My X-Factor Predictions 2009

So, the X factor judges have made their decisions about which "24" to keep in the competition. If I was a judge I wouldn't bother having a "groups" section next time, because in my opinion, none of the groups we were shown on tv had the elusive "X-factor" about them. That said, the one group that I think will have a chance at winning is the all girl group, who entered as individual solo artists, and came out of boot camp as a group on the recommendation of the judges. That alone is a sure sign that the judges also thought the standard of groups entered was poor. That means that my tip for the group to go the furthest is "Miss F.R.A.N.K". Their boot camp performance was a terrific raunchy blend of harmonies, and if they continue to gel together they should surely go far. The next group I think will go far is the twin boys, John and Edward, with the Bart Simpson hairstyles. I rather think they will appeal to some voters as much as they will turn off others. I fall into the category of voters that already finds them conceited, arrogant, and implausible, and they won't get my vote. In my mind I have already written off the the other four groups.

Moving onto the over 25's, it was Simon Cowell's remark on hearing that he had got the job of mentoring them, "this could be a really good year for me , err I mean for them", that leads me to suspect that there are going to be some clashes with his 6 stars. They're already set in their ways at over 25, and if they don't work with Cowell, he'll be quick to talk them down in the shows. I'm wondering who's hair he is going to find the most irritating? Will it be Afro man Jamie (3,238,807 views so far on YouTube video, Mohican man Daniel, hat-man Olly, short back and sides Danyl (7,385,959 views so far on YouTube video (wow!), bushy haired Nicole, or Afro lady Treyc? Jamie will go far, although as a rock performer, I think it will be cringe time in disco week, and I do wonder how he'll come across doing jazz/swing. So, while he's the best of the bunch for me, I'm not sure he's got staying power. Nicole, poured her heart out at boot camp to get through to the final six, but I think she peaked too soon, and will not appeal to many people. Treyc, I didn't think stood out for me in early performances. Olly, with his gimmicky hat, will get lots of votes in early rounds. Mohican man, I like your sincerity, but I don't think you're good enough to win.

The boys - none really stand out to me as a winner, I barely remember any of them in the auditions. There were better boys who didn't get through including the 17 year old lad who did a Michael Jackson number, he was a real natural star for me, and should have gone through. Judges, what were you thinking? So, instead we've got the hat man Rikki, nothing special about his voice or desire to win, and then there's Lloyd Daniels with the cutie-charismatic-face-in-the-crowd that will catch a large number of votes. Notice I haven't said anything about his singing. The others in the six - did nothing for me.

The girls, - I like some of these, and I rather think the overall winner is going to be in this group. So, my three favourites in this category are Stacey Solomon, Rachel Adedeji, and Lucie Jones.
Stacey is the Dagenham 21 year old girl that will appeal to the tabloids, and ultimately to their readers and these will actually vote. Despite all these hardships(!) she actually has a terrific singing voice. Stacey Soloman's (5,649,500 views so far on YouTube. So people like her, but I think she might drop off towards the end of the season's show run as little things like her large teeth and big pointy nose (sorry, but the public are fickle!) start to irritate viewers. But she could still win. Rachel Adedeji came across as professional, perhaps too professional, but I think she'll go further than the second placed group. Lucie Jones, an 18 year old student, is the girl I'd tip to top this category, and possibly the whole show. As I write, her video on YouTube has had 2,133,142 views, but I rather think that for all the different types of songs they have to do, Lucie could be the one to creep through and get enough votes across the generations. Who knows, it could be Lucie, Stacey, and Afro Jamie as they race towards the final show in December. Or perhaps, for this type of show, cutie Lloyd instead of Jamie?

Britains Got Talent

There's a bunch of strange "singers" appearing on the X Factor lately. There must a lot of tone deaf relatives and friends around encouraging no-hopers to go forward. I tend to agree with Cowell every time. The girl judges are just window dressing, although Dannii Minogue has shown some signs of brains, too. Walsh has absolutely no idea, and comes across as insincere. Whereas in Britain's Got Talent, it's Piers Morgan that constantly cheeses me off with his "every one deserves a chance" attitude.
Like, the time in Britain's Got Talent when this no-hoper appeared on stage with a black bag.
"Ok, what's your act?" asks Simon Cowell.
"It's in the bag", says the man.
"Right, Ok, off you go" replies Cowell.
Man dips his hand in the bag, and places a walnut on his head.
Cowell doesn't look too impressed. He presses his "X".
Pierce Morgan looks VERY impressed, and beams enthusiastically.
Man dips his hand in the bag and fetches out a hammer. He uses the hammer to smash the walnut balanced on his head. Then curtsies theatrically to the audience.
Cowell rolls his eyes to view the ceiling, and shakes his head.
Piers Morgan visibly laughs out loud.
Morgan is the first to speak, "That was a very brave thing to do. Not many people would want to make a living out of doing that. You certainly get my vote."
Cowell is astounded by these comments, and looks contemptuously at Morgan. He asks the man, "What else have you got in your black bag?"
"Aspirin" replies the man.

Consultation Exercise: East of England

During this week I was one of the Houghton Regis town councillors who attended a consultation meeting of East of England Regional Assembly (EERA).
The purpose of the meeting was to obtain views on how fast the region should grow and broadly where that growth should go. As the meeting was held at Chicksands, the questioners were by and large from Central Beds, and Luton areas.

There were appeals for the A5-M1 bypass to be built first (Cllr PeterWilliams, Houghton Regis), and for other infrastructure (roads, hospitals, schools etc. ) to be in place before building starts. General response: government short of money, EERA looking for section 106 money from developers to fund infrastructure, followed by a general sense of fustration from the assembled questioners. There were appeals for homes to be built for rent (Cllr Rita Egan, Houghton Regis), to make them affordable for local people. There was an appeal for electricity to be made available, as the region will face supply problems. There was a question about where water supplies will come from; and given that people need food, why is a farming region to be concreted over? Several questioners made the point that they didn't believe the government statistics on population growth : response from EERA, whatever statistics are used the population is growing and needs homes.

HRTC and Planning

At a Special meeting of the Houghton Regis town council this week, councillors resolved to continue with the current arrangement of Planning and Licencing committee meetings approximately every three weeks. At these meetings parish councillors get to comment on local planning applications, and if they feel it necessary, can alert a Central Bedfordshire councillor to a particular application. In turn, that Central Beds councillor can "call it in" and the application will be looked at by a committee of Central Beds council. The Houghton Regis Town Council does not decide planning applications. Town councillors also resolved to ask the town clerk to put together a special Town Crier leaflet that would help to clarify the planning system.

We Shall Fight Them on The Beaches

Clicking the link below brings an interesting response! No one can now say that they don't know what people are saying in the House of Commons, because speeches back to 1935 are now available online.
We Shall Fight Them on The Beaches