The X Factor

The X Factor - The Best and Worst
Tuesday 18 December 2007 8:00pm - 9:00pm on ITV2.

The Xtra Factor brings the talent, tears, and tantrums back as Fearne Cotton takes a look back at some of the best and worst auditions the judges have seen this year.

Highlights from the best end of the spectrum include the very first auditions of finalists, Alisha Bennett, Same Difference and Andy Williams.

Representing the worst auditions is the lady that opened this series of The X Factor - 55 year old Susan Perkins from Kent who had hoped to walk back through the doors as ‘a superstar’.

Also making another appearance is Kick-off Kelly who boldly claimed before her big moment: “I’ve not just got the X Factor, I’ve got the Wow Factor”.

The X Factor
Saturday 15 December 2007 7:15pm - 8:50pm on ITV1.

With record ratings, a new judge and presenter and an unprecedented 150,000 applicants, this series of The X Factor has been the biggest and best yet.

12 contestants made it through to the live studio shows but only three remain to fight it out as they take to the stage in the much anticipated finale of the X Factor. It’ll be down to the public to crown the 2007 winner in what promises to be a nail-biting final show.

The time has finally come to find out which act will follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner Leona Lewis. Will Simon Cowell smugly romp to victory again? Can Louis Walsh repeat his winning performance of 2005? Or will new girl Dannii Minogue cause a shock in her first series by seeing one of her acts clinching the title and the coveted £1million recording contract?

The X Factor contestants have performed and now it's time for the results.

First up tonight is a special performance from a group that has had a career scanning more than 17 years and over 60 million albums sold with their debut album spending 133 weeks in the charts. 4 Grammys. 9 American Music Awards. 3 Soul Train Awards. "I'll Make Love To You" spent 14 weeks at #1. They are the most successful R&B Male Group of all time.

As some people may be aware, this weeks serious allegations about aggressive behaviour came to light regarding one of the contestants - Emily Nakanda. The producers have carried out a thorough investigation in conjunction with Emily's family and this has resulted in Emily withdrawing from The X Factor. For the remaining nine acts, the competition continues.

It's Big Band night tonight and there's a 27 piece orchestra locked and loaded.

Boyz II Men will be here during the elimination show.

Leon

15 year old Emily Nakanda has quit the X Factor amid allegations of assault.

A spokesman for the show has confirmed the 15-year-old Londoner has withdrawn herself from the show after the Sun uncovered footage of her allegedly assaulting another teenager. The footage that was filmed on a mobile phone apparently shows her putting a blonde girl in a headlock and then swinging another girl by her hair, before hitting her several times and shoving her to the ground.

An X Factor statement confirmed her exit, explaining: "In response to the stories in the papers this week regarding Emily Nakanda we have conducted our own investigations into the matter and we can confirm that she has chosen to withdraw herself from the competition with immediate effect."

Emily's family are disappointed by her behaviour while Sharon Osbourne, Emily's mentor on the X Factor, is deeply saddened by the whole situation.

Nakanda's exit will not affect voting on the show.

Earlier tonight the 11 finalists performed. You've voted and now it's time for the results and to find out who is going home.

The contestants get to see how it's supposed to be done as their mentor from this week, Celine Dion, sings Taking Chances. After she sings, Dermott has to work hard to get her to stop talking so they can go to a commercial break and exclaims "She can sing, and talk".

Finding themselves in the bottom two this week are:
Alisha & Daniel

Alisha sings I Say A Little Prayer for You first and has to really fight for it if she wants it.

Week two of the Live Finals of the X Factor is here and after last weeks walk out by Sharon, this week she's back to make sure that Emily and Alisha have a mentor.

It's movie night tonight with our finalists sing songs that have made it onto the silver screen.

Celine Dion will be performing during the results show tonight in her first UK performance in 5 years and has been coaching everyone this week.

Hope
Lady Marmalade
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Well the girls sound great this week but their outfits are terrible. Whoever is responsible for their wardrobe needs to be given their marching orders. Louie agrees with Simon that girl power is back. Sharon thinks they're sassy and wonders who the Pussycat Dolls are. Dannii says that the noise from the audience says it all. Simon says that they're the best group they've ever had on the X Factor.

Twelve have performed for our vote. Now one of them must go.

Back to perform on The X Factor is last years winner, Leona Lewis who is singing her new single Bleeding Love.

That has to be one of the best songs of the year.

It's time for the results. The bottom two acts are: Kimberley & Alisha.

Poor Sharon, both of the bottom two acts are hers so she'll definitely be losing one of her acts tonight.

Everything now rests on these final performances as they try to convince the judges that they should stay.

Kimberley is up first and struggles through her emotions of being in the bottom two with It's Raining Men.

They came in their thousands for the biggest auditions ever. And now, just 12 remain. Tonight, for the first time, they all sing live - for our votes.

For the boys it's Dannii with Andy, Leon and Rhydian. For the girls it's Sharon with Kimberley, Emily and Alisha. For the over 25's it's Louie with Beverley, Niki and Daniel. And for the groups it's Simon with Futureproof, Same Difference and Hope.

Tonight, each of the contestants will be performing #1 hits from the UK. Leona Lewis will be performing later tonight as well.

The girls get to perform first tonight for Sharon. Brian Friedman is offering up some creative advice with some dance crews which should make for some entertaining performances.

Last night they sang for their spot in the final 12. Tonight, the journey will be over for half of the remaining contestants as the judges reveal who has made it through to the final 12.

From each of the four categories, here is who I would put through:

Boys: Andy, Leon and Luke
Girls: Kimberley, Victoria and Steph
Groups: Same Difference, I Sette Cantanti and Ghostt
Over 25's: Beverley, Daniel M and Daniel D

For the official results, first up it's Dannii breaking the news to her boys. Andy and Leon make it through and leaves the final spot to either Luke or Rhydian after Charlie and Dominic were cut. Dannii amazingly cuts Luke over Rhydian.

Next up it's the girls turn in LA where Sharon tells Steph that she's going home. Alisha is through. Kim is going home. Emily is also through which leaves Victoria going home and Kimberley taking the final spot.

Simon's Groups are next to be told their verdict. Ghostt aren't in the final 12 but Same Difference are. I Sette Cantanti aren't but Futureproof are. The final place comes down to W4 and Hope. W4 are out and Hope are in.

Last week the judges found out who they would be mentoring them for the rest of the series. This weekend it's the final steps to the final 12 as The X Factor contestants join their mentors at their homes for one last performance before the judges decide on who will be their final three.

First up are the boys who are at Dannii Minogue's home in Ibiza. Helping Danny pick her final three is music writer and producer Terry Ronald who has worked with Dannii, Girls Aloud and Westlife. Andy, Luke, Ridian, Leon, Charley and Dominic will each be given a hand picked song by the judges which they will have to use to impress Danny and Terry with.

The boys have been given the following songs
Andy: Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

There are 48 acts left but by the end of the night there will only be 6 acts left in each category.

First up to face the judges in London's West End are the boys.

The first contestant to front up is 14 year old Luke. He sings Let It Be and Dannii thinks that if they put him on the live stage he'll fall flat on his face. Simon puts her in her place though and asks her what she would have done had she been told that at 14. She has no reply. Luke is in tears as the tension is pretty tough.

There were plenty of nerves from the boys and Simon is worried that this group isn't going to be able to cope.

Next up is Andy who sings I Can't Make You Love Me and he's really good.

It's time for boot camp. All of the boys, the girls, the over 25s and the groups are going to be under the same roof.

No one knows what is happening though as previously, the groups were working with one of the judges each. Who knows what's about to happen.

Simon informs the contestants that they will be working with all the judges this week and it wont be until the boot camp is over that the judges will find out who their group is to work with for the remainder of the show.

The boys are up first and have to perform the song that they would most like to release as their debut single. Only twelve of them will make it through to the second stage of boot camp so the competition is fierce.

Ridian sings Tom Jones' Delilah and gets a smile out of Simon who wasn't really that into him during the auditions.

There have been highs and lows but have the best been saved to last? Tonight it is the final auditions episode before The X Factor hits boot camp.

Simon is feeling optimistic about today. 46 year old hairdresser Jackie is first up to try and impress the judges. She sings Something Inside So Strong but it sounds like she was choking on something. She's the first of a bunch of people who are told to Beat It.

Tonight the audition road show rolls into Sheffield for the first time in X Factor history.

Confidence is high that Sheffield can deliver a star. We're about to find out.

First up tonight is a very nervous and scared 16 year old Nathaniel. He sings And I am Telling You I'm Not Going and it is incredibly weird. First up tonight and no way going through to the next round.

24 year old Katie is five months pregnant and could be a life changing opportunity for her. Perhaps with the winnings she could do something about those teeth. She sings There You'll Be and she sounds ok but you can hear the wind whistling through her teeth. The judges aren't too sure about how it will work having a pregnant woman on the show who is likely to give birth during the live shows. It's a yes though from the judges but once they've given her a yes they have second thoughts. Simon goes out to talk to them and says they think it's absolutely the wrong thing to do and that it would just be too stressful. The yes has become a no and it's all over for her.