Go, go Joe! (From The Northern Echo)

Go, go Joe!

11:11am Saturday 12th December 2009 in

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A GOOD year on The X Factor for the North-East culminates in Geordie Joe – 18-yearold student Joe McElderry from South Shields – winning the ITV competition tomorrow night.

That will be followed by the inevitable Christmas number one record, followed by fame and fortune.

With Girls Aloud singer and chart-topper in her own right Cheryl Cole as his mentor, this will make this a double whammy for the land of the Geordies.

At least, that’s the dream scenario.

And he is the bookies’ favourite to beat Stacey Solomon and Olly Murs in the finals.

Of course, it might not happen as the great British public has the final say.

The viewers’ votes will decide the winner.

Back in August, when the sixth season of The X Factor began on ITV1, the (alleged) rivalry between Cole and fellow judge Dannii Minogue was the best gossip going. Since then, the show has kept us happy with endless rumour, speculation and the occasional piece of genuine news about both contestants and judges.

For most of us, it’s been the first thing to talk about in the office on a Monday morning, the day after the show’s new Sunday edition.

That was only one of the changes made to keep the show fresh – and help cashstrapped ITV make more money through the phone vote. Making hopefuls audition in front of a live audience instead of just the judges was also introduced.

The strategy worked, with the Sunday show getting record audiences. More than 15 million viewers saw terrible twins John and Edward survive at the expense of Lucie Jones.

She had the lowest public vote and lost in Deadlock – or should that be “DEADLOCK!”

as the show likes nothing better than repeating everything the announcer shouts in big block capital letters.

Here in one package were two X aspects that made the series so watchable.

“Going to deadlock” was what happened when the four judges failed to come to a decision on whom to get rid of in the singoff.

Put that with Jedward, the series’ other phenomenon, and you couldn’t go wrong.

XFACTOR supremo and judge Simon Cowell cunningly played the deadlock card when Jedward and Lucie Jones were in the sing-off.

He’d constantly said Jedward were awful (usually to annoy their mentor Louis Walsh, I suspect) but knew the public liked them and voted for them. Keeping them in helped the publicity surrounding the show, although it looked like it might not work when Cowell suddenly realised the Irish pair might actually win the contest.

Jedward were knocked out eventually, but not before ensuring an afterlife, with Walsh signing them up – presumably not as singers, because that’s never been their strong point. I reckon a career in children’s television is their best bet, although they’re being considered for playing dwarves in The Hobbit film and already have a date at Middlesbrough Empire next month.

What else do we remember?

Robbie Williams’ wide-eyed comeback performance and Whitney Houston’s dress malfunction. The “was she or wasn’t she?” miming question when Cheryl Cole performed her debut solo single, an appearance that helped it reach the number one slot.

Then there was Danyl Johnson going from what Cowell called the best first audition he’d ever heard to vilification by public, media and judges for being cocky, arrogant and, according to one comment, more unpopular than Hitler.

A chap ran on stage while the twins were singing (I use the term loosely), but hardly anyone noticed because it seemed quite normal for a Jedward performance as Walsh surrounded them with gyrating dancers, big sets, explosions and flashing lights to disguise their vocal deficiencies.

And so this weekend’s show. One of the last three leaving after tonight’s show, leaving the final two to sing it out in tomorrow’s final with, fingers crossed, Joe being voted the winner.

Visitors to the Customs House arts centre in South Shields have been used to private shows for performing arts student Joe when he worked there as a singing waiter to pay his way through college, serving tea and coffee with a song and a smile. After this weekend, he’ll be the one being waited on.

■ The X Factor tonight and The X Factor Final tomorrow, at 7.30pm, ITV1.