After just three seasons the U.S version of the X Factor has been cancelled by Fox. The cancellation really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise seeing as the show has had less than stellar ratings throughout its three year run. Probably not helping its ratings and its chances of being picked up for another season where the constant shake-ups to the judging panel. Now that the U.S version is over, Simon Cowell is set to return to the U.K version after 3 years. In a statement about the cancellation Cowell said; “I’ve had a fantastic time over the last 12 years, both on The X Factor and American Idol. And apart from being lucky enough to find some amazing talent on the shows, I have always had an incredible welcome from the American public (most of the time!). Last year, for a number of reasons, I had to make a decision to return to the U.K. version of The X Factor in 2014. So for now, I’m back to the U.K. and I want to thank Fox for being an incredible partner and I also want to thank everybody who has supported my shows. America, I’ll see you soon!”
X Factor’s New Judges
Sources close to the show have confirmed to E! News that former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland and Mexican singer Paulina Rubio are in final talks to join The X Factor. Fox is not commenting on the news but it seems likely to be true as the new season of the reality singing competition is set to begin auditions tomorrow in Charleston, N.C. Assuming the deals are finalized as expected, Rowland and Rubio will fill the seats left empty by Britney Spears and L.A. Reid. Sources have also dished that Fox is moving away from casting megastars like Britney Spears in favor of somewhat lesser-known artists who already have experience on similar series. Rowland served as a judge on the eighth season of the UK version of The X Factor, and Rubio served as a judge on La Voz…Mexico. She also has been tapped as a judge for Telemundo’s La Voz Kids. Specifically a source close to the show said “Rowland was on the highest-rated UK season. We have a lot of faith in her as a judge.”
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.
