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What's the story with ... The X Factor?

After 18 weeks of dominating the Saturday night television schedules, entertainment juggernaut The X Factor comes to its glitzy conclusion tonight. Wannabe stars Alexandra Burke, Eoghan Quigg and group JLS will sing their hearts out for a £1m recording contract. Fans of Leonard Cohen will no doubt be delighted to hear his song Hallelujah is the chosen track for the winner to release.

Simon Cowell is, rather predictably, describing it as "the most exciting final we've ever had", and for the 10 million regular viewers, it will be an evening of high drama. To be fair, the contestants will be under more pressure than their predecessors; they have been told that, because of the credit crunch, only the winner will be awarded a contract, and not the runners-up, as in previous years.

Cheryl Cole's protege, Alexandra Burke, the high-decibel diva of the bunch, is the bookies' favourite with an incredible vocal range. She will be competing against Eoghan, mentored by Simon, who is the tweenagers' choice. With bags of energy and a rather distracting "do", the 16-year-old from Derry, along with barefoot songstress Diana Vickers, provided this year's romantic intrigue. The two solo singers are pitched against JLS, a four-piece boy band whose presence in the final comes as something of a surprise to many fans.

The finale has been given an extra edge after the American pop star Rihanna announced yesterday that she was pulling out of the show. All three acts were due to perform with a celebrity partner for the final show and Rihanna was due to perform a version of her number one hit Umbrella with JLS. Her decision meant the contestants have had to swap celebrity partners and had 36 hours to practise new songs. Dance routines have also had to be re-choreographed. Alexandra Burke will now team up with Beyonce, JLS will sing alongside Westlife and Eoghan, the youngest ever X Factor finalist, will perform with Boyzone.

As with all television talent shows, the fortunes of the winners have been mixed. Last year, West Lothian heart-throb Leon Jackson claimed the X Factor crown and contract, as well as the number one Christmas single with When You Believe. Since triumphing on the show, Leon, 19, has moved to London to further his career. However, with the exception of the 21-date UK arena tour of X Factor live earlier this year, he has kept a low profile. In fact, for the majority who become household names, the end of the competition marks a return to obscurity. Steve Brookstein, anyone?

However, what causes thousands of hopefuls to queue up for auditions and undergo potential humiliation by Simon and Co are the well-documented few who use the show as a catapult to lasting success. Leona Lewis won The X Factor in 2006 and her subsequent career has been masterminded by Simon Cowell. After the show finished, the 23-year-old former receptionist from Hackney went on to become the first British artist to debut at number one in the US album charts with her album, Spirit. This success came three weeks after she became the first British solo artist in 21 years to top the US singles charts.

Over at Britain's Got Talent, created by Simon Cowell as well, there have also been winners who have gone on to great things. Faryl Smith, the 13-year-old opera singer from Northampton, this week landed a £2.3m record deal with Universal Classics and Jazz, the label which signed her idol, Katherine Jenkins. It is estimated that Smith could earn £20m by the time she is 20.

However, the annual tradition of The X Factor winner also having the Christmas number one could be about to come to a humiliating end. Pop sensation Geraldine, aka Peter Kay with a bobbed ginger wig, plans to release her own Christmas single, Once Upon A Christmas Song, to challenge with The X Factor offering.

Source: The Herald