Never mind who's going to win this year's singing competition, the big X Factor battle we're all interested in is the ongoing fight for top dog status amongst the female judges.

With Sharon Osbourne keen to defend her crown as Queen of the judging panel, newcomer Dannii Minogue's got her work cut out to take her down a peg or two. Rumours of backstage fighting and jealousy don't surprise us, and we'll be interested to see how long the public image of 'one big happy family' lasts. In the meantime, here's how the clash of the lady pop titans is shaping up...

Previous form
Sharon's got history on her side - an X Factor judge for three previous years and a smash hit reality TV show under her belt. But Dannii's no newcomer, not only does she come from the Minogue dynasty of fame, but she's actually had a proper pop career, giving her opinion more weight. Her TV work is sadly lacking though, and her biggest previous gig, 'Australia's Got Talent' didn't air over here.
Battle winner: Sharon Osbourne

Appearance
It's a selection box of cosmetic enhancements on the judging panel this year, and that's just Simon Cowell. Sharon's a confessed surgery fanatic, having spent hundred of thousands on her face, body, and hair. She looks great, but not good enough to outshine Ms Minogue who, despite looking suspiciously like she's no stranger to a surgeon's knife, looks great for her 36 years.
Battle winner: Dannii Minogue

Judging talent
Sharon was notoriously the 'soft' judge, who'd let any old tuneless twit through so long as they had a good sob story. Dannii on the other hand is harder than we'd expected, and doesn't suffer fools easily. She was the only one who refused to say yes to Opera-singing Paris Graham-Jones, claiming she couldn't see how she'd fit in later in the competition. It was a brave move, considering popular opinion was against her. The girl's got nerve!
Battle winner: Dannii Minogue

Popularity
Dannii's arrival on the show has divided the panel too. While Sharon O will always have lapdog Louis Walsh on her side, Dannii has managed to win over Simon Cowell, who has been singing her praises since she signed the contract. His public declaration that he found her sexy must've enraged Sharon. Meanwhile, the fans seem to still be sticking by Sharon's side, always looking to her to help them through the tough judgement calls. Dannii's had her fair share of stalker-types who change the words of the songs to include her name, but Mrs O is still queen of the woeful hopefuls' hearts.
Battle winner: Sharon Osbourne

Chances of winning
The girl-fight will only intensify once each judge has been given their acts to lead to victory. Sharon's been there and done it before, but Dannii's fresh approach to the contest looks like it could be a winner. With a keen eye for new talent, we'd place money on Dannii picking a winner over Sharon 'Ben Mills To Win' Osbourne any day.
Battle winner: Dannii Minogue (predicted)

Who wins the war?
Move over Sharon, there's a new star judge in town, and her name's Dannii. This aussie tough-nut's stealing your limelight and no mistake. It'll be botox-brows at dawn before the series is out, but it looks like youth prevails over experience as Dannii shimmies to victory!

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