X Factor: is it the same without Mr Nasty?

When I heard that Simon Cowell wasn’t going to be a judge on this year’s X Factor, I thought it was destined to be a flop.

But over a month in and judges Gary Barlow, Kelly Rowland, Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh have been gracing the pages of weekly magazines, appearing on chat shows, and – quite frankly – I’m almost starting to forget who Mr Nasty is.

And now that all four have chosen their final acts and the live shows are set to commence it’s Saturday, this is where the fun starts!

But is it the same without Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh’s constant bickering, and Danni Minogue and Cheryl Cole’s supposed feuds?

Well, in all honesty, I didn’t enjoy The X Factor last year. It was so bitchy and horrible. I think it needed a fresh start, with people who hadn’t spent the last few years squabbling over this and that, and who the media had made out to be enemies. And, this way, we get Gary Barlow!!!!!

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Gary Barlow is a bit of alright! I went all school girlish last Saturday night and even more so the week before when we found out he’d got the boys’ category.

Roll on Saturday! 🙂

The Twilight debate: Jacob vs Edward

It’s a bit wrong but I’ve got a crush on Jacob. But before you start wondering what’s happened between me and the Leaf, Jacob is of course a fictional character in Twilight – and, not forgetting, a high school student and werewolf.So yes, I have a crush on him. It all started when, after two years of dismissing Twilight as a stupid vampire film despite hearing people constantly raving about it, I gave in and watched it – and, as predicted, absolutely loved it. I even loved Bella for a while (I no longer do of course; she’s just a bit moody: what’s with that?!)

©2009 Golden Apple Comics

I liked Jacob in the first film, but he certainly went up in my estimations by the second (the fact that he was topless for most of it probably helped). Edward, on the other hand, well – who doesn’t have a thing for Edward? The whole vampire thing is very exciting and I was a little bit obsessed with him by the end of New Moon.

But, the truth is, since watching the third film in the Twilight series, I’m getting a bit bored of the whole Bella/Edward saga. What happens in Eclipse that we haven’t already seen in New Moon? Ok, Bella finally admits that she loves Jacob too (wasn’t that kiss amazing?!), but apart from that it’s pretty much the same.

So that’s why, after watching Eclipse, me and the Leaf turned out attention to the question on everybody’s lips: who would you go for if you were Bella?

It’s a tricky one…but my choice would be Jacob. Don’t get me wrong Edward is rather dishy but there’s a warmth about Jacob that you cannot deny (well, I can’t anyway).

For the Leaf, it had to be Edward. “Jacob’s too sneaky,” he said, “whereas Edward has got an air of sophistication about him.”

I had to laugh – I don’t think many people have a boyfriend who openly discusses things like this – but he does have a point. And once again, I’m torn between the two… Now we know why Bella always has a face on her: it must be a challenge deciding between the two!

Chantelle and Preston: Is it All a Publicity Stunt?

I was in M&S the other day when the front page of OK! magazine suddenly caught my eye. ‘Chantelle and Preston: “Yes, we’re back together”,’ it said. OMG!!!

My friend gasped as she saw me pick up a copy: “Tell me you’re not interested in that?!” she asked, disapprovingly.

“Oh no,” I began, trying to make excuses and stuffing the magazine back from where I’d got it from.

Me? Interested in the lives of Chantelle and Preston, two (practically) nobodies who met on Celebrity Big Brother and got divorced after less than a year together, and then rekindled their love on Ultimate Big Brother?

Er, yeah, that’s right actually.

Now, before you judge me as an avid reader of trashy celebrity mags, I’m really not. In fact, I think there’s nothing worse than reading about the lives of so-called celebrities who don’t actually do a lot else than appear in magazines.

Don’t get me wrong though: I love flicking through a glossy mag on a Sunday afternoon with a cuppa. I could quite happily read about Drew Barrymore in Elle, or Vanessa Paradis in Red. (I suppose, thinking about it, you could say I’m a bit of a magazine snob).

That said, there’s something about the Chantelle and Preston fiasco that’s got me hook, line and sinker.

Heading to my boyfriend’s for dinner later than evening, I regretted not buying OK!, however decided that a quick Google search would do the trick and grabbed his laptop as soon as I walked through the door.

‘Chantelle and Preston OK magazine’, I typed in Google.

A story from 3am.co.uk was one of the first to pop up: “Preston and Chantelle back together!” screams OK magazine. Except, er, they’re not…”

Hang on, what?

According to 3am, OK! has apparently confused its readers with a ‘we’re back together’ cover line, except it’s meant in a ‘we’re back together for a photoshoot’ kind of way. And that’s why I avoid trashy celebrity magazines like the plague…

For instance, Preston is quoted as saying: “I hope we use that spark to continue a lifelong friendship, then that would be amazing. My parents are divorced now but have a really close friendship.”

Now, that hardly sounds like their romance is back on the cards to me.

When I return to the Google search engine results, however, the 3am news story is completed contradicted by mirror.co.uk. ‘Chantelle and Preston admit they are still in love,’ it says.

So, is it a case of twisting words to sell magazines? Would OK! really stoop that low? Considering even Kerry Katona has had a column with the mag, I wouldn’t put it past them.

I guess the only thing left to do, much to my shame, is buy OK! magazine and read the interview for myself. But don’t judge me, okay?