Britians Got Talent Final 2013

In what I thought was one of the best finals on Britain’s got Talent since I first started watching the programme, the Hungarian act Attraction won the show. Tipped by The Sun newspaper to win the show by a landside there final performance was a bit of a let down and they nearly lost out to the young talent that is comedian Jack Caroll.

The act that impressed me most was Steve Hewlett, the wild card for the final, who if it wasn't for the egg thrower would have, I felt, been third in tonight’s show, without the sympathy vote that must have went to Richard and Adam. In fact in terms audience reaction, and laughs ,he did far better that the runner up Jack Carroll. He had the audience in the palm of his hand and he was side splittingly funny. I just hope someone sees this and gives him the spotlight he deserves.

So below is the final voting for the final in this years show. What I find surprising was that Francine Lewis who won the forth semi final only just managed to avoid coming last, but may be that was more of a problem with that semi final with her fellow semi finalist coming just behind her in last place. Anyway here are the final voting percentages :

1. Attraction 27% (Semi Final 5 - 1st)
2. Jack Carroll 20.1% (Semi Final 2 - 1st)
3. Richard and Adam 15.4% (Semi Final 1 - 1st)
4. Steve Hewlett 14.7% (Wild Card - Semi Final 5 - 3rd)
5. Luminites 6.8% (Semi Final 3 - 1st)
6. Jordan O’Keefe 3.7% (Semi Final 5 - 2nd)
7. Gabz Gardiner 3.6% (Semi Final 3 - 2nd)
8. Arisxandra Libantino 2.9% (Semi Fianl 1 - 2nd)
9. Pre-Skool 2.8% (Semi Final 3 - 2nd)
10. Francine Lewis 2.0% (Semi Final 4 - 1st)
11. Asanda Jezile 1.2% (Semi Final 4 - 2nd)

Based on tonight’s show there are a number or people to watch for in the future, these include Jack Carrol, Steve Hewlett, The Luminites, Gabz Gardiner as well as the two young female singers who I’m sure we will be hearing of again. It was a wonderful show and long may it continue to show case the talnet that is out there waiting to be found.

Finally one last word for the winners, Attraction, don’t do what you did in the final for the Royal Command Performance, it was good but it was the biggest let down in the history of the show for me as a final performance what they had done up to that point. Do what you have do best and grab at those heart strings and pull and amaze us again.

Britian's Got Talent Returns

Well tonight saw the start of another year of the viewing ratings winner Britain’s got Talent, and a family favourite to boot, and what a show it was. It was certainly one of the best, if not the best, opening night to the show in an age.

 

There were so many great acts all packed into one show as well as the usual mix of funny but forgettable acts that contrast so beautifully with the acts that stand out as being special.
 

The two child acts that showed the young talent in the show came from a singer and a young comedian, who whatever happens seemed destined, if they so desire to have a future in their fields of entertainment. They were:

• Arisxandra Libantino - Singer - (Video Link)
• Jack Carroll - Comedian - (Video Link)

Then the two adult acts that stood out, these being a troop of 9 shadow dancers from Hungary and a female singer with the sexy and sultry voice who sang like a goddess. They were:

• Attraction - Shadow Dancers - (Video Lonk)
• Alice Fredenham - Singer - (Video Link)

I hope the rest of the show continues like this, for if that is dose we have something fun and exciting to take our minds off the appalling mess the country is in. We could all do with a bit of cheer in what seems a cheerless world for many if you read the news.

Britain's Got Talent - Voting Results

It is all over for another year and what a show it was this year. All the acts did themselves proud and many of them deserved to win, but in the end there could only be one winner.

For those of you that want to know the margins in the voting this year here are the full results from this years final:

 Ashleigh & Pudsey – 39.0% 

Jonathan & Charlotte – 25.8% 

Only Boys Aloud – 15.8% 

Loveable Rogues – 5.7% 

Ryan O’Shaughnessy – 4.8% 

Molly Rainford – 2.8% 

The Mend – 2.6% 

Nu Sxool – 1.2% 

Sam Kelly – 1.0% 

Aquabatique – 0.9% 

Kai & Natalia – 0.4%

If you want a full break down of the voting that includes the semi final votes you can find it here. And so that's all folks for this years Britain's Got Talent, well done to everyone that made it such a great show this year.

Britain's Got Talent - The Final

Tonight sees the final of Britain's Got Talent and I thought I would write down my thoughts about each act this year as well as comment on the final result of the show. A sort of live blog entry, written as the show progresses.

Hopefully if the Judges and the public got it right we should be in for a good show, and there is the mystery of the wild card, who has turned out deservedly to be the The Mend. So here goes with my real time thoughts of each act:

The Mend (Group) 

A good choice for the wild card, they seemed popular on Twitter when they were on the first time. Love the remix sound of music they produce. What is good about them is they sound like an established band, rather than a finalist of Britains Got Talent. It was an amazing start to the show.

Sam Kelly (Solo Artist)

Mr nice guy himself, he is so humble. He has an amazing original voice that is rather lovely to listen too. I'm glad he chose something that showed he had power in his voice as well as control. Amanda in the semi-finals wanted something with a bit more power in it and he sure delivered tonight. Lovely song choice tonight.

Nu Skool (Dance Group) 

A change from the singers, a dance act. Love the way they have the school look and I get this vision of what Waterloo Road the Musical would look like.They are very slick and visually stunning to watch. They are great dancers and little girl with the freckles is just cute. They have masses of energy.

Molly Rainford (Solo Singer) 

Back to the singers with the little person with a massive voice. She sounded just amazing tonight. So confident for someone so young in the final of a major show with an audience of millions. She did everything that was asked of her and more. What ever happens tonight this girl has a career in music waiting for her. 

Loveable Rouges (Group) 

The cheeky singers that met and started singing as a group at university. I loved their sound it is just amazing, They sort of remind me of Lily Allen in a way, but in the form of a male group. I there is a sense humour in their sings that just makes you feel good. Great song tonight and a great performance. They deserved all the cheers of the audience at the end. They are amazing. 

Kai & Nataila (Ballroom dancers) 

Something completely different, a pair of young ballroom dancers. What I love about this pair is that they do ballroom dancing without making it look like they are doing ballroom dancing. They even pick music you wouldn't expect to hear in any ballroom. Not perfect tonight but one of them was carrying an injury. You can see a lot of people young taking up ballroom dancing after seeing them on the show.

Aquabatique (synchronised swimmers) 

These seem a bit odd for a variety act, in that I don't know how they would get the tank on the stage in a theatre. That aside, it is amazing what they do especially given so much of it is underwater. Loved their choice music tonight, and I thought they upped their game. I still don't know how they manage to hold their breath for so long when they are doing things that physically must require a lot of oxygen. 

Rayn Shaughnessy (solo singer) 

What I love about this chap is he is not only a good singer he is also a good songwriter and he has a big heart. I love his voice and I loved his song tonight, it was just so so beautiful. It was the sort song that just brings a tear to your eyes. I can't praise his song writing ability high enough. He is one of the first acts of they night I think should win the show for his performance. It was so emotional. 

Only Boys Aloud (Male Voice Choir) 

Now for a change of music style and language and what ever happens tonight Wales will be proud of them. I love the way they start with the two solo artists before bring the whole choir in. It just builds the sound so magically.. The songs are so beautifully arranged as well as sung. What is more impressive is it doesn't matter they are singing in Welsh. I'm not a fan of this sort of music but what they do is very impressive.

Ashely and Pudsey (Dog Act)

Now for something a bit different, a dog act that Simon Cowell loves so much. Pudsey is an amazing dog and so well trained by his owner Ashely. Loved the music and the mission impossible theme of the act. What I think is really impressive is they have done a different routine for every show and tonights was the best yet. If ever a dog act had a chance of winning this one has everything going for it.

Charlotte and Jonathan (Opera Duet)

Now for a type of singing I'm not a fan of, but this pair are simply amazing. They both have incredible voices and the power in Jonathan's voice is incredible. I love they way they picked a song that sound a bit more contemporary and not too operatic from the start. It was so beautifully sung and they are so young and talented. The power they both have just blows you away. Great performance tonight.

To be honest, after getting to this point in the competition I haven't got a clue who is going to win. There are so many so incredible acts tonight and so many winners. Anyone could win with just a few exceptions. It has been the best Britain's Got Talent final I can actually remember. So coming to the result, the final placing, in reverse order is:

Only Boys Aloud.- Third Place

Charlotte and Jonathan - The Runner Up

Ashely and Pudsey - The Winner

If a dog had to win the show, then the most amazing one I have ever seen managed to do it, and Pudsey is such a cute and cool dog. Not sure what the dog will do with half a million pounds, but after the Royal Variety Performance he can retire and eat steak and gravy for the rest of his days. 

One thing is for sure I can see a lot of people doing well out of this years show, there were so many good singers and three of them singable and ready to make albums that would do well in the charts. That fact alone shows how amazing the show has been this year. I could watch tonights show all over again, it was simply the best year ever.

Finally my prediction, well I got it wrong, but I just know that the Loveable Rouges are going to get a record deal out of this and they are going to do well. I love all they have done over the course of the show and I can't wait for their first album.

Britain's Got Talent - Finalists 2012

So here we are at the point when the line up for Saturdays final of Britain's Got Talent and all the live semi finals have been completed.

So without further a do, here are the acts that will see in Saturdays final of the show:

Sundays Semi Final 

Ashleigh and Pudsey (1st) - Probably the best dog act that has ever been on the show.

Only Boys Aloud (2nd) - A welsh male voice choir who specialise in traditional welsh music.

Mondays Semi Final  

Charlotte and Jonathan (1st) - A Opera Deut with big voices that astounded the judges, and probably favourites to win

Kai & Natalia (2nd) - A young ballroom dancing couple who have put a new twist into a dated dance form.

Tuesdays Semi Final 

Loveable Rouges (1st) - A trio of lads with a fresh sound that have added controversy to the show having been talent spotted by the show.

Molly Rainford (2nd) - A eleven year old school girl that wow the judges with her mature sounding voice.

Wednesdays Semi Final  

Sam Kelly (1st) - A singer that claims he us useless at everything but music and that music is his life.

Nu Sxool Dance (2nd) - A group of fun loving kids that formed themselves into a dance group that are fun to watch.

Thursdays Semi Final  

Ryan O'Shaughnessy (1st) - A singer songwriter who failed to win the Irish version of the "The Voice".

Aquabatique (2nd) - Basically a group of failed olympic or retired synchronised swimmers with a giant fish tank. 

Judges Choice

[Still to be announced]

So out of the 10 acts I predicted only six made it through to the final. I was hoping for better, but then I didn't know how they would put the acts up against each other. Last night, for example three of the acts I picked were up against each other. Personally I can't wait to the final on Saturday night,, it is going to be a great show. I loved the programme the first time I watched it still do.

Britain's Got Talent - Predictions

One of the things that Judges and presenters do these days is to predict who is going to win talent shows and reality television programmes, why this my attempt at doing the same thing.

However before I do that I'm going to reduce the list to the 10 acts that I think will make it through to the final. So here there are:

• Brynolf and Ljung
• Loveable Rogues
• Hope Murphy
• Ashleigh and Pudsey
• Ryan O'Shaughnessy
• Sam Kelly
• Charlotte and Jonathan
• Showbears
• Twist And Pulse Dance Company
• Nu Sxool dance

I'm probably wrong, since I don't know who is in which semi-final and some of the good acts I like are always against each other and there are so many others I have missed out. As for my stab at the winner I going to go for Loveable Rogues for that simple fact I thought they were wonderful.

Britain’s Got Talent - Semi Finalists 2012

Well after six weeks are now at the point of the show when the contestants find out who has made it through to the lives shows and have to get practicing and refining their acts. 

Here is the list of the finalist of this years show, that will be battling it over the next week to make it trough to the final next Saturday night.

• Billy George – Cyr Wheel Performer
• Rachel Knowland – Singer
• Fish on Percussion – aka Michael Fish – Drummer
• Honey Shazad – Singer
• Sam Kelly – Singer
• The Mend – Boy group
• Analiza Ching – Vionlist
• The Showbears – Dancers and singers
• Twist and Pulse Dance Company – Dance troupe
• Callum Oakley – Stand up comic
• Aquabatique – Syncronised swimmers
• Ashleigh and Pudsey – Dancing dog act
• Four Corners – Dance troupe
• The Zimmers – Dancers and singers
• Lucky – Contortionist
• Gatis Kandis – Stand up comic
• The Sugar Dandies – Ballroom dancing duo
• Cascade – French stunt group
• Brynolf & Ljung – Hungarian magician duo
• Hope Murphy – 16-year-old singer
• Zipparah Tafari – Unique rapper aka Mr Zip
• Karizma Krew – Dance troupe
• Ashley Elliot -musician who plays the Xylophone
• Nu Sxool – Dance troupe
• Lazor Harp – aka Grieg Stewart, plays the Lazor harp
• Jive Aces – Band
• Graham Blackledge – Entertainer who plays the organ
• Beatrix von Bourbon – Burlesque dancer
• Malaki Paul – 9-year-old singer
• Strictly Wheels – Ballroom dancing duo
• UWS – aka United We Stand – dance troupe
• Kai & Natalia – Ballroom dancing duo
• Dennis Egel – Wacky German guy
• Martyn Crofts – Dalek impersonator
• Area 51 – Variety dancers
• Chica Latina – Singer
• Face Team – Hungarian Basketball stunt group
• Only Boys Aloud – Welsh choir
• Charlotte Jaconelli and Jonathan Antoine – Opera singing duo
• Loveable Rogues – Boy band
• Be Pop – Girl group
• Lauren Thalia – Young 12-year-old singer
• Paige Turley – Scottish 14-year-old singer
• Molly Rainford – 11-year-old musician

I hope you are still enjoying the show as much as I am. It has been good this year, so much better than last year. I just hope the Semi Finals are just as good as some of the auditions have been and I wish all the acts luck.

Britains Got Talent - Week 7

Tonight was the final week of the audition stage of Britain's Got Talent and after six weeks we will have a list of finalists for the live semi finals where the country will pick the finalists. With a lot to pack in tonights show was rather longer than those of the past and included the results of the final selection process.

On the whole I thought tonights shows was rather rushed. Being the final audition show they just packed to much in and we didn't get the same feel of the acts that we did in the past shows. This made it especially hard to pick the best act of the night, but in the end I going to give that spot to the magic act Brynolf and Ljung. Having said that if you look into the act they are already well known especially in their home country of Sweden and they have already been on ITV, as shown in the clip. As for the other acts there are too many to mention.

What I find strange, is that after when finding a clip for this post, is how well known Brynolf and Ljung are and the fact that they are allowed a spot on the show. Over the course of the series I have discovered that some of the acts, such as the singers, are failed X Factor acts and a like, but this was a greater shock. This is a established act that was already going somewhere. I guess what it shows is that the public don't know the rules show and if more proof were needed it was shown tonight in the when Ryan O'Shaughnessy was told he couldn't be in the finals because he had a contract with the RTE version of the show, "The Voice". Thankfully in the end he found away to be on the show, after he managed to get his contract cancelled.

It has been a great show this year so far be so much better than last year. The talent found is of a higher quality and so much more watchable. I'm sure the talent was there last year, but somehow it got missed. This year they have concentrated on showing and selecting singing and dance acts to the point they end up with too many compared to the other forms of variety acts. We won't really know until the first live show if they got the balance right in the final selection stage.

Britains Got Talent - Week 6

Well we had the week with the dog act in it a few weeks ago and now it seemed it was kiddie week in Britain got talent, with the majority of the acts being under eighteen. It was like the producers decided put them all into one show.

Now this where the difficulty comes in, I'm not sure if some of them should be on the show, not because of lack of talent, but because they are aren't ready. In this case Malakai Pau who was really nervous on the stage and although I admire his bravery on getting back on the stage the fact remains he probably wasn't ready for such big stage. The question is were doesn't entertainment end and exploitation start. This felt close to the line, even tough he had an amazing voice.

So after my little rant, who am I going to pick this week, I feel that Malakai was probably one of the best acts of the night, but then I wouldn't want to see him break down on the live shows and what would it do if he made it to the final when the pressure would even be greater. So for that reason I'm not going to pick him. So instead I going to pick Molly Rainford, who is not only a singer with an amazing voice, and on par with Malakai, but she is also a song writer. She wrote the song in the video when she was 9 years old.

The other acts I liked tonight included Nu Sxool dance troupe who were so confident before they did their act and for good reason, because they turned out to be really good. The there was B Minor a girl group aged between 13 and 14 who sung with some beautiful harmonies. Finally comes Jive Aces who were rather entertaining, if a bit out dated. Unfortunately we didn't see enough of Callum Oakley a young comedian to make my mind up if he deserved the judges praise, but maybe we will be seeing him again soon.

I did see in the press that someone complaining about the lack in the variety in this years show and I'm afraid I have to agree. A lot of the acts seem to be either singers or danced based this year, but maybe that is what is marketable within the Cowell money machine.

Britains Got Talent - Week 5

As we enter week five of the auditions we see some sensible scheduling by the television companies allowing families to watch the Voice on BBC1 followed by Britains Got Talent on ITV1, although the BBC show did over run by three minutes to mess things up. Lets hope next week we can see some sensibility by the programme makers and they can get it right. Now, on to the important task of which act was the best this week.

That honour goes to Loveable Rogues with their performance of the song Lovesick, they were cheeky and charming. There was something rather loveable about them. They were followed by Kai and Natalia with their mesmerising modern latin ballroom dancing which I thought I would dislike when they announced what they were going to do. Like David, I have never watch strictly and never would and so to get me to like them was a feat. The union jack dance act towards the end were fun but not as good as those of the past and twelve year old with the guitar at the start was rather sweet for someone of her age and she had a interesting voice. Also worth more than a mention was Cascade who were by far the best of the dance acts of the night. What I liked about them was energy and the touch humour.

In all in all it has been a good show tonight and what it needed to win back some of the audience it has lost which will be further helped once the scheduling problems caused by the BBC are sorted out. I can't wait for next weeks hopefuls to hit the stage to entertain us.

Britains Got Talent - Week 4

Tonight the show upped it game again and gone was the crazy dog act and things returned to normal. There were some wonderful acts including the basket ball stunt group, a rather camp group of singers, a dance act and of course the singers. It was another of those shows that didn't have a clear winner in terms of what I can only describe as the wow factor.

As for who was the best act of tonights show, well that has to go to Hope Murphy for her amazing voice, who I thought at first was going to be a disaster waiting happen and then she sang, and she was closely followed by Paige Turley. A close third wolf was the basket ball boys, however, the Judges seemed to sink praise on the dance group tonight, but I thought the dance groups that have preceded them have been better. In fact I though they were rather ordinary other than a few tricks. For the fun factor the camp singing group nailed it, then were the biggest laugh of the night.

It was interesting that after finishing this post one of the things I had been thinking about the Britians Got Talent this year is shared by a national paper. The show is becoming another version of the X-Factor and a lot of singers seem to be making it through to the next round, and who can blame them. It is easier to make it through to the final of Britians Got Talent than the X-Factor and you don't have to sing songs you are not comfortable with to get to the final.

Finally the video I have included is not from the show, it is one I found on YouTube, in fact it is her own song and written by her own fair hand. I would have thought FreeMantle would have like the free advertising on Blogger, but no. If you want to watch her performance from the show check out the official site, you can find them via Google.

Britains Got Talent - Week 3

Compared to the previous two shows I thought this one let the side down a bit. It wasn't up to the same mark as the other two, but I guess if you are going to have a weak show the best time to put it on is Easter weekend when television audiences are going to be slightly lower. Of course I could play the devils advocate and say may be that was because Simon wanted a dog act to steal the show which it did. If you saw the show you will know I'm going to pick Ashleigh and Pudsey.

As for this weeks also rans we have a couple of crazy acts. The first of these are The Zimmers, a group of over 68 that looked like they were angry enough when singing to rip the head of any passing Government Minister. And then there was Zipparah Tafari who had a habit of talking about himself in the third person, who did a catchy rap called "Where’s My Keys? Where’s My Phone?" that you could see becoming a national anthem at drunken bars full of young British tourists all over Spain this summer.

Hopefully next weeks show will pick up again now that we have had Simons Dog act. Once again apologies if Freemantle pulls the video but at least they give you a link to watch it on YouTube.

Britains Got Talent - Week 2

Another fine week of talent on Britains got talent tonight and as always it hard to pick a winner of the show from so of the high class acts, but it is a winner I have to pick. Tonight that honour goes to Ryan O'Shaughnessy for a lovely beautiful song penned by his own hand. The way he just stunned the audience at the end that delayed the applause was amazing.

The other act that blew me away and came a close second was the dance group Twist And Pulse Dance Company, I though they were as good as anything we had seen on the show in the past. Tonights show also packed one other act worth a mention that was the rape band The Mend, I just thought they performed so well.

Finally I'm sorry if the video gets blocked by Fremantle, like last weeks. They clearly don't want any advertising for their wonderful programme. Although I can understand their point,  ut is a same really when years ago they wouldn't have bothered. You will just have to follow the link to YouTube.

Britains Got Talent - Week 1

I thought it would be nice to pick out the best of the auditions of Britians Got Talent over the coming weeks with mentions of the also rans that it would be nice to see again in the semi finals. So starting with his weeks raising star we have Sam Kelly.

This week also ran is Charlotte and Jonathan, they were both brilliant and Jonathan has an amazing voice, but with the sob story aside I didn't think they really did any more than Sam and his amazing distinctive voice, but then again I'm no fan of opera in general. It is the only type of music I have never really been wholly comfortable with.

Britains Got Talent 2012

Tonights it is bring on the clowns time, as we see the start of the new series of the talent show Britain's Got Talent just in time to take over from Dancing on Ice which finishes its run tomorrow. It is another of those show you can sit around and watch as a family and it is a firm favourite for many people around the country.

This years judging panel sees the return of Simon Cowell and he is joined by David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and long time judge Amanda Holden. Hopefully the return of  Simon Cowell with give the show that cutting edge that was so sorely missed in last years competition, which had some of the strangest acts imaginable appearing in the knock out stages that lead to the final. 

As always the show is being presented by Ant and Dec, who must be the most popular presents in the country. They will lend some humour to the show from the wings as well as provide the odd bit of support for the acts.

The show starts tonight on ITV 1 at eight in the evening with various repeats throughout the week should you miss it. As always I will be watching the show and the children will too. If you like this sort of thing then join me and the countless millions of other who will be tuning in tonight.