So, Joe Won X Factor, But Will He Get Snubbed For The Christmas #1?

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If there is one thing you can count on every year, its that the winner of Britain's X Factor contest will have the Christmas #1 single, regardless of how crappy it is.

That might not be the case this year.

Joe McElderry, a lovely 18-year old from North London, took the crown this Sunday and simultaneously released his winner's single "The Climb", a cover of the Miley Cyrus track. I personally think the choice is crap and does nothing for Joe's voice, but I was still expecting it to slaughter the competition for this year's Christmas chart battle.

Well, as of today, his single is trailing Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" by 60%. Why? Well, there is a Facebook campaign out to dethrone the X Factor winner with the 1992 single, and do far, it's working. Simon Cowell has denounced the campaign as "stupid" and "miserable", and Joe admitted he would be gutted if he lost the #1 spot (he's right to feel that way; I mean, freaking Steve Brookstein got there!). Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine has found humor in the situation, calling it "a grass roots effort" and "a little dose of anarchy" for the festive season.

Yet, hope is not lost for the Geordie teen. His CD single is released today, and industry experts believe that will not only help close the gap, but clinch the #1 for Joe. Remember, RATM don't have a CD single to help their sales, and physical singles are still popular sellers, even if its dying market.

In the end, Joe will most likely get the top spot for Christmas, and all will be well with the world.

But "The Climb" will still be a hideous song choice.

Single Battle: Kris Allen's "Live Like We're Dying" v.s. Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment"

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November has officially arrived, which means two things to me: it's my birthday month and the American Idol albums are coming out.

Now, as its been since the days of Kelly and Justin Guarini (remember him?), is the time when we see whether America made the right choice for its Idol and if either of the contestants actually have a viable career in pop music. Nine rounds in, we've had monumental successes (Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, Jennifer), disastrous flops (Ruben, Taylor, in some ways Fantasia) and unexplainable anomalies (William Hung). The question this time is, where will winner Kris and runner-up Adam will lie?

This year is all the more interesting considering a pretty huge amount of people believe Lambert was robbed this past May. Are their claims validated when you compare their lead singles.

Guess its time for a single battle (it's been a long time, huh)!

"Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen - A cover from Irish band The Script, this pop/rock song is nothing less than you would expect from the acoustic guitar-wielding Allen. It's not the most daring arrangement (see his Heartless performance), but it features a more-than-pleasant vocal performance from Kris Allen. Lyrically, its inspirational and realistic without being drippy or corny, even though its a bit safe. If I am being honest, this sounds like a song he would've performed during an off week on Idol. That being said, Kris' off weeks were still pretty spectacular. It is a solid first single, but the push to buy the album still comes from his brilliant American Idol performance.

"For Your Entertainment" by Adam Lambert - Where Kris is safe, Adam is downright dangerous. This glossy glam-pop song is all about mixing pain and pleasure, fun and fire, and any other opposing noun with obvious sexual undertones. Coming from someone who wasn't crazy about some of Adam's over-the-top performances (Ring of Fire was nightmarish), I was pleased to hear some restraint in the vocal department. His singing in the verses are delightfully menacing, and the trademarking high-note shrieking was saved from the middle eight, which was a very smart move. The song itself sounds perfect for radio without sounding too similar to everything else. This a great first single.

As I much I like Kris Allen and am glad he won, the first single battle has to go to Lambert. His is a bit more interesting and cool than Allen's, and it's got me really intrigued about the album.

If its any consolation, Kris' album cover shits on Adam's.

THINK I'M WRONG! VOTE ON THE BEST SINGLE BELOW:

Single Battle: David Cook v. David Archuleta

Now, I'm sure some will argue this single battle isn't fair because David Cook's first single was the coronation single, but it seems like the top 3 hit "Time of My Life" is getting a second wind.

In that case, what single is truly better?

Here's David C's:



And here's David A's:



After hearing both, which one do you like the most?