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'Kimmel': Are the Other 'X Factor' Judges Ganging Up on Simon Cowell? (VIDEO)

Jason Hughes — 2011-12-13T03:00:00+00:00

In the past two weeks, Simon Cowell has gone from three to one act on 'The X Factor.' In both instances, it came down to the women on the panel to decide. The first week, they eliminated Drew. This week, Nicole Scherzinger threw it to the public vote and Rachel Crow was out.

"Do you guys feel like you ganged up on Simon's contestants specifically because you wanted to win this competition?" Jimmy Kimmel asked the other three judges on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (Weeknights, 12AM ET on ABC). All of them, of course, vehemently denied it.

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Astro Puts 'X Factor' in the Past, Says He Won't Be Writing Raps About Simon (VIDEO)

Alex Moaba — 2011-12-06T13:00:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

Astro may have been eliminated from 'The X Factor' last week, but the 14-year-old rap phenom isn't exactly bummed about it. Tuesday on 'Good Day New York,' (weekdays, syndicated on Fox) Astro insisted that he's put the talent competition in his rear-view mirror, and is now focused on writing his own new music. "I'm just ready to work on some music honestly ... my mind was focused on writing as soon as I was eliminated," he said.

He declined to reflect on his temper-tantrum that went viral after he refused to perform after being put in the Bottom Two. "That's the past ... I'm not even on the show anymore, I don't even find a reason to talk about it. Not to seem like a jerk or anything, but that's the past ... I'm good. I'm on 'Good Day New York' right now because of what happened," he said.

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Could 'X Factor' Judges Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland Swap Shows?

Laura Prudom — 2011-11-29T07:20:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News, Celebrities and Gossip

On this side of the pond, 'X Factor' judge Nicole Scherzinger has become known for her questionable song choices, rambling critiques and the ability to make every comment she gives to contestants somehow relate to her own career.

Needless to say, there are some viewers who would be glad to see her gone from the judges' table.

According to British tabloid Now, they may soon get their wish, with rumors swirling that Simon Cowell is considering a job switch between Scherzinger and former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland. Rowland joined the judging panel on the UK version of the show this season, but audiences have failed to connect with her the way they embraced the exiled Cheryl Cole.

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Simon Cowell Talks Howard Stern and 'America's Got Talent'

Catherine Lawson — 2011-11-25T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News

Ever since Piers Morgan quit the 'America's Got Talent' judging panel rumors have swirled about his possible replacement, and one name that keeps coming up is shock jock Howard Stern. He recently addressed the rumors and reiterated that he's a huge fan of the show, but wouldn't comment on whether he was involved in ongoing negotiations with NBC.

This week the 'New York Post' published a report alleging that Stern's agreed to join the show if certain conditions are met. Such as paying him a whopping $20 million and moving the show from Los Angeles to New York. The 'Post' quotes a source close to the show as saying that 'AGT' boss Simon Cowell is "hellbent" in landing Stern, and that "The talk on the production is that it's practically a done deal."

For his part, Cowell told 'Access Hollywood' that he's a fan of Stern but that nothing's been signed: "I like him. There's a lot of people who make decisions on this stuff. Money's got to work, schedules [have] got to work. There might be a few twists and turns still."

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Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul Reflect on Astro's 'X Factor' Temper Tantrum (VIDEO)

Stephanie Opella — 2011-11-18T16:30:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

When Astro and Stacy Francis landed in the bottom two of Thursday night's 'The X-Factor,' they were expected to sing for survival in a final showdown. But Astro came out he said he didn't think he needed to perform, which had Simon Cowell visibly upset.

After the show,'Good Day LA''s (weekdays 9amPT on Fox) Terri Seymour asked Simon what was going on between him and Astro's mentor, L.A. Reid during the break. "He said to me that he's not going to sing. I said, "Well, he's got to,'" Cowell reported. Terri then asked Paula if she was shocked by Astro's attitude, and she put the incident into perspective, saying, "We have to remember that he is a boy still and I mean, he's a genius at what he does, but you saw the boy in him when a tear rolled down his cheek."

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Lakoda Rayne Reflect on Simon Cowell's Harsh 'X Factor' Criticism (VIDEO)

Stephanie Opella — 2011-11-17T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

Simon Cowell was not impressed with Lakoda Rayne's recent rock performance on 'The X Factor.' The group did a mash-up of the Outfields 'Your Love' and Fleetwood Mac's 'Go Your Own Way,' and Cowell told them, "I thought tonight, overall was a complete mess, if you want my honest opinion."

'Good Day LA' (weekdays, 9AM PT on Fox) caught up with the girls afterward to ask them about the harsh criticism. "Simon being mean is not rare form, Simon being nice is" Paige Ogle said. Cowell seemed to hate everything about the performance, from the set design to the choreography, which he called "gimmicky." But Dani Knights defended their choices by saying, "It was Rock Week, you know, like there had to be dancers. It had to be a banging performance."

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Piers Morgan Quits 'America's Got Talent,' Offers to Host the Oscars

Catherine Lawson — 2011-11-10T05:55:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News

Piers Morgan has announced that he's quitting 'America's Got Talent' in order to concentrate on his CNN show. Morgan -- who's one of the original judges on the NBC show -- Tweeted "I'm leaving America's Got Talent after 6 wonderful years. Turned out that juggling's harder than it looks, so I'm going to focus on CNN." He then confirmed the news on 'Piers Morgan Tonight,' joking that he's also now available to host the Oscars.

He went on, "Big thanks to NBC, Fremantle, and of course, my friend Simon Cowell, for giving me such a great opportunity. It's been a blast." He also congratulated his colleagues on the show -- Sharon Osbourne, Howie Mandel and Nick Cannon: "You don't have to put up with me any more!"

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Fox Renews 'The X Factor' for Season 2

Chris Harnick — 2011-11-02T13:35:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News

'The X Factor' is coming back for a second season.

"I am absolutely thrilled with the news," Simon Cowell said in a statement. "I have loved making the show and I want to thank Fox, our sponsors and most importantly, the fans for supporting 'The X Factor.'"

So far Fox has aired 20 hours of the new reality series, averaging about 13 million viewers per episode.

"'The X Factor' is a monumental success," Mike Darnell, president of alternative entertainment at Fox, said in a statement. "It's won every night it's been on the air, the talent is phenomenal, the live shows are spectacular and picking it up is a complete no-brainer. Simon and his team have done an incredible job with the show, and I'm absolutely thrilled to bring back 'The X Factor' for another fantastic season."

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Are Simon Cowell's 'X Factor' Contestants in Danger?

Laura Prudom — 2011-10-31T09:10:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News

For music mogul Simon Cowell, passionate fans and security threats are nothing new; the man has made a career out of being the judge that audiences love to hate (and hate to agree with).

But the contestants on his reality shows aren't so accustomed to such fervent attention, and no matter how harmlessly enthusiastic the 'X Factor' crowd may be, it's somewhat inevitable that fans will get out of hand sooner or later.

According to TMZ, Cowell is concerned that the popularity of his three contestants (Melanie Amaro, Rachel Crow and Drew Ryniewicz) poses a serious security risk, after the girls were reportedly mobbed during a casual visit to the mall.

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'The X Factor' Becomes First TV Show to Allow Twitter Voting

Chris Harnick — 2011-10-26T10:40:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News

'The X Factor' is making history by becoming the first reality TV series to allow viewers to cast their votes via Twitter, the social networking site.

In addition to Twitter voting, fans will also be able to cast their picks via Facebook, toll-free calling, text message, online and in 'The Xtra Factor' mobile application on Verizon Android phones. Voting begins after the live performance on Wed., Nov. 2. Results will be revealed live on Thurs., Nov. 3 at 8PM ET.

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'The X Factor' Recap: The Judges Choose The Top 12 (VIDEO)

Laura Prudom — 2011-10-26T03:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Recaps, Fall TV

There were some controversial choices made during the judges' houses round of 'The X Factor,' but our mentors had the chance to right many wrongs with this week's live elimination show, as each category had to narrow their finalists down to three in order to proceed to America's vote next week.

Up until tonight, the groups seemed like the weakest category by a mile, but smart song choices and confident choreography helped Paula up the ante and raise her category to the standard of the soloists -- though I doubt even the smooth moves of the Stereo Hogzz can compete with the likes of Drew, Josh or Stacy.

Join us after the jump to find out who made it into the top 12 to compete for your votes next week.

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'The X Factor' to Cut Five Acts on Tonight's First Live Show

Catherine Lawson — 2011-10-25T07:25:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News, Fall TV

Having faced accusations of being boring and of spinning out meager action for far too long, 'The X Factor' producers have decided to ramp up the action for tonight's first live show. Their anti-boredom solution? A mass cull. Of contestants, that is. (Superfluous-seeming host ~~Brian Dunkleman~~ Steve Jones is not, contrary to rumors, being fired: "Our Welshie is staying for the long haul.")

A message on the show's official Twitter page reads: "Breaking news! 5 of the 17 acts will be eliminated by the judges on 10/25." As tonight's live show will clock in at a mammoth two and a half hours long, that's roughly one elimination per pulse-quickening 30 minutes.

The surviving 12 acts will perform for the public vote on another live show, airing Wednesday November 2. That will be followed by a live results show on Thursday November 3.

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Top 5 Clips of the Week: O'Reilly Leaves Letterman Hanging, Betty White for Prez & More (VIDEO)

Alex Moaba — 2011-10-16T10:45:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

This week, several of our favorite TV clips were infused with political undertones. Betty White prepared to run for the presidency on the double entendre ticket, while Bill O'Reilly wouldn't high five Letterman after admitting he was wrong about the Iraq War. Hank Williams Jr. went on 'The View' to try to explain himself after getting sacked from 'Monday Night Football,' but all that came out was jibberish.

LL Cool J dropped some knowledge in a BET Awards acceptance speech, in what proved to be the high-point of the week for Blackberry. And thankfully, Simon Cowell dumbed it all down by marveling at Wendy Williams' boobs.

Check out the clips after the jump and vote for your favorite in our weekly poll.

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'The X Factor' Recap: Top 4 Performances From the Judges' Houses (Part 1)

Laura Prudom — 2011-10-14T05:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Recaps, Fall TV

['The X Factor - Season 1, Episode 7]

An audition round is an audition round, and Hollywood Week by any other name ("Boot Camp") would smell as sweet, but now we've reached the "Judges' House" portion of 'The X Factor,' and this is where the show should really start to differentiate itself from its rivals.

Did it succeed? Partially. Whether any of the judges actually occupy these lavish abodes is questionable (I'm especially suspicious of Cowell), but it was a refreshing change to actually see the entirety of the contestants' performances (aside from Over 30 waiter James Kenney, who, I guess, the producers deemed too boring). Seeing only two artists between every ad break got more than a little tedious, though, as did the constant recapping of last week's events. But aren't we all jealous of Steve Jones and his jetsetting job?

Hit the jump for our four favorite performances of the night -- we picked one from each category, just to be fair, though right now I think that L.A. Reid's boys should eliminate almost everyone else.

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Simon Cowell Marvels at the Size of Wendy Williams' Boobs (VIDEO)

Alex Moaba — 2011-10-13T19:00:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

Simon Cowell is known for being blunt, and he lived up to his reputation on 'The Wendy Williams Show' (weekdays, syndicated on Fox) when he began his interview by marveling at the size of Wendy's boobs.

"TV doesn't quite tell the real story about your body either ... Seriously, all that I'm thinking is ... your t--- are huge," he said. Wendy laughed it off, taking it as a compliment, as Cowell sat back and took a sip of his tea.

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Simon Cowell Explains 'The X Factor' Tutor Phase (VIDEO)

Alex Moaba — 2011-10-12T18:15:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

Now that 'The X Factor' has moved past its 'Idol'-inspired laugh-at-the-weird people stage, it's beginning its 'The Voice'-inspired mentor phase, where the contenders will be split into 4 groups, each to be tutored by one of the show's judges. On 'Good Day LA' (weekdays, 7AM PT on FOX) Cowell explained what the show is looking for in its champion.

"You've got to find somebody and you've gotta show how you can turn them into a real winner in the real world. Not within a competition, 'cuz someone's always going to win a show, somebody you can say ... we helped make this person into a star," he explained.

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Did Stacy Francis Make it Through 'X Factor' Boot Camp? (VIDEO)

Catherine Lawson — 2011-10-07T07:15:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News, TV Replay

It's been a series of ups and downs for 'X Factor' contestant Stacy Francis. First, thanks to the lack of an age limit for contestants, the 42-year old was allowed to compete despite an almost crippling lack of self-esteem.

Then, the standing ovation for her knock-out audition was followed by judge Simon Cowell telling her to tone it down after her next performance. To cap it off, the day Francis arrived at boot camp she had received the devastating news that her father had died.

Last night she revealed that she'd missed her dad's funeral in order to stay in the competition. Was her sacrifice worth it?

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Judges Find Out Which Category They'll Mentor on 'The X Factor' (VIDEO)

Jason Hughes — 2011-10-07T00:15:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

It was the final rounds of Boot Camp this week on 'The X Factor' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX). In two hours, we burned through the last of the group performances, watched their final chances to impress, witnessed the contestants finding out which 32 made it to Judges' Houses, and saw as the judges found out which groups they would be mentoring.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

It was a packed night of television for sure, and yet there was still time for some great vocal performances. For sure, this season features some true vocal powerhouses. And when it came time to make their final decisions, the judges had a couple more surprises up their sleeves.

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The Astronomical Kid Says 'X Factor' Fight With Simon Cowell Was Scripted (VIDEO)

Stephanie Opella — 2011-10-06T17:35:00+00:00

Filed under: TV Replay

Brian Bradley, aka The Astronomical Kid, the 14-year-old 'X-Factor' contestant who got into a confrontation with Simon Cowell after performing his song 'Stop Looking at My Mom!,' dropped by 'Good Day NY' (weekdays, 9 AM ET on Fox) to squash the beef.

Actually, Bradley said the whole thing was a scripted set-up. As Simon was judging him after his performance, The Astronomical Kid cut him off, saying "Yo, what is your problem, man? Are you serious?" He told Cowell he was lucky they weren't in the streets "because if we was in the streets, this is what I'd say to you. Soundman, drop that," and then transitioned into his next song.

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'X Factor' Contestant Stacy Francis Battles on After the Death of Her Father

Catherine Lawson — 2011-10-06T07:15:00+00:00

Filed under: TV News, Fall TV

Single mother Stacy Francis blew 'The X Factor' judges away with her audition last month.

Proving that it's never too late to make your dreams come true the 42-year old Francis seemed on her way to the top. Her stunning performance of Carole King's 'Natural Woman' won her a standing ovation and saw her safely through to the "bootcamp" round of the competition.

However, just two weeks ago, the Brooklyn native received the devastating news that her father had died. TMZ reports that Francis strongly considered quitting the show to be with her family but ultimately decided to stay because that's what her father would have wanted.

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