Down to the last five in The X Factor 2008, and no real surprises about who went. Ruth Lorenzo was booted off the show for having the least amount of votes to save her, and if we’re honest, it was well overdue. Yes, she has an impressive set of lungs but Leona, she’s not.

Each of the contestants sang two songs, one by Ms Britney Spears, who performed in the results show, and one other. The judges final vote has also gone, meaning it’s now a straight fight between the contestants to secure the public’s votes. Cue lots of sob stories, crying, and faces pleading for votes.

So, how did they do?

Ruth Lorenzo - She performed I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll and Always by Bon Jovi. Both more at the rock end of the scale than pop, and both suited her voice incredibly well. At the end of the day though, she’s a cruise ship singer at best. Harsh, but true.

JLS - They performed Hit Me Baby, One More Time and You Light Up My Life by Whitney Houston. So, give Louis Walsh a boy band and he makes them sing two diva classics. Brilliant, except they weren’t. I think they’re too old school to get anywhere, and tonight’s performances showed up their lack of versatility and talent.

Alexandra Burke - She performed Toxic and Listen by Beyonce. Alexandra lit up the stage both times, delivering incredible performance that put the other contestants to shame. Unfortunately she won’t win because Eoghan and Diana seem to be the fan favorites. I hate to say it, but could Alexandra be too similar to Leona for her own good?

Eoghan Quigg - The manboy with the stupidest name ever performed Sometimes and We’re All In This Together from High School Musical. Wow, Simon seriously messed up with those song choices. He turns an already dire Britney ballad in to a dirge and then gets lost among the backing singers for the HSM song. Why is this funky-haired little twerp still in the contest?

Diana Vickers - The worst contestant on the show ever performed I’m Not A Girl and Everybody Hurts by REM. What to say? Diana did she always does: massacred the songs while demonstrating he ability to twist her left hand by her face. Wow, sign her up! Dire is the only word for it.

So Ruth went, which was probably the right decision, but it leaves us with four contestants who won’t be able to have a long career even if they all team up together. Seriously, I thought last year was bad but the talent on display this time around has gone lower than I ever thought possible.

Which just leaves Britney Spears’ woeful performance of Womanizer. Okay, she looked nice, and the routine was quite cool, but she mimed! On a talent show! How stupid can you get? She also didn’t coach the singers or even have much to say past “good luck.” In essence, she may as well have not been there.

Diana will win the show, even though Alexandra is the best singer. But all four who are left are more Steve Brookstein than Leona Lewis. And I’m sure Steve served me in McDonald’s the other day.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]

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Noel Gallagher has never been short of a thing or two to say, some of which are intelligent, well-meaning things, and others which aren’t quite as sensible. On this occasion, what he’s said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine has to be filed in the latter section.

As part of an interview discussing topics as diverse as Ryan Adams, the Toronto attack, and drugs, Gallagher claimed that Oasis are now as big as The Rolling Stones, a British band known and respected the world over, and who can still sell out massive stadiums, despite all being over the age of 60.

He said:

“Everybody knows who we are. You have to see us in league with the Rolling Stones now. Everybody’s heard of the Stones, everybody knows what they sound like, everybody knows what they do. You either go because you like it or you don’t. It’s easy.”

I can see Gallagher’s point but can’t really agree. Oasis are a brilliant band, and like The Rolling Stones have had a mixed career full of huge hits and a lot of middling, average songs. The two bands also had their best days very early on, and both aren’t likely to ever hit those dizzying heights again at this stage of their careers.

But, The Rolling Stones are, and always will be, a bigger band than Oasis. Sorry Noel but you know it’s true. I can’t see Oasis still going strong in 30 years time, whereas the way things are going, Mick Jagger and company will still be touring in their 90s.

Thankfully, I’m not alone with in that opinion, as the brilliantly comical, and at times harsh, comments on the NME story prove.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]

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The latest and possibly greatest ever Rickroll came during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, an annual parade through the streets of New York. As can be seen below, Rick Astley turned up unexpectedly on the Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends float.

After singing (or at least miming) Never Gonna Give You Up, one of the puppets on the float declares “I like Rickrolling.” It was a brilliant moment that has itself gone viral, but as good as it is to watch, especially the people in the crowd who have no idea what is going on, can Rickrolling now die a long overdue death?

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It was an overreaction by religious zealots who could see the way the world was going, with The Beatles summing up the new cult of celebrity that was about to arrive. And it did harm the way The Beatles were perceived, especially in the United States.

Lennon made the controversial remarks in an interview with the London Evening Standard. Not only did he compare The Beatles to Jesus, he also ranted about religion. But his comments were very tongue in cheek, and really should have been taken with a pinch of salt.

According to the NME, he said:

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right.

“We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first - rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

That statement was made in 1966, but it’s taken this long for any official forgiveness to be granted. And now it sort of has, with semi-official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano using the 40th anniversary of The White Album to expunge Lennon of his sins.

The article states that:

“[This was] showing off, bragging by a young English working-class musician who had grown up in the age of Elvis Presley and rock and roll and had enjoyed unexpected success”.

Why the newspaper, which usually covers the Pope, and stories happening in and around the Vatican, were talking about The White Album isn’t clear, but I’m glad they made these reparations. Not that Lennon would really give a crap, I’m sure. If he were alive today, I’m sure he’d have a lot of harsh words for the church and religion in general.

[Photo Source: hodgers at Flickr]

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The road to Blur reforming has been a long one, with many bumps on the way. But it looks as if it’s finally set to happen, although the reunion is only initially going to take the form of rehearsals.

As far back as October 2007, there was talk of a Blur reunion, but that ended up being just a lunch meeting, with all four former members once again going their separate ways straight afterwards. Fast forward a year, and the old arguments resurfaced, with Damon Albarn claiming “Blur is over.”

But November has brought good news, with Damon Albarn starting the month by stating that he could rejoin Blur at some stage in the future. Now he’s added detail to that in a pre-show chat with DJ Janice Long on BBC Radio 2.

“Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we’re into it.”

Short, sweet, and to the point. But it’s really all I need to know because it indicates that the former members of Blur are talking to each other and making plans to come together next year. That leaves me optimistic that a full reunion could take place one day.

According to the NME, Albarn was at BBC Radio 2 performing a special one-off of Monkey: Journey To The West, his new opera. You can catch the performance on Radio 2 on Saturday (Nov. 29) at 7pm.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]

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I’ve resisted writing about The X Factor 2008 in any great depth up to now, mainly because the auditions don’t really fit in to the Brit Music Scene remit, being more a joke than anything. And even the start of the live finals was unlikely to yield a superstar. But now there are only six acts remaining, one of whom will win the damn thing, it’s time to climb on board.

I’ve watched the show from the start, and to be honest haven’t really been impressed with this year’s talent. The auditions were as fun as ever, but with the directors once again focusing on the bad acts rather than the good, this part of the show was a bit of joke.

And then the live finals began and we immediately saw the difference in those acts who had a serious chance of winning, and those who were going to be voted out quickly. And I agree with the majority of the voting so far, with Austin Drage maybe deserving to stay in a little longer.

Unlike some, I wasn’t upset to see Laura White go in week five as she annoyed the hell out of me. She had a half decent voice but she was trying too hard to make each word last for three notes. You’re not Whitney love, so stop trying to be.

So we came to week 7 where Take That were the guests of honor, and each contestant had to sing their choice of Take That classic. Unfortunately, the judges once again made the show about themselves more than their contestants, with constant bickering over who would get to sing Rule The World turning the show into a pantomime.

In the end, it was the two artists fighting over that song who ended up in the bottom two. The public once again demonstrating their dislike for the judges trying to take the attention away from the artists competing in the contest. And Rachel, who got to sing Rule The World, finally left the show after weeks of being in the bottom two.

It was the right decision, and in fact, Hylton should have gone weeks ago. She’s got a decent enough voice but is very genre-specific, a fact proved by her brilliant performance in the bottom two sing-off. But her personality stinks, and she just doesn’t have star quality.

So we’re now down to five acts: Alexandra Burke, Diana Vickers, Eoghan Quigg, JLS, and Ruth Lorenzo. I actually really like Ruth but I think she’ll be the next to go. And then it’s anyone’s competition from the last four, with each having a good chance of winning.

Unfortunately, I think the final two will be Diana Vickers and Eoghan Quigg, the pair rumored to be seeing each other off air. Vickers seems to have victory in sight, with a huge fan base, although personally I can’t stand her. She can’t sing very well, she has a very affected voice which would sound awful on record, and what’s with the hand turning by the face thing?

The X Factor 2008 (Series 5) continues on Saturday. Make sure to vote for your favorite contestant in my current poll.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]

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Now I know most of you reading this are probably now screaming at the monitor that I know nothing, and that Dido is back with a new single. But I already know all this, so my question was more about what has happened to her since she’s been away because her new song is rubbish.

I’ve had the video for Don’t Believe In Love saved in my favorites for about a month now, and have been meaning to review it. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it because it’s just not very good. So instead I find myself going on a bit of a rant about how a once great artist who released catchy song after catchy song chose this as her comeback single.

I can’t say I was ever Dido’s biggest fan on the face of the planet but I do own copies of No Angel and Life For Rent. And when they first came out, I used to listen to them quite often. They were chilled out albums to relax to but the songs had enough about them to stop them from being instantly forgettable.

And then Dido seemed to disappear for a few years. Life For Rent was released in September, 2003, five long years ago. Dido set out on a world tour and then played the London and Paris legs of the Live 8 concerts in 2005. And then that was it, nothing for years.

Dido has apparently been away working on the new album, Safe Trip Home, ever since then. The release date was put back several times before Safe Trip Home was finally released on Monday Nov. 17, 2008. And it was preceded by the first single, Don’t Believe In Love, which is embedded after the cut.

Don’t Believe In Love makes me not believe in Dido anymore. That sounds harsh but it’s bland. And to those who thought Dido was always bland, this ups the bland scale to the nth degree. It starts out really slow and boring and continues along that path for the duration.

Her voice is as soulful and haunting as ever, but instead of being coupled with uplifting lyrics and set to a memorable melody, this just meanders its way from beginning to end. Even the chorus doesn’t lift the song beyond sheer and utter boringness.

I haven’t heard the album as yet, being loath to buy it on the strength (or rather, weakness) of this track. But from everything I’ve read, the whole of Safe Trip Home carries on in this vein, and that just doesn’t appeal. I want anthems, not dirges.

There are a few possible reasons for this change of style. In the three years since she’s been away, Dido lost her father, which I’m guessing massively added to the darker, more depressive mood of the new material. It also probably explains the title.

I’m not heartless, and personal life is bound to impact on a musician’s professional life, but I like the Dido of old, and I want her back. I don’t want to listen to an album on an evening and by the end of it be considering ending it all. I personally don’t want to go out with a rope around my neck and Dido playing on the stereo.

I’m sure some people will love the new direction Dido seems to have gone in, but it’s not my cup of tea. So I ask again, whatever happened to Dido? She’s gone from being a guaranteed sell-out to a guaranteed suicide-instigator. That’s not good.

[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]

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I’m personally hoping it’s the latter and that the Coldplay singer is having us all on. Maybe he got his dates mixed up and thought it was April. 1.

Coldplay are one of my favorite bands in the world, not just of now but of all time. Each album they have produced is different than the others, but all are almost perfect in their execution.

So the idea of a split leaves me with mouth agape and hands up in the air.

As reported by Roberta at Rumors In Music, Chris Martin told Bang Showbiz:

“I’m 31 now and I don’t think bands should keep going past 33. So we’re trying to pack in as much as possible. Up until the end of next year, we’ll just go for it in every sense. I don’t believe in time off.

“We’ve still got our own hair, we can still fit into our musical trousers and we’ve got to make the most of that.”

The bizarreness of the statement leads me to think this will prove to be untrue, or at least Martin speaking before he’s truly thought about what he was going to say. I mean, 31 is no age, especially for musicians who can go on in to their seventies.

If Chris Martin was a professional sportsman I could understand it but bands such as AC/DC and Rolling Stones prove that age is no barrier to recording new material or performing it live. But there is the possibility that Martin wants Coldplay to go out at the top of their game, which is where they seem to be right now.

The band do seem to be putting out a wealth of material at the moment, with an EP due soon, and a new album expected in 2009, less than a year after Viva La Vida. A greatest hits album could then be released towards the end of the decade and put a period to Coldplay’s career.

[Photo Source: ilkerender at Flickr]

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Unfortunately, due to falling viewer figures and the emergence of the Web, YouTube, 24 hour music television, and mp3 players, the Beeb decided to cancel the show, and nothing has yet filled the void it left behind when it departed.

That’s because despite all the things I mentioned in the last paragraph, none of them constitute a mainstream programme catering to the masses. Listening to music on the Internet, or watching videos on YouTube is a solitary affair, as are mp3 players. And while 24 hour music television stations are a definite boon, they’re all cable channels not available to the majority of us.

So maybe the BBC should bring Top Of The Pops back. The Ting Tings certainly think so, and pleaded for its return in October. Then The Sun newspaper started a campaign to bring the show back, and it was backed by the government’s culture secretary, Andy Burnham.

Simon Cowell then added his considerable weight (okay, old man paunch) to proceedings, and offered to buy the format from the BBC to do a one-off Christmas special on ITV. The BBC clearly didn’t accept his offer and it looks like there won’t be a TOTP Christmas Day Special this year.

However, thanks to the campaigning and celebrity backing of the show, with even Noel Gallagher of Oasis stating it should come back, the BBC seems to be in the process of doing a u-turn, and The Times claims Top Of The Pops is on its way back to our screens, possibly as early as 2009.

Mark Cooper, head of music entertainment for BBC TV is said to be keen to “have a weekly music show on the BBC”. And music executives are said to be increasingly confident that the show will make a return in some form, although changes will be made.

“There is only one chance for a comeback, and the programme will fail again if it returns exactly as before. It needs to be more populist and have exclusive content, new songs, that can be put up on YouTube and shared around the Internet.”

Further changes could see songs features ahead of release, the return of miming, which will allow (untalented) pop groups to appear on the show once again, and the end of the three minute rule which meant no act could play for more than three minutes.

Top Of The Pops was originally canned because of low ratings, and so the return is likely to be classified as a public service broadcast, meaning ratings aren’t really of the utmost importance. But I don’t even think that’s necessary because if the BBC get it right, the show could be huge once again.

Top Of The Pops should be brought back because there is an obvious need for a mainstream music show in the UK. But the chances are I’ll stick to MTV, the Internet, and radio anyway purely because that’s what I’m now used to.

What do you think - should TOTP be brought back? What changes should be made to the format? Air your thoughts in the comments section.

[Photo Source: timcowlishaw at Flickr]

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There was I thinking Keane were one of the most loved British bands of the moment, but it seems, at least according to the readers of Brit Music Scene, that is far from the case. In fact, most people who answered the recent poll about the band though the band sucked.

To celebrate the release of Keane’s third studio album, Perfect Symmetry, I asked my readers “What is your favorite Keane album so far? The results are as follows:-

None, Keane suck - 30 votes
Hopes and Fears - 22 votes
Under The Iron Sea - 11 votes
Perfect Symmetry - 9 votes

So, it seems as though the majority of Brit Music Scene readers (all 72 of them obviously) think Keane suck big time. Of the people who like them, most unsurprisingly picked Hopes and Fears as their favorite album. Perfect Symmetry ended up coming in last place.

By the looks of it, Keane are getting worse as time goes by, with each subsequent album rated worse than the last. That’s got to be a bit of a worry for Tom Chaplin and the boys.

[Photo Source: Amazon.co.uk]

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