Yeeeeeeeah, I read the article and Kinikki doesn't actually say he "blames" Cheryl anywhere. Sure, he moans a bit about having to calm her down before her performance on Sunday ("She was really, really nervous. She kept saying, 'I can't believe how nervous I am' and we kept reassuring her. She said she couldn't believe that we were telling her it would be OK - like we were being her mentor.") and also says he should've listened to (a coherent) Whitney re changing his song choice to My Love Is Your Love, instead of trying to whine out Aretha's Respect. But, again, he doesn't specifically blame Cheryl.
Nikki did say, however, that Cheryl blames herself: "Cheryl was really upset. She felt really sad. She felt it was her fault." Her fault that he butchered a song more within his capabilities in the sing off (Singing Without Wings)? Or that his eyebrow is more of a talking point than his personality? Or that it's her fault he was the best Scotland had to offer this year? 'Cause, you know, each contestant picked for the final 12 has to represent a corner of the voting public. Whether they’re in possession of actual talent or not appears to be a secondary requirement.
Call me cynical (please), but don't the final twelve always contain fodder from Wales, Scotland, North England, Souff England, the midlands and the island of Ireland nearly every year? Imagine if they were all from the greater London area... how many viewers/votes would they get from the rest of the country. And they're not just voting in a two hour window this year, either, they have nigh on 24 hours to squander their bill money on texts and phone votes. One might argue, 'Well, why bother having contestants from Ireland, we can't vote.' We still half-watch the ads, though, don't we. The broadcasters can still charge a fair whack to those wishing to air their commercials during that time slot.
Annnnnnyway, whatever about people willingly being swindled, we don't seem to mind as long as we get a titter in the process. Here's what Dikki had to say of Jedward:
"They are really, really entertaining. We all cheer for them backstage. They work so hard. Out of everyone, they're the ones that rehearse the most (?!?). They are really focused and driven. They have got the thickest skin ever, they are not fazed by anything anyone says about them. They just laugh. The public are voting to keep them in because they are being entertained. They have definitely got the X Factor." Ah, that's nice of Rikki to say. He could hate them for (momentarily) stealing his dreams.
Whatever about the X Factor, they certainly have the unnerving factor. I'm still a bit boggled about their romantic 'diamond giving' gesture during their cochlea warping rendition of Britney's Oops I Did It Again last Saturday… If you've not seen it, you can subject yourself to it via the wonder of YouTube.
