NINE LIVES

11 March 2007

The students applied the pressure to their performances tongiht and the judges focused their critical eyes too. It's getting hot in there now.

After a few false starts, Angellica sailed through last night's show. And tonight she was on a high. Improving every day, she teased her way through Upside Down. And the judges absolutely loved it. Except Craig of course. But it wouldn't be Fame Academy if the judges were in agreement.

Next up was Shaun, who split the judges yesterday. And tonight it was the same. Craig said his voice was amazing but dull, but Richard and Lesley disagreed, calling his Drift Away "a belter".

Tara's battled with nerves every night. But tonight she revealed the secret to her visible calm. "I'm on a beach in the Caribbean with a rum punch," she confessed to Claudia. Aw. Singing The Tide Is High, her trademark nervousness evaporated. And it didn't go unnoticed. "What you did was show us another side of yourself. You're unique!" cooed Craig.

Last night, Fred admitted his performance was 'a disaster'. Tackling You're Beautiful was a big leap from Happy Talk. But not for the judges; "awful" was Richard’s assessment. At least pal Graham Norton was on hand to lend some much-needed support.

Saved by Richard Park last night, Zoe scraped through for another day in the Academy. And tonight she showed off her hard work with Kevin with some flashy dance steps for her rendition of 1-2-3. Richard approved, but even some serious gyrations couldn't win round Craig. Will anyone crack him?

Despite suffering from last night's post-show celebrations, Tricia's sore head hasn't hindered her efforts. And tonight she slapped on some attitude for a confident performance of Road Rage. "Fabulous," gushed Lesley. "You rocked" said Richard, and Craig agreed too. Blimey. All three judges agreeing? That's gotta be a Saturday first.

Ray's become something of a people's hero with his rabble-rousing singalongs night after night. It was Lola that got the Ray treatment tonight - and once again the judges loved him. "Thrilling," said Richard, while Craig called him "amazing". Well done, Ray.

Scraping through last night's show, Mel's been a bit jumpy all day. So it took some nerve to tackle Woman In Love and turn it into a comic performance too. "I'm so glad I voted to keep you in, fantastic," said Craig, leading the judges' combined praise. "The best performance of the night," said Lesley. Well done, Mel.

Birthday boy Colin rounded off the show tonight. On the back of a critical mauling last night, he had everything to play for with his emotional performance of Good Riddance. And the judges loved it. Many happy returns, Colin.

"Everyone's moved on tonight," said Lesley about the improvements among the group. Which makes tonight's choice extra tough. So who will go through? That's up to you.