Jon (http://colouredlights.wordpress.com)

Firstly, the format boggles me -

Why has the casting vote been given to someone who has no involvement with the show? I can’t imagine a producer/director relinquishing the casting of a major part to someone indifferent. I find ALW very creepy; he makes me think of a child molester. He always seems to be available when an over-emotional Nancy candidate has an urge to hurl herself into someone’s arms. He sits on that throne like a malevolent toad.

At first I thought DVO had been put on the panel as a bit of fluff; but her comments are very intelligent and insightful – she definitely knows what she’s talking about. Whereas “Captain Jack” just makes a lot of noise.

I find the format quite repetitive; there is far more to playing a leading lady than singing pop songs. All the girls have obviously got fantastic voices, or else they wouldn’t have got this far. I feel they need to be tested more on their acting outside of the songs, and more needs to be said about how they actually move on stage. I would have liked to have seen the show focus on the ‘pub challenge’, and for the voting to have been given based on their individual performances. Even at this late stage we don’t know how good the girls’ cockney accents are!

I would also like to see more interaction with the Olivers. It surprises me that we have not yet seen a Nancy and an Oliver give a joint performance. You could have the perfect Nancy and the perfect Oliver but if they don’t work well together then the show suffers. Next week I think all the girls should get a chance to perform with the boys.

I did feel that Samantha had an unfair advantage this week, as she was given dance moves to add an extra dimension to her performance. She did very well, but I would have liked to have seen how all 7 coped with choreographed movement.

My favourite is Jodie (although I doubt she’ll win). She has vocal strength, energy and depth. She can be tough or vulnerable – I could see her throwing a grown man out of a bar, and I could see her sitting down and weeping. She is feisty, but also fun.

Here’s my thoughts on the others:

Rachael – Shouts too much. No element of fun or optimism. Oliver! would be pretty grim if she were cast.
Naimh – What is she still doing here???? Beautiful voice, but no character. Boring to watch.
Jessie – A strong contender for me.
Ashley – At first I thought she had potential and I wanted her to do well, but she is lacking something.
Samantha – Not really seen much acting from her, apart from doing sexy moves. Perhaps she could be a stripper or something…