Why the X Factor waved goodbye to Aiden Grimshaw

The fiendish X Factor machine just keeps rolling on, in exactly the direction its Svengali desires. Last week's episode was significant, managerially, because it whittled the contestants down to eight – the eight who will take part in the money- spinning post-telly live tour. All the public really knew about Aiden Grimshaw, who got kicked off last week, was that he was 18, came from Blackpool, made weird grimaces and was a bit too fond of "making that song his own". Bye, Aiden. Happily, all the really good publicity-grabbing novelty acts are still in – Wagner, Katie, Mary – as are all the contestants who might even win. Simon Cowell would have been happy enough to say goodbye to Paije, who was put on first in the hope of voter-forgetfulness. But is no great loss, either, in the corporate sense. Phew.