Nicole Scherzinger confirmed for The X Factor UK

Following Kelly Rowland's departure from The X Factor judging panel, the question on everybody's lips was "who is going to replace her?" With bosses unable to secure a permanent fourth judge before the auditions began, various guest judges filled the vacant chair on the judging panel. It was believed that the various guest judges were all in line to be signed up as a permanent judge, depending on how well their 'trial' went. And after weeks of suspense and deliberation, it was revealed today that Nicole Scherzinger was the chosen one.

Scherzinger has been named as the
fourth & final judge for The X Factor UK

I have to say, Nicole was the obvious choice. She has guest judged on The X Factor in the past and has always been popular with UK audiences. She's a lot more endearing than Kelly Rowland. Rowland was way too feisty and clashed with the judges too often last series. Also, Nicole has the experience having been a judge on The X Factor USA last year, replacing Cheryl Cole on the panel after being unceremoniously sacked. I think it was always obvious that Simon Cowell would choose Nicole; he's obviously a huge fan of hers, even after dismissing her from The X Factor USA at the end of the series and replacing her with Britney Spears.

That said, I personally think that Simon should have chosen somebody else. Somebody outside of The X Factor fold. I am a huge Nicole fan; I loved her in The Pussycat Dolls and loved her when she went solo, but I think change is a good thing and Nicole is far too familiar. But then again, who else was there to choose from? There is no way on this earth that Cheryl would make a return to the panel, as amazing as that would be. I would have loved for Rita Ora to join the panel but she lacks experience, I think; she doesn't have the credentials to become a mentor at this early stage in her career.

However, I have no doubt that Nicole will be fabulous. She's ridiculously talented and the UK love her. Her career in the UK, by the end of this year, will be huge.

Now let the countdown begin for The X Factor to return to our screens.

A new love for Usher and Coldplay...

I will be the first to admit that Usher and Coldplay are not two music artists that I've been a huge fan of over the years. Okay, I know more Usher songs than Coldplay songs, but still, neither have really taken residence on my iPod or Spotify playlists. Until now.

I still wouldn't say that I'm a fan of their music, but I guess you could say I 'appreciate' their music more; I think Usher has a profound effect on females, for obvious reasons, and I think the reason I'm not really a huge Coldplay fan is because they're a band - I very, very rarely enjoy music by bands, especially alternative bands like Coldplay. But this week, both of their recent musical offerings are perhaps two of my favourite songs.

Usher's new track, "Scream", is such a club track. I can imagine it coming on in a crowded club and just dancing like crazy to it, as you do. But I do have extreme love for this song at the minute. I saw him performing online at the Capital FM Summertime Ball last weekend and he was, surprisingly, really good. His energy was great and his vocals and live performance weren't too shabby, either. I remember some of Usher's earlier tracks, such as Caught Up, Burn and, one of my favourites, Yeah! So he definitely has achieved longevity. And, it would appear that, he hasn't lost his effect on the ladies, as is demonstrated by him taking his shirt off at the Summertime Ball to reveal his famous six pack. The screams say it all. But yeah, I love "Scream".

Coldplay are one band that I seriously never, EVER thought that I would find myself embracing and actually enjoying one of their songs. To me, personally, I feel that the majority of their songs all sound and seem the same. I guess I would say they're a tad repetitive, but that's just my opinion and I know that there are probably a million or more people out there who would oppose my opinion. But I have to say I really like "Princess of China" featuring none other than Miss Robyn Rihanna Fenty AKA Barbadian Goddess, Rihanna.

I have to say that Rihanna collaborating with Coldplay is such a weird collaboration; they're from completely different genres of music, but it works so well on "Princess of China". Maybe I'm completely warped and only like the song because of Rihanna featuring but, whatever the reason is behind my liking, I don't care. I love the sound of the track, it sounds quite oriental which is a nice nod to the title of the track. I also love the music video. Rihanna looks HOT! Which is no surpise, really. And the chemistry between her and Chris Martin is extremely convincing. So yeah, perhaps I'm converting into a Coldplay fan. Only time will tell, but I sincerely doubt it.

Check out the "Princess of China" video below. Super creative and brilliantly filmed and constructed.

Cosmo Blog Awards 2012

Okay, so, I've entered into the Cosmo Blog Awards 2012. I've never entered a competition in my life, so I thought there's no time like the present!

If you like what you see, nominate me!

Thanks :)

Fifty Shades of Grey

I, like the rest of the world, have become enchanted with E.L James' 'Fifty Shades' trilogy. For those of you have been living underneath a rock for the last few months and have no clue what the trilogy is about, I'll give a nutshell summary.

The 'Fifty Shades' trilogy

The books explore the relationship between the illusive, mysterious and gorgeous billionaire, Christian Grey, and recent college graduate, Anastasia Steele. Christian is a sadist, Ana is a virgin; cue a genuinely messed up relationship, dominated by feelings, emotions and BDSM relations.

Tulisa with her copy of
'Fifty Shades'

In the press I'd seen many celebrities reading this book, or rather was informed of many celebrities reading this book, such as Tulisa and Holly Willoughby. But it wasn't until a friend recommended the series to me that I truly showed a keen interest in the series and purchased the first two books to see what all the fuss was about. And now I know.

I've read the first two books so far and am just about to start reading the third and final book in the series. But I'm seriously hooked. The first book was quite slow starting, as is the same with any book in a series; the narrative has to be set, key characters introduced, etc. But the second novel, Fifty Shades Darker, was truly gripping. From start to finish I was enthralled. I'm hoping Fifty Shades Freed, the final book in the series, is equally as gripping as its predecessor. Although I will be a tad gutted when I finish the series.

However, I have the movie adaptation to look forward to! Yes, Universal Pictures have acquired the rights to adapt the series into a movie trilogy. There's been many rumours circulating regarding actors and actresses who could play Christian and Ana; I personally would like to see Ian Somerhalder and Scarlett Johansson play Christian and Ana, respectively. They're both gorgeous and I think they could bring the sizzling chemistry between Christian and Ana effortlessly. But I have no idea how the erotic scenes from the book will transfer onto the big screen. The movie will most definitely have to have a '18+' classification. And, hopefully, the movies will do the novels justice and not have the adverse effect. But we shall see.

Ian and Scarlett have been linked to the
'Fifty Shades of Grey' movie adaptation

Ain't about the b-bling-b-bling...

Jessie J is my muse and inspiration for life. No joke. The outfit that she is wearing could be worn by me. I LOVE IT.

I want the jacket. I want the tee. I NEED those shorts. This outfit makes me love her even more. She better rock up to Wireless Festival in a similar outfit, because I definitely will!

Caught Creepin'

Okay, so, in the midst of moving house I've had to clear out A LOT of rubbish in order to make room for all of the stuff that I need to keep; 'stuff' such as my clothes. However, lately I've been feeling really hateful towards my wardrobe. I really wish I had disposable money as I would shop, shop, shop until my heart is content. I am constantly finding items in stores that I would love to purchase but can very rarely justify spending copious amounts of money on items of clothing, especially given the fact that I do have plenty of clothes already at home but I just want new clothes. 

Although I have lots of clothes I don't have lots of shoes, and this leads me swiftly into my next 'want'. A girl I work with has such a quirky dress sense and today she was wearing a pair of leopard creepers with a pair of denim shorts, plain tee and oversized cardigan' the cardigan I, myself, already have. Her creepers looks so cute and really complimented the rest of the outfit. I came to the realization that I want a pair of creepers in my life.

The reason I don't have loads of shoes is because the shoes that I do have match any outfit that I wear. But I've already started planning what I could wear my creepers with; I've decided I want plain black creepers just for the reason that plain black shoes match ANY outfit. I also don't think I could work a pair of zebra/leopard/any other colour creepers, so I figure plain black creepers are the perfect choice.

So yeah, deciding what colour I wanted was pretty easy but then I needed to decide what I could actually wear with them but then it wasn't long before inspiration hit me. I recently saw a leather gilet in Topshop which I instantly loved; the only downside was that it was £45! Sadly, I could not justify that amount of money for a gilet. Gutted. However, a few days ago New Look got the exact same gilet in store at £24.99!! What. A. Bargain. Seeing as I work there I got staff discount, too! 

I do love it and it would go perfectly with my creepers, a pair of skinny jeans and a band tee; I'm channelling my inner rock God with this outfit and to complete the outfit lots and lots of studs, in the form of necklaces, bracelets and rings! The wonder of the creepers being black means that I could, within reason, wear them with anything. But I think skinny jeans or shorts would look amazing with them.

I look forward to experimenting with my new babyz.

The Voice UK

So, this weekend saw the live final of the Voice UK which signalled the end of series one. After much anticipation, the Voice debuted in March to exceptional viewing figures and the BBC saw it as a rival show to television juggernaut The X Factor. But upon reflection, was the Voice really any competition for The X Factor?

The American version of the show, which features Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton as coaches, proved a huge success when it premiered in America last year and when the BBC bought to rights to the show for a staggering £22 million, they hoped to replicate its success in the UK. However, simply purchasing the rights to a show that is majorly successful in various countries does not guarantee success elsewhere, as the BBC found out.

I, personally, love the concept of the show; to uncover a star with a killer voice, not taking into account looks, personality or styling - this is where the initial 'Blind Auditions' proved successful. With the judges facing away from the contestant, or 'artist' as they are referred to, if one or more coach likes what they hear, they press their 'I WANT YOU' button, revolving their chair so that they can face the artist. A very clever and unique idea. However, the concept is slightly deluded as the music industry today IS image dominated, but there are still artists today that have hugely successful careers because of their voice. artists such as Adele and Ed Sheeran. 

The superstar coaches for this version were frontman of the Script, Danny O'Donoghue, living legend and musical icon, Sir Tom Jones, US producer, rapper and founding member of the Black Eyed Peas, Will.I.Am, and the fourth and final coach is global singing sensation, and my favourite artist, Jessie J. I feel that the BBC selected the perfect coaches. Each coach contributed something different to the dynamics of the panel, yet something just wasn't connecting with audience members.

Although I praise the concept of the show for providing aspiring musicians with the platform and liberation that a show like The X Factor may not give them, I do feel that the diversity that was constantly discussed regarding the show proved to be its downfall. The X Factor is a great entertainment show - it makes you laugh, cry, shout and cheer simultaneously and that is what a good entertainment show should make you do! I found myself becoming bored with the Voice as the coaches were far to constructive and never truly criticised the artists. Also, with the X Factor being such an established British television show, comparisons are inevitable and it soon became apparent that the Voice was no competition. But what the BBC must remember is that the success that The X Factor has achieved is almost ten years in the making and success must be worked for and cannot me gained immediately.

It's been confirmed that The Voice is returning for a second series next year and it's clear that it needs a lot of developing. Perhaps if the shows airs for longer than two months the British public will begin to love it the way they love The X Factor. But I'm not sure if it was worth the £22 million the BBC paid for it, and I bet the BBC are wondering the same thing right now.