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"&amp;quot;Three words I never thought I&amp;#039;d say... welcome back Sharon!&amp;quot;  The worst kept secret in TV was finally confirmed this morning when ITV and Simon Cowell announced that Sharon Osbourne was on her way back to X Factor. Louis Walsh let the cat out of the bag earlier this week (good old, Louis) and rumours had been swirling since January that Mrs O kissed and made up with Cowell over those rather embarrassing comments about his allegedly tiddly manhood. The tabloids and X Factor PR machine are probably already mapping out the plots and bust-ups for the upcoming 10th series of the show: Osbourne and Scherzinger feuding. Osbourne and Barlow clashing. Osbourne and Louis plotting. It&amp;#039;s as inevitable as night following day. But will the public buy into the Osbourne comeback? The show definitely missed some spark and colour last year. Walsh and Tulisa phoned in their appearances for the Live Shows and at the very least Sharon will bring a sense of unpredictability back to Saturday nights. Whether having &amp;#039;mad Sharon&amp;#039; back on live TV is enough to revive a format that feels like its edging nearer to its grave is another matter entirely. The return to intimate first round auditions will probably be a more important factor in the show&amp;#039;s fortunes in 2013. Sharon&amp;#039;s arrival has taken the average age of the judging panel up to 49 (and that&amp;#039;s only their showbiz ages). While it&amp;#039;s great to see ITV tackling the issue of ageism on the box, their No.1 entertainment vehicle is a strange place to start.  Looking back at Sharon&amp;#039;s record on The X Factor over the first four series, it would be generous to describe it as mediocre. Chico, Tabby, Ben Mills and Andy Abraham were her finest acts and I&amp;#039;m not sure any music exec would want those names on the front of their CV. Or anywhere on their CV, for that matter. Mrs O never appeared to have much of a grip on the contemporary music scene in 2005. Not unless you believe &amp;#039;It&amp;#039;s Chico Time&amp;#039; is a forgotten classic. In 2013 are we seriously expecting her to have any more of a clue? But then again, since when has X Factor been about the music? If it&amp;#039;s water-splashing, walk-offs and angry ranting that ITV and Cowell want back on Saturday nights, then they&amp;#039;ve most definitely got the right woman. Do you think Sharon Osbourne&amp;#039;s return is a good move? Let us know below!  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-x-factor/news/a483686/sharon-osbournes-x-factor-comeback-poll-thumbs-up-or-thumbs-down/>