar the next couple of weeks it would be great to see him transition into slightly-toned down performances and harnessing his vocal abilities.

TreyC: After Simon’s praise of her having the best performance of last week, TreyC was back this week with Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ which was somewhat reminiscent of Ruth Lorenzo’s version 2 years ago.

Received with rapturous applause, Louis thought it was better than last week. Danni ‘absolutely loved it.’ Simon said it was ‘incredible’ and called TreyC ‘one to watch.’ She gave a solid performance and sang her heart out.

Paije: Alicia Key’s ‘If I Ain’t Got You’

The vocals sounded half-hearted but became more passionate towards the end. Not a fan of the tempo, the song is waaay slower in real life – it almost feels a bit rushed with the speed and arrangement of the song. An okay performance. Cheryl and Simon agreed that he improved towards the end of the song., however, Louis and Danni liked the song altogether. Really, I think it was just okay. No undeserved hype please, judges!

One Direction: ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ by Kelly Clarkson.

Was I the only one that thought it was hilarious that they were reminiscing about ‘when they were kids’ like it was a generation ago or something in their VT? I definitely raised eyebrows at the supposed fact that Kelly Clarkson is One Direction’s hero (so did Louis) and the whole thing just didn’t work with the song. The chorus had tuning problems and the timing was slightly off in regards to who was singing what and point of entry into the song. It’s a shame because at Simon’s house they were much better than this. To make matters worse Simon called them ‘the most exciting pop band in the country today.’ He was being serious. Yes, you did just watch the same performance. (-___-)

Cher: It’s A Hard Knock Life

It’s true. It’s true. Did you ever think Jay-Z woud be covered on X-Factor? Certainly a first. Yes it’s ‘different’ but it also looks like she’s trying too hard. Part of the appeal with Cher’s first audition was that she made it look so effortless. This, however? Missed the mark. Last week’s performance was better. However, Simon disagreed saying he sees the future (no Hiro Nakamura) and exciting character of her music Sidebar:the fact that Louis keeps using the word ‘swagger’ (in any capacity) is disturbing.

John: ‘A Song For You’ by Donny Hathaway

A strong and emotional performance. Connecting with the words and message, John gave his song an added meaning and relevancy. The judges unanimously applauded his cover.

Diva Fever: ‘Barbara Streisand’ by Duck Sauce

There are some good acts with mediocre performances,mediocre acts with mediocre performances, and then there are those acts with the sole purpose of reminding you that in the end X-Factor really is only a game-show of sorts, never to be taken seriously. Diva Fever are one of those acts. That is all.

Rebecca Ferguson: ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone

Perfect voice for this richly soulful number. She did it justice.

Aiden: ‘Jealous Guy’ by John Lennon

Not Aiden’s strongest performance. A bit all over the place. Cheryl and Simon both said he lacked control with the song. However, if recent X-Factor history has taught us anything, he might still be fine!

Wagner ‘Just Help Yourself’ by Tom Jones

There’s something about this guy that screams ‘bit role in Judd Apatow movie’ that makes it hard to take him seriously. It’s like a joke that everyone else on the set is aware of except the star himself. From the song, to the backing dancers, and his suit with a chain replacing any shirt, it’s entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons.

Katie ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ by Etta James

Much better than last week’s performance.  You can tell she’s comfortable with Etta James’ music.

Belle Amie: ‘You Really Got Me’ by The Kinks

Vocals were altogether stronger than their other group counterparts.  An almost Girls Aloud-esque performance. Whether it’s likeable or not is really dependent on what you make of that sort of girl group.

Mary: ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’

Vocal powerhouse Mary delivered another amazing performance.  Emotion, vocal control and stage presence all conveyed to a high standard.

Matt: ‘Just The Way You Are’ by Bruno Mars

A flawless performance. He really knows how to hit those high notes and is a definite contender. Arguably the strongest vocalist in the competition.

Soo….now over to you! What did you make of tonight’s show? Speak your piece!

Amidst a week of controversy and anticipation the 12 X-Factor finalists have been preparing for the first live show of the series.  Keep tuned to Koko Magazine as we give you the lowdown, LIVE! 19:43 Ooh, it’s ‘time to face the music’ guys.  Here we goooo!

19:44 Judges are reunited and it feels so good.

19:46 Dermot says there has been speculation about this week’s show.  It’s more like 90% certainty that there would be a ‘wildcard’ situation.

19:49 So in case you didn’t already know, the wildcards are Wagner (over 28s) Diva Fever (groups) TreyC (girls) and Paije (boys).

19:55 Theme: Number 1s! And taking inspiration from Glee, the performances are available for download after the show! The first act to peform is FYD.

19:57 Song of choice is Billionaire…

19:58 At the moment dancing > singing

20:01 Louis is not too keen on the whole dancing thing but Simon argues that they are ‘relevant.’

20:05 Matt Cardle singing ‘When Love Takes Over’ by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta.  Not sure it’s the best song for him though.

20:07 Louis calls Matt a ‘music man.’  His mentor, Danni says she can’t wait to hear his next perfomance.

20:09 Commercial break.  John from over 28 group  and Rebecca Ferguson from the girls.

20:14 We’re back! John is on. Song is ‘One Sweet Day’ by Mariah Carey.  Song is kinda boring but he sure did hit the notes at the end!

20:18 Rebecca Ferguson now on.  Cherly says she has chosen a ‘fantastic’ song for her.  Given recent choices made, we’ll wait and see.

20:21 A Google search brings up ‘Footsteps on the Dancefoor.’  Apparently an 80s hit.  Rebecca carries the performance but a more known song would have been great.

20:23 Is Simon denouncing the sob story?  Huh?  Anyway, all round praise from the judges.  Simon says he ‘has a feeling’ that tonight’s gonna be a good night about her and Cheryl says she can’t praise her enough.

20:29 Storm Lee.  Sorry, not feelin’ this red hair thing.

20:30 And apparently, he’s doing some Fear-Factor-esque (remember that?) stunt in his performance.

20:31 Oh no, what have they done to his eyes?  And the whole theme of the performance – I feel like I’m watching an 80s sci-fi movie.

20:32 LMAO at Louis. ‘It’s call showbusiness! He put on a show!’  Where are his jazz hands?

20:33 Cheryl doesn’t think he needed all that *jazz hands* for his performance.  Agreed.  He actually sang excellently, but the whole thing kinda cheapens his act.

20:34 Simon says he looks like a character out of Batman. LOL.

20:36 Belle Amie AKA The Chosen Ones.

20:37 B.O.B eh? Someone please rap.

20:38 I guess this is all part and parcel of ‘making it your own.’

20:39 Off-key?

20:40 Simon says the show needs some ‘Girl Power.’  He likes the fact they can rap?  EXCUSE ME?

20:48 Cher Lloyd.  Cheryl says her song is ‘cool, young and fresh.’

20:50 More ‘rapping’…

20:51 ‘It could be a number one record’ – Louis,  no more grandoise statements.  Please.

20:53 I predict the phrase ‘right up your street’ will be forever connected to this series of X-Factor.

20:58 Wildcards Diva Fever.

20:59 Was he removing his fringe from his eye?

20:59 Bring it on indeed.

21:00 Am I watching a magic performance?

21:01 Sooo chessy (I guess this is their selling point?) and slightly out of tune.

21:03 They thought it was the pizza-man… Puh-lease.  That was so rehearsed.

21:04 Paije.

21:05 Killing Me Softly.  This could be interesting.

21:06 It’s a good performance.  But what is this hip-90s outfit they’ve got him in?

21:07 ‘…cuddly, wee Luther Vandross.’  How patronising.  Louis, I’ve already asked you.

21:14 Katie Waissel. ‘Legend’ to be?

21:15 So what does Brian Freidman actually do?

21:16 We Are The Champions by Queen. Hmm.

21:17 Louis ‘doesn’t know who Katie is.’  Danni calls her peformance is ‘fierce’.  Simon thinks Katie is ‘original.’  Cheryl says Katie is ‘teaching her.’  Teaching her what exactly?

21:18 Mary’s next.

21:22 It’s A Man’s World.  She’s got a strong voice and can carry this song well.

21:24 Mary killed that song. Amazing! Danni says she ‘brought the house down.’.

21:25 Tears from Mary. Loud appluase.  Danni calls it one of the best vocal perfomances of the show.  True story.

21:28 Hello Nicolo

21:30 Just Dance by Nicolo.  Don’t know if he’s a bit stiff or a bit wobbly with the vocals…but he’s trying.

21:31 Diva is good thing according to Danni.  Louis agrees. ‘I’m working with three of them.’  *tumbleweed passes* *audience scratches forehead* #jokefail.

21:38 Last of the groups. One Direction.

21:40 Vocals are tight but not loving choice of song.

21:42 Did Louis just ask them i they have a stylist?  Has he seen his very own Storm Lee?

21:44 Has anybody noticed Louis is the only judge Dermot talks back to?

21:45 Music lovers and Wagner.  This will make total sense to you.  On the other hand, it might not.

21:47 Depends on what type of’ music lover’ you are.  As for me? Not. Making. Sense. At. All.

21:48 Ah, bongos.  I get it now!  Love Shack? Ok, you’ve lost me again.

21:56 Last of the boys. Aiden Grimshaw.

21:57 Mad World.  Think this will be a strong peformance.

21:59 Yeah, it was good.  Very intense ‘Blue Magnum’ stares at the camera.

22:00 Simon’s favourite performance of the night.

22:02 TreyC.  Has balance truly been restored to Cheryl’s group?

22:03 TreyC doing a U2 song.

22:05 Song allows her to show her vocal range.  Solid performance.

22:08 *duff duff noise* lines are open

22:09 Recaps of contestants for voting, because as Dermot keeps reminding us, we’re ‘in charge.’

22:14 Ooh, Usher’s on tomorrow at the double eviction.  And it ends.

So people, what did you think? Who did you enjoy?  Who needs to go? Any funny moments you spotted? Speak your piece!