Stacey voted out in first round of X Factor Final

Stacey Soloman missed out on a place in tomorrow night's X Factor final two after Joe McElderry and Olly Murs were voted through with a chance of being crowned winner of the X Factor 2009.

Stacey, 20, who had the disadvantage of going first of the three acts gave three blistering performances and deserved a place in the final two. But sadly it wasn't too be as bookies favourite Joe and outsider Olly reached tomorrow's final two.

Stacey kicked off the night with a beautiful rendition of her audition song 'Wonderful World', followed by a scintillating duet with Canadian superstar Michael Buble. The pair performed 'Feeling Good', Stacey dazzling in a gorgeous Red dress in what turned out to be my favourite performance of the night. She then returned to the song that, in my opinion made her a real contender, 'Who Wants To Live Forever', earning a standing ovation and unanimous praise from all four judges.

Over-25 Olly Murs kick started his final with 'Superstition', the audition song that won the Essex boy a legion of fans at the auditions. Whilst Olly was in my opinion the weakest of the three finalists he improved dramatically on previous weeks to give a entertaining performance. But whilst Stacey shone in her duet Olly and Robbie Williams performance of 'Angels' was weak in comparison, unfortunately like two mates singing karaoke in a pub. For his third and final song of the night Olly sang 'Fool In Love', a safe but underwhelming performance from Simon Cowell's act.

Bookies favourite Joe McElderry, who sang last out of the three finalists in each round of songs, once again showcased the note-perfect voice that has earned him so much praise and a place in the final. 'Dance With My Father' was an emotion filled performance and the duet of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' with George Michael didn't disappoint. Joe finished the night with his favourite song of the series, 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word', a good choice that once again showed why the Geordie lad looks likely to win the X Factor crown tomorrow night.

It was a real shame to see Stacey leave the X Factor in third place tonight. But both Stacey and her mentor Dannii Minogue can be proud of how far she has come in the competition - I don't think this will be the last we will hear of the diva from Dagenham!

So Stacey is gone and we are left with Joe and Olly. Olly has done well to reach the final two and whilst Joe might not be my cup of tea, he has been the most consistent performer and out of the final two he deserves to win.

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Olly, Stacey and Joe make X Factor final

It all started in front of thousands and four judges. After weeks of auditions, tears at boot camp and nine weeks of live shows we have our X Factor finalists, Stacey Soloman, Joe McElderry and Olly Murs.

The final three were decided after it was announced that Danyl Johnson had received the lowest public vote tonight. Whilst Danyl was dignified in defeat I have failed to warm to the former teacher from Reading since his brilliant first audition.

On Saturday night the four remaining acts performed two songs in the semi-final, all hoping to secure a place in next week's final. First up was Olly Murs and whilst he performed well with Can You Feel It and We Can Work It Out (maybe a little too much dancing in the second performance), I was sure he was gone.

First up on the night and with his public support apparently taking a dive Olly looked as relieved as I was shocked when Dermot read his name out first. Whilst the boy from Essex has done well to reach the final he has plenty of ground too make up on rivals Joe and Stacey if he is going to claim the big prize. Outside bet for the final but who knows, I thought he was gone tonight!

Next up on Saturday was favourite Joe McElderry. Cheryl's last act has been running away with the competition in the last few weeks, receiving the usual high praise after two more perfect vocal performances with She's Out Of My Life and Open Arms.

I know I am going to sound like a broken record but Joe is just not for me and on Saturday I realised why - every week he sounds the same. Yes he can sing but does he wow me, no! I can't see him gracing the stages for years to come as a contemporary artist but there is no denying that the boy has one good voice. He should make the final two along with Stacey but from there it is too close to call.

Third on the stage was the last remaining girl Stacey Soloman, the diva from Dagenham! After calls for her to put in more of a performance and after reading the spoilers of song choices before the Saturday night show I was slightly nervous for Stacey. The Way You Make Me Feel just didn't seem to fit with Stacey on paper and unfortunately it was the same on stage.

After watching her first performance live I was blown away by how amazing she looked and I thought she pulled off a good performance. But after watching it a second time I realised many of the judges' critical comments were correct, her vocals suffered and it was a risky choice that didn't pay off for Stacey or Dannii. But, like all good performers Stacey came back and blew me (and my ear drums!) away with a powerful rendition of Somewhere, proving what she is good at and why she deserves her place in the final.

Last up on Saturday was Danyl Johnson, who gave two more belting performances. But whilst it may seem picky, the strange video montage and polar bears on the screens that seemed more suitable for Earth Song than it did Man In The Mirror were unnecessarily distracting and Danyl didn't win me over with his second performance of I have Nothing either.

Despite missing out on a place in the final Danyl has done well to claw back support after a barrage of criticism and bad press. Based on vocals he may not have been the right act to go on the night (that would have been Olly) but I will not miss him in the final.

So we have our final three - Olly, Stacey and Joe. Harshly I admit none of them are the new Leona with worldwide stardom beckoning but each deserve a place in the final. Olly entertains, Stacey engages with the audience and Joe has the voice.

It will be one of the tightest finals yet but I will go out on a limb and say Olly will struggle against fan favourites Joe and Stacey, both of whom I believe are in with the best chance of being crowned winner. It all may come down to the secret (or maybe not so?) special guest duets!

Picture from Daily Mail

Lloyd leaves X factor

Welsh teenager Lloyd Daniels became the 8th act to be voted off the X factor last night, narrowly missing out on a place in next week's semi-finals.

Lloyd, 16, received the lowest number of public votes after all five acts performed a Take That and Elton John classic on Saturday night.

After the departure of Jedward last Saturday the proper singing contest could finally heat up with only 2 weeks till the final.

First on stage Saturday was Danyl Johnson. The former teacher has had a roller coaster ride of drama on the show but he seems to have finally found his feet and some public support. Danyl performed classic Take That hit 'Relight My Fire' in round one and despite showing that he doesn't just do ballads, Danyl's over the top routine managed to distract me from his vocal performance. Yes the guy can perform his socks off but he doesn't have the likeability factor that makes him the winner in my eyes.

Round 2 and Simon Cowell's act sang 'Your Song', another performance powerful belting ballad that we have come to expect from Danyl but me and my family agreed that he seems to struggle when having to sing quietly. Simon Cowell may have labelled it 'sensational' but at points it sounded painful. Like previous contestant Jamie Archer Danyl hasn't, and might not ever, recreate the magic of his first audition.

Following Danyl on stage was the baby of the competition Lloyd. The teenage heartthrob has had a lot to contend with over the last few weeks; not everyone might respect what judge Louis Walsh said but poor little Lloyd has had to deal with Louis' criticisms live every week in front of millions. I'm not saying Louis was wrong, he was actually for once spot on. Lloyd has been out of his depth from about week four and this week was no different. He struggled vocally through first song 'Million Love Songs' and despite putting in more of a performance with second song 'I'm Still Standing' Lloyd still looked lost and awkward on stage.

Next up was last week's sing-off survivor Olly Murs. After the shock of being in the bottom two last week Olly must have have been worried. With his support obviously dropping Simon Cowell took a risk giving Olly one of his first ballads in the competition with 'Love Ain't Here Anymore'. Vocally Olly pulled it off vocally but judge Dannii Minogue was right when she said 'he had lacked that sparkle in his eyes' (although the very happy lady he was singing too at the start may have disagreed with Miss Minogue).

Round 2 and Olly was back to what he does best, an up-tempo number. 'Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)' saw Olly jump around on stage with skimpily dressed women, although the constant references to a boxing match got a bit much by the end.

Whilst Olly's support has seemed to stall slightly Joe McElderry has flourished under weeks of praise and standing ovations from four very jubilant judges. The Geordie lad sang 'Could It Be Magic' and 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word', pouring tons of emotion into his second performance and sounding vocally perfect in both. Every week Joe has delivered, clearly the most consistent contestant still in the competition however Cheryl Cole's act just doesn't hold my attention whilst on stage.

A nice lad and brilliant musical theatre star in the making, Joe is favourite to win but may struggle against the voting fanbases of rivals Stacey and Olly (despite claims that boss Simon Cowell his backing the lad to win). If Cowell and the British public are looking for a popstar with longevity and that special appeal that will sell millions of records for years to come I don't think Joe is the guy.

The final act to perform was last girl left standing Stacey Soloman. Dagenham girl Stacey performed tricky Take That hit 'Rule The World' and Elton John ballad 'Something About The Way You Looked Tonight'. Despite belting out both hits Stacey got a slightly mixed response from the judges, Simon Cowell even harshly comparing her to a wedding singer. But, despite my continued support of Stacey and her mentor Dannii, I did agree with some of what Simon Cowell said after he second song.

Stacey fully deserves her place in the competition but the appeal of Stacey, putting her engaging and funny personality aside, was the subtle tones to her voice. Week one Stacey blew me away with her rendition of Coldplay's 'The Scientist' and Dannii needs to make sure we don't loose the softness and innocence that is so appealing about Stacey's voice. And as for the argument for why she doesn't dance - Stacey has a style, it may not be as varied as others, but it is what she does best and I don't need to see her dance for me to pick up the phone and vote.

With Stacey, Joe and Danyl through we were left with Olly and Lloyd nervously standing on stage. There was almost an inevitability about Lloyd's departure, a nice lad who was out of his depth but who showed dignity in defeat (unlike the slightly of putting and over the top reaction of Olly who ran off stage in relief when his name was called, without even a word to Lloyd).

We are now left with our four semi-finalists and arguably the four best performers/singers throughout the competition. With only one week left to impress and book a place in the final I believe Stacey has the fanbase and Joe has the voice to get them through so it might be down to Olly and Danyl to fight it out, either way, if that is the case, Simon Cowell won't be happy - and that in itself is a reason to tune in next week!

Picture from Virgin Media

Natalie loses her sparkle as she exits Strictly

There were tears on the dance floor last night as Natalie Cassidy and her partner Vincent Simone left Strictly Come Dancing.

The actress and her Italian dance partner found themselves in the dance-off with one of the pre-show favourites Ricky Whittle. Both had performed new dance Rock 'n' Roll but both failed to impress the judges, Natalie was last on the leader board with 26 and Ricky struggled with his lowest ever score of 31.

After continually losing out to X Factor on the ratings bosses for the BBC1 show obviously felt the show needed more sparkle, so not only did the celebrities and their professional partners have to learn a new dance never before performed on Strictly, either a Charleston or a Rock 'n' Roll, they also had to compete in the first ever ballroom competition dance where all five couples took to the floor at once.

The night started with dark horses Chris and Ola wowing the judges and appreciative audience with a cheeky Charleston, a dance well deserving of the 34 score they received from the judges. The sports presenter may have danced under the radar so far but he and Ola are picking up public support and good judges scores at the right time and I wouldn't be surprised if they not only reach the final but also go on to pick up that mirror ball trophy.

As Chris and Ola flourished it was Ricky and Natalie who took one of the biggest dips in form on the night, receiving their first seven and lowest ever score. Mid-week events may have harmed their chances but Ricky and Natalie struggled to get into their stride during their Rock 'n' Roll and at points looked very unstable; their throws and lifts failing to win over the judges or the voting public.

Following Ricky was his closest rival Ali Bastian and her partner Brian Fortuna. The former Hollyoaks and The Bill actress battled through a ankle injury to perform a lively and fun Charleston, the pair once again leading the pack with an impressive 37 and again receiving a perfect 10 for their dance from Alesha.

Next up on the floor was Natalie and Vincent. The EastEnders actress as always entertained the crowd but her bubbly personality couldn't save her from a bashing from the judges for a clumsy routine, scoring only 26.

The final couple were last week's dance off survivors Laila and Anton. Both looked comfortable performing a cheeky Charleston, impressing everyone but judge Craig Revel Horwood who harshly only scored a 6 for what I thought was an enjoyable and well-performed routine. Luckily the other judges didn't agree and Laila went on to score 31.

After all five couples had performed individually they all took to the floor for Strictly's first ever competition dance. Each couple glided round the floor performing a beautiful Waltz. Ballroom queen Ali topped the score with a perfect 10, followed by Ricky with 9, Laila with 8 and Chris and Natalie both with 7. This new element was a success, adding a new dimension to what was a fading format.

Adding all the individual, group and public voting together it was Rock 'n' Roll dancers Ricky and Natalie who finished bottom. Whilst it was clear who was the better dancer overall Ricky cemented his place in next week's show with a flawless routine whilst Natalie stumbled through her own Rock 'n' Roll performance. Natalie and Vincent had a slim chance going into the dance off but no chance after it.

Picture from What's on TV

The 'Fro goes as Jedward survive again

Jamie Archer became the sixth act to be voted off the X Factor last Sunday after all the contestants performed Queen songs.

Archer lost out to Welsh teenager Lloyd Daniels in the sing-off and he is the first of Simon's over-25s to leave the competition. The final decision once again went to deadlock after the judges couldn't decide who to save and Archer lost out after receiving the lowest public vote. Although Jamie gave a better performance in the sing-off with 'The Show Must Go On' he failed to find his feet during the live shows and unfortunately never managed to top his first audition of 'Sex on Fire'.

On Saturday each act had to perform a classic Queen song and we got the mix of the wonderful with Stacey's powerful rendition of 'Who Wants To Live Forever', the surprising as Olly struggled vocally through 'Don't Stop Me Now' and the plain ridiculous as Jedward rapped through 'Under Pressure'.

Despite being out of time and tune on many occasions it was the twins best performance (within "Jedward land" as Simon Cowell put it, their performances can no longer be critiqued and compared to the other serious singing acts) and it saw them voted through to next week as the Jedward bandwagon continues to roll.

But it is not just the voting public who the boys have won over. Celebrities are also voicing their support for the duo, oddly demonstrated on Saturday by artist and DJ Calvin Harris who ran onstage during their performance with a pineapple on his head.

Whilst Jedward still bring fun (and moments of madness) to the show, the singing competition is getting serious as we near the final stages with only the final six of Stacey, Joe, Lloyd, Danyl, Olly and Jedward still standing.

Picture from Virgin Media

Chaos on dancefloor

It was a Strictly Come Dancing full of shocks last Saturday as Phil Tufnell and his partner Katya Virshilas were voted off.

The former Cricketer lost out with his American Smooth in the dance off to Ricky Groves and his partner Erin Boag. Phil Tufnell may have been the better dancer overall but a mistake-filled dance-off routine saw head judge Len save Ricky with his deciding vote.

But the main drama started even before the cameras started rolling. Host Bruce Forsyth was forced to watch the show from home with the flu, so It takes Two host Claudia Winkleman (and briefly comedian Ronnie Corbett) filled the void alongside Tess Daly.

But Bruce wasn't the only pre-show casualty as celeb dancer Jade Johnson and her professional partner Ian Waite were unable to dance after Johnson injured he knee in the rehearsal.

The arduous routines and weeks of training seem to be taking their toll on the celebs. Whilst long-jumper Jade sat out Laila Rouass took the floor with a heavily strapped ankle. The actress courageously tried to dance the Rumba but had to stop near the end as the pain became too much.

Rouass and her partner Anton Du Beke unsurprisingly finished last on the leader board with 22 points, whilst show favourites Ricky Whittle (with his partner Natalie Lowe) and Ali Bastian (with her partner Brian Fortuna) finished joint top with 35 points each.

With the celebrity dancers feeling the pressure the first question won't be who goes next Saturday but if all the celebs and their partners can even make it on the dance-floor and through a routine first.

Picture from Radio Times

EastEnders news updates

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in Albert Square without a bit of Yuletide misery and this year the Mitchells once again take centre stage as the evil Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) is found dead in the Queen Vic on Christmas day. Archie has made a fair few enemies in his short time in the Square so the list of suspects in bound to be long. It has been reported that the killer's identity will be revealed in the special live 25th anniversary episode in February so audiences will have a whodunit to work out into the New Year...

Another two characters set to depart the Square are Bradley Branning and Manda Best (Josie Lawrence). Actor Charlie Clements has decided to quit the BBC show after three years playing Bradley and the one question fans will be desperate to know is whether Bradley and Stacey ('Bracey') will reunite before he makes is dramatic exit from the Square around the time of the 25th anniversary episode. Josie Lawrence will leave the show in the spring after Manda discovers boyfriend Minty (Cliff Parisi) has a secret...

It is not only the cast making moves as Executive Producer Deiderick Santer is set to depart after the anniversary episode next year, to be replaced by ex-Hollyoaks boss Bryan Kirkwood. It has been reported Kirkwood wants to "sex-up" the soap so EE fans may be seeing an influx on fresh new faces as Kirkwood takes the reins of the BBC show...

Picture from BBC