The 2nd Funniest Joke in the World

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Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were going camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes woke Watson up and said: "Watson, look up at the stars and tell me, what do you see?" Watson replied: "I see millions and millions of stars." Holmes said: "And what do you deduce from that?" Watson replied: "Well, if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it's quite likely there are some planets like earth out there. And if there are a few planets like earth out there, there might also be life." And Holmes said: "Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent."

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Stacey Soloman X Factor Article in her local paper

AN ESSEX beauty stunned the judges of ITV's X Factor with her voice which "didn't falter" in a standout audition in the first sitting of the returning reality talent show on Saturday.

Brunette Stacey Solomon, 19, who is studying for a National Diploma in Performing Arts (Musical Theatre) at Havering College of Further and Higher Education, in Ardleigh Green, was one of the first gems to shine on the new-style arena audition stage in the sixth series of the talent show.

The modest single mum-of-one won over the judges with her stereotypical Essex charm and accent the moment she arrived on London's O2 stage for her audition.

She told the judges her mum, who she lives with in Western Avenue, Dagenham, along with her 17month-old son Zachary, "sometimes" told her she was a good singer and nervously laughed as she accidentally slipped up answering a question about whether she had friends supporting her on the day - "No, I mean yeah I have," she said.

But the odd roll-of-the-eyes from bigwig Simon Cowell and laughs from the audience soon stopped when Stacey started singing.

Her heartfelt rendition of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World received an arena-full of cheer and applause - including from Simon - and a resounding four yes's from all the judges putting her through to the next stage of the competition.

Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole said: "I don't know why I had a pre conceived idea but I didn't think it would be that good ...thank you."

Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue both agreed.

Dannii said: "It was a real surprise, so cute, your personality and voice and you didn't falter."

Simon said: "I'm rarely surprised but I have to be completely honest with you that performance took me by surprise. I think you are really really good."

Stacey, whose father David and step mother Karen, live in Burnway, Hornchurch, has since been tipped by pundits as a potential winner of the show.

Romford Recorder

Michael Jackson's Death Homicide

After weeks of leaks and speculation, the conclusion of the Los Angeles chief medical examiner was announced on Monday by law enforcement officials.

Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, has already admitted administering the drug propofol to the "King of Pop".

Court documents showed that Jackson consumed a cocktail of drugs in the hours before he died, the Los Angeles Times reported. According to a newly unsealed affidavit accompanying a search warrant used in the investigation of Jackson's death, Dr Murray told detectives he gave the "King of Pop" propofol to treat insomnia.

Jackson suffered cardiac arrest and died on June 25 aged 50. Since then, police have investigated his death with a focus on prescription drugs and the role of doctors who treated him, including Dr Murray.

An autopsy report in to Jackons' death remains sealed while police complete their investigation into the role prescription drugs may have played in his death and the actions of his doctors.

According to court records, Dr Murray told detectives he had been giving Jackson 50 mg of propofol every night for six weeks using an intravenous drip.

Dr Murray told detectives he feared Jackson was forming an addiction and began trying to wean the pop star off the drugs. He lowered the dosage to 25 mg and mixed it with two other sedatives, lorazepam and midazolam. On June 23, two days before Jackson's death, he administered those two medications and withheld the propofol.

On the morning Jackson died, Dr Murray said, he tried to induce sleep without using propofol, according to the affidavit. He said he gave Jackson valium at 1.30 a.m. When that did not work, he said, he injected lorazepam intravenously at 2 am.

At 3 am, when Jackson was still awake, Murray administered yet another drug, midazolam.

Over the next few hours, Murray said he gave Jackson various drugs. Then at 10:40 am Murray administered 25 mg of propofol after Jackson repeatedly demanded the drug, according to the court records, the Los Angeles Timesreported.

At least two doctors gave Jackson propofol in Germany. Dr Murray said Jackson had declined to tell him about what treatment he had received from other doctors.

He said he had seen injection marks on Jackson's feet and hands. When he asked Jackson about them, the pop star told him he had been given a "cocktail" to help him. In addition to Dr Murray, authorities subpoenaed medical records from several other American doctors.

Dr Murray has already acknowledged obtaining and administering propofol to Jackson the morning that he died. Dr Murray told police he left Jackson alone under the influence of the medication to make telephone calls to his office and family.

He returned to find Jackson was not breathing and performed CPR.

Jackson was declared dead in hospital.

Telegraph 2009

Michael Jackson’s death is being treated as a homicide by the Los Angeles County Coroner, it has emerged tonight.

A law enforcement official in Los Angeles confirmed this evening that a ruling from the coroner’s office has deemed Jackson’s death to be a homicide.

An investigation is ongoing to determine whether anyone is to blame for Jackson’s death and to what extent, although homicide is not necessarily equivalent to murder and can include manslaughter.

In an affidavit unsealed today in Houston, it was also revealed that Jackson had lethal levels of the powerful anaesthetic drug propofol in his body when he died on June 25 and had been taking a “cocktail” of sedatives.

The court documents also revealed that Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, told detectives that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks. Court records showed that Dr Murray had been giving Jackson 50mg of propofol intravenously every night.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office has not confirmed the reports.

Propofol is a powerful sedative drug usually used as an anaesthetic during surgery and also by dentists and veterinary surgeons.

Though the results of Jackson’s autopsy have not yet been unsealed, Dr Murray told police that he had feared that Jackson was developing an addiction to propofol. He said that he had been trying to wean the singer off the drug by lowering the dosage to 25mg and mixing it with other drugs.

On the night of the popstar’s death, Dr Murray said that he had tried to get Jackson to sleep without using propofol and had instead administered valium at 1.30am and then lorazepam at 2am.

When the singer was still awake at 3am, Dr Murray gave him midazolam, another sedative. Dr Murray said that Jackson was demanding propofol, which he then administered at 10.40am.

Although Dr Murray admitted prescribing propofol, the Los Angeles Times today reported that the LA authorities had found no record of Mr Murray purchasing or ordering the drug under his medical license or official tracking number.

In the affadavit, Dr Murray also explains that propofol had been administered to the singer by a number of other doctors, in Las Vegas, Germany, and in his cosmetologist’s office. Jackson reportedly admitted to Dr Murray that he had been given a “cocktail” to help him.

On the day of Jackson’s death, Dr Murray said he had left Jackson to make phone calls to his Houston office and returned to find the singer was not breathing. He perfomed CPR while Jackson’s staff called the emergency services. Jackson was pronounced dead at the UCLA Medical Centre later that day.

An investigation is ongoing to ascertain whether Dr Murray’s actions in administering propofol to Jackson amount to negligence, which could lead to an involuntary manslaughter charge.

However, although Dr Murray has been interviewed twice by police, he has not been named as an official suspect

The Times 2009

X Factor 2008 Winner Alexandra Burke's new single premiers tomorrow morning

Alexandra Burke's new single is to premiere on the Radio 1 breakfast show tomorrow morning.

The X Factor star will join Chris Moyles in the studio for the first play of 'Bad Boys', her first single since her chart-topping cover of 'Hallelujah'.

'Bad Boys' has been produced by The Phantom Boyz and features an appearance from US rapper Flo Rida.

According to Popjustice, it is due for release on October 12, with Burke's debut album to follow on October 26.

X factor Danyl has already won a National Singing Competition

No wonder X Factor favourite Danyl Johnson blew the judges away in Saturday night's auditions - he's had plenty of practice.

The 27-year-old singer wowed the audience with his version of The Beatles' hit, A Little Help from My Friends. But as these photos show, the Reading sensation has already starred in three bands and even won a national karaoke competition.

Danyl, a graduate of Reading stage summer-school Starmaker, has long held dreams of becoming a singer. When his first boyband, Upfrunt, broke up the teacher joined his second, Streetlevel, with Dean Brindley, Adam Harris and Steven Blackie.

Former bandmate Dean told the Mirror yesterday: "We had an amazing time. Dan's goodlooking and will do wel

Dad of X Factor fave Danyl Johnson flogs his story already

Poor Danyl hasn't talked to his pops for more than a year and on this evidence, we can see

why.

Danyl hasn't even had chance to land the judges with a sob story yet - and now his dad's

got in first anyway.

Owen McCubbin says that Danyl had a baby sister who died 23 years ago. He said: “There

was a baby girl that died. It was a cot death and was very upsetting for the whole family.”

What that has to do with the price of fish is anyone's guess.

Anyway, Owen has been blubbing: "I have not seen Danyl for over a year and it breaks my heart...I want my son back.

We had a silly rift but I want him to call me."

We do hope that's not pound signs we can see in dear daddy's eyes....

Meanwhile, the bookies have got Danyl as the shortest-priced X Factor favourite in the

show's history and he's already 2/1 to win it.

A spokesman at William Hill told us: "We have been hammered for Danyl today with an

unprecedented £10,000 wagered on him already, despite the fact that we have seen only a

fraction of potential contestants."

Knowing Simon Cowell, we're sure he's got a few more aces up his sleeve yet when it

comes to contestants.

We'll certainly be tuning in next week to find out at any rate...

Daily Mirror 2009

X Factor Louis Lets Rip

For some, Louis Walsh and his boy bands have dragged modern culture along a ruinous path to near-oblivion which we would never have trodden of our own accord. For others, having to listen to a loop of Westlife songs would have them begging for mercy ...

Personally, I find Louis Walsh the most entertaining and crushingly honest man in the music industry, period. He has a tongue on him like a fishwife with a bad hangover — and he hasn't been afraid over the years to give out his often-cruel opinions on Robbie Williams, Sinead O'Connor and Ronan Keating — but as Lyndon B Johnson once said: “Better to have him inside the tent p*ssing out, than outside p*ssing in.”

Sitting demurely in the window of a bar in Dublin, on a Wednesday evening, Louis is every inch the Mayo lad done good. Make that very good: the pop mogul just stepped out of a top-of-the-range Maserati two minutes earlier. He is wearing white Prada runners and a white shirt by the same designer. “Prada is the only label I know,” he laughs. He swears he hasn't had any work done and his hair is all his own.

He says Simon Cowell, his fellow judge on X Factor, rang him in the early hours from Los Angeles. Typically, Louis was still up — the downside is that Louis doesn't function until at least noon.

“I don't,” he smiles through Daz-white teeth, “do mornings, darling”.

His mind flits from mortality to pop immortality to his favourite film, Sunset Boulevard. “Norma is deluded that she is still a star,” he says of ageing actress Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson. “The pop world is full of such deluded stars who don't realise their moment is gone.”

He is dismissive of his former star Samantha Mumba; saying she should never have moved to Los Angeles. “She lost her Irishness,” he believes. “And she is going to struggle to come back, and it is a pity, if you want to know the truth, because girls are 10 a penny in LA.”

As for his other one-time charges Girls Aloud, he admits they were “high maintenance. Five girls are high maintenance. They were very needy. Cheryl kind of understands me now,” he says of Cheryl Cole, a fellow judge on X Factor. “But there wasn't the honesty that I had with Boyzone or Westlife, because I didn't really know them.”

Louis holidays in Miami, where he has a home, three times a year. He has a home on Dublin's south side and another in London, to where he spends a large chunk of time commuting. He had lunch yesterday in Mayfair with Elton John's former manager, John Reid. Louis is also friends with U2 manager Paul McGuinness. He has a huge understanding of the nature of the industry he is in. Asked what upsets him about life, and Louis laughs: “I hate people who are disloyal. I absolutely hate disloyalty and fakeness.

“I know I am in the wrong industry for loyalty. Most people in the business are totally fake. The record companies use and abuse everybody. We think they are friends, but once things go downhill suddenly they will be in a meeting.”

His life has been changed dramatically by X Factor, more so than by his hugely successful management of his bands. People do double-takes as they walk pass the window of the restaurant and see who is sitting there. He sometimes waves, out of camp boldness. He seems to cope with it well, though. He does this with a level of genuine self-deprecation. When I ask him what is it like to be a Mayo boy who is suddenly well-known across the UK, he immediately jumps in. “I am really well known in Britain. I can't go anywhere in Britain without being recognised. And I am much more respected in London than I am in the Village of the Damned,” he laughs in reference to Dublin. “And it is the Village of the Damned. I am only back 24 hours and everybody is talking about a recession. Recession! Recession! Recession!” he roars.

“When I came to Dublin first, I had no money, and we were happier people. Everyone is obsessed with this recession now. It's not the end of the world,” the multimillionaire in the Maserati says. “They've got their health. My mother always told me when I was growing up that your health is your wealth. And she was right.”

Nobody talks about the economic downturn

in London, he says. All the cab drivers talk to him about one thing, and that's X Factor. “They always want to know is Cheryl Cole as beautiful in real life and what's Simon Cowell like.”

What's Louis Walsh like? He is extremely shy sometimes, other times he can be arrogant and slightly rude, but most times, is witty and polite and interested in hearing the truth, however unvarnished. That's why he has survived in his business while others have come and gone. Louis Walsh is certainly not the egomaniac that, for instance, Bono is often painted as. Ask him how big his ego is and Louis will roll his eyes. “Everybody has ego,” he says eventually. “But I am easy to manage. I am the easiest to manage of the four judges on X Factor. I am. I'm always there on time. I don't need hair and make-up like the rest of them.”

He believes he has kept his life real and not turned into a horrible reality TV show whore by coming back to Ireland regularly. “Yes, that's true — by living in the Village of the Damned,” he laughs as he orders another frothy cappuccino. “I have been coming here for 25 years. I used to come here with Johnny Logan in the Eighties. He used to pay me my commission here. I just wanted to work in music then and I still do. It wasn't about the money. I am lucky. I know I'm lucky. I'm lucky I'm still getting away with it. I'm doing a job I love. I'm getting out of Dublin whenever I like. I'm getting overpaid and life is good. When I came to Dublin first, I didn't have an arse in my trousers.”

Louis remembers fondly the years when he worked for agent Tommy Hayden when he came to Dublin from Mayo in the late Seventies. He used to send and pick up Red Hurley's suits from the dry cleaners. He used to bring out the records to RTE for the DJs to play. He did the fan mail. Anything. Everything. “I was the gofer. I was a general dogsbody.”

Do you almost miss the innocence of those times?

“Oh yeah,” he smiles, “because it was a much better time in Ireland. Everybody is a wannabe now ...” He stops in mid-sentence. “Look! Look at that woman! Look at her, she thinks she is in LA. A blonde woman in dark glasses driving an open-top car Merc! She thinks she is in Beverly Hills. Every second person who walks by this f***ing window is a wannabe.”

But you are a man from Mayo in his 50s in white Prada runners and a Prada top!

“That's because I am on a big TV show in the UK!” he retorts. “I'm a small part of a big show and I know it.”

His father, Frank, died 12 years ago, he says, “before I became famous. He so loved Boyzone”. He recalls when his father died. It was, he says, too real for him. “It definitely affected me a lot more than I thought for a long time. I knew he was in bad health.”

Death is, he says, something he blocks out of his mind. “I don't like the idea of death. I don't want to die. I want to live as long as I can. It is too real for me.” He adds that he has never felt the presence of God. He doesn't consider the existence of a higher power — unless it is at the top of the pop charts. “I'm just cynical about the whole Church and Pope wearing that big dress. A German in a dress? I don't think all those heavy clothes suit him. I don't believe in God. I was an altar boy. It was the done thing. I just don't get it, but it is obviously big business, religion.”

It is not, however, Louis Walsh's business. “I'm in showbusiness.” He talks excitedly about the new Boyzone album out next year on Mother's Day and his new girlband. “I don't know any other life,” he says. He says the lowest point in his life was probably three years ago when he got the sack — albeit briefly — from X Factor. “I know that sounds awful.”

You probably had five million in the bank at that stage.

“Oh, five million is nothing any more,” he laughs. “But it wasn't the money. I have enough money. I am low-maintenance so I don't need it. I only have myself to look after. I am happy with my life and as long as you have known me I have been that way.” That is true.

Louis says his parents taught him to appreciate things in life, because if you can't do that, you are lost. “I was brought up pretty well by them and I think that kind of stood to me. But I never wanted to be normal. I don't like normality if you want to know the truth. I am always attracted to people who are slightly, slightly mad.”

Is that how you would describe yourself — slightly mad?

“Slightly eccentric. I wouldn't want to be normal. I couldn't do a nine-to-five job and live in an house in the suburbs. I just couldn't do that. And music was always my escape from that. It was my escape from everyday life. I don't like everyday life.”

What Louis Walsh likes is real conversation. You stand a good chance of getting on with him if you slag him off a bit at the beginning. He doesn't like sycophants. He “prefers real people”. He says it is very hard to meet real people in his business — the music business. This makes him distrusting of certain people. “But I think I'm healthily cynical and that helps.”

If you were an outsider with that level of cynicism looking at Louis Walsh, what would you say about him?

“Nobody knows the real me,” he grins. “Very few people. A handful maybe. Most people think; ‘Who is that little f***er? Why doesn't he go away?'“

But he is not going away any time soon. His personality (he has bouts of embarrassed shyness) doesn't seem suited to television. Yet he was offered his first show, Pop Stars: The Rivals, seven years ago by ITV. “I didn't want to do that show but they offered me a lot of money. It was never in my plan. I didn't want to be on TV.”

As his hero Van Morrison sang, it's too late to stop now.

Belfast Post 2009

Who's your favorite so far?

I'm really looking forward to seeing how Stacey Soloman and Danyl Johnson get on at bootcamp. My favorite so far has to be Stacey though. Please leave a comment and let me know who you're supporting. It's a long journey!!!

X Factor Behind the New Format

The new series of The X Factor, which starts on ITV1 tonight, will be different from usual. Well, not completely different. As ever, somewhere near half of the female contestants will bellow an Alicia Keys ballad at glass-shattering volume; we’ll hear tearful stories of the aspiring singers’ “journeys”, usually involving ill parents or drug addictions; and the head judge Simon Cowell will dismiss a contestant with the phrase “A little bit wine bar” or “You’d be great for a West End show.”

The difference is that the pop music talent contest’s auditions will, for the first time, take place in front of a studio audience, like the auditions on Britain’s Got Talent. In the past, the singers auditioned in front of the judges alone.

Announcing the change, Cowell said it would help the contestants because the audience would “support” them. Anyone who’s watched Britain’s Got Talent will find this unlikely, bearing in mind how many contestants on that show are booed and heckled. Still, the singers will have more chances than ever to impress the judges: at auditions they’re now allowed to sing as many as three songs, and, if they wish, can perform to a backing track.

So on 30 June, I went to the recording of one of the auditions (to write about it, I should probably add, rather than sing). It was held at the ICC in Birmingham, in a studio with 2,000 seats. Even though it was a drizzly Tuesday afternoon, almost all were filled. The studio was stuffily hot, the auditions were scheduled to last around four hours, and the audience had queued in the wet for over an hour to get in. Not the ideal conditions for encouraging a supportive mood.

As it turned out, however, the audience wasn’t given much choice about how to behave. “You’re not allowed to boo off any of the acts,” barked the programme’s “warm-up man”. “This is not Britain’s Got Talent – we respect the acts. If you don’t like them, stay silent.”

A 2,000-strong mob, you might think, would be unlikely to take orders from a middle-aged comedian with a beer gut spilling over his belt. Curiously, though, it did. Indeed, instead of booing the bad acts, everyone cheered them, and waved their arms in mock-rapture. If anything, they cheered more loudly for the bad acts than for the good.

A terrifyingly off-key singer who said he wanted to convert viewers to Christ because “I think he’s an awesome guy”; a Mongolian called Eric who yelped a jazz reworking of Kylie Minogue’s Better the Devil You Know; a middle-aged woman who dedicated Simply the Best to Louis Walsh and declared, “I just wanna be taken serious”… were all received as if they were Pavarotti risen from the grave.

The audience was kind to the judges, too. Before recording began, each of the four (Cowell, Walsh, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole) was introduced to us in turn; Cole, the most popular, was greeted by the type of squealing hysteria formerly reserved for boy bands. As she tottered to her seat, a teenage boy asked her for a kiss on the cheek. She obliged. He punched the air as if he’d scored in a cup final.

The audience even had the good manners not to groan at the inane questions the panel asked the contestants. From Cole, for example: “What’s your ambition for this, do you wanna be famous?” The contestant admirably resisted the temptation to reply, “Well, Cheryl, my ambition is to be a fork-lift truck driver and the very idea of fame appals me.”

But, although the audience was more generous than those on Britain’s Got Talent, it created the odd difficulty for the acts. Two bars into one male singer’s a cappella rendition of Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers, the audience started clapping along – hopelessly out of time. Despite the distraction, he reached the song’s end. The judges, unimpressed by his voice, asked him to try a different song. He launched into it – only to find that he was again battling to keep time amid arrhythmic clapping.

Loss of nerve was a problem too. Several of the rejected contestants mumbled that they’d under-performed because they “hadn’t sung in front of an audience like this before”.

On the whole, though, Cowell’s revamp seemed to pay off. The constant cheering (even if it was prescribed) made the judging process feel far less cold and forbidding than usual; now, at least, the hopefuls are having their dreams dashed in a friendly atmosphere.

In the end, the studio audience jeered at only one person. And he wasn’t a contestant.

During a break in the auditions, a man sucking a pink lollipop emerged from a door at the side of studio. It was Cole’s husband Ashley, the Chelsea full-back. He’d sauntered about half way to his seat when the audience realised who he was – and, like the fans of Arsenal, Tottenham and so many other rival clubs, began to boo.

Telegraph 2009

Danyl Johnson X Factor

X Factor favourite Danyl Johnson has revealed he not only fancies Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole... but also has the hots for Simon Cowell.

The 27-year-old dance and drama teacher gave the two girl judges a cheeky wink during his mind-blowing performance in last night’s live show.

But he said he’s a “free spirit” who dates women AND men, admitting that he thinks all the judges are good-looking...even Louis Walsh.

He said: “I don’t like to conform or be put into one box or another and if I’m honest all the judges are good-looking. If I like someone’s personality it doesn’t really matter what they look like or what sex they are.

“Dannii and Cheryl are both beautiful and I’m a bit cheeky, so I played up to them a bit during the performance to get them on my side.

“I suppose if I had to choose, I’d prefer Dannii because she’s got a great personality. I reckon you could have a good night out with her – she’d be up for dancing and a laugh. I would love to have her as my mentor so I could get to know her a bit better.”

Bisexual Danyl’s stunning rendition of Joe Cocker’s version of With A Little Help From My Friends wowed an estimated 10million viewers last night – making him an early favourite to win the show.

Simon, 49, described it as the best audition he’d ever seen. He added: “I think he could be one of the best contestants we have ever had.”

Louis, 57, was equally impressed, saying: “The kids at your school will be very proud. Thank God you came in.” And Cheryl told him: “You’re a natural performer. I’d take you in my category any day.”

Amazingly, Danyl didn’t even plan his show-stopping audition in front of 2,000 screaming fans at London’s O2 arena. He said: “I just couldn’t believe the reaction I got from the judges. I didn’t know whether they were going to let me do that song, it could have been one of three.

“I decided to jump around a bit and got carried away because the audience got carried away, I was just feeding off them. I’m glad they liked me because if they hadn’t it would have been horrible.”

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After Simon’s glowing comments, Danyl, of Reading, Berks, seems a shoe-in for the finals. But he said he refuses to take anything for granted.

He has already made out all his timetables for the new term, assuming he will be going back to work after the summer holidays. Danyl said: “Of course, I believe I can win the show, but I just want to take it one stage at a time and not get ahead of myself.”

He is currently single, describing himself as “a rubbish boyfriend”, and is determined not to let anything distract him from the competition... including love.

“I haven’t been in a relationship for about a year, but if I was I’m sure the pressure of all this would be enough to end it because it’s so daunting,” he said. “I have to concentrate 100 per cent on this, especially after what Simon said.

“I’m 27 so it’s not like this is my last chance, but at the same time it’s pretty close to it. I don’t want anything to get in the way and there is plenty of time to meet the person of my dreams.

“If I’m being honest I’m a pretty rubbish boyfriend anyway. What with teaching and playing gigs, I’m so busy.”

He didn’t tell anyone he had gone for an X Factor audition – but had to let his mum know after thieves broke into his car while he was singing and he was forced to ring her for a lift home from London.

He said: “I’d parked in South London and got the Tube up to the auditions. I was up there for about 14 hours and when I got back to the car someone had smashed the window and stolen my sat nav. They had also flicked the headlights on and the battery had run flat.”

Danyl has appeared in two boy bands during his teenage years and currently sings with a friend who plays guitar.

He said: “We play in a lot of pubs and bars on open mic nights and things like that. You usually get to play only two songs and then go home. We’ve gone as far as Liverpool to play just two songs.”

Daily Mirror 2009

Stacey Soloman X Factor

When Stacey Solomon introduced herself in her piercing Essex tones, you could have been forgiven for thinking it would be a ‘No’ from the X Factor judges.

But as with her talent show predecessor Susan Boyle, the 19-year-old Stacey Solomon Dagenham single mother, proved first impressions can make for entertaining television.

Stacey’s soulful rendition of Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World brought cheers from the audience, and – perhaps predictably – reduced Dannii Minogue to tears. Even the smug Simon Cowell was initially stunned into silence

Dannii Urges Robbie to get in Shape

Dannii Minogue urges Robbie Williams to lose weight and get in shape before making an appearance on The X Factor later this year where he’ll perform his brand new single.

The Aussie judge explained that Robbie would be great “if he gets himself in shape first!”.

“He is such a showman, he never fails to deliver. I think he’ll come right out to the audience and the judges like Beyonce did last year, and put on a really geat performance.”

Williams is expected to be many of the huge stars that Simon has lined up for the new results shows which will air on Sunday’s. He will perform his new single ‘Bodies’ which is from his new album ‘Reality Killed The Video Star’ which will be released in the autumn.

Dannii also admitted that some of her friends were begging her for tickets to the Madonna night if she agrees to perform. Other rumoured stars include Whitney Houston, Rihanna and Lady GaGa.

Robbie Williams to Be Mentor on X Factor

LONDON - English singer songwriter Robbie Williams is set to mentor the finalists in this year’s ‘X Factor’.

Williams, 35, will also be performing songs from his long-awaited album ‘Reality Killed The Video Star’, when the ITV show reaches the live stages of the contest in October.

Show supremo Simon Cowell, 49, has also decided to theme one of the week’s as Robbie Williams Hits Week, and contestants will have to perform the star’s best songs, including ‘Angels’, ‘She’s The One’ and ‘Let Me Entertain You’.

Williams will meet the acts during rehearsals, and give them tips on their performances as they prepare for the big Saturday night show.

“This is a massive coup to get Robbie. We’ve had some great acts in the past like Westlife, Beyoncé and Britney come on the show,” the Daily Star quoted a senior insider as saying.

“But Robbie will be a big ratings puller for us this year,” the insider said. (ANI)

Entertainment Daily 2009

Singer Robbie Williams is reportedly going to be a mentor to this year's contestants on The X Factor.

The 35-year-old singer is making his comeback next month with his single Bodies and his much-anticipated album Reality Killed The Video Star coming out in October.

It is claimed he will appear on the ITV show when it reaches its final stages later on in the year.

A source said: "This is a massive coup to get Robbie.

"We've had some great acts in the past like Westlife, Beyonce and Britney come on the show. But Robbie will be a big ratings puller for us this year."

Robbie Williams to be mentor on The X Factor

It is well known that Robbie is a fan of the British talent show and admitted he dials up and votes for the contestants.

Max Clifford Defends X Factor

Max Clifford has spoken out to defend Simon Cowell and The X Factor against accusations that the talent show "exploits" its contestants, says a report.

Cowell's spokesman told Metro that he rejected criticism from performers' union Equity which claimed that the programme was guilty of "cheap exploitation".

The union also called for a change to the contracts given to contestants on Cowell's talent shows, so that they will be paid for performing in the latter stages of the TV shows.

A motion to be tabled at this month's Trades Union Congress meeting is to argue that those taking part are forced to enter "restrictive contracts" because of a "loophole" in legislation relating to competitions.

It reads: "These programmes may be very popular with the public but are based on exploitation and humiliation of vulnerable people, which cannot be acceptable.

"The public's demand for high-quality entertainment should be met by professional drama and light entertainment which has been replaced by this cheap exploitation."

However, Clifford claimed that all the contestants were aware of what they are entering into.

He said: "These are people desperate to be famous.

"You don't go into this with your eyes closed. It gives them the most incredible launch and then it's up to them.

"Most of the people I've spoken to - ordinary viewers - can't wait for it to come back."

He added: "We'll just have to see the acts that are on this year - the good the bad and the ugly."

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X Factor 2009 Update! What to Expect this year

At last, it's here. Tonight at 7pm, the X Factor returns to ITV1 for its sixth season. The judges are the same - Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh - and they will be putting contestants through their paces between now and December, when the winner will receive a £1million recording contract, and be a racing certainty for the Christmas No 1 slot. But, in series six, what is there to draw us in? ALISON BOSHOFF presents an indispensable guide to all the things you didn't know about the X Factor.

Clash of the titans: This year will see Louis and Dannii gang up to take on rivals Cheryl and Simon

American timing

Because of Simon's commitments to filming American Idol and his transatlantic lifestyle, the X Factor exists in a time zone of its own. Filming starts at noon and wraps around midnight - at least until the live shows start - because he finds it less tiring that way.

The catering

The official meal break on set is at 5.30pm. The judges have their own spread laid out - with everything from sushi and fresh vegetables to sandwiches and pasta.

It has also been known for a KFC bucket to be presented - and apparently it's the first thing eaten. Simon and Cheryl also like to snack between times on chocolate bars. No treats for Dannii, though - she eats no meat, wheat or dairy.

The teeth

Louis has joined the brilliant white brigade this year and had his teeth whitened - by Simon Cowell's dentist, no less. He and Dannii don't have veneers; Simon and Cheryl do.

The fashion

Both Cheryl and Dannii enjoy the services of a stylist - paid for by programme makers Talkback - when the show goes live.

Before then, they pay out of their own pockets for any advice they receive. Cheryl relies on the eye of Victoria Adcock, who styled her for Girls Aloud. She puts her in ultra-feminine dresses.

Dannii uses her assistant, Tori King, and aims for edgier looks, often using Aussie designers Ralph & Russo and J'Aton.

She says: 'Sometimes I use stylists, sometimes I work with designers. If you liked what I wore, it was all me - if you didn't, it wasn't my idea.'

Hopefuls: Girl group High Voltage were also-rans last year

Hair and make-up

Simon Cowell is looked after by Julia Carter - she's the only woman he trusts with a powder puff. Julia attends to him between auditions, and all the judges get frequent touch-ups from their own make-up artists while on the judging podium.

She is not, though, allowed to touch Cowell's hair - he insists on blow-drying it himself at the studios. Which probably explains a lot.

Cheryl and Dannii used to share a hair and make-up artist, but that arrangement no longer holds due to the rivalry between the girls.

Lisa Laudat, who looked after Cheryl on the most recent Girls Aloud tour, does her hair and make-up for all the shows.

She is thought to be paid around £40,000. Their routines and requirements are very different: Dannii likes Tan Towels and no bronzer, Cheryl favours false eyelashes.

The rivalries

A straight two-and-two split now prevails - Simon and Cheryl are close, as are Louis and Dannii. Simon and Cheryl go on cigarette breaks together and whisper to each other constantly when the cameras are off.

The Girls Aloud singer is happy to defer to his opinion and seems swept away by his charisma. This leaves Louis and Dannii out in the cold, both struggling to hang on to their jobs.

Dannii came close to quitting last series because Simon was so dismissive of her, and because of her poisonous arguments with Louis.

But the story this year seems to be that Dannii and Louis have made up and are now best friends. Dannii says: 'We've cleared the deck. Louis was very sweet on the first day of work this year.

'He said: "I'm so sorry - please don't let me do that again." It's nice now to see the side of him everyone else knows.'

Glutton for punishment: Emma Chawner is also back for more

Meanwhile, Cheryl and Dannii have very little to do with each other. Although they say they get on fine, each believes the other may be spinning stories about a rivalry to the papers.

There also seems to be jealousy on Dannii's part about the attention paid to her younger rival - she's 37, Cheryl is 26.

Dannii, who says she isn't having Botox this year, is clearly pulling out all the stops to outshine Cheryl - she has had a radical haircut and ditched her more traditional style for something edgier.

Cheryl, aside from the plum rinse, is dressing in exactly the same way: very pretty, girlie and lots of bling.

What's not widely known is that the two of them share the same model agent, Jess Roberts.

Apparently, Dannii rang Jess to find out what to buy for Cheryl when invited to her birthday party earlier this year - and bought her a Dior ring.

Simon's Palace

No one need doubt who is the king of the show. Cowell has installed a £50,000 'chill out' room at the X Factor studios.

He has commandeered the top floor of Fountain Studios, in Wembley, and asked for a relaxation area plus plasma TVs and a sound system - the other judges make do with a dressing room suite each.

Simon also requires lots of mirrors. Louis says: 'He has mirrors everywhere, and he looks at himself, and he's making eyes at himself, and he's frowning at himself.'

Judges' houses

Tidy profit: Leona Lewis has already made £6m from Bleeding Love

Last year, Cowell took his group to his place in Barbados and Louis took his group back to his native Ireland.

This year, the programme makers have decreed that Ireland is simply too soggy and not quite showbiz enough, so the definition of a home is being stretched.

Louis will be packing his bags for a rented villa in Tuscany, Dannii is off to Dubai and Cheryl to Morocco.

Only Simon's crowd will go to a bona fide home - his new place in Los Angeles.

The new format

Simon is determined to make sure X Factor is a huge success again - he is terrified of audiences tiring of the formula.

To freshen things up, the auditions are now filmed in front of a live audience, as is boot camp. But the biggest change will be when the series reaches the live stage for the final 16 acts.

The Saturday night show will be followed by a new live results show on Sunday. This will net millions of pounds in extra revenue for ITV because it gives viewers longer to ring in and vote.

Boomerang contestants

Girl band High Voltage - Libby Smith, Kathleen Cooney, Ashley Jenkins and Bianca Redpath - were also-rans last year and surface again this year under the name Accent.

Word is that they make it at least as far as boot camp. Another familiar face is Daniel Pearce, from Popstars: The Rivals of 2002, singing with the band One True Voice.

OTV were launched in competition to Girls Aloud, but the band split after a year when Pearce left to pursue a solo career. Insiders say he got through auditions and boot camp, and is now in the mentoring stage of the contest.

At the initial auditions, now held in front of a live audience, he won four 'yes' votes from the judges for his rendition of Seal's 1994 hit Kiss From A Rose.

Cheryl gave him a standing ovation, saying: 'I always thought you were fantastic.'

The oddities

After her last audition ended in rejection and an expose about her jobless 83st family claiming £22,500 a year in benefits, 18st Emma Chawner is back, having formed a group with her 21st sister Samantha.

Miss Chawner was firmly rejected by Simon Cowell in 2007, who said: 'People who've won a rosette at a donkey derby don't go on to win the Grand National. You cannot sing.'

The sisters from Ramsbottom, Lancs, feature in tonight's show as Sister Act, singing Whole Again by Atomic Kitten.

Also watch out for David G from London, who performs in a chicken outfit and Karen, who comes dressed as a reindeer and sings Christmas songs.

The sob stories

Dannii was moved to tears by auditionee Scott James. Scott, 21, suffers from Asperger's.

The judges, though, are starting to tire of applauding acts who come on stage with a story. Louis says: 'There are sob stories every day of the auditions. For some reason, the public seem to like them.

'I don't always buy into them - it's a talent show. If they're coming to sing for their dead nan, or they've only got one lung, that's fine. But I'm judging them on their voice.

'I don't want to see anybody crying. It doesn't really work for me. No one's going to buy your record for that reason.'

The British Pussycat Dolls? Former lap-dancers Kandy Rain met while working at the Secrets strip clubs in London's Euston and Hammersmith

The strippers

Kandy Rain, who make their mark with a very professional audition and are said to get through to boot camp stage, met while working at the Secrets strip clubs in Euston and Hammersmith.

The story is that Azi Jegbefume, 25, Khatereh Dovani, 24, Chemmane Applewhaite, 27, and Coco Lloyd, 22, saved up their tips to pay for costumes and singing lessons.

A spokesman for the show says: 'The girls no longer work as lapdancers.'

Backroom boys and girls

What a lot there are - three executive producers, eight producer directors, three associate producers, a line producer, a series producer and pretty much every cameraman in the country. Because it's such a long show, and so complex in terms of locations, it is very labour intensive - and expensive - to make.

The money

The winner of the '£1 million contract' actually only gets a £150,000 advance and is then promised a modest percentage of earnings from future record sales and tours.

The £1million figure refers to the amount Syco, Cowell's record company, and parent company Sony BMG will spend on the artist including writers and producers, marketing and advertising.

The 2006 winner Leona Lewis has already made £6million with Bleeding Love, the best-selling single of the 21st century.

But previous winners Steve Brookstein and Leon Jackson, managed only a hit single and album, then faded away, and can count themselves lucky to have come away with £250,000 in total.

Jonathan Shalit, the impresario who launched Charlotte Church, said complaints over a lack of creative freedom were misplaced. 'Look, this is a karaoke show. Everyone knows the rules by now.'

Celebrity mentors

Whitney Houston, Rihanna and Shakira will be coaching hopefuls and performing as the show comes to a close. It is also possible that Robbie Williams will perform - and as is customary, Madonna has been asked, but she's yet to agree.

Did you know...

Stylists get through up to 30 cans of hairspray each day of filming. Bookies are offering odds of 8/1 that Cheryl will slap Simon.

Simon was wooing Michael Jackson to perform and be a celebrity mentor, before his death in June.

Presenter Holly Willoughby's baby Harry is backstage throughout the filming, looked after by his gran.

Commissioning executive John Kaye Cooper started out by devising Russ Abbott's Madhouse.

The show now has a Twitter page twitter.com/thexfactor, as well as a website.

How it unfolds

There will be six weeks of auditions, followed by boot camp. Then comes the judges' houses section and the live shows.

ITV won't confirm a date for the start of the live stages, but it looks likely to be Saturday, October 23. At that point the new Sunday night live shows will start.

ITV's Xtra Factor, hosted by Holly Willoughby, will run every Saturday after the X Factor, and every Sunday until the second week of December when the winner is crowned.

Fade away: Previous winners Leon Jackson (l) and Steve Brookstein managed only one hit single and album before being dropped

X FACTOR BY NUMBERS

1is the length of the waiting list for tickets to be in the audience for the X Factor's live shows.

1 and 2 the genuine names of a pair of identical twins from Scotland who entered this year's X Factor. And Leona Lewis's parents, Aural and Marie, were both called Lewis, before they married.

2 Baftas have been awarded to the X Factor. The show has also won four National Television Awards.

3 new tracks by 2006 winner Leona Lewis, including a possible single called Don't Let Me Down, have been stolen and leaked onto the internet by hackers who broke into the computer system of Simon Cowell's Syco record label.

4 X Factor winners in a row have had the Christmas No1 single, making this coveted honour so predictable that bookies now take bets on who will be No2.

5 judges have competed to produce the winning entry on X Factor: Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole. Of these, only Sharon Osbourne failed to come up with a series winner.

6 guest judges have also made brief appearances in various series: Paula Abdul, Brian Friedman, Kimberley Walsh, Emma Bunton, Shane Filan and Simon Cowell's old flame Sinitta. And 2005 winner Shayne Ward almost became the 6th member of Take That when Jason Orange threatened to quit in 2006: Orange, however, (very sensibly) changed his mind.

8 songs were picked by Simon Cowell for Desert Island Discs, in an episode broadcast at the start of X Factor Series Three in August 2006. They were Mack The Knife, This Guy's In Love With You, She, Unchained Melody, Danke Schoen, If You're Not The One, Summer Wind and Mr Bojangles.

8 of the 17 shows originally planned for 2007 winner Leon Jackson's UK tour this May had to be cancelled because of poor sales. Jackson has also been dropped by Sony Records, as was 2004 winner Steve Brookstein before him.

9 platinum awards have been given to 2006 winner Leona Lewis's debut album Spirit in the UK alone, representing sales close to 3million.

10 singles released by X Factor contestants have reached No1 in the UK charts, the most recent of which was Beat Again, by JLS, the runners-up in last year's series, which has so far sold around 250,000 copies.

16 is the new minimum age for X Factor entrants, after two years in which it was lowered to 14.

19 of the Christmas 2008 Top 20 singles, added together, sold fewer copies than X Factor winner Alexandra Burke's version of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallelujah.

94 episodes of X Factor have been broadcast, before tonight's show.

113 days between tonight's opening show and the likely (but as-yet-unconfirmed) date of the X Factor final: Sunday, December 13.

10,000 wannabe stars turned out for the first round of auditions at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium on April 18 this year.

50,000 people downloaded Leona Lewis's debut single A Moment Like This in the first 30 minutes of its release.

£100,000 is said to have been cut from Dermot O'Leary's pay for presenting X Factor by cash-strapped ITV. He will now earn a mere £900,000 for the series.

182,000 people auditioned for the 2008 series of the X Factor and more than 200,000 are believed to have applied this year in five cities over 13 days.

500,000-plus copies of Rhydian, the debut album by 2007 runner-up Rhydian Roberts, have been sold in the UK alone, making him the 4th most successful X Factor graduate, after Leona Lewis, G4 and Shayne Ward.

1m copies of Alexandra Burke's Hallelujah single were sold in December 2008 and January 2009, making her the first British female solo artist to sell a million copies of a single in the UK.

£21.7m Simon Cowell's tax bill last year, suggesting an income of at least £54m. His current ITV deal, which ends this year, has been worth £20m over the past three years, dwarfed by his staggering £60m-a-year deal on American Idol.

6m voted for Steve Brookstein in the first X Factor final in 2004, the highest vote for any winner.

13.5m watched Alexandra Burke win last year's final.

100m is the TV audience Simon Cowell hopes for with the projected Euro X Factor, featuring winners of all the individual European shows.

Daily Mail 2009