Category: the x factor

Following the reveal of the top 32 and a thoroughly disappointing groups category (one of the main things that’s supposed to differentiate this show from American Idol) in The X Factor Season 1 Episode 6, the judges were assigned their categories to mentor. Simon got the girls, LA got the boys, Nicole got the over 30s, and Paula got the groups. The men were happy. The women, not so much.

Tonight the visits to the judges’ homes begin. Simon’s happy for these girls. After all, they get to work with him. Paula puts on a brave face and pretends getting the groups was good news.

Each judge gets an assistant: Nicole has Enrique Iglesias, Paula has Pharrell (who?), Simon has Mariah Carey (or at least he was going to if her plane was able to make it), and LA Reid has not Bieber but Rihanna.

The contestants start things off by performing in front of the judges and their guest mentor (in Simon’s case, himself, but he manages to round up a few helpers).

Brian “Astro” Bradley performs first. LA’s concern: will America vote for a rapper? I can’t imagine they will, but the good news is anyone who wants to has just one choice.

Simone Battle at least remembers the words, but she’s not the best.

The Anser, from the very mormon Salt Lake City, feel like fish out of water, but they put that behind them and perform well.

Dexter Haygood performs Crazy in Love by Beyonce, minus the lyrics. Didn’t see that one coming.

Skyelor Anderson may not look like your typical country singer, but he does sound the part.

I didn’t quite get Tora Woloshin and remain distracted by all the body art and piercings, but digging past that she’s got a decent voice. Simon says it all sounds right, but there’s just something missing.

Part of the carnage in the girls category in boot camp involved the elimination of some talented individuals while others who were not as good got through. The explanation we later found out was that two new groups have been formed. First among them is pop country group Lakoda Rayne: Cari Fletcher, Dani Knights, Paige Ogle, and Hayley Orrantia. I like them, but they feel like something is off about their first performance together as a group.

In her first audition, Stacy Francis even got a standing ovation from Simon, which doesn’t happen often, but then she overdid it in boot camp with an annoyingly long note. Tonight she returns to good form, but the question is how marketable she could be in today’s market.

The Brewer Boys have been singing together since they could talk. Good. Probably not good enough.

LA has decided to give Phillip Lomax a Rihanna song… to sing in front of Rhianna. He turns it into a Sinatra version, but how big of a market is there for a crooner?

Elaine Gibbs became a wedding singer for the sake of stability. Now she hopes to break into the industry in a bigger way.

Nobody ever thinks Caitlin Koch is a rugby player. After all, she’s an American. Simon loves her.

Nick Voss was another one who forgot his words at boot camp. He does not have that problem tonight, but LA’s seen him better.

4Shore first impressed LA Reid with a song he wrote, End of the Road. You can tell these guys have been doing this together for a while.

I don’t know who James Kenney is, which is a big disadvantage on a show like this. Enrique could see him being a rock star.

Justin Bieber fan Drew Ryniewicz is the last one to perform tonight. Not the best song choice, but that doesn’t stop it from sounding good.

After the rain delay debacle, we’re left with a special Sunday night episode next.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 8, which airs Sunday at 8/7c on Fox.

The judges narrowed down their picks to the top 100 in The X Factor Season 1 Episode 5. Tonight boot camp continues. 5 more groups are left to perform.

What I do is not going on is this performance of What’s Going On.

The country boys get a perfect song for them, I Won’t Let Go by Rascal Flatts. Good opportunity for Tim Cifers, Mathew Slovacek, Kingston, Hannah Bethel, and Thomas Wells. Simon thinks Tim, who takes center stage first, is a star.

With the group performances done, 1/3 of the remaining acts will be sent home. Do we get names tonight? Will they be people we actually know, even a little? Not really.

The next challenge is to choose and sing a song in front of a full studio audience (like they did during their audition). One by one they perform again without comments from the judges.

The first group of singers just play it straight and mostly successfully. Then we get into the people who try to make the songs their own, mostly badly. Simone Battle doesn’t remember the words and just makes them up. 4Shore follows with a rendition of a song that Simon hates. Little Ladiez are accused of not listening by being the opposite of modern. Makenna & Brock do Billie Jean, which at least Nicole likes. Siameze Floyd sings painfully. Brennin Hunt still bugs me, and he bugs Simon as well by changing his song too much.

Stacy Francis tells the story about how her father died on the day boot camp began. She stuck around anyway because her father would have wanted her to pursue her dream. Unlike that first performance, this time she manages to get a standing ovation.

Then we get the battle of the pretty young blonde girls.

Half of the 64 remaining acts will make it to the last stage of the competition and head to the judges’ homes where some of them will get to swim in Simon’s vault of money.

Neither Simon nor LA seem particularly impressed by the groups category. I’m not either.

Top 8 Girls
Caitlin Koch
Drew Ryniewicz
Jazzlyn Little
Melanie Amaro
Rachel Crow
Simone Battle
Tiah Tolliver
Tora Woloshin

A couple of questionable picks while better singers fall by the wayside, but a good lineup on the whole.

Top 8 Boys
Brennin Hunt
Brian Bradley
Chris Rene
Marcus Canty
Nick Voss
Phillip Lomax
Skyelor Anderson
Tim Cifer

Not nearly as impressed by the boys as the girls, but there’s one or two there with a shot.

Top 8 6 Groups
2Squared
4Shore
The Anser
The Brewer Boys
Illusion Confusion
Stereo Hogzz

Not seeing much from this category either.

Top 8 Over 30s
Christa Collins
Dexter Haygood
Elaine Gibbs
James Kenney
Josh Krajcik
Leroy Bell
Stacy Francis
Tiger Budbill

This group should be able to give the young girls a run for their money.

Since the groups category was such a disappointment, the judges have asked 14 people from the girls and boys categories to return to the stage. They form two new groups, which softens the blow over what seemed to be bad picks earlier. It also makes the groups potentially interesting.

InTENsity: Arin Ray, Austin Percario, Ellona Santiago, Emily Michalak, Emily Wilson, Francesca Duncan, John Lindahl, Lauren Ashley, Ma’at Bingham Shango, Nick Dean
Lakoda Rayne: Cari Fletcher, Dani Knights, Paige Ogle, Hayley Orrantia

Now that the decisions have been made, one decision remains. Who does each judge mentor? They await word from the producers. LA is in New York, Paula and Nicole are in LA, and Simon, he’s on his yacht in the south of France. LA thinks the strongest category is the over 30s. Paula would like to work with the boys. Nicole would love the girls. Nobody wants the groups.

Nicole gets the over 30s. She’s one of them after all, barely. She clarifies: they didn’t say girls, did they? LA gets the the boys. He thinks he just won, but he thought that anyway. Paula gets the groups. She’s feeling overwhelmed already. That leaves Simon with the girls and the sole decision whether to keep Tiah around.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 7, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

The auditions concluded in The X Factor Season 1 Episode 4 with performances by Cari Fletcher, Austin and Emily, and Jazzlyn Little. Tonight bootcamp begins in Los Angeles.

The not at all Ryan Seacrest host whose name escapes me tells us Paula Abdul has sold over 53 million albums. Wait. What? Apparently she was a big deal 20 years ago.

In addition to singing, they will be going through choreography, which at the end of the day is largely irrelevant no matter how much Simon tries to convince us it’s about the complete package. Granted, it’s not all about singing either, as these shows have long been a popularity contest. Brian Bradley refuses to dance because Jay Z doesn’t dance.

So apparently The Anser is spelled without a W. Caitlin Koch gives Paula chills. Tora Woloshin falls flat, and I’m not surprised. Brendan O’Hara forgets his words, but he doesn’t sound good anyway. Chris Rene and his sister Gina Rene have both made it to boot camp and both are good. Melanie Amaro is awesome singing Whitney. Stacy Francis’ ridiculously long note does a good job of annoying the judges more than anything.

After everybody is done singing, a bunch of people I don’t recognize (and whose names we are not given) get eliminated. The cuts bring us down to 100 acts, some of whom get some rest while others party through the night.

They are put into groups and given a few hours to perform a song. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this before. At least we don’t have to go through the drama of people choosing and kicking others out of their groups.

Dexter Haygood is over his desire to impersonate James Brown. Now he is impersonating Mick Jagger. Audrey Turner was married to Ike Turner for a year or so before his death.

Leroy Bell, 59, does not plan on trying again if he fails this time. We get our first glimpse of Dani Knights, who wants to be a country star. Simon likes Paige Ogle.

Brian Bradley’s group gets a Jay Z song. Good news for him. Bad news for the rest of his group. I’m confused how this is supposed to demonstrate singing ability, or what it’s supposed to demonstrate for that matter. Tatiana “Reina” Williams, however, wants to prove she can rap, too. Jennifay Joy Nichols also surprises. Brian ends up forgetting half his words and interrupting everybody throughout the song.

Nick Dean has the name and looks to go far, but his performance is a bit of a disaster. Tiger Budbill overcomes the somewhat lackluster first impression he made.

Tiah Tolliver made it through after much begging by Simon. I still don’t get it, but she’s much better this time. LA asks how they got her on key.

I Have Nothing proves to be the toughest song to remember the words to, but it presents a good opportunity for some of the girls to shine.

Brock continues to hope Makenna will realize he has a crush on her sooner or later. I assume Emily Michalak, at the show’s minimum age of 12, is the youngest to make it this far, and her solo is where the song starts to take off. Siameze Floyd aims to prove he’s something different, as if there were a question. They and the rest of their group, consisting of The Stereo Hogzz, Jeremiah Pagan, Song Preservation Society, and Cesar de la Rosa, leave the judges smiling with their better than the original performance of Run by Snow Patrol.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 6, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.

We met Brock and Makenna, Josh Krajcik, Drew Ryniewicz, and 4Shore in The X Factor Season 1 Episode 3. The auditions conclude in Newark.

Brian Bradley wants to be better than Jay Z. He starts off his rap by getting into a fake argument with Simon, who calls him arrogant, obnoxious, argumentative, but talented. All the years he was at Def Jam, LA was looking for this kid.

Kelly Warner, Aaron Surgeon, and Liliana Rose Andreano will be joining him.

Not having met anyone in 43 years, Andy Silikovitz hopes this competition will get him a girlfriend. No, lightning will not strike twice. He will not be another Susan Boyle. The audience plays nice at least, but it won’t be a yes.

Clarissa “Cashmere” Cheatham is greeted by a panel that can’t stop giggling, and the giggling only gets worse when she starts singing. Nouf Taraman, Jean Loup Wolfman, and Maya Lehmann continue the ridiculousness.

If Cari Fletcher sounds anything like she looks, she’ll go far. LA tells her she has a star’s name, a star’s face, and a star’s voice. Simon, however, might remember her, but not her voice, though he’ll vote for her along with the others.

Joshua Blaylock, Emily Michalak, and Dorit Yehudai will also be advancing to boot camp.

Austin and Emily are Ausem. Simon thinks the audience they are aiming at will understand them, like the cheering section they have brought with them. LA thinks Austin is a star, though he’s not convinced of the duo. Nicole echoes his comments, and 20 minutes later she finally says yes.

The final hour is the conclusion of the auditions from around the country.

Tora Woloshin loves music and cars. Simon loves her because she has the X factor.

Jor-el Garcia sings Lucky Star by Madonna. This won’t end quickly enough. John Duff, Darlene & Sherone, and Ric White don’t sing or dance any better.

The Stereo Hogzz might have a stupid name, but they sound decent enough. Simon thinks they have overrehearsed. Still good enough to get through, though.

I assume Brennin Hunt spends 2 hours a day on his hair. Going based on voice alone, I’ll make an effort to tolerate him.

Paige Elizabeth Ogle, Leroy Bell, The Brewer Boys, and Nick Dean will be joining him in boot camp.

Devon Talley is possibly the worst singer tonight, which is saying something. He sings a song that goes on for 525,600 minutes, then keeps going.

Jazzlyn Little gets the final audition of the season. She tried uploading a video to Youtube, ending up with about 500 views, which doesn’t surprise Simon seeing as she’s having difficulty selling herself. Then she starts to sing, leading to a standing ovation. Simon calls her the one to watch.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 5, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

The X Factor Season 1 Episode 2 brought us Melanie Amaro and Caitlin Koch. Tonight the auditions continue in Chicago, the windy and raining city, followed by Seattle.

Cheryl Cole, who inexplicably was removed as a judge for no apparent reason, will be returning one last time.

Brock and Makenna are just friends, so they claim, although Brock really has a secret crush on her (that he just told 12 million people about). Like everybody else, Simon asks whether they’re dating, while Paula rudely points out that Brock is turning red. LA Reid’s day has been made. Simon thinks Makenna’s voice is sensational.

Kim Terek says she has never tried pop music before, which is why she hasn’t got a record deal after 10 years of lessons. Well, never try it again. Tim Quinn is told not to sing Kiss from a Rose, but he does anyway, to expectedly bad results. Robyn Royal is the definition of tone deaf.

Charlesia Heard is there to audition to be a judge. The good news is that a position may be opening up once they leave Chicago. The bad news is that her comedy routine does not go over well.

Skyelor Anderson (spelled like that, really?) wants to be a black country singer. Not completely unheard of but different nonetheless. In spite of the technical difficulties with his music, he keeps singing. The judges are mostly impressed that he was able to carry on, but he has a decent voice as well.

J. Mark Inman is a graduate student studying philosophy. Good luck with that. He sings Creep, which Paula calls fitting. Simon asks if he’s dated Paula. The crowd loves this really weird performance, and the judges let him through.

Josh Krajcik’s mom has been wanting him to sing in front of Simon for 10 years so that she can get on camera. The skepticism about him and his song choice (At Last by Etta James) quickly fades. Simon’s surprised and blown away.

Seattle is the next stop, with not much different but less British judge Nicole Scherzinger.

Mother and daughter act Darwin and Sherry Reedy (The Good Girls) claim they believe they can be stars. Simon calls them the worst group he’s ever heard in his life.

Drew Ryniewicz is 14, so she loves Justin Bieber and will be singing Baby. I like her, in spite of her Bieber obsession. Nicole prefers her version of the song to Justin’s, and Simon agrees.

I don’t know who Charity Chapman is, but her song If I Could Fly is quite good.

Peet Montzingo is the only non-dwarf in his family. Simon calls the singing terrible, and the change of lyrics (from billionaire to famous) didn’t work. They think he’ll get famous somehow, just not by singing.

4Shore is a boy band that could be easily dismissed as unoriginal on the basis of their name alone. They sing End of the Road by Boyz II Men, written by LA Reid. LA’s proud. Simon could see them representing America all over the world.

Elaine Gibbs, Francesca Duncan, and even Tiger Budbill are the next ones through.

Phillip Lomax believes hats are coming back into style. They aren’t, but they do go with his old school singing. Simon’s interested, although there’s an issue with his voice when he pushes it. LA says he has the X Factor.

Tiah Tolliver sings a cappella, which is a bit rough with all the key changes. Simon sees potential, but he’s outvoted. Can she change their minds with a second song? I still don’t get it, but Simon’s able to beg enough to get a third yes.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 4, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.

Simon Cowell returned in The X Factor Season 1 Episode 1, bringing with him singers like Rachel Crow and Stacy Francis. Coming in at about half of Idol’s audience, the show was still very solid, handing Survivor a loss in the 18-49 demographic it rarely sees in the fall before easily losing to ABC’s Modern Family. As much as I’d rather see this judging panel than one where every judge calls everything beautiful, the question has become: how many singing competitions do we really need? The market seems to have reached saturation, but at least X Factor has the star power to keep going, whereas The Sing Off seems better relegated to Christmas or summer.

Tonight the auditions continue in Miami.

Ashley Sansone claims she spent her rent money to come her and audition and endlessly babble. LA wanted to slit his wrists, which for the record is a no.

Chanel Simone Dixon is rejected before singing anything that resembles English. Kanan Road sing a song about running away, which the judges think would be a good idea. The Dreamgirlz aren’t made any cuter by the addition of a z to their name.

Caitlynne Curtis breaks the monotony of 20 minutes of bad singers, but still not good enough. Nicole thinks there’s room to grow. Simon suggests she join a group with 3 or 4 girls her own age where a fantastic vocal is not necessary.

So now half an hour’s gone by, and the judges are getting annoyed. Nick Voss is at least able to bring some entertainment, even if his singing alone would have gotten him rejected.

Ashley Deckard sees dead people, and so does Paula. Her merely decent voice is not sufficient.

Marivana Viscuso demonstrates some vocal talent, although nobody would actually want to listen to it for more than a minute. Still, good enough to advance.

2Squar’d (seriously?) is a girl group singing a cappella that sounds good. Kendra Williams continues the positive trend. Brendan O’Hara also gets 4 yeses. Jeremiah Pagan has a great voice, though as a soprano it doesn’t sound like a male is singing.

Melanie Amaro is the perfect way to conclude the Miami auditions, with a standing ovation. Nicole is inspired, and this is why she does this. Paula doesn’t think she’s ever heard anything like that in any audition. Simon says this is why they brought this show to America.

Miami was largely a disaster, though it ultimately produced a frontrunner, but now we head to Dallas.

Jonny Rogers is under the impression that he has Justin Bieber hair, with which he has an unhealthy obsession. Simon doesn’t get the Bieber comparison, but instead thinks he looks like Barbie’s boyfriend Ken. Bad dancing ensues, followed by worse singing.

Dylan Lawson seemed like a likeable enough guy. Until he started singing. Now he just needs an exorcist.

Wesley Kimbell shouts. Michelle & Michael (who claims he’s a personal trainer) creep people out a bit. Curtis “Phoenix” Lawson is also in need of an exorcist, and Simon tells him to learn a song in English, or at least human.

Dexter Haygood was the lead singer of a band in 1984. His tribute to James Brown falls on unimpressed ears. Simon gives him 15 seconds to try again. This works out somewhat better with the judges reluctantly letting him through.

Kyle Corr, Hannah Jackson, Ma’at Bingham Shango, and Austin Simmons advance to the next round.

Caitlin Koch wants to trade in her rugby (not lingerie rugby like Mikayla on Survivor) ball for a microphone. Nicole would be honored to work with her.

The final act of the night is usually either very good or very bad. It seems by the intro we’re left with the latter. Alexander “Xander” Johnson (aka Xander Alexander) is under the impression he has a cool nickname. I’m sure it was cool back in 1997 when Buffy’s best friend used it. His obnoxiousness wears thin with Simon, who tells him to shut it and start singing. He tries singing one song before being stopped. His second song is marginally better. In spite of it all, Simon likes him. LA and Paula tell him know, which is enough, but Simon tells him he blew it by getting the audience to hate him.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 3, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

For the first time in more than a decade, it’s been well over a year since we’ve seen Simon Cowell in primetime. Unless you count his appearance on Britain’s Got Talent complete with Superman theme playing in the background. Tonight marks Simon’s return to Fox primetime with American Idol Plus. He insists it’s a different show, although he’s not quite sure how. One thing we know is that there’s at least one judge who doesn’t suck (and one who does), a nice change of pace from the epic judging disaster that was the most recent season of American Idol.

Joining Simon at the judges’ table are his babbling sidekick for years Paula Abdul (after her dance show failed miserably), music producer L.A. Reid, and Pussycat Dolls Nicole Scherzinger (replacing the too heavily accented Cheryl Cole). Along with them will be host Steve Jones, whoever that is. The prize at the end is a massive $5 million recording contract.

The competition is open to people of any age 12 and older and can be soloists or groups. There will be four categories of acts: boys, girls, over 30s, and groups. Each of the judges will mentor one category.

Los Angeles is the first audition city, and back then Cheryl Cole was still a judge. I don’t have a problem with her accent, even if it may potentially require a subtitle here and there. A minimum of three yes votes are necessary to advance.

Rachel Crow’s sister says she’s crazy for singing all the time. After warming up the judges with some jokes, she sings Mercy by Duffy. At just 13, she’s very comfortable up there. Paula is blown away. LA says she has everything every artist he’s ever signed has. Simon calls her the reason they were right to lower the age limit.

Terrell Carter, Ellona Santiago, and John Lindall are the next to advance.

So it’s time for a trainwreck. Siameze Floyd claims he’s straight and can sing. I don’t believe either of those claims. Simon calls him a fascinating Artist formerly known as Prince (is he Prince again, or does he go by that stupid symbol still?) copycat. Simon, Paula, and Cheryl say yes. Really? Interestingly, though, he would prove a good distraction for whoever gets stuck with him, which could in theory add an element of sabotage to the picks.

Aged married duo Dan and Venita are the first duet. Simon asks where they’ll be in 5 years time. Assuming the grim reaper is not an obstacle, they plan to be in a mobile home and playing in the most beautiful senior centers across the country. Simon was terrified.

You Only Live Once apparently features the weird screaming girl from America’s Got Talent. White haired Linda Ostrofsky (who goes by Jetta because there’s always a bunch of Lindas) sings a song about touching herself.

Simone Battle wants fans so she can sign their babies. She says she’s fierce, which I take as a bad sign. Her sound: a threesome between a cheerleader, a hipster, and a drag queen. I don’t want to see that either, but the judges love her for some reason, aside from the only guy on the panel who seems to care about talent, LA Reid. Minus the dancing and fast beat, though, her singing voice is not bad.

Stacy Francis has believed she’s too old for 12 years. She sings one of the best renditions of Natural Woman. LA says she stirred his spirit and raised the hair on his arms. Simon calls it one of the best auditions ever.

Next we head to Seattle, where Nicole Scherzinger joins the judging panel. Like Cheryl Cole, who was discovered on Popstars: The Rivals, Nicole was discovered on the short lived Popstars on The WB, forming the just as short lived girl group Eden’s Crush. Somehow, The WB missed the mark with that show and perhaps the opportunity to be a fifth major network, as one year later Simon Fuller ripped it off and turned it into American Idol, the biggest show on television for a decade, before later claiming Simon Cowell ripped him off for X Factor.

Geo Godley sings an original song about being a stud. Then he starts stripping, as the women scream in terror, and finally Paula walks off stage to upchuck her liquid lunch.

Marcus Canty has been given 2 years by his mother to chase his dream before he has to go get in debt for life getting a degree. LA Reid compares him to Bobby Brown. Simon’s surprised this song turned out to be good, and he reminds him of Usher.

The Answer is a boy band from Utah. Their answer is 4 yeses.

Nici Collins has a goal of scaring household pets. T for Two is a less worse mother and daughter duo. Darren Michaels is not sure whether Simon’s comment about a nightmare is good or bad.

Chris Rene just got out of rehab. He sings an original song, Young Homey, which is surprisingly decent. Nicole tells him he’s got the X Factor. Simon’s favorite feeling is when he’s sitting in that chair meeting a star for the first time.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The X Factor Season 1 Episode 2, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on Fox.

For those people who hoped we got rid of Paula Abdul when she demanded way too much money to renew her American Idol contract and then had her own dance show that failed miserably, you will not be getting your wish. Paula will be reuniting with her former co-judge Simon Cowell on his new show, The X Factor.

Simon and Paula will be joined by singer/songwriter/producer L.A. Reid and singer/X Factor UK judge Cheryl Cole.

Rounding out the show’s cast are hosts Steve Jones, a UK TV presenter, and Nicole Scherzinger, a solo singer who was previously a member of the short-lived girl group Eden’s Crush and more notably the Pussycat Dolls.