LONDON - Arabstoday
Ronan Parke was undoubtedly the star of the show last night as he performed on the Britain's Got Talent semi-final. The adorable 12-year-old wowed the judges with his heartfelt performance of Adele's Make You Feel My Love - a rendition which saw him sail through to Saturday night's final with the most public votes. Wearing a blue shirt and beige trousers, with his hair tousled into an artfully crafted 'do, Ronan has already earned himself a likeness to teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. However, when commenting on Ronan's performance, Simon Cowell said it was the 12-year-old's contrast to Bieber - in terms of his choice of songs and the 'soul' in his voice - that made him stand out from the crowd. Cowell's fellow judge David Hasselhoff tipped Ronan to win, saying: 'You sang your heart out and we all felt it. You're going to be really hard to beat in this competition.' And Michael McIntyre concurred, saying: 'You're a total natural. You nailed that song and I think you've got even more in reserve.' A teary-eyed Amanda Holden, who gave Ronan a standing ovation after his performance, was even more positive, saying: 'It was effortless. You have the most gorgeous voice and your parents must be bursting with pride - as I think the whole nation will be after that performance.' And Simon said: 'I wasn't crazy about your initial choice of song, but I have to say you totally and utterly nailed that. Joining Ronan on Saturday night's final will be pianist Paul Gbegbaje. Paul's performance of a medley of well-known piano compositions split the judging panel, with David and Michael both voting for BMX stunt rider Joe Oakley to go through. However, when hosts Ant and Dec went to the public vote to decide, Paul went through with more votes. But those who didn't make the cut included dance act Girls Roc, who opened the show's entertainment with a sexy rendition of Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams - complete with their trademark snake and firebreathing. They got a resounding thumbs up from David, Michael and Amanda, with Simon enthusing: 'I thought it was fantastic, nothing missing, you blowing fire, snakes, dancing. Do you do home shows?' He enthused: 'I would book you for my birthday party next year. I thought the staging was great, the dancing was a bit okay, but who cares? Terrific show girls.' Other acts battling for the chance to win £100,000 and the chance to perform for The Queen at the Royal Variety Performance in December included long-shot Stuart Arnold, the self-styled Enter-Terminator, who failed to impress David or Simon, getting buzzed off by both.