Britain's Got Talent - Final 2012

Thousands auditioned and tonight we are going to find the winner! It's the final of Britain's Got Talent 2012! Tonight we will see the final ten acts perform for their chance to win a spot on the Royal Variety Performance as well as money out of Simon Cowell's pocket. As well as the ten acts, there is the mystery wild card.

But first tonight, it was wild card act The Mend. Tonight they were singing 'Without You' by David Guetta ft Usher and they proved that they were worthy of being the wildcard choice. They performed their best they have so far in the series and they are definitely going to do well whatever happens, but I believe they have a great chance of winning the competition.

Up next this evening was Sam Kelly, a pub singer who in the semi-final was told he sounds like a proper recording artist, will this show through tonight? For me, he didn't quite do it. I didn't particularly enjoy his song choice and it's definitely not something I would keep the radio on for if it was played. However, David said it was his best performance yet with Alesha also agreeing with David and praising him. He is one of the strongest acts in the competition with each judge confirming this  so he could be a hard act to beat.

Third up was dance act Nu Sxool. I have high doubts that they will win let's be honest, who wants to see another dance act win? They were definitely the best dance act of the series, David said they were his favourite act of the night and Simon even said that he thinks they were his "favourite ever contestants." A definite entertaining act but definitely not the overall winner. It's not what we want to see at the Royal Variety as it's nothing new. We want something unusual but unique... such as a dancing dog...

The fourth act of the night was eleven year old Molly Rainford. Tonight she was quite honestly awful. The judges of course gave her a standing ovation because she has the cute factor but she wasn't that good. But then they can't really say bad things about her or she will cry her eyes and they will be in the papers for making a little girl cry. However, she will definitely do well in the future. What was even better, it's the first time Amanda has been seen on television all choked up and moments away from crying. Perhaps I'm hearing something completely different to the judges as they all loved it and I didn't.

Act five was The Lovable Rogues who actually sung something different this time and it sadly wasn't as good as their audition/semi-final song. It was however, a nice song that seemingly got all the judges doing some sort of small 'bop'. It's great they are doing original songs as it's something we rarely see on Britain's Got Talent. Simon will definitely sign them up regardless of whether they win or not. Simon went as far to say that they were like a band that come onto the results show and sing rather than an act in the competition!

Our next act was dancers Kai and Natalia, of which Natalia hurt her leg during rehearsals (boo hoo!) to which if anything goes slightly wrong this will be her excuse. They definitely will not win. There was a lot of dedication in the performance but it seemed to lack something that made it look slightly half hearted. They sadly have done a lot better performances especially their semi-final dance, but will the viewers like them still?

Now it's time for Ant and Dec to run outside for Aquabatique, a bunch of women splashing around in water tanks. As I've made it clear in the last two posts they feature in, I do not like synchronised swimming. Tonight however it didn't look too bad. It's the only performance of theirs that  I have liked the look of and haven't got bored of. Perhaps the choice of music helped them tonight but I know they will not win. All positive comments from the judges apart from David, who had booked a synchronised swimming act for his wedding and also praised them for their efforts all week, who thought they were not as good as their semi-final performance.

Act eight was controversial contestant Ryan O'Shaughnessy, who was a contestant on The Voice Ireland which Simon was disappointed by. Tonight he was hoping that he could play on the 'I'm hot, I can sing and play guitar, please vote for me card, as well as singing his audition song again. An interesting act, I kind of hope he doesn't win mainly because I think an act lost out on a place in the final because he managed to wriggle out of his contract he had with Universal so that he could perform on the show. There are acts which I think were better than Ryan that definitely deserved his place.

The ninth act of the night was all male Welsh choir, Only Boys Aloud. A definite strong act in the competition and potentially the winning act. Alesha seemingly got goosebumps during the performance as she was seen on camera rubbing her arms. Amanda was slowly choking and went as far to say that they should be opening the Olympics. And Simon said that he got emotional (he has emotions?!) even though he couldn't understand the words!

The penultimate act of the evening was my favourite, Ashley and Pudsey. Never have we seen a dog act win Britain's Got Talent in the past so hopefully tonight they will buck this trend and be the 2012 winners! It's extraordinary that they managed to come up with three entirely different acts in the series as it must take forever to train a dog to do this! All four judges gave a standing ovation and the smiles on their faces (especially Simon's)  showed how well they had done. Definitely the best act of the whole series and definitely needs to be our winner!

The final act tonight was Jonathan and Charlotte. The VT played before them built up the emotional act with Jonathan saying he know realises people actually like him which tugged on everyone's heart. By far this was the best act to end on, a very emotional act which was professional and incredibly heartfelt. Definitely an act to watch out for tonight and I believe they will be in the final two tonight. Could this be the winning performance?

Slightly annoyed that dance act Diversity and singer Susan Boyle performed tonight, seeing as they were not in the competition last year. Traditionally the series winner comes back and performs in the final but as Simon and last year's winner Jai fell out over him being dropped he was not ask to come back. But they could of at least still got someone from last year and had cute runner up Ronan Parke. A massive cutie who got through on the basis that he was an amazing singer for such a young age and because he was cute. But instead we were given Diversity and Susan Boyle who are still amazing, but I felt it was a bit unfair on last year's contestants.

A highlight of tonight's show was David and The Showbears. He was kitted out in their sparkly sailor outfits and had learnt all the words an moves. Simon could not control himself with laughter, he clearly enjoyed the act! All three of the judges of course buzzed David, but it was definitely the main highlight of the show.

And the winner... of Britain's Got Talent 2012 is...
Ashley and Pudsey
Jonathan and Charlotte - 2nd
Only Boys Aloud - 3rd

 

Britain's Got Talent 2012 - Live Semi-Final 5

It's the last semi-final of 2012, que the crying! It's been a great series this year and it's sadly come to an end. Tonight's show was slightly interesting, they pre-recorded the entrance so that the first act could be set up. So the judges were sitting in the chairs at the start of the show whilst before going live they pre-recorded Ant and Dec's entrance and the judges comments of what they think tonight's show will be like.

Tonight's first act was Face Team, an acrobatic basketball team. Now it might only be the first act of the evening but I have a strong feeling they will be in the final! Not only were they playing basketball, but they were bouncing around on a trampoline and also risking their lives with their stunts. A definite pleaser with all four judges, with Simon particularly liking them because they 'risked their lives'. Probably the best act to start with tonight and maybe one of the best of the series!

Act two was laser harp player Grieg Stewart. The premise of this act is lasers beaming up from the floor and when he moves his hands over them, it makes sounds. Tonight Greg covered 'Cars' by Gary Numan and Avicii's 'Good Feeling', to which he failed at times to keep in time with the music. Simon was first in to judge with Amanda following shortly after. Alesha decided 'Queenie and the rest of the royal family would not get down with it', whereas Amanda said she liked the music but he was basically a bit too nerdy. A bit more practise might of helped Grieg who blamed poor vision for his act, even though it was his act so he perhaps should of thought about this when he was in rehearsals...

Act number three was Billy George, an acrobat who actually went to circus school! His first audition consisted of him holding onto a big wheel and spinning around the stage. Tonight he was back with his wheel and without his shirt. Of course Amanda and Alesha both loved him, most probably because he seems to have mislaid his shirt, with Simon adding that if he wants to win the show he should perhaps wear even less clothes! Definitely something we haven't seen on Britain's Got Talent before but is it good enough to win?

Act four was Martyn Crofts, an idiot whose audition saw him with a pan on his head singing like a dalek. Needless to say he was back again but this time with some comedy daleks in the background. It was slightly comical with the daleks dancing but the song was doing my head in. I really have no idea as to how he even got through, thankfully Simon didn't like it (like myself) and buzzed him like he did in the audition. Quite comically Alesha and Amanda both donned pans on their head and Amanda even seemed to pull it off quite sexily! It wasn't until they put a pan on Simon's head that the audience erupted with cheers! Hopefully he shall not proceed to the finals.

The fifth act of the evening was Callum Oakley, a sixteen year old comedian who impressed everyone in his audition. Tonight Callum was hoping that his new jokes would be good enough to see him in the final, but would they be? Well the judges definitely thought he was somebody to watch out for, however I can't imagine him in the final. Even if he doesn't get through to the final or win, Britain's Got Talent has definitely opened doors for him.

Next up it was Hope Murphy who tonight was singing a cover of 'Forever Young' by Bob Dylan, to which you could of heard a pin drop in the audience during that performance. David went as far to say that she has 'the best voice in the competition'. Incredibly she is only sixteen which I am still trying to get my head around. She has a beautiful which sounded like it's had many years of lessons or hard work on, but clearly not. Even Simon liked it and said she reminded him of a young Adele, who covered a Bob Dylan song which got her a number one in the charts.

The seventh act of the evening was Strictly Wheels, a dance duo consisting of one in a wheelchair and one on feet. A definite eyebrow raising act in the auditions as this is something that hasn't really been seen before. Seemingly the man had completely camped it up this evening which was actually quite funny to watch. Needless to say the emotion of the first audition wasn't there with them dancing to an upbeat song but it was still visually pleasing. It was all slightly underwhelming and sadly not as enjoyable as the audition, but if the viewers like them they still have a chance.

The penultimate audition of the evening and of the semi-finals was Aquabatique. This meant that Ant and Dec were shipped outside to watch the act whilst the judges stayed inside and watched the act with the audience. I myself do not enjoy synchronised swimming so to me it looked like four women farting about in water, but to those who enjoy it I guess it can be seen as a sport. However the judges seemed to like it and David even asked Simon for a splash in the pool later on!

The final act of the evening is Ryan O'Shaughnessy who caused plenty of controversy when it was found out he was also competing in The Voice Ireland. I would somewhat love it if he didn't get through to the final as it would be a massive two fingers up from Simon to him for coming on his shown when he was already under a contract for another, but I somewhat think he has a good chance in the final. He wrote his own song and performed it this evening, sadly I didn't have a clue what he was singing, and he sounded pretty good! The judges loved it, the audience loved it and I just about liked it. Even Simon managed to poke fun at The Voice Ireland so there was plenty of fun all round!

But now that's it, the last act, the last semi-final and the last chance to get through to the final...

Below are the final two acts that went through to the final.

Ryan O'Shaughnessy

Aquabatique

Billy George - Sadly went out due to only receiving a vote from Alesha.

And that's it for the semi-finals! I shall be back on Saturday for the final!

Britain's Got Talent 2012 - Live Semi-Final 4

It's the penultimate semi-final of 2012! Yes that's right, just one more show left until Saturday's final and seemingly all the judges except for Amanda chose wisely on their outfits. But it's on with the show and time to find out who is first.

Act number one was hairdresser by day and singer by night, Chica Latina. For her audition she sang 'River Deep Mountain High', to which Simon was impressed by her "naughty face"... So it's on with her song and tonight she sang 'On The Floor' by Jenifer Lopez. To what only David could describe as looking like a ''brazillian carnival'', it was a nice opening for the show, very funny to watch this women who can't sing, can barely speak English, but has the sex appeal that makes Simon incredibly happy!

Act two is Brynolf and Ljung, a magic act who got through their first audition with a card trick. Armed with a bag of DVDs, they wowed the judges with another mind reading trick that confused us all. Alesha was gobsmacked and could hardly string a sentence together and even Simon didn't really know what to say. Could this be Britain's Got Talent's first ever magic act to get into the final?

The next act was young Malakai Paul. His audition saw him having to stop his song due to crying his eyes out which left the producers a perfect opportunity to leave us on a cliffhanger. But tonight he didn't cry during the song and sang a beautiful cover of Alicia Keys' 'No One'. A big favourite with all the judges whose heart were all melted by this young boy.  There was a lot of passion in his singing and it certainly came through with Alesha picking up on it, sadly Amanda decided to pick up on the pitching issues... It's a definite sure he will be in the top three tonight.

Act number four was Gattis Kandis. Britain's Got More Talent viewers may remember him last year when he attempted to rap for the judges, but this year he was back with some awful jokes!  Tonight he didn't let us down, he is the worst comedian but this makes him so funny! David said he is the funniest Latvian comedian in the world and Alesha referred to Simon's audition comment of him being the funniest unfunny comedian. During his performance, Simon was seen choking on his water and laughing hysterically at Gattis. A man who says the complete wrong things at the wrong time, but this is why he is so funny! I truly hope he gets through to the final, or if he doesn't I hope he is the wild card.

Act five was The Sugar Dandies. Husband and husband dance act who stunned the judges, audience and viewers with their dance skills. Tonight's act was incredibly camp and as it got camper, Simon was ready to buzz in, to which Amanda hit him for. As someone who doesn't enjoy this type of dance, it was nice to see but I don't think they will win the competition. Amanda and David both said it was their favourite act of the nice with Amanda adding that she is a ''gay man trapped inside a straight woman's body.'' Of course Simon didn't have anything very nice to say, perhaps their campness was hitting one of his nerves!

The next act of the evening was dance crew Nu Sxool from Port Talbot. In all honesty their performance tonight was awful. I didn't see anything new or fresh in their act and it all seemed a bit slow to me, rather than the high octane acts we have seen in the past. However, all four judges seem to have disagreed with what I said. Simon said it was the best act of the night so far, whilst the other three judges all believe that they deserve to get through due to acts like the Twist and Pulse Dance Company not going through. Am I the only one who is sick of seeing dance acts?!

Our seventh act of the evening was Beatrix Von Bourbon, a burlesque dancer whose audition got a lot of men hot under the collar. Of course Simon's eyes were fixated on the act, but I think she wasn't risky enough. We wanted to see more! Thousands of men across the country were hoping for that little bit of nudity that receives thousands of complaints to Ofcom from all the disgraced women. However, Amanda loved her 'purple muff' - cue laughter from Simon! It's fair to say that she won't make it to the final at all but it did show that burlesque isn't all about nudity but that it can be seen as an art form.

Tonight's penultimate act was nineteen year old student Sam Kelly. A definite favourite with the teenage girls, Sam has a great voice. Even if he doesn't win the competition, he will definitely be given a record contract. He has the appeal that women and girls like and he will be able to use this to sell enough records. Backing my point up is David who said he has a record contract voice. Positive comments from all the judges, will he make it through to the final?

And the final act of the night was girl group Be Minor. For their audition they sang with a backing track (viewers didn't get to see this) but were then asked to sing A Capella and that is what helped them to secure a place in the semi-finals. Quite honestly my favourite act of the night. David absolutely loved it! Simon said he could see great potential in the four of them. However Alesha and Amanda didn't like the choice of song with Amanda even saying that Paige was the best and that the other girls need to catch up - which is definitely not true as they are all talented! I hope they make it into the final.

Now that all nine of tonight's acts have performed, it's time to find out who has made it through to the final!

Below are the two acts that went through.

Sam Kelly

Nu Sxool

Malakai Paul - Sadly went out due to only one vote from David.

Britain's Got Talent 2012 - Live Semi-Final 3

It's the third semi final and Amanda and Alesha were well dressed! Simon also looked a bit scruffy! Oh and Amanda said she wasn't wearing any pants - I could not be any more excited now!

First act of the night was The Zimmers. There act consisted of singing some sort of ballad or hymn and then breaking out into a rap song or similar. Tonight they sand 'Sexy and I Know It' by LMFAO. Needless to say it was awful. A lot of people seem to like them but I can't really see the excitement. A bunch of oldies dressed in chains and tracksuits singing awful... Can anyone else help me out here and tell me why they are so good?

Act two was Area 51, a special effects performance company from Warwickshire. To me, it's just a dance act with flashing lights strapped to their bras, some people dressed as robots on stilts with flashing lights strapped to them and some people with fire and smoke. Visually it was very pleasing but it's definitely not something for the Royal Variety. Amanda likened them to a bad blancmange, "it looks good on the outside but when you put the spoon in it's all watery". But Simon liked them, he said it was all thing's he liked as a child (robots) and the things he likes now (scantily-clad women!).

Next up it's Norther Ireland's best xylophone player, Ashley Elliott.  Ashley's first buzz came from Simon (SURPRISE SURPRISE!), then followed by Amanda and Alesha both at the same time. David however loved it and once again he was behind the judges dancing around. My issue with his act is that it's not modern enough. If he was to play a pop song or a song from the chart that the audience know then it might have been a bit more exciting. Back to the farm for this young man!

Act number four was eleven year old Molly Rainford who is going down the route of, ''I'm cute, I can sing, vote me!" She also sang ballad 'It Must Have Been Love' by Roxette in an attempt to make Amanda cry... which didn't work! However, I am apposed to singers who sing songs that they can't relate to, this eleven year old certainly has not had a big taste in love! She did however impress the judges with Alesha likening her to a young Mariah Carey. Of course Amanda loved her and Simon once again eyeing her up for a potential money making venture (like last years runner up, the cute Ronan Parke - I say bring him back, he was great and deserved to win!).

We then saw Lucky, a contortionist who awfully sang and played a guitar, but then went all weird bending about on stage for her audition. I can straight away agree with Dec who said her boyfriend must be lucky, imagine a partner who could do all of that! Wow! It was all quite freaky to be honest with her just acting like a ragdoll throwing herself around to the ground and making herself a cup of tea... with her feet. Needless to say, all the judges liked it even though it spooked them all. Simon admitted to wanting someone like her at home, even though she hit a few wrong notes when she was playing the piano... with her feet!

Act six of the evening was The Lovable Rogues, a threesome (don't go there dirty!) from London who impressed all the ladies with their looks... oh and their music! They sang their own penned song, 'Lovesick' which they also sang for their audition (seemingly that whole show was dedicated to them) and received a standing ovation from David and Alesha. "Quintessentially British" according to Alesha and she even gave a few brand a quick shoutout - I think if the judges say them again or the boys sing again then there is some sort of product placement deal going on... Simon sad he could see them in the charts, could they be the next One Direction for the older kids?

Act number seven is Honey Shazad. A singer whose supposedly done "every job under the sun"... I bet she hasn't worked in a jelly factory (If there is such thing)! Honey actually sounded quite like Amy Winehouse as she sang 'Sign Your Name Accross My Heart'. In comparison to her audition, she sounded a lot more confident and there was a big improvement. As Alesha said, the song needed a "little more attack" as her nerves let her down a bit. Vocally she didn't do too bad but it wasn't anything new or special. From her performance tonight, I sadly don't believe she will progress to the final.

Tonight's penultimate act, who was put together by 2010's runners up Twist & Pulse, was the Twist & Pulse Dance Company. Watching this act makes me feel that Ashley and Glen put them together in the hope of them winning because they didn't manage to win themselves. It was all very the same as their act with just more people doing the dance together. Saying that though, it was still entertaining. The judges seemed to like it and David commented saying that he thinks they are the group to watch out for this series. But, Simon didn't quite see the originality and the freshness of the act, being responded with boo's from the judges and audience!

And finally, the last act of the evening was Dennis Egel, whose audition saw his costume malfunction, needless to say he's made improvements to it and he's now back tonight sparkling away! I have to admit, I thought I was going to be writing bad words about him, but when he hit the high notes I couldn't stop smiling - it was so funny! Then his costume opened and he was raised into the air. I have no idea how he discovered this 'talent' but it got a standing ovation from the audience and the judges! I personally think he would be great on the Royal Variety in front of the Queen, it's something we haven't seen before and the judges liked it so he must be worthy!

Sadly that's all the acts finished performing, I want more! It's hard to say who I think is going through this evening, I think it's been the toughest night so far to decide.

Below are the two acts that went through.

The Lovable Rogues

Molly Rainford - (With two votes from the judges for each act it went to the phone vote)

Twist & Pulse Dance Company - Sadly went out due to the above reasoning.

Britain's Got Talent 2012 - Live Semi-Final 2

It's semi final number two and we are still being subjected to the new and short gold title sequence! For some reason both female judges have gone for a weird look. Alesha has decided for a dress which has black stripes and it most certainly does not look good and Amanda has curled her hair, but then put it up and it's not doing her any favours.

First up tonight it's Cascade. A martial arts dance group whose audition put Bruce Lee to shame! The martial arts section was all a bit too much for me. There was action on one side of the stage, more action on the other and action in the middle so I didn't know where to look. However the dance section was somewhat comical and for the ladies, to men taking their shirts off was probably a highlight. Nevertheless, it was a good start to the show.

 

The second act of the evening was year old Paige Turley, a singer whose audition song was 'Skinny Love'. Tonight she sang Bruno Mars' 'It Will Rain'. A great performance from Paige who's choice of song didn't go down too well with Amanda and Alesha. I agree with them, the song did not show off Paige's voice too well and a better song choice would of helped her. Simon and David on the other hand both enjoyed it - It seems that this year it's boys vs girls, with both genders disagreeing over acts! However, I do think she could get through to the final three of the evening.

 

The third act was dance act Karizma Krew. An interesting act, it was visually pleasing but it wasn't anything new really. There was some nice beats such as dancing to Chas n Dave, but apart from that it wasn't really anything new. Simon said that the older member of the group shouldn't be there and was even challenged to get up on stage and prove him wrong - to which he stayed sat down.

Act number four was David's favourites, The Showbears. A group of five camp men who for their audition sang their own version of 'It's Raining Men'. First buzz of the show was Simon who clearly has a hate for this group. David was first to respond saying they were a much 'prettier camp One Direction', he even got up on the judging panel to show his appreciation. Simon's response was the one direction they are heading is home. The group have a variety act which you would expect to see at a holiday camp so this could be a good sign of them getting through.

It's Fish on Percussion next! A bongo drummer! It was a great sounding act, but there was too much on stage. Amanda said it was ''too Ibiza'' for her and she needed a couple of glow sticks. If you was to strip all the strobes and all the dancers the act would seem boring, but with all this stuff going on around him you once again do not know where to look. I have high doubts that Fish will get to the finals.

Act six this evening is Graham Blackledge, an organ player whose first audition left the audience loving his personality that showed us he wasn't too clever. He dropped down from the ceiling to sing a cover of Outkast's 'Hey Ya'. It was a very short performance and Amanda even said he was ''like Wallace and Gromit's love child'. However the judges didn't really like the performance with Simon saying it was excruciating, David had a problem with his organ (cue innuendos) and Alesha believed he didn't need to play the organ and just should of talked.

The seventh act was Kai and Natalia a ballroom dance act. In rehearsal Kai accidentally kicked Natalia in the head and she was feared to have concussions, will this affect the them? Definitely not! The passion was electrifying and the energy was at an all time high. Of course, Simon loved the act - definitely something to do with a BBC show that one of the judges used to be a judge on - and even David made a joke about it! Simon said that he could see them being winners, I definitely can see them in the final.

Tonight's penultimate act was Four Corners. A dance act featuring one girl surrounded by sixteen guys. Simon who fancies the girl loved the act and said it was the definition of girl power. He believes it was 'by far the best of the evening... there is a really far chance you will make it to the final". Walliams said the act was sexier than The Showbears this evening and that they are one to watch in the competition. Alesha likened the girl to a superhero and even went as far to say they were the best dance act in the competition. A definite cert to be in the final three of the evening!

The final act of the evening was Jonathan and Charlotte, a singing duo who not only stunned the audience, but stunned the judges as well with their opera singing. Jonathan has been likened to Susan Boyle in the news with his singing being a contrast in to what people thought of him when they saw him. By far one of the best acts of the evening! Jonathan has a strong powerful voice that quite honestly over powers Charlotte's but she definitely stepped it up this evening - even Simon thought so. No matter what happens in the competition, he will go far! All four judges and the audience enjoyed the act so much they were given a standing ovation. Simon even said it was one of his favourite ever Britain's Got Talent acts.

That's another nine acts performed for the evening! A really good show this evening filled to the brim with talent!

Below are the two acts that went through.

Johnathan and Charlotte

Kai and Natalia - (Voted through by Simon, Amanda and Alesha)

Paige Turley - Sadly went out due to only David voting her through.