[AndyEssex1]

I think Simon made a couple of important telephone calls to Gary - after all, he does pay his £1.5 million salary for the show. Frankie is purely there for the girls to vote. I wonder how much the X factor earns per season on votes and texts, would be interesting to know.

Adele has definitely changed the criteria this year. Last year the panel were looking for a little more style over substance as Lady GaGa was dominating. This year we have seen an ordinary woman with a great voice capture the worlds ears.

Nice to see the emphasis back away from an average voice and a styled look, but then we have Frankie. I think Simon demanded that Gary placed Frankie in the finals because of the huge surprise success of One Direction. He is now looking for a solo version that teenage girls will go crazy over, and spend their pocket money.