In fact, now we’re only a couple of months away from Christmas, when the steam train that is the X Factor thunders towards its crescendo – like the hopped up locomotive at the end of Back to the Future 3, pyrotechnics exploding like the roaring engine, ballads and big notes spewing from contestants mouths like steam from the chimney – I can’t get enough! So who are our favourites? Who have we been sad to see go? What have we enjoyed so far in all three seasons of our favourite guilty pleasure?

Let’s start in Australia, where they’re down to the final 5.

REECE MASTIN

My favourite (and the contestant I think most deserves to win) is the fabulous Reece. He has had a shaky couple of weeks, but (much to my relief) he has held on. With the right song choices (come on Guy) he has the potential and the talent to win the whole damn thing.

JOHNNY RUFFO

Controversial, I know, but I just can’t help liking Johnny. Sure, he’s not the best singer, but neither are half the pop stars on the charts. I mean, have you heard Cheryl Cole sing?? But you’ve gotta admit, the guy is gorgeous, and boy can he move! Plus, he actually sang great last weekend. I hope Johnny makes it right to the end!

THREE WISHEZ

I have been rooting for these guys since the start, because I genuinely can see them having a career. It hasn’t always gelled for me, but there is definitely a lot of potential there, and every week I hope they smash it.

Now, over to the UK, where things have been going all pear shaped! Frankie knocked out for boasting about using cocaine, The Risk eliminated unceremoniously last week (which actually really disappointed me, and if it weren’t for Marcus I really wouldn’t have any interest in the show at all). Kelly “sick”, Louis destroying the credibility of his acts (as usual), Gary hating on fun, Tulisa saying “blew me out of the water” every chance she gets – it’s been a veritable whirlwind. Ok, Misha is good. And I don’t mind Little Mix. But with Janet and Craig vying for most bland act ever, how do we feel about the race to the finals? Who do we want to win?

MARCUS COLLINS

I love Marcus. Mostly cos he’s lovely. And a total cutie. And he always puts on a good show. And he’s getting better every week. But I do wonder if he’s doing so well because the other acts are mostly LAME! I want him to do a big ballad and prove he can really sing. Make me feel it, Marcus!

THE RISK

Ok, Ok… I know they’ve gone. But I miss them already. And I LOVED their performance last week. I’ll miss their cute cheeky faces, and little dance moves. I’ll miss Derry trying to chat up every female pop star he could. Now Frankie is out, bring back The Risk! I don’t care how many times their line up changes. As long as Andy, Derry and Charlie are there, I’ll be happy.

And now, over to the States! They are a bit further back in proceedings there, with only two live shows, and one live vote under their belts. And it’s already gone awry! The AMAZING Stereo Hogzz in the bottom 2! Luckily they survived the chop to be awesome another day. I only have three favourites in the US version. Who are yours?

STEREO HOGZZ

A little bit of Motown, and a little bit of current,edginess. Smooth moves, great voices. What’s not to like? Why were they in the bottom 2 America?! Vote for the Hogzz. The show will be boring without them. You don’t just want to watch Stacey Francis and Melanie Amaro have a ballad-off, do you? BORING!

MARCUS CANTY

The other Marcus. I totally love him. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he did Bobby Brown last week, and that he danced and sang his little booty off. Go Marcus!  I look forward to seeing what you do next this week.

ASTRO

Ok, so this is a late edition to this post, because Astro totally smashed it on tonight’s show! He’s always been good, but now I think he totally deserves to be in this list. He’s a real talent.

So, these are my favourites, and the acts I look forward to seeing every week. What are yours?

So, the interweb rumour mill has cranked into overdrive, this time with the news that Arrested Development is back! There has long been speculation that an Arrested Development movie was in the pipeline, but now comes the news that the movie is to be preceded by a short season, with one episode following each of the characters, building up to the release of the film.

The news has emerged from a cast reunion at the New Yorker Festival, where series creator Mitch Huwitz made the announcement, which was followed up by the New Yorker Twitter feed stating: ”Arrested Development coming back for one more TV season before movie.”

New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff was also at the Q&A and he tweeted ”Mitch Hurwitz says he plans limited Arrested Development series (9-10 eps, 1 character per ep) that would lead into movie.”

And just this morning Jason Bateman has confirmed all the speculation by tweeting about the news himself: “It’s true. We will do 10 episodes and the movie. Probably shoot them all together next summer for a release in early ’13. VERY excited!”

The news is also bound to have the show’s many fans very excited, and counting the days until everything comes together and goes to air.

So, now Arrested Development has been resurrected, there might be hope for Freaks & Geeks yet!

Dear God, why can’t I stop thinking about this man??!!

I’ve watched Rock N Rolla, and the BBC series’ Oliver Twist and Wuthering Heights all in the last week and I still can’t get enough! I love his eyes, and his lips and his voice… oh his voice. And that’s before we even get to the body, and the tatts and…. Sorry, I just drifted off there for a moment!

AND, what’s more, he’s an amazing actor. Mark my words, this man is destined for greatness. Bring on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the new Batman, The Dark Knight Rises. Frankly, I can’t wait til he gets to play a bit of a romantic lead, cos if I love him when he’s playing a psycho I’ll be beside myself if he’s being gorgeous…

Ok, so I know I’m behaving like a 16 year old girl. But seriously – LOOK AT HIM!!

Ok, I’m off for a cold shower. I’ll catch you later Cheesers!

In even more big Superman news, one of my favourite actresses, Amy Adams, has been picked to play one of the most speculated and coveted roles in Hollywood, Lois Lane in the Superman reboot. This is the best news I have heard since it was revealed Henry Cavill is to play Superman. Now, I’m not even a big comic book movie fan, I’m just thrilled that Henry finally gets the lead role he deserves, and that my favourite redhead continues to shine.

In other Superman news, Zack Snyder has selected Kevin Costner and Diane Lane to play Superman’s parents… But is that Superman’s real parents? Or his earthbound adoptive ones…? Hmmm…..

In even more exciting Henry Cavill news, author Paullina Simons has suggested him as a possible Alexander in a film adaption of her amazingly wonderful novel, The Bronze Horseman. Those who have read the book will not only be extremely excited that a film of the book is being made, but also at the prospect of Cavill taking the part of the beautiful Alexander – one of literature’s sexiest and most heroic men.

If you agree that Cavill would make the perfect Alexander “Shura” Barrington/Belov then join the Facebook campaign! Or tell Paullina herself on her Facebook page.

In the meantime, we will just have to wait for Paullina to finish the script and the casting process to begin…

ps. The video is fan-made, not an official trailer – I mean, the film doesn’t exist yet! But those shots of Henry is uniform certainly help his cause!

Ok, so I’ve thought he was the sexy man most likely to become a household name ever since his chiseled features first appeared on the screen in The Count of Monte Cristo. But now, finally, after a string of near misses, the gorgeous Henry Cavill is about to get his moment. He has been cast as the new Superman (a role he narrowly missed a few years ago when it was given to Brandon Routh). The new production is to be directed by Zack Snyder (director of 300 and The Watchmen) and produced by Christopher “Batman” Nolan.

So prepare yourself ladies. Time to take down those Gerard Butler posters. There’s is a new burly man in town. You can form an orderly queue behind me.

I don’t have a lot to say about this… I just thought you should see it! Because while a lot of people know that the young Elijah Wood appears in Back to the Future part 2, not so many know about this first film role for the lovely Jake Gyllenhaal.

I enjoyed watching this clip so much that it made me want to watch City Slickers again. And that’s saying something!

What are your favourite “before they were famous” clips?

TINA FEY (the inspiration)

As a comedy writer myself it would be impossible for me not to list Ms Fey as a great inspiration to me. She is a great writer, a wonderful comedian (or comedienne, if you must) and a fantastic role model for all the women in comedy who are still struggling to make it in one of the last professions which can truly be called sexist. And not only has Tina competed, she has kicked some ass! The writer of the fabulous film Mean Girls (remember when Lindsay Lohan was good?), and creator of the hilarious 30 Rock, she is also a SNL alumni, this year’s winner of the Mark Twain Award (for outstanding contribution to comedy), a wife and a mother. And not only that, she seems like a genuinely awesome person too.

SANDRA BULLOCK (the icon)

This amazing actress is so often overlooked, as she has so often taken on parts in rom-coms, and cheesy dramas. But to be honest, since she played Lucy (my name) in While You Were Sleeping, I have always had a soft spot for Sandra. More recently though, I have seen her interviewed, or giving awards speeches, and even seen her improvising with Ryan Reynolds and Betty White while promoting The Proposal, and she is honestly one of the wittiest, and most intelligent women around in Hollywood. She is dry, self deprecating, and not afraid to make fun of herself. She is definitely someone I would love to have dinner with sometime. And not only that, the woman looks amazing! At 42 (which is still young – but getting on in Hollywood terms) she looks natural, beautiful and damn straight fantastic. Yep, I got some big love for Sandy.

ANNE HATHAWAY (the new queen)

There is something about Anne. Her beauty is not your standard blonde, tanned LA thing. She rocks the pale look. She has eyes and lips that almost look too big for her head, and yet somehow on her, they work. She chooses interesting roles, is funny, warm, genuine and intelligent when interviewed, and always comes across as her own woman. She is going to be co-hosting the Oscars this year (with James Franco), which is testament to her entry into the A-List Hollywood stratosphere, and her easy charm and comedy skills. It will be very interesting to see what the future holds for Ms Hathaway. I suppose first stop will be to play Catwoman in much-anticipated The Dark Knight Rises.

BLAKE LIVELY (the it girl)

Blake, Blake, Blake. She’s on the cover of every magazine, apparently breaking up every relationship in Hollywood, and just embarking on what is sure to be a great movie career. But the thing about her really is that she is just so damned good looking. It’s honestly ridiculous. Her hair is like something from a follicular wet dream, so thick and long and freakin’ beautiful. She has a perfect figure, and the face of an angel. I should hate her, and all her perfection. But I don’t. I like her. I like that she dated Penn Badgely, her Gossip Girl co-star, for years. I like that her first post GG role was as a skanky prostitute in The Town. I like her fashion choices, and style. I just like her. But we’ll see how I feel when she starts dating Jake Gyllenhaal!

DREW BARRYMORE (the sister we never had)

When people ask me the question, “Who would you like to play you in the story of your life?”, my answer has always been Drew. One of the most likeable people in Hollywood, she is charming and cool, and seems like a lot of fun. She has also dated some very interesting men, including the lovely Fabrizio Moretti (from The Strokes), and very funny Justin Long. You get the idea that she dates people she finds funny and interesting, rather than because it will be good for her career. I mean she did marry Tom Green! The fact is, I will always see a Drew Barrymore movie. I always enjoy watching her. I think she’s the one starlet we all think we identify with – despite the fact none of us were child stars or teen drug abusers, nor have we ever dated a Corey, owned a successful film production company, dated a rock star, been an Angel of the Charlie variety, or one of the most successful actresses of our generation. But, you know. Apart from that….

Honorable Mentions: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Brenda Blethyn, Emma Stone, Helen Mirren, Rosamund Pike, Christina Hendricks, Christa Miller….

So, I went to see Love & Other Drugs a couple of weeks ago, and to be honest, I really enjoyed it. There I said it! I know it received some mixed reviews, and many accustations of vacuousness, and advertising drug companies were squarely levelled in its direction. But, as usual when I read a scathing review of a “chick flick” I enjoyed after seeing the film, I wonder whether we simply have different values in what makes a good film. For me, if the story is engaging, the leads charming, the acting good, and the cheese on the bearable side, then I’m pretty happy.

Ok, so I’m probably not the best judge of these things – I could honestly watch Jake Gyllenhaal stand next to grass growing for 2 hours and enjoy myself. But I thought it was great to see Jake working his charm, and humourous side – and the nudity was just a bonus! And, having always had a bit of a girl crush on Anne Hathaway, I enjoyed the chemistry between them.

However, I think what I’m really beginning to enjoy about Jake, as his career progresses, is his ability to move between big, budget, big name driven films (Prince of Persia, Day After Tomorrow), and low budget, character driven films (Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead). And his next film, Source Code, is precisely the latter. From the director of Moon, Duncan Jones, Source Code looks to be a high concept drama/thriller, with a good mix of the pulse-racing and the thought provoking.

And Jake is rocking some pretty sweet stubble action. Nice.

I have recently (and very belatedly) been watching the one, precious season of Freaks & Geeks, the show that gave us many actors who are now familiar faces (Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Phillips, Martin Starr). None, however, have gone onto greater success than the handsome, James Dean-esque James Franco.

With his idol looks and lazy charm, it is evident even in Freaks & Geeks that he had movie star potential, which meant it wasn’t long before we started seeing him on the big screen. Of course, like everyone else who didn’t watch Freaks & Geeks, I first noticed him in Spiderman, but it wasn’t until I saw the small historical flick Tristan & Isolde that I really started to appreciate the Franco potential. A potential that has been coming to fruition of late. While he has had some great roles over the last few years, 2011 really is set to be the year of Franco.

First he is starring in the much-talked-about Danny Boyle film 127 Hours, tipped to be a strong Oscar favourite, particularly for Franco’s role and the self-amputating, adventure seeker Aron Ralston. And then he was recently announced as co-host of the Academy Award ceremony (with Anne Hathaway) a departure from recent comic and musical hosts of the recent past, and certainly heralding Franco as new Hollywood royalty.

I for one, will be very interested in watching Franco’s rising career over the next few years. And let’s face it, he ain’t hard to watch!