The dream fades

Poor little Leon Jackson. The teary Scottish crooner must have been born under a bad sign because he's suffered yet another setback. It was reported recently that he'd been dropped by his record label Sony after only shifting 130,000 units, but now it seems like his luck has gone from bad to worse. It's been announced that he's had to cancel ten concerts on his forthcoming UK tour, including dates in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Still, Ipswich and Birmingham must be delighted that the pint-sized troubadour is still heading their way.

According to the fan forums this is 'heartbreaking news'. Especially since no real reason has been given for the cancellation, except unforeseen circumstances. I suppose both acts (because Leon was being supported by Same Difference) being suddenly dropped by their fair-weather record label could be considered an unforeseen circumstance - they certainly won't have been expecting it. Scottish enthusiasts of the bargain-bin Buble can at least take heart that there are still seven events taking place north of the border. Although it's telling that a spokesperson said "We tried to cater to as many fans as we could and we think we have done that.", meaning that there weren't a whole lot of people interested in spending £30+ on a ticket in the first place. Especially since most people couldn't drum up £8 for the CD, where at least he sounds like he's in tune.

It's not all bad news though. The silver lining on this thunderhead is that Leon has a powerful advisor in his camp. Ex-X-Factor mentor Dannii Minogue has apparently been on the phone to offer career advice. Which is nice. So let's try not to point out that this is a woman whose own record contracts seem to have about the same shelf life as soft cheese.

It could have all been so different. A little bit of encouragement, a half-decent marketing budget, and maybe a singing voice that could cut it live, and who knows what heights Leon might have scaled? He did at least have a couple of decent songs on his album. In fact, here's one of them, so have a listen and imagine what could have been...

Gracious in defeat

Bad news for anyone with ears or eyes, as Rhydian announces in characteristically low-key fashion that he's going to be releasing a second album. That's right, the secret ginger from the valleys managed to outsell X-Factor winner Leon Jackson with an album full of bellowing pOpera classics that people bereft of inspiration bought for unloved relatives at Christmas.

Unlike Leon and creepy incest act Same Difference (who at least managed a half-decent pop album), Rhydian has deftly dodged the dumper and lived to bleach another day. But with a little distance between himself and the show that discovered him, the pock-marked mask of humility is beginning to slip.

If you cast your minds back, you may remember the early stages of the X-Factor when Rhydian was the comic relief, with his hopelessly unironic arrogance.

But unhappy with his portrayal (sorry Rhydian, the camera might magnify, but it doesn't lie) he complained about the editing, so the producers wiped the slate clean and recast him as the showman, at a level of camp that Liberace would have asked to tone down. Rhydian wasn't happy about that either, and appeared very uncomfortable when taking to a stage awash with seamen (stop it!) to perform Go West. In the end, the weeping Scottish twiglet won, but it was Rhydian that shifted the units.

Now he's gearing up to go back in the studio, but is mindful not to revel in his friends' change of fortune. "I feel for those who have gone off the radar, I think Leon has gone back to Scotland and Same Difference might be at Butlins… I wouldn't know what to say now. I couldn't tell them about all the stuff I've been doing like shows in Japan and Rome and my UK tour. That would be embarrassing." Quite.