12 Perform - Your votes count - 11/2/11

:welcome1: Hi everyone. Have to get a few things out of the way before I get to the performances. First off I am really getting bugged by the judges song choices for the contestants. Only a couple are getting to sing in their right genre and this is frustrating I think. Secondly tonight the public actually gets to vote for their favorite. Lastly later in the show we found out that the X-Factor has been re-newed for next year. Simon thanked everyone for their support and I am sure he felt happy that there were enough people who liked the show to bring it back again. While I am not wild about the actual set-up with the judges having so much power I probably will be watching again next year. Now, let's get to the show on this night.

Steve Jones welcomes us by saying in the beginning that each of our contestants came with the same goal. Last week each act sang live and the final twelve were picked for the voting public. Scenes are shown during this montage. It is now time for the contestants to face the music so live from Los Angeles we again greet Steve Jones and also our judges. On tomorrow's show one of the acts will be eliminated so it is important for us to vote to keep our favorites. We are reminded that the winner will get a 5 million dollar recording contract and star in their own Pepsi commercial. Now for the performances:



Paula Abdul's first group is performing who are known as The Stereo Hogzz. This five man group are performing "Rhythm Nation" originally by Janet Jackson. I felt they started out weak vocally and really never wowed me personally. I also was not overly impressed with the choreography this week. The judges were lavish in their praise. L.A. think they have what it takes, Nicole says they have landed and represented well, Simon calls them one of the best groups they have (huh?) and Paula finishes this by telling them how proud she is of them. My grade: C

Chris Rene is next from L.A.'s group with the song "Superstar" which was a hit for several artists. Chris looks good and sort of made this song his own as he does do a little rap in the middle of it. Vocally he was not bad in my opinion. Nicole feels he has grown so much during this competition, Paula felt he owned it, Simon says he has made a big improvement and L.A. calls him hot. My grade: B

Nicole Scherzinger definitely chose the wrong song I think for Leroy Bell. The song is "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. Leroy has a bad habit of singing way too softly when he begins a song I think. The vocal was not bad overall but it was just okay for me. L.A. did not like the song choice either but liked Leroy, Paula likes how he wraps his singing around his life experiences, Simon feels Leroy has a confidence issue but thinks Leroy is a good singer and Nicole finishes the critques with sometimes less is more directed at Simon. My grade: B-

Simon Cowell is sort of making things difficult for young Rachel Crow. He keeps giving her songs that are not in her right genre. Tonight she is doing "Walking On Sunshine" by Katrina and The Waves. She does try to make it her own but I would so love to see this young girl back in her r&b mode. L.A. thinks she is loveable, Nicole calls her America's sunshine, Paula agrees with Nicole's statement and Simon adds she did great. I should mention here that Simon agains has words with Nicole about the performance. You can tell Nicole gets on his nerve I think. My grade: B

Up next is Lakoda Rayne who are in Paula's groups. Dressed in evening gowns to represent different seasons the group perform the song "Landslide" by The Dixie Chicks (Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac also had a hit with this one and she wrote the song). To my ears I felt these four lovely girls sounded off-key in a number of spots. I was definitely surprised how favorable the comments were from the judges. L.A. thinks they look incredible and loved their blend, Nicole says they sounded like one voice, Simon says they improved vocally but hates their outfits and Paula has words with Simon about her choice for the girls. Personally I thought their performance last week was much better. My grade: C-

I could strangle Nicole for making Josh Krajcik sing the song "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. Why on earth does she not let him sing a rock song to show his vocal potential I ask? Josh has a rough start I think but gets better as the song progresses. L.A. says he digs it, Paula says she is a believer, Simon thinks he is incredible and Nicole feels like a proud mom. I personally do not think this song choice will win Josh any points but I voted for him anyway. My grade: B

Simon definitely made the right choice to bring back Melanie Amaro as for me I thought she was the best of the night. She performs the song "Desperado" by Linda Ronstadt and blows the audience away with her rich vocal ability. L.A. is glad she is back, Nicole says there is no limit to her vocals, Paula calls her fine china and Simon ends with awesome. My grade: A+

Sorry folks I feel "Astro" Bradley is being favored in this competition as he always gets to perform in his genre of music which is rap. Tonight he does "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty By Nature. While Astro does well with his rapping all of his performances up to now all sound the same to me. Nicole thinks he knows how to get the party started, Paula calls him unique (no way Paula), Simon calls him a star while L.A. says he is getting better and is proud of him. Just a note, I based my grade on him because I personally do not see anything unique about him. My grade: B-

Intensity is sort of un-happy with the song choices Paula is choosing for them. They do a combination of two songs with the first being "Kids In America" and sorry not sure of the second song. The good news is this group of ten actually did a good job and were fun to watch. L.A. and Nicole also mention how fun they are, Simon calls it terrific and Paula thanks them for working so hard on their song and choreography. I liked it. My grade: B+

Drew is a cute young girl and tonight is performing "Just A Dream" by Nelly. I felt her beginning was not too good as she sang way too softly and frankly I could not understand a word she was singing. However, she does have a unique voice I think and as the song went on she got better. L.A. thinks she has the spirit of a superstar, Nicole calls her revelant, Paula loves what she does and Simon ends the remarks with we are seeing a star emerge. I would not go that far personally. My grade: B

Finally a good pick for a contestant as Marcus Canty performs "Every Little Step I Take" by Bobby Brown. Side note here L.A. wrote this song for Bobby. Marcus does quite well with his vocal and shows us some wonderful dancing as he sings. Nicole feels like she was watching a concert, Paula calls him the total package, Simon feels Marcus has come alive which L.A. agrees with. I really liked this performance. My grade: A

Stacy Francis has a powerful voice as she performs a church number as Simon calls it. Sorry I really do not know the name of the song she sang but again I am impressed with her. L.A. thinks she is very poised as she sings, Paula calls this a shining moment for Stacy, Simon thinks she is fantastic and Nicole loves her honesty and grace. My grade: A


Final Thoughts

My favorites tonight were Melanie Amaro, Stacy Francis and Marcus Canty. On the Thursday show one act will go home as mentioned earlier. I am hoping my other two favorites will survive. I welcome your thoughts as I sign off.

Take care all until next time!

I think young Astro was adorable on X-Factor but I didn't vote for me. His type of music just isn't my cup of tea. I think that's how the voting is going to end up. People voting according to the music they like, not the talent. Maybe I'm wrong. I've been wrong before.

Andyway, so glad Stacy made it. I liked her performance and think she will do well as the weeks go on. I was disappointed with Lakota Rayne but still think of them as my favorites. Good luck to them.

There is so much talent on this show I am not sure which one to vote for. I love Lakota Rain, and Rachel Crow. Plus many others, .. I am really enjoying this show. So happy we can vote!