X Factor: Sparks Fly as 12 Move On, 5 Go Home

It was the end of the road for five contestants on The X- Factor Tuesday night as only 12 were chosen to continue on to the next round of the Live shows.

Each judge had to eliminate one candidate. Simon Cowell had to eliminate two since he brought back Melanie Amaro last week.

The first singer voted off the competition was Philip Lomax, who sang his rendition of The Monkees 1966 classic “I’m a Believer.” Although Reid was happy that Lomax challenged himself with something out of his comfort zone, it was not good enough to go up against the performances of Brian “Astro” Bradley, Chris Rene and Marcus Canty.

Fellow judges Simon Cowell disagreed with Reid and thought the song did not work in Lomax’s favor. While Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger felt Lomaz did a good job.

Reid nonetheless eliminated Lomax from the competition.

The Brewer Boys were next to get canned, this time by Abdul, who was mentoring the "groups." All was going well for the brothers when performing a mix of Hall & Oates’ 1977 “Rich Girl” and George Michael’s 1987 song “Faith.

Things took a turn for the worse when the two decided to remix the song into a folkloric beat which neither Reid or Cowell liked.

On the other hand The Stereo Hogzz, impressed the judges with their smooth dance routine , while Cowell thought  InTENsity is “"the equivalent of a music miracle." Lakoda Rayne was also safe.

On to the "over 30’s" with Pussycat Doll extraordinaire Nicole Scherzinger, who was arguing with Cowell back and forth the entire show.

The homeless Dexter Haygood was sent home after performing Britney Spear’s “Womanizer” and Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.”

The Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love” look-alike backup dancers did not convince Cowell and Reid who both said the song choices were off. LeRoy Bell performed a rendition of Pink’s ballad “Nobody Knows” while Stacy Francis sang George Michaels’ 1987 tune “One More Try.”

Josh Krajcik got the judges’ approval with an emotional rendition of Bob Dylan’s 1941 “Forever Young” classic.

Simone Battle and Tiah Tolliver were the girls regretfully sent home by Cowell.

Reid confronts Cowell in front of everyone questioning what he saw in Battle to begin with. The rest of the judges agree. Her performance to S.O.S’s “Just Be Good to Me” did not make the cut.

Tolliver’s lady Gaga-esque goth performance to Eurythmics’ 1980’s “Sweet Dreams” did her no good either. Abdul warns Tolliver about her pitch if she wants to make it in the industry.

Singing a mix of Justin Bieber’s “Baby” and The Supremes 1964 smash hit “Where Did the Love Go?” Rachel Crow wowed the crowd and the judges.

Reid thinks Crow will also make a great actress, while Abdul, Scherzinger and Cowell congratulate Crow on her excellent performance.

Ryniewcz sings Irene Cara’s 1983 tune “What a Feeling” and left the judges speechless, while Melanie Amaro was told by the judges that she is simply “special” and she deserved to be brought back to the competiton.

Next week voting opens up to the public in the hopes of getting closer to choosing the contestant who has “The X Factor.”

Source: Alexandra Gratereaux

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Posted in L.A. Reid , Nicole Scherzinger , Paula Abdul , Simon Cowell , Steve Jones 2011 Top singing contest , X- Factor 2011

The X Factor: Stacy Francis Wows; Enrique Iglesias Judges

Enrique Iglesias joined Nicole Scherzinger in her Malibu home as a special guest in the “Judges Homes” auditions on The X Factor on Thursday night.

“When Nicole asked me to be her guest judge I was extremely happy,” Iglesias said. “We get along, we’re good friends and we’ve worked together in the past.”

“I want to see that one person that sticks out,” he added. “It’s not so much all the time about vocal ability, it’s about that uniqueness.”

Fellow judge Paula Abdul had the ‘Groups’ at her home in Santa Barbara Calif., with R&B singer/producer Pharell Williams assisting. L.A. Reid and the ‘Boys’ were in his residence in New York City with Rihanna, and Simon Cowell flew the ‘Girls’ out to the South of France, where unfortunately Mariah Carey could not make it due to hurricane Irene.(That was when the segment was taped.)

Back in Malibu, Iglesias and Scherzinger were blown away with Stacy Francis as she performed an emotion filled rendition of Prince’s classic 1984 ballad “Purple Rain.”

“This is everything to me,” Francis said as tears fell down her face. “I have it in me and it’s my time.”

The Spanish singer was seemed to be in shock with the strength of Francis’ voice.

“I think the neighbors heard that,” a smiling Iglesias told Francis.

Scherzinger, who was in tears along with Francis, questioned if Francis had enough confidence to make it in the music business.

“It’s hard,” said Scherzinger. “I don’t understand. She has all the talent but she will only be as great as her fears and insecurities and doubts.”

Iglesias wondered if Francis would be successful at selling albums.

“Is it good for today’s market?” Iglesias asked Scherzinger. “Will it sell? Will a record company sign her?”

Francis thinks she certainly has the goods to go on to win The X Factor.

“I just want to be on stage,” Francis reiterated. “It’s all I live and breathe for.”




Source Alexandra Gratereaux

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Posted in Enrique Iglesias , Judges Homes , Nicole Scherzinger , Paula Abdul , Stacy Francis , The X Factor

Dancing With the Stars: Chayna Phillips' Problem Wasn't the Dancing; Martinez Locks in 2nd

J.R. Martinez's humorous pink panther romp paid off as he locked in the second highest score Tuesday evening on DWTS' memorable movies week.

“The routine was energetic and fun,” Martinez said adding how he loved the mustache he got to sport with his outfit.

Not all contestants had Martinez’s luck.

Such was the case with Chayna Phillips, who was eliminated from the competition after forgetting her routine on the dance floor, causing the judges and America to give her the lowest ranking score.

"I'm disappointed,” Phillips said somberly when hearing the news. “But, I have to take responsibility. I messed up."

"I will take this with me for the rest of my life,” she added.

The experience, stress and emotional factors that come with being a part of the show is something that Martinez, Phillips and the rest of the stars didn’t expect.

“You really never prepare into you get into it," Martinez said.” Stars talk about how emotional it really is.”

The army veteran, who has been a top contender for the past month in the competition, says the respect for the cast went to another level after last week’s dancing assignment.

Each contestant chose a song that represented who they are and what they have been through in their lives.

The night carried on with guest performances from Susan Boyle, who performed “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and with The Voice’s celebrity judge Blake Sheldon, who sang a new rendition to the 1984 film “Footloose” for the 2011 remake in theaters Friday.

Julian Hough, a DWTS cast member starring in “Footloose,” performed with her brother (and Ricky Lake’s partner) Derek Hough for the first time since season eight.   

The Stars will have to whip out big hair, new wave style and their leotards as DWTS goes 80’s next week.

DWTS is a weekly dance competition and reality show in which celebrities are paired with professional dancers and compete for the opportunity to win the coveted disco ball-shaped trophy.

Past winners, such as Nicole Scherzinger from the X Factor, Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson and singer Donny Osmond, have taken their careers to the next level after winning the competition.

Source Alexandra Gratereaux

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Posted in 2011 dancing with the stars , 2011 DWTS , Chayna Phillips , Nicole Scherzinger , Someone to Watch Over Me , Susan Boyle