Hearing Michael Jackson’s music on ”The X Factor” this week will bring about a lot of memories for many people, including The X Factor’s very own judges. We caught up with both Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid months ago, and asked them to share one of their favorite music memories. Little did we know that the memory would be one they shared together, and that it included Michael Jackson and his song “Man in the Mirror”. Check it out:
Catch The X Factor this week and find out which two contestants will have to say goodbye. Wednesday and Thursday night at 8PM ET/PT on Fox.
Last night it was announced that The Stereo Hoggz were eliminated from The X Factor competition and headed home. Thier mentor Paula Abdul was absolutely crushed. The first words out of her mouth when both of her groups, including Lakoda Rayne, were up for elimination were, “I’m not going to do this. I can’t do this and I’m too close to both acts and I love them both very much and they’ve worked very hard, I’m sorry.” It’s obvious it’s not only getting tougher for the contestants themselves but for the judges too. With each week that goes by, they are building a stronger rapport and bond with their groups and can’t help to get emotional when the time comes to say goodbye. Last night was quite dramatic and it will only keep getting more so. As we get closer to choosing a winner, you can only imagine what might be going through the heads of these contestants. Actually, you don’t have to imagine, because we asked Nicole Scherzinger’s group of over 30s to tell us what their final thoughts are before they go go to sleep each night.
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It would be difficult to ask the members of Lakoda Rayne what they’re thinking of before they get to sleep — after being left in the Bottom Two last night, they probably didn’t get any sleep at all. And while they’re still in the running for the $5 million grand prize, they now know they’ve got a lot of work to do if they’re going to earn enough votes to stay in the competition. What does that mean for these four young ladies? They’ll be battling more stress, doubt, and anxiety than ever before. So we asked Lakoda Rayne how they’re able to deal with the pressure.
Make sure to check out The X Factor Wednesday and Thursday nights on FOX at 8pm ET/PT!
Wednesday night’s X Factor show included a little bit of everthing… There were some great songs (Josh, Rachel and LeRoy), great style (Lakoda Rayne and Stereo Hogzz), serious poetics (we’re talking you Astro and Chris), health issues (Melanie & Marcus), and topics for the judges to dispute (Stacy’s song selection and Drew’s dress design). With so much going on we decided to go straight to the source backstage and ask each of the Top 11 X Factor contestants how they felt about their performance and the evening.
What did you think? Who was your favorite? Do you think they’ll make the cut to next week? The results are in the hands of America now. We’ll find out which contestants make it to the Top 10 during the results show on Thursday November 10 at 8/7 central on FOX.
The X Factor is heating up as the Top 12 gets whittled down to 11! Last night it was InTENsity’s time to go. Their exit saddened their mentor, Paula Abdul, but she’s staying the course and her focus now is all about Lakoda Rayne and Stereo Hoggz. You’re getting to know these contestants each and every week. You see them on stage performing with emotion, excitement and perseverance. But there’s another side to each and every one of them. We caught up with L.A. Reid’s boys — Brian “Astro” Bradley, Marcus Canty and Chris Rene, and asked them to tell us about their likes, loves and guilty pleasures! Make sure to check out The X Factor Wednesday and Thursday nights on FOX at 8pm ET/PT!
Anyone following twitter, entertainment websites, and “The X Factor” are well aware of the controversy that’s been brewing around some of ”The X Factor” contestants’ prior ”music career.” The controversy started when it was revealed that LeRoy Bell and Stacy Francis both had had some prior experience in the music industry. The controversy hit an all time high however when Perez Hilton took to twitter (and his four million followers) end of last week and started accusing Stacy Francis of outright lying to the public and fans about her past. While it’s a bit humorous that someone who has made a name for himself by spreading rumors and gossip is all of a sudden carrying the torch for truth, honesty, and full disclosure (we are talking about entertainment afterall), the serious side is that real people are being dragged through the dirt for what ”The X Factor” Judges think is really kind of a non-issue. In fact, when the judges were asked their thoughts on the whole matter at a press conference post show Thursday night, Simon weighed in, and summed it up by saying “I couldn’t care less”.
Check out what the judges said for yourself…
So our question to you… Is this a big deal? Are you over it? Is this whole matter swaying your vote, or are you just ready to see what the remaining 11 contestants have in store next week? Let us know!
The remaining Top 11 will take to the stage next Wednesday for the next super star showdown on The X Factor – so ink your appointment for the TV next Wednesday at 8PM ET/PT on FOX, then hit up twitter, your phone line, Facebook or Verizon to vote!!
As The X Factor kicks into high gear with the Top 12 competition, and voting by YOU, we thought you’d enjoy a closer look at Paula Abdul’s catagory, the “groups”: The Stereo Hogzz, InTENsity, and Lakoda Rayne. Check it out!
The Stereo Hogzz
The Stereo Hogzz are the only group in the Top 12 that came into this competition as an established group, so they’ve had a lot of experience performing together. Find out what they’re learning most from Paula, what it’s like for them to peform up on the X Factor stage, and how Vodoo and the Superbowl come into play when they watch themselves on TV.
InTENsity
For the new group InTENsity, Paula’s teachings have been invaluable. The group shares Paula’s 4 phrases for success, and explains how Paula’s personal experience with Michael Jackson has served as a key teaching moment.
Lakoda Rayne
Lakoda Rayne has quickly become a group with a beautiful unifed sound, but at the heart of the group you’ll find four individual women with different backgrounds. We asked them to reflect on their own individual journeys and share what “experience” they feel has had the biggest impact in molding them into the women they are today:
How far will these groups go? Who will be crowned the winner of The X Factor? It’s now up to you! Catch The X Factor Wednesdays & Thursdays on Fox, watch your favorites take the stage and perform, and then don’t forget to vote for the ones you think have “The X Factor”!
Last night’s episode of “The X Factor” was a spectacular show. Great singing, big production, interesting cat fights (we’re talking you Simon, L.A., Paula, and Nicole), and a lot of emotion. You’ve got to admit they are an amazingly talented group of human beings, so it’s hard to imagine how America (that’s you!) is going to figure out who that “one” winner will be. We caught up with each of the newly crowned Top 12 contestants on stage after the show and asked them to share what they were thinking and feeling about their performance, the judges’ reactions, the fan support, and the night. Watch what your favorites have to say:
Our Top 12 are back at it and already preparing for next week’s show, so make sure you follow your favorites on twitter and facebook, check out ”The X Factor” website www.thexfactorusa.com and make sure to ink in your appointment to catch ”The X Factor” live this coming Wednesday, November 2 at 8PM ET/PT on FOX.
This week The X Factor will be taking us to each of the Judges’ homes where we’ll see the eight singing acts from the four categories (young girls, young boys, singers over 30, and vocal groups) perform their hearts out for their mentor/judge. By next week, we’ll know which four from each category will asked to stay – and which four will be sent home packing. We got Simon and L.A. to talk about their categories (Simon has the younger girls, L.A. the younger boys), the ‘Judges’ Home Visit’ process, and found out that Simon is already doubting his decisions. Check it out:
Q: What do you think about the categories that were given to each of you?
Simon: I think the decisions that were made were the right decision interestingly. You have to cast the right judge with the right category. Who do you get? Who will you get? And L.A. said this before, and I agree – there was a winner potentially in every category. The category I got, I was really happy with – really, really happy. But, the big difference on this show is, it’s not just about winning the show – you’ve got to turn somebody into a star. In my case, I’ve had to bring in fitness experts, nutritionists, vocal coaches, producers, stylists, choreographers; because that’s the way you’ve got to work. You’ve got to be fit, you’ve got to be ready, and mentally my job is to make them understand that I’m looking for a winner who’s going to win in the real world – and I expect 11 out of 10 every single week.
L.A.: My category was the boys, and I was really happy to get them because I actually believe that my category has the strongest contestants, and the most likely to win. Now, I’m saying that, but you never know what happens going forward, right; but so far, I have the clear winners.”
Simon: “Well, I think I’ve got the winner. Enough said.”
L.A.: “You do?”
Simon: “Oh yeah! I’ve got the girls. I think I did a brilliant job with all of them, chose two songs for each of them; and it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, because I could’ve put any of these eight through. I mean, I could’ve put just eight in the whole competition, and you’d of had a fantastic cast.”
L.A.: “How many really have talent in your category?”
Simon: “All eight. I swear to god. L.A., I watched it back – I swear when you see what – they were incredible.”
Q: So bootcamp is over and you’ve all been given a category… Simon, you have the girls, and L.A. you have the boys. Nicole gets the singers over the age of 30, and Paula has the groups. This week, we see all the contestants go to your homes for a “home visit”. What’s that process like?
Simon: “The home visit show is designed; you get to know who you’re going to be working with because you’re going to be stuck with them for a few months. So over two days, we chose two songs for both of them. That’s to me the hardest time to go. You’ve gotten to know them, they’re all arguably good because they’ve made the eight; and you’ve got to say face-to-face at the end of that competition, You’re going to the live shows, you are about to get back on a plane 6,000 miles because you’re not going any further. It’s a no, you’re going home”. It’s horrible.”
L.A.: “Yes.”
Simon: “And it’s very personal, and normally you’re going to end up with “I’ve made a big mistake” – I certainly did.”
Q: Is it hard to decide who makes it through?
Simon: “It’s hard because you don’t have an awful lot of time.”
L.A.: “Right.”
Simon: “First day you hear them sing, you’ve got to think about it overnight, they do two songs each. Then you wake up, you think you’ve made your decision, and then I watch the tapes back. “yeah, I made the right decision, and I changed them. You know I’ve made the right decision.” After about an hour after I put my four through, I went “I’ve made a massive mistake here”. But, regardless, I will have them fighting fit, and I want it mentally, as I said get them prepared to kill the others, and I will.”
Q: So what are the contestants going to have to do to be ready for what’s to come?
L.A.: “They’ll have to work really hard. They better be in fight shape. They better be.”
Simon: “They’re ready. They’re ready for your old boys, trust me.”
L.A.: “I think they now know that it’s down to the wire, and that this is really about winning, and I think their ready – we’ll see.”
Q: Are we going to find most of the fan favorites making the cut?
L.A.: “We know who the fan favorites are, and I think one of the most interesting things about the judge’s homes is in boot camp and in auditions; all of us are caught up in the audience, not just the judges, but everyone. I think the viewers are also caught up in the moment and excited, and I think when it’s broken down and it’s raw, and we really get down to that raw bare talent, I think that they’re going to all be very surprised at who emerges.”
Simon: “I am not leaving my house the day after the home visit show.”
L.A.: “You’re not leaving?”
Simon: “Absolutely no way, I’m undercover.”
So the question is – will Simon, L.A., Paula, and Nicole make the right decisions? Will YOUR favorite make the cut? Watch and let us know! Catch all the excitement, singing, and drama that is “The X Factor” this Wednesday and Thursday at 8PM ET/PT on FOX.
For more info on the Top 32 contestants, check out The X Factor website: www.thexfactorusa.com and listen to the FOX All Access Radio Show!
This week we find out which of “The X Factor” contestants will make the bootcamp cut AND which catagory of performers each of the judges will mentor the rest of the season. According to Simon Coweel though, when the doors open, the ONLY Judge contestants are going to want as a mentor is him – because he is better than the other three. Watch as Simon disses Paula, explains how Leona Lewis wasn’t very good (at first), and how he’s happy that he finally gets to show America what he really does for a living. Watch The X Factor tonight and see which group of performers Simon will get at 8PM ET/PT on FOX.
For more info on the contestants check out The X Factor website at www.thexfactorusa.com
It’s Bootcamp week on The X Factor, which means we’re going to see some dancing, more singing, and plenty of dra-ma! We’ve already heard that Brooklyn teen-rapper Brian Bradley (the “Stop Lookin’ at My Mom” kid) declines to participate in the dancing training portion of the show because as Bradley puts it “Emcees don’t dance”, and that’s just for starters. Aside from the drama dancing, there’s going to be a quick singing elimination, group performances, and a final round of singing to determine who moves on to the next round (which includes a visit to one of the judges’ homes for more drama singing and some special mentoring).
FOX All Access host Chris Leary sat down with X Factor Judge/soon-to-be-mentor Paula Abdul and got her take on the mentoring process, why she says Simon might regret hiring her, and her strategy for making a non-dancer look like a dancer – no matter what. Check it out.
You can catch all the dancing, singing, and drama excitement surrounding night one of “bootcamp” on The X Factor at 8PM ET/PT on FOX.
For more inside info on The X Factor, check out The X Factor website, www.thexfactor.com
