do votes from previous live shows count for the final?

I think so, they also add in youtube hits

cheers a1.  do facebook likes count as well?

Not sure, you need a proper shrewdie for that info.

Ask Lou

Actually I heard that the X Factor people monitor the Betfair forum and everytime someone says 'imo Matt is the best singer' then they add 2 votes on to Matt.

Even more worrying is that for everytime someone says 'Rebecca is like a candlestick' or 'Rebecca never moves' they actually deduct 2 votes from Rebecca.

I cannot prove that all this is true but it would be the only rational explanation for Lou's posts.  Well apart from maybe he is just an obnoxious antisocial turd with absolutely no friends!  I'm not sure which it is! [;)][;)]

I do remember that Lou bloke comparing XF to a football match a while back, saying he would be pleased if his team was 2 goals up in the first half.  So I think Matt's votes so far will be included in the final.