X Factor

Well it’s been a couple of days now and the furore has died down a little bit but the outrage still remains that accuses The X Factor of yet again being a fixed TV show.

Thousands of fans have stated on their social network pages and lobbied for more viewers to join them in boycotting the show.

Our question to you is should we boycott the show?

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This weekend’s X Factor will see 12 acts through to the live shows, however in a bid to entice viewers back to the show, ITV bosses have employed the use of wild cards – the reappearance of acts previously cut by the judges.

The four judges, Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh, will be seen on Sunday night picking their final contestants to go through to the live shows however they have also been asked to pick one wildcard act each.

The four wild cards will then battle it out head to head in a public vote with the winner joining the other 12 finalists in the main show.

The four wildcards are currently living with the other contestants at the five-star Corinthia Hotel in central London. Continue reading »

Even though The X Factor’s viewing figures increased with its second episode this series, it’s still a far cry from its heady heyday of being a must watch on TV.  Gone is the buzz on a Monday morning where everyone asks, “Did you watch The X Factor?” and everything about it seems rather forgettable.

News surfaced this morning that Simon Cowell is set to make an appearance on the show, much like he did in Britain’s Got Talent, the first year after he left and re-appeared for just the live shows.

Cowell, 52, has been based in Los Angeles for the past two years focussing on the American version of the show, but it seems he’s realised maybe it’s this one that needs his attention.

Executive producer Richard Holloway revealed at the Edinburgh TV Festival that Cowell will be appearing “in some guise, somewhere” in the series, but refusing to give any more away.

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Plus, Stephen Mulhern says Britain’s Got More Talent “isn’t suitable for family audiences” & Simon Cowell will be “glued” to Celebrity Big Brother!

We’ll begin today’s reality TV news round up with the report of the sickening actions of former Big Brother housemate Kenneth Tong, who has posted a series of vile and downright evil messages on Twitter about Gary and Dawn Barlow’s stillborn daughter, Poppy.

Stating that he wrote the messages as an “experiment” in creating a global multimedia phenomena, sick Tong has expressed no regret or remorse for the messages, one of which included a picture of a child’s coffin.

Many Twitter users, including a number of celebrities, have called upon the site’s chiefs to close Tong’s account in the wake of his reprehensible actions.

Of the backlash he’s faced, troll Tong told The Sun, “It’s quite a funny situation. I just thought of something funny to say and it evolved from there.

“My tweets aren’t offensive to the point where they are illegal. I’m not worried about the police coming to my door. I have the best legal team… Continue reading »

And Geri Halliwell WILL be the new X Factor judge. #Sigh.

We’ll begin today’s reality TV news with a report in The Sun which claims X Factor judge Tulisa and her best bud – and PA – Gareth Varey were involved in a fracas at the airport in Glasgow over the weekend.

The incident began when Tulisa went nuts over a photograph of her that she saw in a magazine. Furious about the pic – which was apparently less than flattering – she let rip a string of swear words, which prompted a male passenger to tell her off for her language.

Loyal Gareth – who has Tulisa’s name tattooed on his ankle – reportedly yelled at the man, “Who the hell do you think you are talking to?”

And it seems the unnamed man responded by head butting Gareth, which prompted onlookers to call the police… Continue reading »

Plus, Simon Cowell may axe his “Mr Nasty”, and former X Factor finalist Ray Quinn is married and set to be a daddy!

As we reported last week, soon after Jessie J had performed at an exclusive VIP party hosted by BlackBerry, a father of two was critically wounded after he was attacked with a broken bottle.

And sadly, it’s been reported today that he died from his injuries last night. Phillip Sherriff was 37, and as mentioned, a father of two young children.

Company director Ashley Charles, 25, was remanded in custody on Tuesday, charged with assault, but police are now investigating the incident as murder.

Mr Sherriff’s wife Jane was with him when he died soon after having had surgery to reduce pressure on his brain.

Last night, Jessie J took to Twitter to express her sadness over the news.

She tweeted, “I am lost for words. All I can say is my thoughts, love and respects are with the family and children of the man who attended the blackberry gig last week who sadly lost his life this morning <3 So sad…”

A Scotland Yard spokesman said, “A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.”

How very sad.

In much lighter news, it seems Simon Cowell is giving thought to dropping his “Mr Nasty” persona on BGT in order to make it more appealing to viewers.

He plans other changes too given that for three weeks running, The Voice had landed more viewers than BGT.

But an insider told the Sun that Simon’s remaining upbeat about the viewing figure, saying, “He’ll learn lessons from it [but] Simon wasn’t happy when he saw the ratings.

“He likes to be number one in everything he does. He has told producers they must make BGT even better.

“He is known as being a perfectionist and this will only renew his desire to beat The Voice.

“The big fear is that viewers will start seeing The Voice as the leading singing show.

“That would mean the best singers flocking to apply to it instead of The X Factor — and these shows live or die on their talent.

“Simon always learns lessons. He will be seriously considering whether he has to be nicer to contestants.

“He has softened his Mr Nasty image over the years. But maybe now he needs to turn fully into Mr Nice.

“It’s clear viewers are starting to get a taste for more positive shows.”

Simon’s spokesman added, “Simon is happy with the ratings. The judges are looking forward to the live shows.”

Finally today, former X Factor finalist Ray Quinn has married his girlfriend Emma Stephens in a romantic ceremony in Barbados, and he’s announced that they’re expecting a baby in July.

Speaking to the Sun, Ray said, “I’m so lucky to have Emma. The dress, I had to catch my breath. I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride.”

And Emma said, “We’re deeply in love and having a baby together feels so right…

“In his speech Ray vowed, ‘I’m going to look after you forever and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you’.

“That really choked me up.”

Aww congrats to you both!

More reality TV news soon.

Plus, Jessie J’s scary stalker, and Robbie Williams’ baby joy

We’ll start today’s reality TV news with former Big Brother star Brian Belo and the ongoing saga in which he claims hit TV show The Only Way Is Essex was his idea…

And after issuing a lawsuit against ITV and Lime Pictures, who make the show, part of his legal demands are that both companies hand over copies of every single episode of the show that’s ever aired, and those that haven’t yet been broadcast.

In his High Court writ, which was made public last night, in addition to calling for an injunction to stop TOWIE airing, Brian demanded “forfeiture” of all “infringing articles” including “all copies of The Only Way Is Essex”.

The Sun adds, “The 13-page writ also includes correspondence between Lime Pictures and Brian in which he is asked for help sourcing ‘contact details of individuals within the Format’.”

However, ITV and Lime Pictures have denied that they ripped Brian off, and said his claim against them will be “vigorously defended”.

In other news, The Voice coach Jessie J was “horrified” to learn that a teenaged fan injured her leg deliberately in order to emulate her.

Jessie of course broke her foot last year and had to cancel a number of gigs as a result. She was in plaster for weeks and will have permanent pain from the injury, despite the fact that it’s now healed.

However, the teenager, who can’t be named for legal reasons, sent Jessie a picture of her injuries and a note which read, “I will do anything to be just like you.”

A source close to Jessie told TV Biz, “She’s horrified this happened. Jessie’s a really, really sensitive and kind girl who loves keeping in touch with her fans.

“But this incident was just too much for her and she ended up getting really frightened and upset.

“She was sad that a fan hurt herself to look like her — but she was also scared for her own safety.”

Another source added, “Now Jessie’s on The Voice and getting bigger and bigger, she knows it is time to review security and the risks to her.

“She loves her fans but these things are unavoidable in this day and age.

“It happens to all pop stars as they become bigger. It’s one of the downfalls of fame. Jessie would prefer it wasn’t this way.”

And finally today, some lovely news from rock star Robbie Williams; he and his wife Ayda are expecting their first baby.

Robbie announced his news via his personal blog where he posted an open letter to fans revealing that the couple had already had scans of the baby and are now busy preparing for his/her arrival.

He wrote, “We had sex! It works! Me and Ayda are going to be mummy and daddy this year.

“We’ve seen scans and cried. We’ve looked at babies in commercials and teared up.

“The nursery is already planned. Basically I’m in love with a little person growing in mummy’s belly. And I can’t wait to be a daddy.

“Crying now.”

He ended the statement by saying, “Much love, much joy. Roberto, Mum and Little Bump.”

And Robbie’s friend, TV host Jonathan Wilkes revealed that he’s chuffed the news is finally out.

He said, “Thank god. That’s the biggest secret I’ve ever kept. I’m so proud of my mate and Ayda.

“They are gonna be amazing parents.”

What lovely news! Congrats Robbie and Ayda!

More reality TV news soon.

Plus Nicole Scherzinger hints she may not return to X Factor USA

There’s sad news today as it’s been reported that former X Factor finalist, Kerry McGregor, had died aged just 37.

Fans of the show may remember Kerry who starred in the show in 2006, when Sharon Osbourne was still on the judging panel.

Kerry – who was wheelchair bound following a fall when she was 13 years old – was diagnosed with bladder cancer two years ago, however, after undergoing chemotherapy, which left her almost completely deaf, it was thought she was overcoming the disease.

In fact, Kerry was doing so well, she was just days away from recording a duet with former BGT finalist Susan Boyle.

Following her death, a statement from her management company read, “It is with deep sadness we announce that Kerry passed away at home, earlier today following a battle with cancer.

“At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.”

Kerry’s manager, Ewan Gallagher, told the Daily Mail, “This is a desperately sad time for all Kerry’s friends and family.

“She was such a gifted singer and song-writer. She left more than 40 of her own songs unrecorded at her death.

“And she had forged a close friendship with Susan Boyle, who became very attached to Kerry because both are from West Lothian.

“Susan wrote in her autobiography that Kerry’s appearance on X Factor was what gave her the courage to appear on BGT.

“The pair were about to record a duet of Wings To Fly, which has only appeared as a bonus track on an album released by Susan in Japan.

“I’m sure it would have been a huge hit and the words have such poignancy. I don’t know what will happen with that project now.”

Meanwhile, Sharon told the Sun, “I am so sad about Kerry’s passing. Much love and respect to her and her family.”

How terribly sad. Here’s a clip of one of Kerry’s X Factor performances…

In other news, X Factor USA judge and mentor Nicole Scherzinger has given the biggest hint yet that she may not return to the show next year.

Speaking to Radar Online, Nicole – who’s about to embark on a tour of the UK and Ireland – said, “I’m an artist first, not a judge first. Next year, for me, it’s about my music.”

And later on in the interview, she seemed to blame her commitment to X Factor for the fact that her new single, Don’t Hold Your Breath, which is from her first solo album Killer Love, hasn’t topped the UK charts.

She told Radar Online: “I worked with these contestants six days a week so I delayed the album.”

Nicole also added that the show had taken a toll on her. She said, “I didn’t expect to be so emotional through the elimination process.

“I just wanted to mentor and empower artists.”

More X Factor news soon, and our deepest commiserations to Kerry’s family.

Former X Factor finalist Cher Lloyd has told the Daily Mail that she thinks her ‘haters’ are just insecure about themselves.

Here’s the paper’s article…

Most teenagers would crumble at the barrage of backlash Cher Lloyd has received. But the little fighter has hushed her critics by saying they’re just ‘insecure’.

The Malvern pop princess says the only reason people are so quick to bully her is because they’re ‘unhappy’ themselves.

But with Simon Cowell’s support, nearly half a million Twitter supporters and a debut album on the way, she is the one having the last laugh.

Cher, soon to be 18, even addressed the issues in her first single Swagger Jagger, singing: ‘Hi hater/ Kiss kiss/ See you later.’

Having catapulted into the spotlight by coming fourth on last year’s X Factor, the petite star has matured beyond her years.

She said: ‘Some people find it hard to come to terms with the fact that everyone is different.

‘I think it all boils down to their own insecurities – if you’re unhappy with yourself, you’re going to pick on someone else, and that’s what they’re doing. I feel sorry for them.’

Speaking of her upcoming track, she said: ‘There are certain lines in the song that basically explain that, no matter what I do, people won’t stop writing about me and talking about me all the time.

‘I’m still in people’s minds, whether they like me or they hate me.’

Cher said she still speaks to Syco boss Cowell, saying: ‘We have a really good relationship – it’s a truthful one.

‘If there’s anything that he doesn’t feel will benefit me or lead me in the right direction, he’ll give me advice, which is the whole reason I went to the show – for his advice.

‘To see whether I was good enough. He’s like an uncle. Uncle Si!

‘Yeah, I do text him. I never put kisses though! Always a smiley face.’

She also credited her fans with giving her strength, adding: ‘It’s really good. I call them my brats because they’re feisty.

‘I don’t even have to open my mouth – they do it for me. I couldn’t do it without them.’ Cher also revealed her latest bizarre crush, telling Bliss: ‘I’ve got a crush on Mr Bean.

‘But not the actual actor (Rowan Atkinson) – the character. If I could have a boyfriend like that for a day, I think I’d be very, very happy, because he doesn’t speak does he?

‘He’s just like “Teddy, teddy”. I’ve got his name in one of my songs – it goes, “Please don’t say a thing, Mr Bean.” Its great isn’t it?’

Gathering the entertainment news, so you don’t have to

The Sun today report that Take That singer Robbie Williams could be about to sign up as a judge on the BBC’s answer to The X Factor…

And if he does, he’ll be in direct competition with his bandmate Gary Barlow who is of course a judge on this year’s X Factor.

Here’s what The Sun has to say…

ROBBIE Williams is being lined up as a judge on new BBC singing reality show The Voice – in direct opposition to Gary Barlow.

The Beeb want Robbie, 37, to sign on the dotted line to make The Voice the biggest music show on telly. But the move would pitch him against Take That bandmate Gary, 40, who is joining The X Factor.

The pair famously fell out after the Angels singer left Take That, but made up after the band reformed last year.

An insider said: “They still have a healthy rivalry and this would kick in if they were on opposing shows.”

Bosses also have their sights set on chart-topper Adele as well as former X Factor judge Dannii Minogue. A panel of big-name singers will judge wannabes by turning their backs during audtions so they focus on their voices.

The show has been a huge hit in the US, where Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine are on the panel. A source for the BBC – which plans its show for next year – said: “Robbie would be great, particularly with his rivalry with Gary.”

The Beeb’s push comes as The X Factor has had to postpone its auditions after Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole left for the US version.