Posted by Katherine St Asaph and Samantha Martin on 11/23/2011 at 12:44 PM News

The Popdust Files: the x factor, x-factor

Thanksgiving is a complex holiday. You either gather with loved ones or dread the thought of making it look like your family situation is completely loving–or both, or neither. You might sit solemnly to give thanks, then rush off the next day (or wee hours!) to jostle other folks out of the department-store queues.

And on The X Factor, every segment is heartwarming (some successfully, some less), every judge’s commentary is more like pecan pie, caramelized critiques only lightly dusted with real criticism–but then the show tells you to talk smack on Twitter with “oh snap,” and everyone knows that disaster looms for not one but two acts. We’re not sure whether to be thankful that this week, the cut’s going to hurt. Every act but one did decently; one act brought us to tears.

X FACTOR POWER RANKINGS: Top 9
	25.L.A. Reid: Demi Lovato, you’ve made it! You’re 19, and your background is the Disney Channel, but someone as illustrious as L.A. Reid just called your song “Skyscraper” all grown up–specifically, 40 years grown-up. This nonsense came during one of the night’s few critiques L.A. didn’t punt on. He kept calling himself “disarmed”; we prefer “disengaged.”
	24.Chris Rene: When you find yourself considering adding a janky half-rap to the Beatles, common sense should speak words of wisdom: let it be. “Young Homie” was better, but redoing your beloved audition song DURING THE TOP NINE — at least Idols hold out until the finals — is cheap.
	23.The Audience: So unnecessarily reactive and rowdy this evening that my neighbors knocked angrily on my wall.
	22.Steve Jones: Nice deadpan on “Thanksgiving.” post-Drew fight, but otherwise: fantastic, well done, amazing, brilliant, off you go.
	21.Twitter: While we never tire of Steve’s pronunciation of “Twitta,” we do tire of these inane hashtags. Frankly, #ohsnap just isn’t snappy enough. #ohsnap!
	20.Woman Atop Mountain: During Drew’s number, the background image was a woman in a white dress standing on top of a mountain. This was still more explicable than the #ohsnap hashtag. #ohsnap!.
	19.Michael, Paige Of Lakoda Rayne’s Boyfriend: Where did they meet? The Annoying Trendy Head-Adornment Conference? #ohsnap!
	18.American Sign Language: Josh signed off by literally signing his last name. Appreciated, but wouldn’t the effort be better elsewhere?
	17.Marcus Canty: The judges adored this–even Simon was cut off before any critique could stain the air. My Twitter dashboard hated it (#ohsnap!)–this was when everyone really started yelling at the judges. I’ll split the difference. “Song for Mama” by Boyz II Men was OK but drowned in backing vocals, with Marcus’ falsetto flailing for dear life.
	16.Lakoda Rayne: You know, when I think of songs to dedicate to the family I love, the first ones that come to mind are about unrequited crushes. Their vocals were OK but not as good as their stylist’s job making all but the brunette into white-clad, crimped-hair Taylor Swift lookalikes. (Sorry, Brunette One. Shania can’t be far off.)

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