Rudolph the Link Nosed Reindeer

Worst films of 2007? The AV Club abides.

Pitchfork lists items as follows: Albums – Albums of each critic – Songs – Songs of each critic. Phew.

Anthony Lane reviews Sweeney Todd, Charlie Wilson’s War and Persepolis.

Iowa nears, and Salon discusses the Democratic candidates.

Revel in the wisdom of Michael J Fox in Esquire.

Was the Rhyd robbed? Darn tootin’.

PopCandy’s ten favourite TV shows of the year. Whitney’s also counting down her people of the year… check them out so far and see if you agree.

Uh Oh, Amy Winehouse was arrested at around 5pm this evening in Shoreditch, apparently something to do with her husband’s arrest.

Check out the trailer for Will Smith’s post-I Am Legend movie, Hancock at Buzzsugar… it looks ace!

Back from the madness of the Oxford Circus TopShop and exhausted? Imagine how the staff feel – the Times goes behind the scenes in a fascinating article.

Leon wins X Factor 2007

Oh, people of Britain. What have you done?

Same Difference smile, sing you a High School Musical classic AND perfom with Jason Donovan, yet you vote them out of the final first. Never mind, a career in Brit remakes of HSM and childrens TV beckons…

Then, Rhydian isn’t good enough – the man who smiles and giggles like a toddler and performs to perfection. Perhaps it was the fact he performed with screechy voiced Katherine Jenkins that made you turn your back on him at the final hurdle?

But Leon? LEON?! He had an iffy mullet way back when auditioning. He’s basically a mesh of Gareth Gates and that Ray guy who sang swing songs and now judges slightly dubious TV shows like Baby Ballroom. Yet, it is he that you crown as winner of The X Factor 2007! I’m confused, shocked and unhappy. But hey, at least they brought on all the old rejects to do an absolute mess of a song in the middle.

Well, thank god for the HSM tribute song and Kylie and Jason performing on the same show. Joy of joys! I’m 5 years old again!

As a side note, has anyone else noticed how much Leon looks like Evil Chuck from Gossip Girl’s younger brother? Uncanny-ish, huh?

Silence Of The Links

In honour of everyone’s favourite winker, we’re dedicating our linking puns to Anthony Hopkins this week. Oh the possibilities…

The man, the legend – Rhydian put in another stonking, touching performance in this week’s X Factor – taking it back to basics.

Future. Movie. Of The Year. – Not a clue what it’s about, but the Hopkins makes it… Second time of linking, but it doesn’t get old.

Quarterlife – the new show from the makers of My So Called Life and thirtysomething has begun online. Watch the first webisodes here!

Find out why Malcolm McLaren quit I’m A Celeb, and why Janice hasn’t enjoyed her intro into camp at ITV. And don’t forget to tune in to see last year’s King Of The Jungle Matt Willis presenting on ITV2’s …Get Me Out Of Here Now!

Craig ‘Craig Daavid’ David is back, currently meeting ‘her’, and is profile on The Independent.

Barack Obama got in the ring in Iowa and threw some ‘hurtin’ bombs’ at Hillary.

PopMatters undertakes some misguided revisionism and praises Lou Reed’s abominable Metal Machine Music.

It’s I’m A Celeb night. The Guardian wonders whether we’ll watch.

The New York Times profiles another awkward, gallows comedy from Noah Baumbach.

THE RHYD!!!!!

So X Factor. It’s not been good this year. Sure, the usual parade of British eccentrics trotted on down to the auditions and they were funny. But the atmosphere is different. Dannii Minogue is an idiot. She manages that astounding feat of being both arrogant and talentless. She knows and is worth nothing to my watching time. The rest of them too, with all the staged little fights and tantrums are getting tiresome.

Fortunately, Britain always has its saviour. This year, sculpted from the Aryan gods comes… THE RHYD!!! While his name is Rhydian, that matters not. This, ladies and gentlemen, beasts and harlots, is the real thing. Sure, he’s arrogant. Yeah, he’s pompous. He’s also the most entertaining thing on the show. The below rendition of Meatloaf’s ‘I Would Do Anything For Love’ is so shockingly insane that you are left wondering where anyone can go from here. More importantly, he blows the song out of the water because, on this form, you get the feeling THE RHYD!!! would probably do literally anything for love.

Take it away Dolph Lundgren-esque god…