Looks like the X Factor may be down a co-host for its upcoming third season. Fox announced today that Mario Lopez will return next season but Khloe Kardashian Odom is out. A spokesperson and sources for the reality singing competition have explained there is do drama behind Khloe’s exit; “We really enjoyed working with her and wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Everyone on the show had a great relationship with her and thought she was fun to work with.” Sources on the other hand state no decisions have yet to be made about replacements. About Lopez’s return Simon Cowell said; “I’m thrilled Mario is back for Season Three of The X Factor. Hosting a live show and keeping the judges—especially Demi—in line, is not an easy job, but Mario is a pro and we are glad he’s coming back.” And Mario made this statement himself; “I’m looking forward to returning to The X Factor team. We’re coming back stronger and better than ever and I’m excited to check out all the new talent.”
X Factor Season 3 Hosting Shakeup
Britney Spears Leaving X-Factor
Looks like the X-Factor will need to find two more replacements at the judge’s table for the next season of the reality singing competition. News reports state Spears herself decided to leave the show before she was let go in order to get back to focusing on her music career and her upcoming eighth studio album. Either way Simon Cowell should be pleased as it is rumored that he was displeased with Spears’ lackluster critiques at the judge’s table, calling her “boring.” No word yet on who will be taking Spears’ place or Reid’s for that matter Fox and the show’s producers haven’t made an official announcement about her exit but there is still plenty of time to find the new judges.
L.A. Reid Leaving X-Factor
Looks like the reality singing show is in need once again to look for a replacement judge. News broke yesterday that L.A. Reid would not be returning to the X-Factor next year leaving Simon Cowell as the only original judge left. In an interview with Access Hollywood, the record exec said; “I have to go back and, I have a company to run that I’ve kind of neglected and it saddens me a little bit but only a little bit. It was a nice break, it was a nice departure from what I’ve done for the past 20 years, but now I gotta go back to work.” Reid said his move has nothing to do with his relationship with Cowell, who he frequently bickers with on camera. “I love Simon. We have a great relationship, we have fun together, we talk, we laugh, we do bad things, we’re friends. I owe so much to Simon. I really have a lot [of] respect for him and I always will. I support him, I support the show and I’ll always be in business with him.” But before he leaves, Reid still has a shot at a winning season. Though initially not very thrilled to learn he would be mentoring the “over-25s” Reid’s remaining act Tate Stevens has a good shot at winning the competition at the final next week.
X Factor Finds Its Hosts!
Fox has finally made the announcement and Khloe Kardashian Odom and Mario Lopez will both be co-hosts on this season of the X Factor. The duo will be taking the place of Steve Jones who was the only host for the first season of the reality singing competition. Both stars took to the internet to share the news with the world. Lopez wrote on twitter “Alright guys, it’s official… I’ll be hosting @TheXFactorUSA! Looking forward to working with @SimonCowell and the rest of the amazing team.” Khloe on the other hand wrote on her blog; “I’m sure you’ve been hearing the rumors and I’m SO excited that I can finally confirm the news—I am joining The X Factor as co-host with Mario Lopez!!!!” the Keeping Up With the Kardashian star writes. “I’m thrilled, overjoyed and of course a little nervous about this new step in my career, and I can’t wait to get started. Wish me luck!” Though The X Factor has been airing for weeks now, the episodes have been all pre-taped. We won’t be seeing Lopez and Odom’s debut until the live-performance shows start in a couple of weeks.
American Idol and X-Factor Still Looking For Replacements
American Idol is already on the look-out for some possible new judges even though the bosses at AI still hope that J.Lo will return. Names in consideration include Adam Lambert, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Fergie, Katy Perry, and Will. I. Am. An Idol insider came out stating, “No one has signed any contracts yet and producers are currently putting out feelers and setting up meetings to see who they can get. We won’t know if Randy [Jackson] and Steven [Tyler] are returning until they see who else is on board.” Auditions for the 12th season of American Idol are currently underway with the producer’s rounds with no judges in attendance. But there are only 3 more cities to go so the clock is ticking on finalizing the judges table. Over on X-Factor replacements for the two vacant judging positions were filled a long time ago of course by Britney Spears and Demi Lovato but Simon Cowell has yet to find a replacement for Steve Jones as host of the show when it returns for its second season. Sources say that Cowell wants to return to his original plan of having two hosts; one male and one female. At the moment many names are being tossed around with hopefuls including George Clooney’s gf Stacey Keibler, Khloe Kardashian Odom, Kelly Osbourne, Mario Lopez, and Erin Andrews. A source claims Cowell isn’t rushing to fill the slots. “They’re doing the auditions without a host so it’s no big deal they don’t have hosts right now,” the source said. “Simon really wants to take his time. The two-person thing didn’t work out the first time and he wants to make sure it works this time.” Stay tuned with official news on replacements for both singing competition shows.
Britney Spear’s X Factor Judging Debut
Day one on the job as a new judge on X Factor is complete and already rumors are running rampant surrounding the pop star. Before I get to all the controversy surrounding her first day at X Factor rumor has it Britney has some odd requests in her judging deal. Besides her hefty salary, Spears also has specific food and personnel demands including; 12 Snickers bars, Doritos, 10 pieces of chicken, a psychologist and a spiritual advisor. Pretty random huh?
Moving on to her first day judging. People are already questioning whether or not Britney will be able to hack it as a judge seeing as she needed to take a break during the first round of taping. Apparently after 10 hopefuls, Britney was escorted backstage and didn’t come back to see the last four auditions. Not to worry though, the pop star came back for the second taping and stayed for the whole three hours. And it seems the break was well worth it because when Britney returned to the judging table she seemed to have loosened up.
Demi Lovato Joins X Factor
Yesterday, Demi Lovato signed on to be the fourth a final judge on the X Factor. She beat out other hopefuls such as Miley Cyrus and Avril Lavigne who were also being considered to fill the last judging spot. Lovato will be joined by fellow new judge/pop singer Britney Spears along with other judges Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid. A formal announcement about Spears and Lovato joining X Factor was made at the network’s upfront presentation in New York City where both pop singers made an appearance. Look for both Demi Lovato and Britney Spears when the X Factor returns for its second season in September.
