Week 9: The Results
After watching the results show, you become very aware of how inconsistent the panels’ comments are. Rachel received this comment from the Lord: “Bravo you! So good to see you come through like this.” If you missed the results show, read on and you will find out what I mean.
The Nancy mission was a good one this week. The ladies had to spend a night in a Victorian house; so Big Brother in the past then? Well, not quite as this was not the clever part of the task. They then had to speak and act the lyrics to “As Long As He Needs Me.”
The results were mixed. Barry praised Jessie, although was it just me or did she sound like Sean Connery? Rachel was brilliant and even Barry had to admit he was impressed. Jodie was heartfelt and is certainly coming on as an actress, compared with the earlier rounds. I just wish she would stop the histrionics at the end when she gets through. It must irritate those who are getting the boot!
Samantha was above average, although she took a while to warm up. Predictably, Barry was very impressed.
Next came the group number and again, it dawned on you that the professional was just that. The song was “A Hard Day’s Night” and Rachel is clearly the only one who can move. Jodie tries but almost too hard, Samantha always resorts to the crab walk, all bow-legged and shifty, whereas Jessie is actually getting worse. This week she resembled a chimp on loads of e numbers, it was excrutiating.
My fears about young Gwyon’s Welsh accent are thankfully fading as he has clearly been trained and it was almost gone during “Where Is Love?” Although, I still feel there were better lads that they have let go.
Who Is Not Nancy- Panels’ Verdict
When asked who has not delivered as Nancy, the panelists said the following:
John stuck to his guns and thought Jessie should leave. Denise agreed with him. Barry thought Jodie should go and Cameron backed him.
So, Rachel has won some fans amongst the panel.
Results…. Jodie, first one through
The results came in and Jodie was first through. This week she was more over the top than ever before, grabbing her mother as the others looked on worried. She did the “Thankyou so much” reminscent of a Big Brother contestant as Davina calls out an eviction. The saved one always talks out loud, letting god (the viewer) know that they ever so grateful for the forthcoming Heat interview!
Rachel’s name was called out next and she was in the sing-off. But with the comments she received, she should be safe, eh? Jessie was through next and punched her arms in the air. Despite negative criticism of late, she is clearly a hit with the voters. This leaves Samantha and Rachel. Sam received the lowest number of votes.
The sing-off song is “Memory” from Cats and it is well delivered by both ladies. Sam has grown as a performer and really has some good stage presence now. But she does have a tendancy to smile during the most heartfelt of songs. I have yet to be convinced by her acting ability, either.
But the Lord, predictably undoes his own comments and saves her, leaving Rachel to go home.
He then says to Rachel: “You have got such a good career ahead of you.” She looks at him and smiles, probably thinking, if my prospects are that good, why didn’t you save me? She exits with a powerful rendition of “As Long As He Needs Me” and the programme has lost a real contender.
So, the fnal is next week. Sam is clearly a favourite, along with Jessie. So, will they give Jodie naff disco numbers to get her voted out? Who knows? But I have a feeling that the inconsistency of the Lord may bite him back next week, as I think the viewers will go for Jodie now and back her all the way.
Tune in next week to find out who gets then part.
Who do I want to win? Well, even though I feel slightly miffed at Rachel’s departure, I am with Jodie now.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Well to say the Lord “undid” his comments is rather misleading and implying that he praised Rachel and slagged off Samantha-this is completely not the case, as he actually heaped praise on both of them and indeed specified that it was exactly the result he did not want. I believe that if either Jessie or Jodie had been against Rachel he would have saved Rachel, but Samantha has always been his favourite and her getting saved was therefore inevitable. I was not all that impressed with her rendition of ALAHNM-it was shouty at the end and I still maintain that Ashley has provided the best version of the series… I will be supporting Samantha in the final against bland cabaret Jodie and unintelligible, awkward Jessie-but in reality I don’t think any of them will make good Nancys and reckon that whoever gets the part will lose their job as soon as the compulsory contract is over.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I started off favoring Sarah and when she left I turned to Rachel. She was so fantastic on Saturday. She deserved to win. I think, however, that ALW and CM got together before the shows started and agreed they wanted new talent–brand new–unknown. Then Rachel became so good that it left them with a problem. ALW saved Sam, sticking to the original agreement. I suspect CM now regrets this–but he is stuck with it.
Sam is very talented but to have this role at her age will damage her voice and ruin her career, because she is not ready for it. Jessie has learned nothing since the start of the series. She is also inclined to talk back to the Panel, who, whether you agree with them or not, are all much more knowledgeable and experienced than she is. Jodie has improved a great deal since we first saw her. Her acting needs work but she does have until December, and I think, even though I have never voted for her, that she could do it. Unlike Jessie, both Jodie and Sam do seem to listen to the panel and try to work on their reported shortcomings.
I have, in fact, been very disappointed with Jessie. When we first saw her she seemed to have so much promise but it has come to nothing. In group numbers she still sounds as if she has just arrived from Ireland that morning. She is still using the same stilted gestures she used in Episode One, despite being told more than once that she needed to work on her movements. She still can’t dance and she must have a lot of rehearsals for the various routines. She can’t act and doesn’t seem to have improved in this respect since we first saw her. A great shame.
As for the panel—well–Barry H. has largely been a waste of space. My Husband thinks he is an idiot and thinks he drools over the younger contestants in a very unpleasant way. When he appeared dressed in a hat and long coat on Sunday, my toddler {yes, I know he should have been in bed, but he wasn’t} took one look at him and started to cry. There are words for what I think of him but they are not in English—so I will leave it to the imagination—-
May 26th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I’m so glad someone else noticed that Jessie sounded like Sean Connery (I made the link here). I find her pretty much unwatchable now, from her stilted movements to her singing out of the side of her mouth. She is just not good enough and should have gone weeks ago. If she wins I would be really worried if I were Cameron Mackintosh.
I have real reservations about Samantha’s ability to play the role 8 shows a week based on her age (though I’m not a great fan of her “acting” either). Her voice won’t be fully mature for another few years or so, and could end up doing real damage to it if she were to get a leading role now.
As for Barry Humphries - ugh. He makes me feel ill every time he letches over Samantha - she’s 17 for pitys sake!
May 26th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I don’t think Rachel should have gone. She was really fantastic on the show this week and would make a brilliant Nancy. I do think Sam is great, but I just don’t think she’s Nancy as I don’t think she has the warmth and is not the right age for it, she’s just too young and not ready. I can not believe that Jessie was not in the sing off; who is voting for her? Her begging is getting so cringe worthy. I don’t think the competition has been that good for her, she just seems to get more and more arrogant. She should be at drama school not on TV, she is too young to have that pressure without the back up of maturity and training. I think she would crumble under the pressure of a West End Show. I want Jodie to win as she is a great singer and actress and the right age, she also has the warmth and passion of Nancy. I suspect that they will give her a rubbish song to do to get her off as there seems to be a lot of that going on.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:17 am
[…] For another view on this week’s results show, check out the What’s On Stage blog here […]
May 26th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Yes, Rachel was brilliant Saturday and out of the four remaining girls seemed to have all the qualities ALW is supposed to be looking for -singing, acting and dancing. Why oh why didnt he save the best girl for the role he and Cameron are supposed to be casting?
He may come to regret saving Sam, if the public dont vote for her, he may end up with a finalist he doesnt want, namely Jodie. Sam is good, but she isnt Nancy.
ALW may’ve gone off the boil a bit with Jessie, as he is perhaps coming to see that although she can sing a tune, she is not the complete package. She sounds more Irish as the weeks go by, not a bad thing, except Nancy is supposed to be a broad Cockney lass. Jessie’s diction is bad, no sign of improvement and when she does try to speak Cockney, her words seem garbled and rushed. She has no style or grace, moves with a hunched blokish walk and this has been her trouble since week one. She is supposed to be playing the role of a London girl, with flirtatious womanly ways that entertain the beer guzzlers in the local tavern, whilst holding some special charm and entrapment for the wild ways of Bill Sykes. Can you see Jessie doing this? No. I agree with PEGWOOD about the begging, it is so totally cringeworthy, my toes curl up!
Ashley most definitely was Nancy, as was Rachel.
Out of the three girls left, only Jodie now looks as though she would be able to hold her own with Bill Sykes.
I hope Jodie does win now and becomes a great success…she seems a great girl, has warmth and will play the part very well….. and i hope that both Ashley and Rachel refuse the part when Cameron and ALW come calling to offer it to them, after Jodie gets fed up and moves onto other things!
May 27th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Like many above it just amazes me that Rachel is gone. She is what the panel supposedly want someone who can act and sing and last 8 shows a week. It is nonsense that after giving the best performance in the semi final and the best acting in the mission that her talents are dismissed and for what, someone who can learn it all in the next 6 months, i doubt it. Ask yourself if you were paying to see someone perform do you want someone who can deliver time after time or who is learning the ropes.
May 31st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
well, i think that whoever writes this blog is extremely biased against Jessie. every time i look this blog trys to explain a reason why the judges might have said good things about Jessie, as if it is impossible. She’s a true star and you must be blind not to see that.