Lemme begin with ..Oh Torchwood! What an experience it has been for me! Five episodes on five days..back to back. It has been such a roller-coaster ride mixed with extreme emotions and juxtaposed with intensely gripping drama and also posing some absolutely disturbing themes. Torchwood’s latest series – Children of Earth could not have been better. But yes, for all the people who keep expecting for yet some more [ people like me], there is so much more left to be craving for. Coming back to Torchwood, what made me glued to the screen was the intense human emotions associated with a horrible horrible situation. God forbid, if we *ARE* faced with such a situation, I really wonder how the current global leaders would handle it. It is a huge comment on the global political scenario and also most importantly, how the US feels left out and suffers from an inferiority complex when an Alien invasion scenario occurs in central London, rather than NY or San Fransisco.

Series synopsis:

Day 1: Lets have a quick rewind of what happened previously [15 months sabbatical to be precise ]. Death of 2 regular characters in the finale. The Torchwood team this series remains limited to Ianto, Gwen and Capt.Jack .
Flashback to 1965 Scotland – A close encounter with Aliens and 12 children walking towards an enormous beam of light. Flash forward to present-day where all children momentarily freeze, simultaneously.  …
The next level – Children scream out at an extremely screeching pitch, followed by repeating the words -”We Are Coming”. The Torchwood takes notice of the phenomenon whereas the UK Govt. headed by the PM -Mr.Green and Home Office civil servant- John Frobisher, aware of the event as a work of “The 456″  as an alient contact with which they dealt in 1965, wants to cover up their historic events. We also meet Clement MacDonald, the old-man with the psychic sense of smell, who is actually one of the 12 children who escaped the 1965 encounter with the 456.

Series of questions were raised after the first episode. Questions like – What happened in 1965 Alien abduction and what do the aliens want now, 44 years later?  What happened to the Kids of 1965? And why are the kids used as a vessel for broadcasting the message – We Are Coming?

Day2: The government decodes the message from 456 to build a poisonous chamber.  The government in their attempt to cover up the events of 1965, have destroyed Torchwood hub, and is on a rampage killing spree of all the Torchwood members. Ianto and Gwen have survived and are on the run, whereas Capt.Jack is dead (again). Pregnant Gwen is with her boyfriend Rhys, and they try to get back on their feet to create another Torchwood office so that they can deal with the 456 threat that they have discovered. Capt.Jack is back from the dead, and now being contained in concrete. Gwen and Ianto manage to free him with the help of Rhys, and Torchwood team is back in business. While all this was happening, the children reassure – We Are Coming Tomorrow.

Day 3: Stealing credit cards, new laptops, a new jacket for Capt.Jack and bam! we are back to Hub2 of Torchwood. Rhys is cooking some yum yum nom nom! The children of the earth now show some more features, pointing towards the centre of London. The 456 now descend and have no issues from being referred to as the 456. Poor Mr.Frobisher was forced to be the spokesperson for the planet’s government and trying to negotiate the secrecy of the 1965 events. And with the help of brand Torchwood contact lenses – which also can broadcast video [ a Sci Fi gizmo successor of the Mission Impossible glasses ], all the events inside the MI5 negotiation room were being recorded by Torchwood. And  Gwen,Rhys, Ianto and Clement are enjoying this from the comfort of their secret warehouse. But when Jack appears, Clement recognises him as the man who handed over the kids to the aliens in 1965.

Day 4: Now this is huge. This will be remembered as the episode where Ianto died. Also coping with extremely tough decision making, the global political leaders have to come up with a solution to meet with the unacceptable demand for 10% of the world’s children. The fate of the children is also revealed when a cameraman is allowed inside the gas-chamber, revealing a child being hooked up to the alien as some kind of an energy source. You think that was disturbing? The UK Govt. is still hunting down Torchwood, but Torchwood has the events recorded and is using it as an evidence ready to be made public. Torchwood wins, and Capt.Jack and Ianto take control in the negotiation room, where they scream out jingoistically , that they will not be handing over the children and will fight back. The 456 is upset, and it releases a virus, killing a lot of people in the MI5 building, including Ianto (

Day 5: After the previous night’s events, all I had in mind was, will the Govt. or Torchwood be able to come up with a solution, and what would that be ? Rumors were floating all around of the possibility of the Doctor to beam up and saving the day. But it did not happen. And what happened made me extremely sad. The series was just monstrously creepy on many levels. The 456 revealed that it did not need the children to survive, but just as a snorting drug – “Children are GOOD” [Michael Jackson anyone]. The PM orders Frobisher to make a public broadcast of his own children being innocuated and then taken away in the bus. Unable to cope up with it, Frobisher shoots his own family before commiting suicide. On the other hand, Gwen, as a last tribute to Ianto, has a mission of saving Ianto’s nephews and neices and their neighbourhood. Yes, the world was saved; by Captain Jack, assisted by the creepy ol Professor, but at a huge cost of Capt.Jack’s grandson. And no, the Doctor did not appear.

To Sum It Up:

Russel T Davies has given us such a deeply moving series of Torchwood which has made me cry, two nights in a row. To begin with, I must say that the entire portrayal of how the politicians would tend to handle such a situation is creepy and extremely shaking. One of the most uncomfortable scenes in this series is not the poisonous gas chamber. Rather, it is the boardroom where all the politicians have gathered to discuss how to meet with the demand of giving away the 10% of worls’s children. The boardroom buzzes with methods and techniques, and how everyone is after saving their own skin even under such circumstances. The discriminating criteria of choosing the unwanted 10% of the society and protecting the future prospective work-force on grounds of their schooling background was very disturbing. The thought of being compelled to give up children in itself is horrifying, and even when Capt.Jack has to make the choice of giving away his grandson , does it justify to give away one child to save billions? Was that Capt.Jack’s atonement for handing over the kids in 1965? It kinda reminds me of the Jap-movie “Battle Royale” [a movie which can be termed- awesome awesome awesome].

The picturisation of hundreds of children freezing on the streets to either utter something in unison or just plain screaming is creepy. What would happen if children on Monday were to imitate this whole season. For sure, this would make a helluva creepy YouTube video, much like the Grand Central freezin or the Trafalgar Square freezing YouTube videos. Also, the concept of the 456 to use the children just a drug to get high is first-hand monstrosity. But yes, the entire series did remind me how weak Torchwood is , as a Special agency trying to fight paranormal activities. It was quite easy for them to set up a Hub when destroyed by just stealing some credit cards, and yet, they are always handicapped by the claws of the Govt. Torchwood needed to take things more in control and the entire point of the Govt. trying to cover up its history was almost unnecessary. I mean, how can you trust the 456 in the first place as far as implementing protocols is concerned. They took 12 children in 1965, and here they are, back again to snort some more , 10% to be precise.

And I had a dream. A dream that in the final episode, when Gwen kept on mentioning about the Doctor, the Tardis would beam out. The Doctor stepping out of his Tardis, would grab the 456 by his balls, and bitch-slap him and send him to be sucked into a really dark black hole never to come back. All this, while he resurrects Ianto, somehow [puhleeeeeez..]. But no, nothing happened. No one else to save the day, just Capt. Jack and his proficiency in broadcasting frequencies [ which reminded me- Wasn't it SKYNET as well, which was attempted to be brought down by some killing negative frequency, man Sound Engineering is futuristic].

All in all, Torchwood – Children of Earth provided us much anticipated thrills and Sci-Fi situational drama. In some cases, it delivered more awesomeness than the Sci-Fi shit that Hollywood has been churning out lately. RTD confirms that there will be a Season 4. Now thatCapt.Jack has gone to some other galaxy, I guess, we have to wait a long time to hear from him anytime soon.

For now, Enjoy the Screenshots below; Do Shout out your thoughts in the comments section below. And enjoy the DVD!

Some more Screenshots for your viewing pleasure.

It was high time we saw this show get the green signal. Although there are big challenges to be overcome to put up this format on Indian Television, the outcome is just way too tempting – for both the channel broadcasting it, and we, the audience. And India’s Got Talent [aka IGT] saw the light of the day on Colors with the first episode airing on 27th June 2009. And the tagline goes – Hunar Hi Winner Hai [ Talent is only the winner ]. Now that I have seen the first three episodes, here are my initial thoughts.

India’s Ant & Dec – Ayushman and Nikhil:

Both have had experience in hosting TV Shows on MTV India, so this should be a cakewalk for them. Both Ayushman and Nikhil are quite a delight to watch as the hosts. Although this show is indeed about the Talent showcase, the hosts do need to pull some strings to make their presence felt. May be it will be more visible during the Live Semi-Finals [ if there is any]. But other than that, no complaints really. Who else could have done this job? Actually bringing in Aditya Narayan’s extra-Hindi-encyclopedia would have ruined the show, and bringing Cyrus Broacha would have made the show utterly confusing. So, I guess its a good choice of casting the current hosts.

The Judges:
Shekhar Kapoor:

The only male in the trio. Who does not know him? Director of memorable films like Masoom, Mr.India, Bandit Queen, Elizabeth etc., Mr.Kapoor seems to be the most apt choice as he has been exposed to the art scene in India and abroad. Although I do doubt if a man of his caliber should be made to sit on that chair, rather than involved in a movie production [Paani, we are anxiously waiting for that]. But nevertheless, if there is anyone who deserves to be in the chair, it is him. Hail Mogambo!

Kirron Kher:

Kirron with an extra R. Actress par-excellence. We have only seen her as a guest-judge in some of the reality TV shows, but this is her first full-time judging job. I have been a big fan of her work – be it in art-house cinema viz. Bariwali, Darmiyan or Sardari Begam, or even her recent commercial portrayals in Rang De Basanti, Hum Tum, Om Shanti Om and Dostana. As a veteran actress, she definitely has the eye for talent and she belongs to the judge’s chair.

Sonali Bendre:

Our very own Amanda Holden. Although, Sonali’s claim to fame is not strictly confined to Reality TV, she has definitely got a career resurrection of sorts due to this medium. Honestly, she never did have an explosive film career. Her only noted role was in Sarfarosh [ as the naughty Seema , remember-Ajee, don't mind!]. Well you can include films like Zakhm to the list as well. But other than that, in most of her movies, she has been an eye-candy [ and I confess, that we all loved her in that avatar]. And she is playing the same role here as well. She is the eye-candy of the show and thanks to the extreme close-ups like the one below.Sonali has been on Indian Idol last season, and hence, she does try to impress us with her knowledge of judging Musical Talent. You go girl! Gather all the TRPs if you can. Chham Chham karta Hai Ye Nashila Badan [ Attempt at Translation: My intoxicated body makes the sound-Chham Chham ].

The cities:

The lineup so far [ till Episode 3] has been quite impressive – Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Lucknow. And the pool of talent that has been exhibited so far just left me spellbound. Some of my favourite acts are discussed below.

M-Sonic from Guwahati: Woo-Hoo!!

Ahomor Band maanuh aahise!!!
M-Sonic sang Kailash Kher’s ‘Teri Deewani’. The vocalist has it. Very good performance indeed. The only challenge is that whether they can keep the game going. What would be next from their bag?

Bappa Excel Group from Ghatkopar-Mumbai:

Genuinely entertaining and a great piss-take of Yenna Rascala dance-form. Hilarious!

Chhao Nritya from Vardhaman, West Bengal:

I am quite religious when it comes to Durga Pujo. And this act had me bow down to the TV screen. India is a religious nation, and this act certainly belongs to this big stage for its variety, colours, dedication and devotion.

Malkhamb guy from Mumbai:

What can I say? The ultimate test of Balance and control. Else, you got to have the iron balls. This act is just jawdropping for people not familiar to Malkhamb. For us, who have seen it before, we want more!!

Robo Ganesh from Chennai:

This Anna from Chennai does not understand Hindi, but surely can do the Robot. He mimed Jim Carrey’s mask in his entry, did a knee-puppet act. And concluded with his Robot lock-pop. He surely is talented, and reminded me instantly of Prabhu Deva. Don’t you agree?

And finally, the biggest , best-est act that I have seen so far, and already a big favourite to win this season.
Krishna act from Orissa:

And because I am not still satisfied with the above screenshot, here is another one for your viewing pleasure.

Hit this link to view the performance video.

And finally to wrap it up: Brain-torturing Emotional drama, aka Emossanal Atyachar.

Indian Reality TV is replete with examples of over-the-top emotional outpouring. Be it the Himmess-Ashaji on-camera debate, or Hema-Malini walking out of some TV Show because she felt insulted by a comic sketch of Sholay. There are numerous examples which we cannot forget, and even if we tried hard enough, we won’t be able to. Being a format which has worked worldwide majorly due to its heartfelt emotional quotient [ Majority of the contestants across the world have a sad story to tell, and bank on a underdog or a loser-so-far and striving to win story]. The Indian audience being an extremely emotional junta, we demand such shows to have this aspect displayed in full colour, especially when we have got this being dealt in other Reality shows already. But the thing is, how much is too much?

Is it the cynical side of me that says okay, enough!!! Stop crying now. But then, the most genuine act with a genuine story does strike a chord, no matter how much you try to be cynical. I think that is why our judges showed the following reactions.

Shekhar Kapoor Sob! Sob!

Kirron Kher sob sob!!

But why haven’t we seen Sonali break down to tears. She is too concerned about her make-up. C’mon!!! Amanda is known for her tears. Show us some Aansoo!! Till then, we have to just keep staring at her close-ups!!

One last thing: Sidhharth Basu’s Synergy Communications

Has Sidhharth Basu, the Quizmaster Mr.Basu’s company – Synergy Communications been acquired by the Anil Ambani BIG brand? Synergy Communications has been the company behind the Indian gameshows -Kaun Banega Crorepati amongst others. But has Mr.Ambani’s ever-expanding empire taken this as well under its control. Need proof? Have a look!

SYNOPSIS: **SPOILERS** AVOID IF YOU WANT TO KNOW IT FIRST HAND!

Also after the Jump: The Immortal and ‘Second to None’ Soundtrack of Ghar

The story of Vikas and Aarti, who love each other and get married , sounds like any other couple’s story. They go through the routine difficulties of modern day life in a city. But every morning, they wake up with absolute happiness to be in each others company. However, this was short-lived. Vikas and Aarti were attacked by a group of drunkards on their way home from a late night movie screening. Vikas was hit to make him unconscious. When Vikas wakes up in a hospital, he is told that his wife was raped. Aarti’s rape incident is splashed across the newspapers and it becomes the talk of the town. The incident is even cunningly utilised by politicians in their vote appeal campaigns. Aarti suffers from its trauma, while Vikas tries his best to sustain the relationship. Aarti finds it hard to believe that Vikas still loves her, and she thinks it is just out of pity that Vikas expresses his love for her. Will this strained relationship regain its original form? Or will the trauma of the incident force Vikas and Aarti to go separate ways? Kya hota hai aage, Jaanne ke liye dekhiye Ghar [To find out what happens, watch Ghar!].

Reasons to watch this movie:

a) Vinod Mehra:
In one of the most successful and memorable roles of his cinema career, Vinod Mehra shines as Vikas Chandra. He is absolutely at ease and gives us a beautifully honest performance. As rumors go, Rekha was seeing Vinod Mehra during that very period. And it is quite evident in the scenes from this movie. The romance and the chemistry between the lead pair is one of the key factors why Ghar is so memorable. And Vinod Mehra contributes equally to that chemistry with his hyper-charming smile, coupled with the emotional trauma that Vikas goes through. Vikas Chandra comes alive with Mehra’s precise reactions [ rather than acting] to the plot’s numerous chapters. His romance, rebellion, anxiety, desperation, angst and finally never ending love for Aarti is very well balanced in Vinod Mehra’s portrayal. Vinod Mehra was not nominated for this role [ Amitabh Bachhan won the Filmfare that year for yes, DON], but for sure, this is one of the most real drama performances I have seen.

b) Rekha:
This was before Zohrabai of Mukaddar ka Sikander. This was also before the Sari clad Chandni from Silsila and of course-Umrao Jaan. Rekha’s transformation breakthrough was first visible in Ghar. It was a leap in another direction for her, given her previous movies were surrounded by Daakoos [bandits], and she was forced to play a Banjaran or a Gaawn ki Chhori. Even her Sari clad role in Raampur ka Lakshman shows a very different image of her. Ghar broke that stereotype image that Rekha was before 1978. With this, she was known as the ravishing woman in the sari. Her hair, her sari, her eyes, the lipstick gloss, and the voice – Rekha was here to rule. And the role of Aarti Chandra was no one else’s than hers. The blurry line between Rekha’s onscreen and offscreen romance with Vinod Mehra feels absolutely eliminated with this movie. Just take my word for it, watch it already! And hey, she got her first Filmfare nomination for this particular role.

c) SOUNDTRACK: [ Okay, this is gonna be a bit long]
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that majority of the people who watch/ed this movie, will/would be because of its genius music, composed by none other than Panchamda – RD Burman. Right from the word go, the soundtrack ogf Ghar is a must have for every Bollywood music lover. It has tracks that are filled with romance to the brim, and the intoxicating vocals of Kishore, Lata, Asha and Mohd.Rafi. The lyrical excellence of Gulzar is unmatched and this is one of those gems from the Gulzar-RD Burman combo. [ Other must haves from the combo are- Mausam, Parichay, Aandhi, Masoom, Kinara]. So here we go, we discuss each track of the movie.

Aaj Kal Paanv Zameen Par:

Shot in most parts in slow-motion, this song expresses the immense joy of love [ and it has nothing to do with Anti-Gravity shoes]. Lata-ji’s silhoutte vocals makes this song an immportal experience and I believe, that RD Burman still lives today due to these songs, being heard over and over again. [ No matter how much today's soundtracks deliver club hits, but they somehow lack the replay value of these songs of Panchamda.] My favourite part in this song is easily, the second part of the verse which goes:-

neend si rehti hai
halka sa nasha rehta hai
raat din aankhon mein ik
chehra basa rehta hai
par lagi aankhon ko dekha hai kabhi udte hue…[ and then Lata-ji says..] Bolo

I remember this song being used in a Chappal ad. I mean, C’MON. That is just not right.

Aapki Aankhon Main Kuch:
If Aaj Kal Paanv was Lata-ji’s solo performance, this one shows why Kishore da was the Numero Uno of that era. This song has the fragrance of romance written in each and every word. The magical chemistry of the duo -Vinod Mehra and Rekha, is effortlessly translated in the vocals of Kishore da and Lata-ji. Even the naughty giggles and complaining husband/wife pyari-takrar takes a musical form.The lyrics are to fall in love for.

I will have to translate these ones.

Lab hile to mogare ke phool khilte hain kahin
Aap ki aankhon mein kya saahil bhi milte hai kahin
Aap ki khaamoshiyaan bhi aap ki aawaaz hai

<–Attempt at Translation–>
When your lips move, Jasmines bloom
In your eyes somewhere, do shores meet?
Even in your silence, there is your voice.
[ Is that a good translation?]
BIG COOKIE POINTS FOR GULZAR SAAB!!

Tere Bina Jiya Jaye Naa:
The uncanny, never-heard before, bass-centric song, which sounds so simple in its structure, but is complicated as hell. I still marvel and my jaws forget to meet each other when I hear this track. The entire composition as a whole is BRILLIANT with a capital B. The scales shift when the song goes from the Mukhda to the Antara, and then shift back to the original. Phew! And Lata-ji, as expected, delivers all of it with absolute ease. Enough has already been said and discussed about this song, but how can I go without mentioning my fav bit.

Reshami raatein roz na hongi
Ye saugaatein roz na hongi
Zindagi tujh bin raas na aaye
Raas aaye na..!!!

[ The Botal song is not my favorite. So I'd rather not mention it. Shhh. Don't even say it existed! This song has more of Prema Narayan than Rekha, and probably that's why I don't like it]

PHIR WAHI RAAT HAI [ There is a reason why it is in caps]
And finally, when the traumatic incident has happened, I started feeling like all the beautiful melodies were reserved for the first half of the movie, I am proved wrong. The showdown by Kishore da in -Phir wahi Raat Hai makes me feel absolutely elated. This song is the quintissential Kishore that we all miss. This is the Kishore I love and worship, and which no amount of clones – yes, no amount of Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet, Babul Supriyo or even Amit Kumar can substitute. It also made me realise the void that we have. Kishore da’s vocals in this song try to reach out Aarti, consoling her that everything is not over, and that Vikram is still in love with her. Even with all the elements of romance in this song, there is a hint of melancholy in the vocals which haunt me every time I listen to this song. And yes, this is my favourite in the soundtrack [arguably, well my left side at least thinks so, and I am a leftie]. There are no favourite parts in this song, because I just love it- all of it. But I can’t go without mentioning one bit. So here you go.

Masoom si neend mein
Jab koi sapna chale
Humko bula lena tum
Palko ke parde tale
Yeh raat hain khwaab ki
Khwaab ki raat hain
Phir wahi raat hain

<–Attempt at Translation–>

In a sleep of innocence,
When a dream walks,
Do call me under the shadow of your lashes

This is the night of dreams,
Of dreams is this night,
Its again that very night.

So end of the post. Moral of the story – Watch the movie. Buy the soundtrack. Worship RD.

** SCREENCAPS SOME MORE**

Fashion Ka Jalwa -Polka Dots

That 70s Show

Love before..!!!

Love Still remains

Love Strained - Aarti faces Vikas

Love Triumphs - Aarti and Vikas together

I have waited a long time for this. Really long. For all those people who are still watching Naruto Shippuden, can definitely understand the utter frustration that we have went throughout the last couple of months. The entire arc has been shifting way too far from the main plot which kept us glued to Naruto at the first place, and that is Konoha,Uchiha and more Sennin, Genin and Junins. Instead the anime has been hovering over such stupid plots such as the Crystal Lady -Guren and the 3 tailed Biju controller-Yuukimaru. I hated that entire arc where everyone had a single piece of dialogue – You are the place where I return to. I think you can hear me scream out so loud right now. That one line makes me cringe every single time I hear it, and you know how many times it was being repeated. That kid Yuukimaru is just one stupid, annoying kid who carries around that crystal with a daisy. And Guren was another arse of a lady. Tragic melodrama oozes out from every corner possible when the two confront each other. But screw all that, we are back in BUSINESS. Shippuden’s latest episode: The Serpent’s Pupil showed to me, why I fell in love with this Anime at the first place. And you know what..It does not have a single frame of Uzumaki Naruto [except for the title credits and the end credits]. And it still rocked me socks off..!!!!

With intensely pleasing recaps of Sasuke’s Chuunin exam, Orochimaru’s dented curse of bonding, and eventually Sasuke’s choice to give in to Orochimaru’s desire to take over his body – everything just fits perfectly in the Serpent’s plan. Or does it sound too easy for the replication to begin? Man, how excited was I to see Orochimaru’s Jutsu get sealed by Sarutobi! How cool was it to see flashback of the sound village Shinobis that Orochimaru sent to capture Sasuke! And how cool was it to see just a little flash of Sasuke’s Chuunin exam combats..!!! While you must know that Orochimaru is almost hitting the limit that his current body can hold, and can only withstand the pain to go through the replication. Kabuto believes that Orochimaru is the greatest Ninja there ever was, is or can be! Orochimaru’s track record has been quite impressive, especially when he single-handedly battled against Erosenin Jiraiya and Tsunade. And with the power of Uchiha’s Sharingan, there would be none to challenge him. Kabuto has been the ever-serving bitch to Orochimaru, feeding him with pills and meds et al, and taking care of him [ you know, changing nappies and stuff,LOL]. While he is getting jubilant a bit ahead of his time, Sasuke-kun has other plans. WoooHoooo!!!

Sasuke has always been one of the most intriguing characters ever on any Manga/Anime. He has been a loner with a single focussed goal -Revenge against his elder brother Itachi. And that has driven him to the dark side to be trained by the dark lord Sauron…I mean serpent Orochimaru, and gain the powers he wanted. Sometimes he is a bit of a show-off, and exudes the overconfidence and extra X-factor with his looks, moves and swagger that even Orochimaru gets intimidated. And exactly that’s why Orochimaru had selected him as his next vessel. But little did he know, that Sasuke was thinking otherwise. Sasuke’s training montage in this episode, jumping back and forth his early days of his Sharingan development and back to his full form of Chidori is mindblowing. I couldn’t stop smiling, and yes, that is the perfect reaction. P.S. That image you see, does not imply any homo-erotic thought of Orochimaru.

And finally the screen is scorched!!
Sasuke vs. Orochimaru.

[Note: I wrote Sasuke's name before Orochimaru] The moment that we have all been waiting for..is HERE. Sasuke gives a long speech proving us that Orochimaru is just a worthless serpent of a Ninja. He has always been overshadowed by the power of the Uchiha, and all he ever was just a prodigy. He has only gained his powers by toying with thousands and thousands of lives, experimenting with bodies in the lab, and creating monsters, swapping bodies from one to another, and of course break every rule of the Ninjas. His attempt to get the better of Itachi was in vain, and so his next best option was Uchiha Sasuke. The best line in this episode was when Sasuke says to him: Orochimaru, you’re weaker than me. There is no more need to give you my body”. Woo-Hoo. Sasuke tries to tear Orochimaru’s body with his blazing Chidori, when Orochimaru throws up and takes the form of his original self – a serpent [reminded me of the J-Lo starrer Anaconda]. Orochimaru tries to wrap Sasuke with his never-ending body, but Sasuke is way too powerful now, or is he? Sasuke takes the form of a hawk. Will the hawk make the serpent eat dust? OMG!!!! The anticipation is through the roof. I can’t wait till Thursday!!

Korean movies are just top notch in terms of cinematical technicalities. The cinematography is unparalleled, the colors seem to be splashed straight from a palette chosen by Monet or Rembrandt, and the soundtrack breathes life into even the most dead of plots. All of it combined with a compelling romantic-drama plot like Daisy, can be best termed as an amplification of cinematic excellence to the fullest extent. When the director of the Infernal Affairs,Andy Lau teams up with three of Korea’s finest actors, the result has to exceed all expectations, and Daisy does it, and how so.

Tension, Tragedy, Twist!

SYNOPSIS: Daisy[ Korean name: Dei-Ji(2006)] stars my favorite Korean actress Jun Ji Hyun [now known as Gianna Jun] as a young artist Hye Young, living in Amsterdam. She assists her grandfather in running his antique shop, and works in the public square,drawing portraits. She starts receiving pots of Daisy from a secret admirer who she believes is the man who built a bridge for her [Its exactly how it sounds]. And then, one day she meets Interpol agent Jeong Woo [Sung-Jae Lee] who is actually tracking Asian drug dealers. Hye confuses her for the mystery man who sends her the daisies. While all this is happening, Hye Young’s real secret admirer,Park Yi [Woo Sung Jung] has a keen eye on her.
He follows every step of her, and even shows a hint of envy when he sees Hye Young enjoying Jeong Woo’s company. And then, in an encounter involving the drug dealers and Jeong Woo in the public square, Hye is severely injured thus, losing her voice. Jeong Woo has to leave the country and go back to Korea. And then, Park shows up to take care of the broken-hearted Hye. What Hye does not know is her secret admirer and the one who sends her the daisies is actually an assassin. Will Hye find out who her real admirer is? Will Jeong Woo return to Hye and confess the truth? Will Park get rid of his dirty past and will there be a happy ending? To find the answers, watch Daisy.

And why should you watch this movie?
a) The Golden thing that is silence.

Raining Silence

Daisy is just painted in leisure with all possible hues collected in a sombre pace. The speed although here does not make you cringe, rather makes you sink into the situation. The caress of wind on the petals of the daisy, or the reflection of sun on Hye’s eyes, the heavy showers washing the glass windows and the gurgling of water in the streams – all of this intermittently broken by the narration.

b) The Lady – Jun Ji Hyun.

Jun Ji Hyun - How pretty!

Although I adore and still am a die-hard fan of JJH’s outspoken, extremely OTT role in My Sassy Girl[who isn't!], JJH performance in this role stands at extreme opposite ends from her work in My Sassy Girl. She speaks through her eyes, expresses her angst and frustration in her actions. She made me believe in her quest for her secret admirer. Her eyes gleaming with romance when she receives her ‘FROWERS’, makes me squirm. And well, who wouldn’t want to just stare at her, while she sketches a portrait of you?

c) Amsterdam, Ambiance, Audio.

Oh Amsterdam!

If you loved ‘In Bruges’, this would make you fall in love with Amsterdam. The architecture, the streets, the public square, the countryside, the flowers…aaaah! Add to that, the interiors of an antique shop, or a well designed modern day European apartment, the dim-lit indoors of a restaurant, or even the dark alleys, all of these have a character of their own to add to the narrative. Lastly, the soundtrack is absolutely fabulous.

d)Andy Lau. Andy Lau. Andy Lau.

Eyes of the Kira..err Killer

This is not just a South-Korean tragedy. Nor is this another hitman action movie. Daisy combines both of these, and not in a formula-driven cliched mixed-bag. It combines the action, thrill and edge-of-the-seat sequences of an action movie, and yet somehow combines all the drama and the precise amount of human emotional clashes that one expects from a romance-drama. Andy Lau satisfies each and every thread of desire I would have from his cinema.

The Painting which started it all

To sum it up, what you would remember after this movie is the spellbinding cinematography of the movie, the mind numbing twists that this plot unfolds in layers, the absolutely impressive JJH and finally the soulful soundtrack. The non-linear narrative is best done in Asian cinema and this is no exception to that rule. It just enhances the storytelling, and when it comes to tragedy [minor spoiler], Koreans do it best. This for all Asian movie lovers, and for those special ones who loved My Sassy Girl, be prepared to be surprised to a very different JJH.

RATING: 8 on 10.

Special Mention: Niki of ApunBindaas who recommended this gem of a movie to me.

**SCREENSHOTS FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE**

More of Jun Ji Hyun

Romance while the lights are dim

JJH..

]]> http://www.oneknightstands.net/movie-review-daisy-2006/feed/ 5 http://www.oneknightstands.net/movie-review-daisy-2006/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneKnightStands/~3/jv5Get6VKKg/ http://www.oneknightstands.net/separated-at-birth-ii/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:01:25 +0000 Sujoy http://www.oneknightstands.net/?p=667 I have been absent from OKS for quite some time now. Not really! I have been recovering from the marathon of Liveblogging Britain’s Got Talent [ and I am not completely done yet! Yes, some more of it will be coming, and yet some more from America's Got Talent. What happened to the Indian version?] So, anyway, just to deviate my mind and body from all the nervewrecking tension involved with Live Television, here I am, plunging myself, yet again, into the “Dariyaaa” of Bollywood. But with a twist. Yes, as the title suggests: We are doing our second Separated at Birth [ after the lukewarm response on the first one]. But I can be so sure that this one is gonna appeal to audiences from the caves of Chambal to the skyscrapers of Shanghai [Aila! What a dialogue. On a serious note, please donate for the Cyclone Aila relief ;  BTW, who the f names a Cyclone as Aila. It just loses its credibility. Ok now its obvious that I am ranting.]

Coming back to the post; In the Red corner, we have someone who cannot be described with any adjectives – JOHN LENNON. Who you say? Get yourself sorted dear! Listen to some music, and get some education. And in the Blue Corner, we have none other than [arguably] the most monstrous Villain of Indian cinema – Amrish Puri. Both monstrous in their own right. It’s been such a delight to bring these two on the same canvas.

70’s fashion checklist:

Hair: Check

Glasses: Check

Hair-Style: Check again

Uncanny colors for Shirts, Collars: Check Check!! You likey?

For a more colorful and uber-70s version of Mogambo, click this link.

Image Courtesy:
John Lennon [from Google Image Search]
Amrish Puri [ from the screencap of  Beth's post on Salaakhen ] .

Yes, the big moment is here. It is Big Finale night of Britain’s Got Talent. All the blood, sweat and hardships end tonight. Will it be a night to remember with stellar performances from all the ten acts, or is the pressure of Final night going to be way too much to handle for some of them. No matter what, we are in for a treat for sure. From the auditions, to Shortlisting for the Semi-Finals and then to the Weeklong Live Semi-Finals, it has been such a strenuous journey. For the finalists as well, this has been such a roller-coaster ride.

Who’d have thought an old lady from a Scottish village would become the Internet sensation of the year, and at the same time the target of the Paparazzi!!

Who’d have thought a small lad from Wales could pull off a legendary Jennifer Holiday number!!

Who’d have thought Greeks dancing in an Irish fashion could be so much fun!!

Who’d have thought a Saxophone could emote so much, so well!!

Who’d have thought Dancing could reach levels of national praise!!

And finally, who’d have thought that we would find someone as good [if not better] as George Sampson!!
[The other acts that I did not mention, I believe are not potential contenders for the title].

Coming back to the Finale, it’s on at an early time slot: 6:45 pm, London Time. We will be covering it Live, yet again. [ I am already getting depressed that after tonight, the show will be over. Darn! But that's life.]
See you at the Finale.

*** AFTER THE JUMP ***

The Liveblogging of the Finale of Britain’s Got Talent 2009 [ As and when it happens]

The big night is here. Can’t believe that in a matter of hours we will have the new winner of Britain’s Got Talent. The magnitude of the expectations from the performance is just through the roof. I would definitely not want to be in anyone of those shoes of the performers. Right, it’s time. Britain’s Got Talent – The Finals. The show has begun. A recap of the season – A healthy mixture of brilliance, genius, humour, showbiz, jawdropping excellence and also the disgusting and downright weird.
But tonight’s night is the night of the Best of the Best. It is all down to the public and we’ll see if the performers can impress them. The finals has begun, and we are Live from London: It’s the Final of Britain’s Got Talent. Enter Ant and Dec!! [Audience Applause!!!].

Here we are. This is what we have been waiting for. Enter the judges: Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden [looking lovely in a scarlet red fishtail cocktail dress] and Simon Cowell. Tonight, someone is winning the title. 100,000£ and the Royal Variety performance at stake- that we have been only talking so far; tonight someone walks away with that. Piers has something really good to say: It is something that takes our minds off the greedy bankers and corrupt politicians. [ I second that]. Dec reminds us: Each finalist gets one act each, so no second chances. Time to kick-start the show.
—————————————————-

First Act of the Finals: FLAWLESS
Let us see if they can ‘Step Up’. They claim that they will let their “Dancing” do the talking. We’ll see that. The act has begun. It’s a healthy mix of MJ: Smooth Criminal, Gotta Be Starting Something and some James Brown to go. As usual, its really creative. And I loved the “I feel good”. It was good, but I feel I have seen better, and even from FLAWLESS themselves. The audience is on their feet. We have to see what the judges thought about it. Still chasing their dream.

Judges verdict:
Simon: That was incredible!
Piers: When I watched that act right now, I think is there any better dance act in the WORLD!
Amanda: You make me proud to be British.
I believe the judges are just on a gimmicky mode to generate more phone votes. FLAWLESS weren’t as good as their Semi Finals. And you will be able ti judge for yourself when you see the clip yourself. Anyway, their code: 01. And 7 more acts to go.
—————————————————-

Second act: SHAHEEN JAFARGHOLI
We all remember his audition. We definitely remember his Semi-Finals. He is confident, and as Simon puts it: He is really, really talented. It all boils down to the song choice as I have stressed upon before. Let’s see what he is sing tonight. He is singing that song again. YESSSSSSSSS!. It’s Jackson 5 “Who’s Loving You?”. I love it to bits. I have goosebumps as I am writing down these lines. The jacket and the blue shirt with the tie look so lovely on him. And this song is just working wonders for him. His range is stellar, and his performance has been completely consistent. Its better than his auditions, a longer performance version. And the stage is grander, the performance bigger, better and I loved it to bits. He deserves to win this.

Judges verdict:
Piers: That was incredible. It’s not fair to the adults when you do that.
Amanda: You have absolute star-quality. [He personifies it]. Stronger and Stronger everytime.
Simon:I think you are super super talented young man. You are in with a real shot at winning this.

Look at young Shaheen with a cute Welsh accent. He is smiling, and he deserves this stage. His code:02
GO SHAHEEN.!!!! People vote for him. I am.

Part 1 ends here. Time for a break. 8 more acts to go.
—————————————————–

I still can’t contain my emotions after watching that performance by Shaheen. We are back from the break, with the big one -THE FINALS.
Next act: AIDAN DAVIS
His dance was poppalicious; in the auditions, and the Semi Finals. He is such a lovely kid, you do want him to win. But in a competition like this [ especially when we have Shaheen ], does he stand a chance? What more can he show us. He is repeating the track from his auditions: Low by Flo Rida. Him dancing alone on that big stage. Yes, the video infinity loop wall is back like last night. The performance was very good. But then, does very good cut it? It was consistent with last night’s performance, but we are looking for more-C’mon it’s the FINALS. Let’s see what the judges have to say. [A bit unfair for him, coz he had only 24 hours to prepare for the finals].

Judges verdict:
Amanda: I love your superstar attitude. You are so relaxed. You are a superstar waiting to happen.
Simon: Being honest with you, it wasn’t as good as last night.
Piers: That was better than last night, and you are brilliant.
Aww…he is crying, thinking about Simon. Will the public take notice of his tears?
—————————————————-

Fourth act of the night: 2Grand
I don’t believe they stand any chance. I would want them to just take this opportunity to perform in front of such a huge audience, on the biggest stage they can perform on. For sure, Grandad’s wife will be very proud of him. Sing your heart out 2Grand. The song is “A Whole New World” from Disney’s Aladdin. Grandaughter Sally is singing better than her performances, but vocally , Granddad is a bit cacophonous. Even with all the emotions attached to this, my cynical side is taking over. This is not a good enough performance to win.

Judges Verdict:
Simon: Nerves got the better of you tonight. I am happy that you are in the finals, but there are more talented acts. [OMG, Simon trying to be politically correct]
Piers: The fact that you made it here is a terrific tribute to you two.
Amanda: I’m glad that you are here in the finals, but I agree with Simon.
Great to hear grandpa is feeling on the top of the world.
Their code: 04

Time for another break. After the break: Stavros Flatley and Hollie Steel
—————————————————-
[Psst.. I am still going gaga over Shaheen's performance] We are back from the break. 6 more acts to go tonight. Next performance: HOLLIE STEEL. She has been in the news since last night’s performance. Or rather her break down on the stage. Amanda: I am in awe of her. Simon: She thoroughly deserves her place in the finals. Will she complete her performance tonight? She is singing: Wishing you were somehow here again – from Phantom of the Opera. She seems more confident than last night. She completed it, and she is smiling. Simon would be definitely relieved that she did it.

Judges verdict:
Piers: You looked confident, like a little star.
Amanda: You were actually better than yesterday.
Simon: You were fantastic.

No one mentioned her chance of winning or anything. She is a good singer, no doubt. But c’mon, reality check, she does not stand a chance against the Big acts lined up tonight.Her code: 05
—————————————————

Time for some: STAVROS FLATLEY. Two little pudgy guys, in the finals of BGT. And the public loves em. They are saying that are showing more moves, more dance, and more belly. I can see Lord of the Dance going bonkers. I am rolling on the floor now. They are accompanied by serious tap-dancers onstage and the audience is on their feet. That was electric. BRAVO!!! They showed what they promised. That was lovely, and bloody HILARIOUS. Greek dad is one of the funniest peeps on the show.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: You are my favourite act. I want you to win the show.
Simon: I thought it was absolute utter genius. For whatever reason, you make people feel good.
Piers:[Puts on the wig] It would be absolutely brilliant if you two perform in the Royal Variety.
Their code: 06

Dad Flatley:[ That is not his name, but you know who I am referring to]
Piers, you are the man.
Amanda, I love you.
Simon, somewhere deep down in you, you have some Greek in you. ROFL. LMFAO!!
Can I repeat it please? Dad Flatley is the FUNNIEST guy in the show.

4 more acts to go. Time for a break.
—————————————————-

And we are back from break. Next act: SHAUN SMITH. Form a queue ladies!
He is cute and a looker no doubt. He has a good voice. But standing in front of the acts that are on tonight, he is not going to be a winner. Amanda sez: Girls all over Britain will be voting for him. Simon sez: He’s gotta make himself memorable, and he’s gotta make himself a contender. He is singing: “Ain’t No Sunshine” again. It’s acoustic, and it is a small song for a stage as big as this one. Wrong song choice I say. Even “With or Without You” could have been a better song for him. Not even a miracle can turn things in his favour. Comparing that with Shaheen’s “Who’s Loving You?”, it was jamming session good;nothing better than that.
He sure has a career ahead of him

Judges verdict:
Simon: Voice sounded terrific. Great song choice [Yeah right!]
Piers: I second that. But you are in an incredibly category tonight.
Amanda: You have ticked every box in the book. You are sexy and you are brilliant.
His code: 07
—————————————————

Next act: SUSAN BOYLE
All eyes are on her. Susan Boyle has gone from an anonymous spinster in a Scottish village to become one of the most known lady in the world in a matter of several weeks. The pressure is immense. It is the night which decides it all. Her audition was surrounded with an air of surprise and an element of discovery of the unknown side of Susan Boyle. Will that be echoed in her performance tonight? She is singing ” I dreamed a dream” -Les Miserables; again, as she did in the audition. But there is no more an element of surprise this time. There is instead the expectation of her nailing this performance and impress the audience enough to vote for her. Did she do it? I really can’t say if she did it. Neither can I say that she did not. Her performance was flawless. But we have to wait and watch for the results.

Judges verdict:
Piers: You have been in the center of the audience. You should win this competition -I loved it [Received with boos]
Amanda: You sang it so well. You did it girl. You did it for Scotland. Simon had a tear in his eye.
Simon: You could have walked away from this. Win or lose, you have the guts to come back tonight, face your critics, and you’ve beat them. Win or lose, you can walk away from this, with your head held high.

I am getting a scary thought now. She is going to win.
Time for another break with the final acts of the night- DIVERSITY and JULIAN SMITH
——————————————————-

Back for the final performances of the night. Next act: DIVERSITY
I love love love them. And I believe they will certainly step up their performance unlike Flawless. Simon sez: The problem is that they have done so many incredible dance performances, how do they top it for the finals? Rightly said. Here they are. It’s such couple of seconds in, and it is far better than Flawless. The Superman theme is brilliant. And the judges buzzer re-enactment is spot on. Leagues ahead of the other one. The crowd is on their feet and so are the judges. That felt electric – 44000 volt electric. BRILLIANT!! They are here to win this. I would not be surprised if they win this.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: You have rendered me speechless. You can be definite contenders tonight. You have nailed it.
Simon: All bets are off. This would be the only performance tonight I would give a 10 to.
Piers:I thought Flawless just edged you. [ Piers, seriously, Diversity were 'Flawless'. And get your senses checked].
Their code: 09
—————————————————-

Last act of the night: JULIAN SMITH
Yes, he can win this tonight. Because he has the story of his struggle clubbed with his sheer talent. Never before did I believe that I could connect with a saxophone instrumental. [Yes, I don't like Kenny G] But there is somehow that very connection existing in Julian’s performance- in his audition, his semi-final and his Final performance as well. I don’t know that song, but does it matter. It was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

Judges verdict:
Simon: Brilliant choice of song. You got very shot. Good luck.
Piers: A perfect way to end a brilliant show.
Amanda: I think your career is not ending her tonight. You have a long way to go.

What is he wearing though? What is under that head-cover? Eggs??
Anyway, his code:10
The lines to vote are open.
—————————————————

Time for a recap and short review.

Flawless: That was average compared to Diversity. Serious. You’d be seeing the video on YouTube and I know you’d agree with me.

Shaheen: BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT.

Aidan Davis: It was great. But not winner material.

2Grand: Cacophony, but cute.

Hollie Steel: She should be proud to have made it to the finals. Fin!

Stavros Flatley: Giggle!!! Infectious!! Hilarious!!

Shaun Smith: Meh!

Susan Boyle: She stands tall, and her voice is all over the world. She is winning this.

Diversity: The BEST dance act Eva..Eva..Eva!

Julian Smith: He gave his best, and I wish him luck as well.

BEST BETS:
Shaheen and Susan represent the singers for the night. Shaheen definitely has a better voice and is a better performer. But then audience vote is a different ball game altogether, isn’t it. I am still rooting for Shaheen.

Diversity is another big contender for the winning title.

The phone lines are open till 9:45pm tonight. The results will be on ITV1 at 9:30 pm. We’ll be covering that as well. See you soon.

Right now, we are watching : Britain’s Got More Talent – on ITV2.
Switched in a bit late, but Amanda mentioned: The act that gave me goosebumps- DIVERSITY
The act that gave me the laughs: Stavros Flatley.
Piers reminds her of Shaheen.

Host Stephen Mulhern is now talking to Shaheen. He is such a smooth talker, and absolutely knows to spellbind the audience with his charm.

Hollie thinks that the audience should vote for her coz she is the smallest and the cutest. Duh!

Diversity next. Why should audience vote for them: They worked really hard, and they are good, clean boys who brush their teeth 4 times a day. Hehe!

Flawless: We both represent dance tonight, and we are happy, and hope Diversity should be as well. Words can’t express how much this means to us.

2Grand: No nerves, they say. The 10 acts here are all winners – Granddad speaketh.

Susan Boyle: She says that tonight she could have performed better tonight.
Why should the audience vote for you tonight? Because I am your Socttish Wonder Woman. ROFL!

Stavros Flatley:
Why should everyone vote for you? Coz, Prince Philip is my second cousin.

Shaun Smith: I missed that bit.

Julian Smith: He says: Why am I always the last one?
Why should everyone vote for you? Coz I would love to perform at the Royal Variety. [I wasn't following]. I am preoccupied coz I am voting.

Hey, there’s Jordin Sparks in the house. And she thinks Julian Smith or 2Grand is going to win this. Lemme just say it. If 2Grand wins this, the Queen will walk out of the Royal Variety feeling really bored.

30 more minutes to go for the results. We will be back soon after a quick dinner. Don’t you dare go anywhere.
—————————————————–

**BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT – THE RESULTS**

We are back with the Results Show now. It all boils down to this. The winner will be announced in just a couple of minutes. And we are back to the studio in London on ITV1. This is Britain’s Got Talent’s results.
They are showing a quick reminder of the 10 acts that performed tonight, and I am reminded how much I loved Shaheen’s performance. He is a star in every aspect. Flawless were not as good as I would have liked them to be.Aidan’s performance was good too. Hollie was great compared to last night. But the biggest cookie points of the night goes to Stavros Flatley. I can’t stop smiling when I see them perform. Shaun Smith’s performance is quite mediocre compared to the others. And then, we had the BIG ONES , one after another: Susan Boyle, Diversity and Julian Smith.

A quick montage piece of the 10 finalists. Lines are still open but not for long. Just a couple of more minutes, and the results will be announced when we come back from the break.
—————————————————-

We are back from the break [the final one]. And the phone lines are closed. The results will be announced in just a matter of minutes. The excitement is getting translated in my typing. I am getting way too many typos. But I will try to keep up. I ensure, you will get to know every moment of the Results, live and loud here.

**MOMENT OF TRUTH**THE RESULTS**
AWRIGHT, the Big moment is here. Welcome the Finalists on the stage. All the acts are here, and this is the Moment of Truth. It does not get bigger than this. This is the moment you all have been waiting for. The top 3 will be announced first.

The top 3 acts of Britain’s Got Talent 2009 [in no order] are:
i) SUSAN BOYLE
ii) JULIAN SMITH
iii) DIVERSITY

Now that’s just wrong. Or is it? Any way, no Shaheen. We know the winner by now, don’t we?
Okay here we go.

In 3rd place tonight is: JULIAN SMITH. Applause everyone. [Amanda is standing]

Susan is shaking..awww. Someone hold her.

The winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2009 is: OMG!!! DIVERSITY.

Did I just see that? Diversity outdid Susan Boyle. Susan believes the best performance won. She is such a good hearted lady, but….but…..she started dancing. And she is now showing her leg.!!!!!
But there you go…DIVERSITY has won Britain’s Got Talent 2009.

And time for an encore performance of the winners. So Britain does love dancing after all!!

What a season everyone!! Massive thanks to everyone who followed my Live Blogs, the comments are open anyway for you to pour in your thoughts and opinions. I am still a bit sad for Shaheen, and in a bit of a disbelief that Susan did not win. But DIVERSITY were for sure a deserving act.

See you guys soon for some good event coverage soon. Gotta watch “Mumbai Calling” now. Adios and Gracias!

We are less than 20 hours away from the Big Finals of Britain’s Got Talent 2009. From thousands of auditions shortlisted to 200, then 40 for the live Semi-Finals, we are now down to the 10 Finalists. We have gone through one helluva rollercoaster week of mind-numbing, ear-bursting, earth shattering performances. We have also tolerated the utterly ugly and disgusting ones too [You know which ones I am referring to]. But here we are just going to talk about the Final 10.

**LIST OF FINALISTS OF BGT 2009: Season 3**

Shaheen Jafargholi
Flawless
Julian Smith
Stavros Flatley
Susan Boyle
Diversity
Shaun Smith
2 Grand
Aidan Davis
Hollie Steel

We are gonna discuss each of them and make our predictions of the winner of this years Britain’s Got Talent. But before that, lemme just say it. This years bunch is bigger, better and a healthy bunch of absolutely deserving finalists. And by that I mean, we wont have to see any buzzers go off in the finals. We wont see negative comments [hopefully] for any of the performances. But as Simon said: They all have their shot at it. It can be anybody’s game now. On one hand , we have the entire world rooting their eyes on the Internet sensation: Susan Boyle. But we know [ secretly, we all know] that there are actually better performances than Susan Boyle [arguably. Yeah yeah! I don't get her vocals etc etc!!] Looking at the list of the Final 10, the obvious names that emerge as potential threats, or even show stealers for tomorrow’s Finale are: Shaheen Jafargholi, Aidan Davis, Julian Smith and finally either of Diversity and Flawless.
Anyway, let’s get back to the Final 10 oneact at a time. First it’s Shaheen.

Shaheen Jafargholi:
Auditions: He gave us Jackson 5.
Semi Final: He gave us Jennifer Holiday.
What is in store for tomorrow’s performance? What can be bigger than a Jennifer Holiday song? Can it be some Arethra Franklin? What do you say? Will a “Chain of Fools” do justice to Shaheen’s vocal range? Too many questions. The answer is simple. Whatever maybe the outcome, Shaheen is definitely getting a record deal with SyCo [Simon Cowell] and with a voice like that, he will make it big for sure. He is very young, talented, confident and has the charms to make him a complete saleable commodity. He is already a winner. And with reported upset replies from Susan Boyle, we can surely see the reason. Of course, we are cheering for Shaheen all the way. GO SHAHEEN!!!

Flawless:
They mean it when they say their name. Their dance act is tight. The choreography is crisp, creative and detailed.
Have a look at their audition video.
And this is their Semi Final performance.
If they perform an encore of their Semi Final performance tonight, they will still be a very strong dance act. But I believe that their Final act performance act is going to be stellar. The only problem here is, a dance act to win the finale is almost unlikely. Let’s have a look at the previous two seasons.
Season 1: Completely overshadowed by Paul Potts and Connie Talbot. Both singers.
The story of Paul Potts: Regular guy, works at Carphone Warehouse, sings Opera, makes YouTubers go nuts.
His edge: Regular guy to Opera Sensation.
Story of Connie Talbot: Little cute Connie performs Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and mesmerized everyone.
Her edge: cuteness, toothless smile, nerves of steel.

Season 2: There were a few dance acts viz. Flava and Nemesis. Only Flava made it to the Finals. But they failed to create the magic.
Other dance acts included the downright cute-Cheeky Monkeys, the Bhangra meets MJ duo: Signature and of course Winner: George Sampson.
Although George is a good dancer, his victory is undoubtedly because of “sympathy vote” rather than his skill.

So coming back to Flawless, they do not have a background story associated with the act. That is why acts like Julian Smith and Susan Boyle stand a chance at winning this season.

Diversity:
The other perfect dance group. Why doesn’t Britain have a Dance competition like So You Think You Can Dance, or “Britain’s Best Dance Crew”?
They proved with their First performance that they had the X-Factor and the Talent as well to win this. But if only this show was about the talent. As Jerry Springer said in last night’s “Britain’s Got More Talent”: “As a host of America’s Got Talent, what attracts people more is the story behind the performances. We don’t believe that Elvis Presley has the greatest voice in the world. But we love him to bits”. Hmm!!
Have a look at the second performance of Diversity at the Semi Finals. Michael Jackson meets Mission Impossible. And the phone call sketch included was fresh and creative. But as mentioned in the case of Flawless, do they have the edge to compell the audience to vote for them over Susan Boyle, Julian Smith or even Shaheen?

Julian Smith:
His performance at his audition was heartwrenching.
His semi-final performance repeated it, and took it to the next level.
He really wants this to work out. He has been a “so-close but yet-so-far” all his past life. And being at the Finals of such a big show are what dreams are made of. Audiences love stuff like this. And that is why, Julian Smith could be one of the dark horses of the competition, if not the favorite to win it tomorrow. Yes, there we go. I said that out loud. Julian Smith could actually WIN IT tomorrow.

Stavros Flatley:
Everybody in the list for finalists of BGT has something to do with music or dance. When it comes to Stavros Flatley, it is more about Laughter and some more laughter, than anything else.
In an interview to Britain’s Got More Talent last night, Daddy Flatley said: We are just having a good time. You guys are thinking we are dancing, but we can’t. We are just having fun.
So true. Have a look at their audition video. It still hurts my belly when I watch it.
And their Semi-Final performance brings the widest smile in my capacity.
And with the humble father thanking his son for letting him dance in his company, accompanied by workers in their family restaurant, we have a killer of a Variety Act. To put it rightly, this indeed represents “Variety” with a capital V.
How cool would it be to open the curtains with the Queen in the audience [of the Royal Variety] and Stavros Flatley show their best moves. Britain’s voters could go nuts and vote them the winners. Of course, if Jedi is a religion, anything is possible.

Shaun Smith:
Audition: Ain’t No Sunshine
Semi Finals: With or Without You.
Not avery strong contender as I would like to put it. He has a good voice. He certainly has the looks to sell ads and even make it to Coronation Street, or even some singles. That pretty much sums it up.
He is not winning the Final; fo sho.

2 Grand:
The audition was really touching. More so because the stage was small, and there was no act to be directly compared to.
In the Semi Finals though, when 2Grand faced the Judges vote vs. Callum Francis [who in my opinion should have been in the finale], all I could think was, the performance was average at best.
But again, coming back to the ‘Story’ criteria, there is certainly that emotional quotient going in favour for this act. The grandfather and granddaughter performing together.
But I don’t think this act has the potential to win it.

Aidan Davis:
His audition dance act [Track: Low by Flo Rida] made him being nicknamed as the New George Sampson. Imho, he is much better.
Semi Final: Track: Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake. The video monitor infinity loop thing was out of this world.
He certainly has the moves, but standing next to Diversity and Flawless- who have the moves and the choreography with the story twist, it is difficult to believe that Aidan can pull off a George this year.

Hollie Steel:
Audition: Confident and stellar performance.
Semi Final: Act part-I: She gives in to her nerves, and the pressure of performing in front of a big audience breaks Hollie’s confidence.
Performance Part-II: She gets her act together, completes it, and in the process, gives a brilliant performance.
I love Hollie’s performance to bits. But here’s my problem. What if Aidan was to get nervous and ask for a second chance? Am I being mean? No, I am just being honest. Also, it is a bigger audience, bigger stage, and its the Finals.
So what if Hollie breaks down tomorrow again? I don’t think she will be given another chance. As of now, chances of Hollie’s winning the show are quite slim.

Susan Boyle:
The name is one of the most searched keyword on YouTube and the other video uploading websites.
Her audition video has broken and remade records, and it is one of the reasons why readers from China, Serbia, Netherlands and even Auckland are reading my posts.
With her Semi Final performance, she restated that she is not limited to just one performance.
However, she has got some negative press [ damn the papparazzi circus ] and she even was reported to have thoughts of leaving the show.
But even if everyone says anything about Susan Boyle, it is undeniable about the magnitude of her impact on this show. The story of an old lady from a Scottish village chasing a dream to become a professional singer, and above all, making the judges look like fools, when they judge someone by their looks and ’saleability’. All of that adds to Susan Boyle being the favourite to win the Finals tomorrow night.

So we are done discussing the finalists individually. Time for summing up the predictions:

**PREDICTIONS GALORE**

Just Finalists: Performances who will be just finalists — 2 Grand, Hollie Steel, Aidan Davis, Shaun Smith Stavros Flatley, Diversity, Flawless

Strongest Contenders: Shaheen Jafargholi, Julian Smith,

Predicted Winner: Susan Boyle.[ Yes, although I want Shaheen to win, the most probable winner of the finals is Susan. Or, will Britain surprise me in a very pleasant way?]

But again, it is a Live Finale. Anything can happen. Steps can go wrong or perfectly right. Nerves can kill performances. Pressure can reduce great performers to be just mediocre. And at the end of the day, shit can certainly happen.
To find it who will win the Finals, do Join us for the Liveblog of the Finale.

The finale is at an earlier timeslot: 6:45 pm, London Time on ITV1. See you guys. Good Night!!

~~ Through to the Finale of Britain’s Got Talent 2009

** Finalists Review and Predictions of the Winner of BGT Finale. Click here **

Right, time to roll the dice . This is the last Semi-Final night. It’s Friday and at 8:30 pm, London Time, on ITV1, we will witness the final 8 semi-final performers trying to make a place in the last two spots left at the Grand Finale to be held tomorrow. It is Semi Final 5 of Britain’s Got Talent 2009. We are almost there with the complete list of the finalists to perform; the only two missing will come from tonight’s list of performers and they are:

LIST OF PERFORMERS IN SEMI-FINAL 5:
Aidan Davis (Solo Dance Act; very George Sampson-esque, and he is pretty damn good)
DCD Seniors (Dance Troupe from Cardiff)
The Dreambears (Comedy Dance Group; It was actually quite funny in the auditions)
Good Evans The cute singing family act from Coventry. They are such a cute act to watch
Greg Pritchard ( He sang Nessun Dorma in the auditions at an unattainable pitch; He looks like a rockstar and sings opera;definitely not the favorite of the night)
Hollie Steel (The favorite to win the night, and for sure a strong contender as well, she looks like a little ballerina and has the voice of an angel)
Luke Clements (The fruit juggler act, and he loves apples; Simon challenged him to do it with melons)
Martin “Gos” Matcham (Did a very Karaoke version of “I want to Break Free”, but has the world’s coolest guitar[at least the most glowing]. But is he good enough to make it, and will Simon get a good bashing from Martin’s mother-in-law yet again? Watch the clip.)

PREDICTIONS:
My favorite act of the night [and also to win]: Hollie Steel
Most undeserving act: Martin Matcham
Likely to win the audience vote: Hollie Steel
Most likely to be buzzed off: Martin Matcha,
Judges choice: Aidan Davis

So to sum up my predictions, the acts that are going through for the finals from tonight’s Semi Finals are: Hollie Steel and Aidan Davis. Would you support my judgement?

The Fifth Semi-Final is on tonight :8.30 pm, London Time, on ITV1. We’ll be there to cover it live. And yes, Paul Potts, winner of Season 1 of BGT will be performing tonight as well. See you there!!!

*** After the Jump: ***

The Liveblogging of Britain’s Got Talent 2009 – Semi Final 5. [ As and when it happens]

Okie dokie. Last Semi Final. Last two spots to be filled. Ant and Dec recap last night’s performances. Julian Smith’s soul stirring performance, and 2Grand’s aww..so cute act winning the judges’ vote. A quick run through the performances for the night. And here we go, live from London, Semi Final 5 of BGT 2009. Welcome everyone!! Enter the BGT judges:- Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden [what is she wearing, that's something] and Simon Cowell. A reminder: Potts is here tonight.

A few comments from the judges.
Amanda sez: I might climax here tonight!
Piers: I don’t think we can move away from this dress.
Simon: I know it already who’s gonna make it through.

Right, let’s kick off the show. The dance act which cannot be any more camp- it’s the DreamBears. Men with regular jobs, but by night, they claim to be Cabaret Superstars. They promise they will be going physical tonight, and Amanda sez: They are serious about winning tonight. The act has started to the track of “It’s Raining Men” [quite predictably]. And Simon is already on with his buzzer. Surprisingly, they are quite good and very nimble for big guys. They are absolutely enthusiastic about this. Simon points out the wardrobe problem.

Judges Verdict:
Simon: It was a bit clumsy, the costumes didn’t fit.
Piers: I am finding a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Amanda: I loved it. No problem in putting 3 queens in front of the Queen.
It was hilarious. Their code: 01

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Second act of the night: Good Evans
The family act from Coventry. Are they going to be good enough to go through to the finale. Simon sez: If they perform together, they are out of the competition. And they are performing together as a family.
The song has started, but it is not at all tight. It is sweet, no doubt, with the little twins, and mum n dad, and star Elliot of the family performing together. But it is not good enough. The vocals are all over the place. BTW the track- I don’t know this one.[Update: As indicated by Tara, it's from High School Musical, something I have no knowledge about; I have better things to do than watch Zack Effron]. The audience seemed to like it, but it was kind of a lukewarm response, even compared to the Dreambears performance.

Judges Verdict:
Piers: He buzzed. It was a disaster.
Amanda: The girls were brilliant.
Simon: I can’t say anything horrible about the two of you in the front [ the cute twins ]. You are not gonna win. [Lotsa Boos].
Their Code: 02

Time for a break now. After the break : Greg Pritchard and Luke Clements.

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Welcome back after the break. Next act: Luke Clements. He is going for Melons, is he? He wants to bring back Variety in “Royal Variety”. Let us see what he brings to the table. Yes, there is a Water Melon with a fuse. But he is just making it explode, and he did the same act of juggling and eating-this time it was tomatoes. O Oh! 3 buzzers. Yes, all of them.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: Your audition was different. But now you have turned into a run-of-the-mill juggler.
Simon: Why didn’t you swallow the Water Melon?
Piers: 3 buzzes, I’m afraid.

He is an honest, confident and a very positive guy. May he perform much more and juggle his way to success.
—————————————————-

Act 4: Hollie Steel. Her audition was stunning. Amanda sez: This little girl is the dark horse of the competition. Simon is worried if her nerves will overshadow her performance. Let’s see if she can do it.
She is performing Sound of Music – . She started very smoothly, and her performance is stunning. But she has forgotten her lines..aww…stage fright. She is crying. Amanda is up from her seat, but the crowd is cheering. The performance has stopped. Hollie wants to do it all over again. But there is no more time for her to perform again.

Judges speak:
Simon: When you were on it, you were brilliant. We will find the time to get you perform it again.

Time for an unexpected break. Man, this is the pressure of Live TV. It is just way too much pressure for a little kid to handle. Little Hollie, can she overcome her nerves? We’ll find out after the break.

Our suggestion: Simon, offer her a show, or a recorded performance with someone famous, if possible – Sound of Music. But don’t make her go through the same routine again. Because, if she fumbles again, she is gonna be absolutely broken.
—————————————————–

Back from the break. Hollie will perform again later in the night. Time for the next act: Martin Matcham
Martin has more lights in the guitar, and more Wow Factor. Is he gonna blow the show, or blow his chance?
He is performing : Robert Palmer: Addicted to Love, and it is a photocopy of the music video, down to the last inch [Link here].The buzzer from Simon goes off when Martin’s Guitar starts the solo. His performance was ok.

Judges verdict:
Piers: This was Robert Palmer re-incarnated. I loved all of it.
Amanda: I think you improved.
Simon: Hated it.
Ant and Dec instruct Martin’s mother-in-law to stay in place. His code: 05

—————————————————

Time for the next act: Aidan Davis
Simon had commented his act was absolutely stunning. Amanda sez: He has raised the bar of breakdancing in the show. He is dancing to a Mix of “Rock Your Body” – Justin Timberlake. The Infinity Loop Video Wall concept is stellar. It is such a brilliant concept. And his dance is crazy, crazy, crazy!!! Absolute Timberlake Standard. The crowd is on their feet. He says it was amazing, and amazing it was for sure.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: You absolutely blew me away there. You went through the roof.
Simon: Whatever ‘it’ is, you’ve got ‘it’.
Piers: You know how good you are.
His act was well conceived, and brilliantly executed. His code:06

Time for another break. 3 more acts to go. See you on the other side.
—————————————————-

Tonight is a very unpredictable night. We are back from the break. And Hollie Steel is back, performing her act again -Sound of Music – Edelweiss. The backing track is helping. Not only did she complete it successfully, she did it brilliantly. The high pitch in the end, was spine-chilling, goosebumping brilliant. She is crying. Awww..

Judges verdict:
Simon: You are the bravest girl in the world.
Piers: That is one of the gutsiest thing I have ever seen in my life. The second time, you reminded me of how brilliant a singer you are.
Amanda: Congratulations. The most beautiful, innocent, pure voice.
Her code: 04. Audience, please don’t get confused with the numbers. I really wish she wins the audience vote, and most probably, she would.
—————————————————-

Next act: DC Seniors from Cardiff. It comprises of 22 dancers. This is a showbiz dance act, and as Amanda rightly puts it, the Royal Family would absolutely love this. Let’s see if they can outperform the other two excellent dance groups. The dancing has begun, but I am not very keen on the music – “One Night Only”. The costume changes is back as it was in the audition. The second half was much better, but do we see a potential finalist?

Judges verdict:
Simon: It’s not as good as what we have seen from Flawless and Diversity.
Piers: We have had some really good dance groups. Any other year, you’d be in the Finals.
Amanda: They’ve got variety. We need some make-up and sparkle. [ Did Amanda just say something that contained the word 'vag'?]
Their code: 07
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Final act of the night: Greg Pritchard. The man who gave us the glass shattering pitch version of Nessun Dorma. Simon sez: It is one of the oddest act I have seen or heard. Here he is, the final act of the evening. He is onstage with cape and all that. He is singing in two voices – what is that song? Barcelona? Is that really Freddie Mercury’s Barcelona? Simon has buzzed. Sure he can pull off the high-note falsetto. And he’s got the capes. He has the world’s most unusual voice. But a: He ran out of breathe. b: He is never gonna win.
Lines are now OPEN. His code: 08

Judges verdict:
Piers: Very unique, very Britain’s Got Talent.
Amanda: Simon is getting 2 for the price of 1.Really good.
Simon: I felt I was in the middle of a horror movie.
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RECAP OF THE PERFORMANCES:
Dreambears: Hahahaha!!! Hilarious, Funny and Entertaining.
Good Evans: Meh! Was cute, but that’s it.
Luke Clements: 3 buzzes. It was bad.
Hollie Steel: We are voting for you Little Hollie.
Martin Matcham: Nah! Nah!
Aidan Davis: We have a winner of the night.
DC Seniors: More than the dancing, the music turned them down.
Greg Pritchard: That was weird.

Time for the last break of the night. After the break, Pottsy [Paul Potts] is performing. And also, the RESULTS.
—————————————————
Little Hollie made to the Headlines of 10 o’ clock News. We are back from the break. Time for Paul Potts. His online success can only be matched by this year’s Susan Boyle frenzy. He got his dental challenges taken care of. Coming back to his performance, he can pierce the room and everyone in it with his vocals. It reminds us, why we won BGT Season 1. Amazing voice!! But my friend [who is watching the show with me tonight] says, he’s got a brilliant voice, but he reminds me of -Mr.Potato Head. [ I didn't say that, honest. So no threats to me, or hate mails]. He has gone for the climactic pinnacle showdown, and may I ask: Is Amanda in tears?
Paul is still very humble. And this is the part, where he thanks BGT. He is talking about his Royal Variety performance experience. Good luck Potsy.

The phone lines are now CLOSED. A quick review of the show with the judges.
Piers: Whatever happened to Hollie tonight was nervewrecking, inspiring.
Amanda: This doesn’t feel real.
Simon: I am totally knackered.

Okie dokie. Time for the results of tonight.

RESULTS OF SEMI FINAL 5:
Two acts to go through to the finale. Results of the public vote, here we go:
The winner of the Audience vote, and through to the Finals: AIDAN DAVIS
He is crying. Happy Tears!!! Bless Him!

The two acts for the Judges Choice: i) Hollie Steel, and ii) Greg Pritchard
Over to the judges:

Piers: Tough one again. I’m gonna say- Hollie.
Amanda: She gave the better performance vocally. I’m gonna go with Hollie.
Simon: You’ve got three Yes-se. Hollie.

HOLLIE STELL is through to the Finals. She is crying. Awww. She is coming back tomorrow night.

So here we go, our finalists from tonight – AIDAN DAVIS and HOLLIE STEEL.

Piers sez: This is the best lineup.
The final is on tomorrow night on ITV1 at 6:45 pm, London Time. 10 acts battle for the throne.

Coming soon before the Finale:

**Special post on the 10 finalists of BGT 2009 and our Predictions**.

Stay tuned everyone, and send us your love.

For more visit: itv.com/talent.

**JULIAN SMITH and 2GRAND**

~~~Through to the Finale of Britain’s Got Talent 2009.

** Finalists Review and Predictions of the Winner of BGT Finale. Click here **
**For Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final 5: Liveblogging… Click this Link**

We are back today after yesterday’s pause in the Live schedule. It was such a shameful Champion’s League Final. Barca outperformed ManU by miles. They almost treated ManU like babies, and kept the ball with them throughout the game. And ManU could do nothing but stare at the ball with their jaws dropped to the floor and hearts skipping to beat with fear. Anyway, coming back to Thursday night it is-Britain’s Got Talent 2009 Bay-Beh. Semi Final 4 . We are nearing the finals, one night at a time. The list of finalists so far are:

Susan Boyle; Diversity;
Shaun Smith; Flawless;
Shaheen Jafargholi and Stavros Flatley [ click on link to their Semi-Final Performances here]
Tonight 8 more semi-finalists will perform before the British audience. Here is the lists of the performers tonight.

PERFORMERS OF SEMI-FINAL 4 OF BRITAIN”S GOT TALENT 2009:

2 Grand(Duo of Granfather and Grand-daughter; very emotional act)
Brit Chix(Wannabe Spicegirls meets Hair-Metal)
Callum Francis (Young musical performer; He is quite a confident performer)
Fabia Cerra ( The big shocker at the auditions when she made ITV censor the footage with the Union Jack, you know where. Can a dancer/stripper make it through, in the name of variety,to the Royal Variety?)
Fred Bowers (73 year old Breakdancer; Can it get any more inspiring than this?)
Jackie Prescott and Tippy Toes ( Dog act; We have one such act every year. Sure it’s cute, but I can bet that its never gonna win the finals)
Julian Smith (Saxophonist; I believe he is the favorite for the night)
Sugar Free (Street Dance Hip Hop Troupe)

PREDICTIONS:
My favorite act of the night [and also to win]: Julian Smith
Most undeserving act: Brit Chix
Likely to win the audience vote: 2 Grands
Most likely to be buzzed off: Brit Chix, Callum Francis,  Fabia Cerra, Jackie Prescott
Judges choice: Sugar Free

The Fourth Semi-Final is on tonight :8.30 pm, London Time, on ITV1. We’ll be there to cover it live.

*** After the Jump: ***

The Liveblogging of Britain’s Got Talent 2009 – Semi Final 4. [ As and when it happens]

OKIE DOKIE. We are here on ITV1 now. The Semi Final is just about to get started.

**UPDATE: George Sampson [BGT 2008 Winner] is performing tonight [ I'd prefer SIGNATURE]**

And the clock struck 8:30 pm, and here we are. A recap of the Tuesday Semi-Finals. Shaheen won. Stavros rocked the crowd. And tonight eight more performers will try their luck at the grand prize, and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety. It’s Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final-4 live from London. Ant and Dec are here and they say that we are in for a treat tonight. But IMHO, this is one of the weaker nights in terms of performances. I don’t think we have any serious contenders tonight who could actually win the finals. The judges are taking their seats – Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden, and Sigedddy Sigeddy Simon Cowell.

Amanda reminds us of the depressing match that was last night, and she really missed the show [and so did we]. Piers is an Arsenal fan, and gets booed. Time to start the show.
First contestants of the show: SUGARFREE from Kent. They are a dance group comprised of hairdressers and watchmakers. Let’s see if they can outperform Diversity and Flawless. Rightly mentioned by Simon and Piers, they are in the toughest category. Let’s see if they can prove the Girl Power as they say. And they descend from the top. It’s Britney’s Circus for the dance track. I hate that song. The outfits are shimmery black with red belts. The dance isn’t out of the box, and neither is upto the level of standard set by the boy dance groups. I wasn’t wowed at all, and it just came and went away. I am not being mean at all, but this didn’t have the winning stuff in this one.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: I definitely think you’re gonna give the boys a run for their money. I think there is room for lip gloss and sparkle.
Simon: It was good, I don’t think it was brilliant. [As usual booed]
Piers: I enjoyed that.
Code: 01
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Second act: Jackie Prescott and Tippy Toes.
Simon suggested them to try tapdancing. I really love and adore this act. Amanda doesn’t think that Tippy Toes can tapdance. Simon hopes this could be the best animal/dog routine. They are dancing to the track of Taco – Puttin on the Ritz.
First buzz of the night. That’s from Piers.
Issues of animal on the stage could be quite unpredictable.

Judges verdict:
Simon: I look kinda like an idiot now. We had an agreement that he would tapdance. I am a lil bit disappointed.
Piers: Tippy reminded me of Wayne Rooney last night. On a positive note, we get to prove that Simon is an idiot.
Amanda: It wasn’t to the standard of Kate and Gin.
Their code: 02

Time for the first break of the night. See u soon on the other side
——————————————————

Back from the break. Next up: 12 year old – Callum Francis. We certainly remember his theatrical act of Oliver Twist. His dream to sing and dance in the WestEnd. Amanda sez: He cannot afford to miss this opportunity. And he’s performing a Jungle Book medley, And he’s here as Mowgil with Baloo. I think he is going to the finals. He has to. It is just way too charming. And he fits Mowgli to the T. This act is absolutely energetic and I loved it, loved it, loved it. He is a confident little lad, and he completely enthralled the audience. That was so much fun.

Judges verdict:
Piers: Whatever happens, in 10 years time, you will be playing in a Westend show.
Amanda: I have died and gone to heaven. That was perfection.
Simon: I love the film. That was a great routine, and I actually think you will be in the final.
Code: 03
Wow, an unexpected entry to the list. I am quite sure he is through.

—————————————————

Next up: 73 year old Fred Bowers. Ant and Dec give him a nickname: ‘OAP’ Diddy. He loves Hip and Hop music. And he says he is 73 year old, but inside he is 23. Simon praises his spirit, and Piers is worried that it might go wrong. Here we go, he is out in the open, wearing a Blue Tee. Dude, he’s got the spirits. He is rolling on the floor, and try to show us some moves. It was certainly like a party.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: Thanks Fred for being alive. I don’t think it is good enough to get through into the finals.
Simon: Good luck to you
Piers: I want to salute you for that.
Code: 04
Time for another break, and 4 more acts to go.
—————————————————

And we are back to the show.
Next up: All girl rock act, Brit Chix. I hope I am spelling that right. Simon sez: It might sound great, or terrible, nothing in between. And the song kicks in. They are covering Wanna Be – Spice Girls. And Simon buzzes first. They are rocking it up. The arrangement is something that I would like, but it is just not connecting me[the riff is catchy, duh]. Three buzzers for the second time. [Can't remember the first time].

Judges verdict:
Simon: It sounded fake. Just horrible.
Piers: We are looking for potential winners for the show. And you don’t have that.
Amanda: Maybe we will see you next year.
The vocalist apologizes to the band. The band apologizes to all the peeps at home and Scotland.
———————————————————

Next up: JULIAN SMITH
We get a recap of Amanda crying. He talks about BGT being a lifechanging experience. Piers fears if a Saxophone is good enough to make it to the finals. Julian is nervous if he will miss this opportunity as well. The performance begins a bit rough [There is for sure some problem with the Studio Sound initially, and then it sorts itself out after the first 3-5 seconds]. Bless you Julian, that’s a brilliant instrumental performance of “All By Myself”. I can totally see his heart and his soul in his performance and how much he wants this. The crowd went ballistic [in a very good way], and everyone loved his performance. He really wants it, and someone from the crowd just yelled “I love you Julian”.

Judges verdict:
Piers: You are probably the coolest contestant on the show. That was a brilliant performance.I think you can win.
Amanda: I think that was the best act so far. You stirred so many emotions in me. Thank you very much.
Simon: I normally hate such kind of performances, but I liked this. Your performance is unique. I think you have great chance of making it to the finals.
His code: 06
Time for the third break, and the last 2 performances of the night.
——————————————————

The next act: 2 Grand.
I feel really emotional about this performance. A grandad and a grand daughter singign together- does it get more sentimental. They are singing -”Somewhere out There” from An American Tail.Grandpa’s singing is received with applause. The audience is clapping really loudly. I don’t know. I am quite confused about this performance. I don’t like it as much as I wanted to. The vocals were not very strong. But then, it was very sweet.

Judges verdict:
Amanda: I am a complete mess. What a fantastic performance
Simon: Sally and John. I really really liked you two. You have complete and utter sincerity.
Piers: Tonight, you showed that it was an legitimate act.
Aww…Sally, she is crying.
Their code: 07.
They have all the emo-cards going in their favour.
—————————————————-

Last act of the night. FABIA CERRA.
Piers: My kind of woman. Hehe. Simon: It was completely unexpected in the audition. God knows what she’s gonna do tonight. What she’s got in store tonight, let’s find out.
She is here in a Chicago-Zeta Jones-esque attire, and two things hanging and glittering from her..err..ahem!! Dude!!! She is quite a dancer, serious. I can’t believe she is doing that and that and that too. And the water on the chair trick. That was err…saucy.
Her code: 08

And the phone lines are OPEN…………..NOW

Judges verdict:
Simon: I absolutely love that. Can you turn off those btw? They were distracting me.
Piers: This may be the end of the road. If it is, what a way to go.
Amanda: It was a stop-the-traffic dance routine. I would like them to be turned on.
Dec is playing ‘Off and On’.
She is indeed one spirited lady.

Recap of the acts:
Sugarfree: Was that good enough? Don’t think so.
Jackie and Tippy Toes: Not cute enough to go to the finals.
Callum Francis: If not the audience vote, the judges are sending him to the finals for sure.
Fred Bowers: Praise him, Praise Him
Brit Chix: Buzz Buzz Buzz!!!!
Julian Smith: Please send him to the finals. And he is.
2 Grand: Darn!!!! Only two can go. I think they would have to be eliminated.
Fabia Cerra: Sexy routine, but not Finale stuff.

Less than 10 minutes for voting. Time for a break. Results right after this one.
—————————————————-

Right we are back from the break. Sneek peek of the News @10. Headlines include: Susan Boyle threatens quitting Britain’s Got Talent. Time for the guest performance of the night. Last year’s BGT winner : George Sampson. Hey that choreography is pretty much like N SYNC’s VMA performance [can't remember the year, surely will paste the link later], with the monitors et al. The track is the Electronic Club Remix of “Another Brick in the Wall”. You know whose track is that one. George is for sure a lovely dancer. He praises the acts this year. C’mon Ant & Dec, give him some time to get a breather.
The votes are closed. The biggest thing this summer – Not Wimbledon, Not Ashes, the Britain’s Got Talent Summer Tour.

Piers says its going to be really hard to decide.
Amanda thinks its Julian Smith and 2 Grands.
Simon praises George Sampson, yet again.

Time for the results. All acts on the floor. I really wish that Callum makes it to the finals.
And Julian Smith too. They are the two most deserving ones. Fabia doesn’t stop shaking.
Here we go with the results.

The winner of the fourth Semi Final Audience Vote: JULIAN SMITH
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So very happy for him

Okay, time for the two options for the judges.
The first one : 2 GRAND
Number 2: CALLUM FRANCIS

I knew it. It is going to be such a tough decision for the judges. I see Amanda going for 2 Grand. Over to the judges.

JUDGES SPEAK:
Simon: I just knew this was gonna happen tonight. Callum-loved the act. Surprisingly loved -2 Grands. Simon goes for 2 Grand.
Amanda: I’m going for 2 Grand. Awwwww…..Callum
Piers: I would have gone with Callum.
He is still smiling. Good for him. He is a brilliant performer, and will surely make it big.

RESULTS:
So here we are ladies and gents, JULIAN SMITH and 2 GRAND, are the finalists from tonight. Sally is still crying and speechless.
Ant to Julian : Tonight, you did it. JULIAN SMITH everybody.

Just two more places to go in the finals. Big Final on Saturday, Last Semi-Final of BGT tomorrow at 8:30 pm on ITV1 and Paul Potts [BGT Season 1 winner] is the guest performer. See you there. For more visit: itv.com/talent

And yes, we will keep you updated with the Susan Boyle news, right here. Keep watching this space.