So...Geordie Joe rightfully stormed to victory last night in X Factor polling almost two thirds of the votes in the final. Voting statistics have revealed that for the last four weeks ago he has been well ahead of his competition. I admit to thinking that he looked like a bit of a drip and a weak choice for Cheryl at the start - until week one when I heard him sing. Since that first show he's been my favourite every week bar none so I did my duty and voted for him at the weekend. However, I won't be shelling out any money whatsoever to purchase The Climb, his debut single. Already a #11 hit for Miley Cyrus here this year, it seems a bit too soon to give it another release to say the least!!! It has however been given a nice polished makeover - complete with key change and gospel choir of course - to make it sound like Westlife tackling The Winner's Song by Geraldine McQueen!!! Simon has reportedly picked the song for the US market in the hopes that it will help launch Joe as a teen idol over there to pick up where aging Zac Efron left off. Apparently US girls 'love the English accent' although I'm sure the Geordie accent is not the usual stereotype of how us Brits speak!!! His mentor Cheryl Cole, fellow Geordie is undoubtedly the most famous woman in the country at the moment - Victoria Beckham and Katie Price must be pleased!!! She also plans to launch stateside next year but similar concerns have been raised that her accent might be too hard for the US to understand!!!
It may sound like Byker Grove's taken over, but as Ant & Dec have proved, their's something charming and comforting about the Geordie accent - but will either Joe or Cheryl achieve Simon's dream of them becoming global stars. It seems a bit optimistic to me but then I wouldn't have expected Leona Lewis to have a worldwide #1 single if you'd asked me three years ago. So the future looks bright for the X Factor brand, for Cheryl Cole and for Joe McElderry but what of Olly Murs, the runner up - will he be as successful as JLS? It seems doubtful - he put in some decent performances but some were shambolic and he didn't seem anywhere near as polished as JLS always seemed to be right from the early live shows through to the end. His mauling of Angels with a once again off-form Robbie Williams was a disaster and it did indeed look like two brother's singing together at karaoke. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes down the Will Young 'serious music' route - he certainly has a nice tone to his voice - but if Simon forces a covers album upon him, or chooses the wrong musical genre, it will be over before it's started.
So not a classic year, but we've got a winning artist with potential, a twice in a row winning judge who is so overexposed that her 'too much of anything can make you sick' line in Fight For This Love is the height of irony now, yet still seems to have a huge likeability factor, and a Miley Cyrus cover heading for the final xmas #1 spot of the decade. Super!!! It could be worse - it could be Rage Against The Machine at xmas #1 - the campaign's faltered a tad though and whilst the Facebook hyped group is sure to guarantee the rock act their biggest ever hit and a certain festive #2 - and an oddity to chart fans for years to come - it won't have set out to achieve what the campaign aimed to do - derail the X Factor juggernaut and simulataneously dent Simon Cowell's ego - but who expected any different? The song will fall from #2 out of the top 40 no doubt the following week and Cheryl Cole's unexpectedly brilliant new single 3 Words will climb next to Joe to ensure complete chart domination for a small area of England that seems to be producing one superstar after another at the moment. Geordie Joe and Geordie Cheryl will be flying the British flag stateside in 2010 - and who could think of two nicer people to do it!
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