BB FANS

Simon the 'control freak'


Simon Cowell has edited tonight's show to make sure it's not a flop.

He is determined The X Factor won't become another Grease is the Word, which was panned by critics, or an ailing Big Brother.

A source said: "He seems to want full control of everything. Simon admitted he's desperate to make sure people keep on watching X Factor."
Mirror

The Weird Factor: Wannabes line up for X Factor auditions

These are the wannabes whose dreams of stardom are either brutally crushed or brought one step closer in tonight's first episode of The X Factor.

A record 150,000 people applied for the fourth series of the hit ITV1 show, auditioning in Birmingham, Manchester and London.

But the majority of those who turned up to convince TV Rottweiler Simon Cowell and the other judges that they are the next big thing, found their efforts fell on deaf ears.

DailyMail

Dermot wants to spank Simon

DERMOT O’Leary is threatening to spank Simon Cowell with a big stick.

The new X Factor host says if Mr Nasty starts to misbehave, he will have no choice other than to dish out a good caning.

Bet Louis Walsh would lend a helping hand.

Dermot joked: "With a big stick, I think corporal punishment is the only way to go."

The SUN

I am looking forward to this tonight.

The X Factor begins!


The fourth series of ITV1's talent show The X Factor has kicked off with some of the best - and worst - auditions from around the UK.

Over 150,000 people applied to take part in the show which was won by Leona Lewis in 2006.

This time around, however, there are some changes to the format.Original host Kate Thornton has been replaced by Dermot O'Leary, while the age limit for performers has been lowered to 14.

And the finalists will now be sorted into four categories - boys aged 14-24, girls aged 14-24, 25 and overs and groups. Meanwhile singer Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie, has joined regular judges Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne, and will mentor one of the groups of finalists competing for a £1m recording contract.

The show hit the headlines earlier in the year after original judge Louis Walsh was given his marching orders and replaced with American choreographer Brian Friedman.

However, viewers saw Walsh being summoned back to the judging panel during the first show after Osbourne complained of having no "chemistry" with Friedman and Cowell admitted he was not happy with the way things were going.

The auditions got off to a disastrous start in London with a bunch of wannabes strutting their stuff in front of the panel.

Among the highlights were the very first auditionee Susan, a 55-year-old cleaner who failed to impress judges with her off-key rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone.

Pensioner Emily, meanwhile, entered the audition room with a scarf round her face to cover up her need for dental work, and sunglasses to protect her eyes from the halogen lights. The judges quickly sent her packing after her singing abilities failed to come up to scratch.

It was better news for the permanently perky brother-sister duo Same Difference. The pair won their way through to boot camp despite Simon Cowell describing them as "two of the most annoying people I have ever met".

And the judges were unanimous in their praise for the first 14-year-old to audition. Londoner Emily stunned the quartet with her rendition of Randy Crawford's Almaz, and earned herself a place in the next round.

"This means absolutely everything to me," she said afterwards, seemingly overcome by the whole experience.

You can see images from the first show in our photo gallery. And click below to see two of the more memorable auditions from the first show, from Ikalz and 79-year-old Joy.

whatsontv

TV Review: The X Factor

tvscoop

X FACTOR: THE AWFUL TOOTH


THE X Factor's back and a 70-year-old lunatic called Emily has just shuffled on to the audition platform.

"Why have you got that scarf around your head?" Simon Cowell asks the world's weirdest woman.

"Because I urgently need dentistry," she replies through the mass of red material covering most of her face.


Obviously, her "singing" is rubbish. But while Cowell swiftly dismisses her as "something out of a horror movie" you have to admire toothless Emily's persistence.

"I came here to get dentistry!" she shrieks.

And that's the trouble with ITV's annual marathon talent search. If you require a filling it just can't help you.

Back to the contest and Big Brother's little gurner Dermot O'Dreary is determined to make the most of his first-ever appearance on a show with an audience.

"Welcome to the X Factor," he snarls, his features twisting into the pained expression of a man with a redhot poker up his backside.

Bland Boy brings little to the party. He's like Kate Thornton minus the sophisticated wit.

Talking of disappointing newcomers - here's Dannii Minogue, introduced as "a pop star who has been there and done it".

Done what exactly? Answers on a postcard please.

"I know what it takes to be a success in this industry," she says, neglecting to add "because my sister told me."

With her disturbingly deep voice and grating Kath-and-Kim accent, Dannii's dismal debut was complete cobbers.

Meanwhile - as told in a torturous faked-up reconstruction - the incredible story of Louis Walsh's triumphant return was unfolding faster than you could say "publicity stunt".

American panellist Brian Friedman's days were numbered when an awful fishwife rounded on him with some good oldfashioned low-rent prejudice.

Following her howling wolf impression, she looked at Brian with xenophobic disgust and screamed: "Go back to America!"

Then, her Yankees-go-home fervour boiling into rage, she turned to Cowell.

"You should just have the three of yous - not someone from America." Or Australia for that matter!

Simon instantly took moronwoman's advice. "This is verging on unbearable," sighed the Dark Lord as Louis bounced back, his Irish eyes smiling with the smug satisfaction of a man who knew he had just become indispensable.

And sure enough, after the disastrous Walsh-less auditions at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, the new old look X Factor took Manchester and Birmingham by storm.

Series 4 is certain to be a smash hit. Not because it's fresh and different - but because it's exactly the same.

As always, the hopeless auditions were extremely funny - and unconscionably cruel.

"I could be just a couple of minutes away from being a superstar," said 55-year-old cleaning lady Susan, whose rendition of Walk On defied belief.

Insufferable brother and sister double act Sarah and Sean reminded us that there's only one thing worse than the losers who fail the auditions. And that's the losers who pass.

In case I forget at the end of the extraordinarily long road ahead - Happy Christmas! Sundaymirror

Unsexy, too old and he's a midget

By LARA GOULD TV Reporter

X FACTOR'S stroppiest-ever contestant Zoe Simpson yesterday branded judge Simon Cowell "a midget with no clue about music" after he gave her audition the thumbs down.

Last night millions saw Vicky Pollard sound-alike Zoe - who hilariously compares herself to a young Christina Aguilera - throw a tantrum when acidtongued Cowell ordered her off stage calling her performance "terrible".

Stunned Zoe, who performed a tuneless version of Christina's chart-topper Beautiful, remained fixed to the spot as the rest of the panel passed their verdicts - before storming out of the studio and banging her head against a wall. But Zoe, 18, from Burton-on-Trent, Staffs, hit back yesterday, saying: "I'm not bothered what any of them say. What does Simon know about music anyway?

"He looks all broad and macho on telly but when I saw him sitting behind that desk he was tiny and really puny. He's a midget. I don't know why all these girls fancy him. He's too old and he's not sexy.

"The X Factor was a pretty harsh experience. But I don't think any of them have got a clue. Sharon said I was a spoilt little girl. She's got too much attitude if you ask me."

X Factor returned to TV screens last night, kicking off its fourth search for a star. So far the series - which pulls in more than eight million viewers a week - has turned ex-shoe shop worker Shayne Ward and former waitress Leona Lewis into international stars.
Sundaymirror

DANNII AXE FEAR Sundaypeople

COWELL IN RATINGS THREAT Sundaypeople

X Factor wannabe Niki Evans almost DOUBLED in weight to SEVENTEEN STONE aft Sundaypeople

As X Factor returns, the no holds barred thoughts of judge Louis Walsh Mail

I like X Factor. It amuses me 'of a Saturday evening'. Missed it last week, might record it this week for viewing later.

Louis - he's a big eejit, but I'm very glad he's still around. He's one of the most amusing aspects of it.

OOPS, she's Dann it again

X Factor judge Dannii Minogue has been plunged into a new lesbian crisis.

Saucy footage of her romping with a Britney Spears lookalike has been splashed on the internet.

It comes days after we revealed how kinky snaps of her simulating sex with a lap dancer were being e-mailed around the world.

Now saucy shots of the Aussie babe snogging a shaven-headed lesbian have been posted on the YouTube site.

But we can reveal that the footage is merely a video for a song she recorded in support of a gay and lesbian festival back in 1999.

In the racy video, Dannii, 35, is surrounded by gay hunks and drag queens before she hooks up with the skinhead – a dead ringer for singer Britney, 25.

They grope and hug before sharing a steamy clinch. A caption under the video reads: “Dannii showing support for gays and lesbians by kissing another woman.”

One web user who stumbled across the footage said: “I knew Dannii was bit racy, but this is very steamy for a pop video. It will win her new fans, but it doesn’t put those lesbian rumours to bed.”

The promo was for Dannii’s single Everlasting Night, recorded for a Mardi Gras event in Australia.

We reported yesterday how Dannii thanked the Daily Star for revealing how snaps of her frolics with a lap dancer called Jupiter had been spread across the web.

A source close to Dannii said of the latest saucy shots: “She made the video for a Gay Pride event, because she believes very strongly that people should be able to love whoever they want.

“She won’t be happy to discover people are using it to try to encourage lesbian rumours.” Dailystar