Last night was George Michael night on X Factor – a particularly ill-starred night as far as the contestants went, with a number of duff performances.
Yet again, Joe McElderry was the star of the show with his version of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me. As Louis Walsh – Mr Rulebook for this year’s X Factor – pointed out, it’s technically an Elton John track and not a George Michael one. George only guested on it.
Surprisingly, though, none of the judges picked up on the fact that Stacy Solomon also sang a technically ‘illegal’ song. I Can’t Make You Love Me was indeed recorded by George Michael, as part of Double A Side back in 1997 with Older, but that was a cover version.
The original rendition was recorded by Bonnie Raitt. Clearly Louis, Cheryl, Dannii and Simon don’t know their music as well as they think they do.
I leave the office at 6pm every evening and walk about 10 minutes down Victoria Street to Victoria train station.
Not a long walk, but a fairly busy one. Since the Standard went free, it’s almost impossible to find a copy until I get to the station, where I have to scrabble in one of the Metro bins and avoid being knocked down by a horde of other busy commuters.
I find it hard to understand why it’s more difficult to find a copy of the Standard now it’s gone free and there are apparently more copies out there.
It’s easier to pick up a copy of the Big Issue.
I went for a lunchtime wander today and happened upon a beautiful piece of hidden architecture.
The Buxton Memorial is an impressive thing, thoroughly dwarfed by the neighbourinh Houses of Parliament.
Sited in Victoria Tower Gardens on Millbank, this is actually a drinking fountain, erected as a monument to the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.
Slightly overblown, but impressive all the same.