RIHANNA

So, being light of pocket shall we say means that I have seen a lot of what X Factor has to offer up these past four Saturday nights. I'm far from a hater of the show, it lives in it's own crazy world and it's a fascinating one to peer into. Plus, in the modern age of fractured lives and time-shifting television schedules the very notion of a huge, nation-uniting show blazing a trail is pretty incredible.

The thing about the show however is that it sets its own standard and you forget there is a world outside of it. Thus average performers can 'smash it' and someone like Wagner becomes a fans favourite. It is only when a proper popstar visits the show is the talent gulf made clear. Two years ago it was when Beyonce sang with a then hopeful Alexandra Burke and exuded the 'diva' quality Simon Cowell and co. often talk about but never really see and this weekend it happened again with Rihanna.

Performing her simple but deadly new single 'Only Girl (In The World)' Rihanna asserts herself as the coolest and exciting popstar operating today. This performance, taken from yesterdays Result show, simultaneously shows Rihanna proving why X Factor is such a fun show to watch but also how it is flawed karaoke for amateurs who can only dream of starting a food fight on stage as their fourteenth single crashes into the charts.

RIHANNA