French X Factor - Brit makes the final two

I'd wager a good deal of money that you've never heard of Matthew Raymond-Barker.

Yet last night he made it through to the final of X Factor 2011.

He's a 21 year old student from Mitcham and he's going to get my vote in next Tuesday's final, live on M6.

There's something delicious about X Factor in France.  It's not as glitzy as the UK version and the singing & choreography is often naive but at least it's honest. 

No clearly scripted spats between Louis & Cheryl.

No hyperbole from Simon ("in anybodys money that was a world class vocal.....better than the original").

They've had some decent guests this series too, from Lady GaGa and James Blunt to The Black Eyed Peas and, of course, Johnny Hallyday.

Next week the invitees are Beyoncé and Bruno Mars but I hope that they are upstaged by M Raymond-Barker.  My guess is that you never will get to buy his records outside of France but his story is still quite remarkable. He's conquered the nation and millions of teenage girls think he's more hip than Justin Bieber.

Bravo Matthieu et bon chance......

www.cognacproperty.com

Route 403 - the best band in SW France

Call me biased (which I am because one of the members is a good friend of mine) but there is one "stand out" band currently playing in my small corner of France.

Route 403 is a trio of British musicians currently living and working in South West France.

Their repertoire of energetic Swing, Jazz and Blues, featuring cool three-part harmony, is drawn mainly from the 1940s and 1950s and includes material by such legendary artists as Louis Jordan, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee and Duke Ellington.

I have seen them play quite a few times and each time have come away with a smile on my face and a tune on my lips.  It's my 50th next year and I'm hoping that they will play a big role in the celebrations (I need to ask if they can add some Eagles to their repetoire!).

If you're planning a trip out to the Charente this year then I heartily recommend looking up their gig guide in advance (click here for a link) and taking in a show.  They often play at the Auberge de Condé in Bassac and La Courtine in Cognac - both of which do excellent food too.

Now, don't forget, if you see them on W9 in the French X factor being mentored by Christophe Willem you heard it here first!

www.cognacproperty.com

French X Factor....in for a shock

So, last night the one half decent singer, Cyrielle, was in the bottom two again and luckily was saved by the girl with the second sexiest eyebrows in the world (my wife wasn't too chuffed with my comments in my previous posting about Julie Zenatti).

The standard remains dire with a set design that uses Opportunity Knocks or New Faces as a model and an audience of, oh, at least two dozen screaming fans.

Next Monday night the star guest is none other than Leona Lewis.

It'll be interesting to see what the comments are after seeing someone who can actually sing live.  I feel sorry for the poor candidate that has to follow her on.

Maybe they should have invited Jedward instead.

www.cognacproperty.com

French X Factor - where is Simon Cowell when you need him?

There are one thousand and one brilliant things about living in France....sadly TV isn't one of them (unless you include the sport on Canal +).

This year sees the first ever French X Factor and we had really been looking forward to it.  I guess we should have realised it would be awful when we first heard it would be on tiny station W9 rather than big budget TF1.

Same concept, same graphics, same music but that's about it.  Castings were attended by one man and his dog, the quality of entrants is poor and the guy who hosts it is still to fully recover from his charisma by pass operation. It's so poor that it makes you think even "Jedward" would have a legitimate shot at winning it.

You can see some of the videos for yourself on the official site.

The best thing about the show is the presence of Julie Zenatti on the judging panel.  She's a spiky French pop singer and she doesn't hold back with her opinions. She's also got the sexiest eyebrows I have ever seen.

It's also a novelty to be watching the X Factor without feeling that you are constantly being manipulated, where "arguments" are not blatantly scripted and where they might just put someone through on talent rather than on who will net the show most press coverage.

Ultimately though it's utter rubbish.

And needless to say we're addicted.

www.cognacproperty.com