If you didn't know already, OMGWire (the site that I do my X Factor recaps for) is undergoing some changes and is offline at the moment. So that is why my recap for the X Factor finale is now online yet. But since OMGWire won't be back up for a while, I've decided to just post it here. Check it out below:
The X Factor: Season 1 Finale
Air Date: Thursday, December 22, 2011 [8-10pm]
We're here, everyone! It's the very first finale for The X Factor USA! It's down to our Top 3: Josh Krajcik, Chris Rene and Melanie Amaro! Let's see how it plays out...
The Top 12 perform Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory." Drew is a brunette now. And almost everyone is pitchy, dawg.
Melanie Amaro performs Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You." By the way, this is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever; I just love it! And Melanie hit those high notes effortlessly. Following her performance, we see a video of people from her hometown and from the British Virgin Islands sending messages to Melanie: friends, family, teachers, co-workers.
Chris Rene performs "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" along with a friends/family video for him, too.
Josh Krajcik performs "Please Come Home for Christmas." Each of the Top 3 cry during and after their respective videos.
Justin Bieber performs "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)" with Stevie Wonder. When Justin was promoting Under The Mistletoe in November, his voice wasn't that good. But tonight, he sounds a lot better. Stevie on the other hand? Wow! That was a vocal mess. I've noticed that about Stevie the past few years or so; most of the time he's very pitchy. Then Stevie's gone and Justin performs "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Just when we think the song is over, Justin brings Drew out and she helps him finish the song. She's going gaga over meeting him. If you remember, her audition song was "Baby."
The first results of the night are now. The singer ending up in 3rd place is...Chris Rene. I'm a little surprised by that. After he did "Young Homie" for his final song, I would've thought that song would have gotten people to vote hard for him. I guess not. Once Steve announces Chris is eliminated, here's my thought: Melanie just won.
A video is shown of the Top 5 Most Shocking Moments of the season. #5 is auditioner Zander Alexander. #4 is Astro's brat attitude when he initially refused to perform in the survival round. #3 is some random auditioner. #2 is some auditioner's dad flipping out backstage. And #1 is Rachel Crow's elimination.
Following this video, out comes Rachel Crow herself and jokingly says she's taking over Steve's job. She introduces Leona Lewis, who performs "Run" while a video plays in the background looking back over the season. It's very fitting that Leona's performing tonight, since she's an X Factor winner herself in the UK and became a global superstar because of this Simon Cowell created franchise.
Auditions are coming soon for season 2 (I believe you can audition online right now). Steve says something like, "We'll be back next year." My thought is, I don't think YOU will, Steve.
A video plays: L.A. vs. Simon - Smackdown, showing the back and forth snarky comments between each other over the course of the season.
Derek Fisher (who?) introduces 50 Cent, who performs "Waiting Until Tonight." During the beginning of the song, a bunch of stuff had to be bleeped out. What a trashy performance, what with the female "dancers" (they seem like they could be prostitutes or strippers or something like that) and the bleeping. A bunch of seemingly random people come out and join them on the stage. Who are any of these people? They didn't do a very good job introducing them. Astro joins in near the end.
We see a hilarious video of Paula vs. Nicole - The Cryoff. It kept going back and forth between showing all the times Paula and Nicole cried this season. I think it ended up being Nicole with 14 points and Paula with 10 or something like that.
Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo perform "Give Me Everything." Marcus Canty joins in near the end; I'm a little embarrassed that I actually didn't realize that was Marcus at first. All of a sudden it dawned on me who it was.
The Top 2, Josh and Melanie, perform "Heroes." Since they wouldn't have known who would be eliminated before this, I wonder if each of the Top 3 rehearsed this so they would be prepared no matter which two ended up being in the Top 2. But no matter, both Josh and Melanie sound great together, and they have excellent chemistry.
The very first winner of The X Factor USA is...MELANIE AMARO!!! Yes! It's amazing how this is the very first season and the right person actually won.
Melanie performs "Listen." She's obviously really emotional during the performance, not singing a few times because of the emotion, but is able to stay on the right beat when she starts singing again. I love her reactions during the song. These are classic moments on these singing talent shows. Kelly Clarkson's winning performance is probably the most classic winning moment. And Melanie's was just as fantastic.
I'm not trying to come off as cocky when I say this, but it's true that I predicted that Melanie would win when we first saw her audition way back when. This is only the second time that I've correctly predicted the eventual winner based on their audition (among these singing shows). The first was Carrie Underwood on American Idol. Both are stars, for sure.
3rd Place: Chris Rene
Runner-Up: Josh Krajcik
WINNER: MELANIE AMARO
Well, we're now done with the first season of the American version of The X Factor. What do we do now? Other than get ready for American Idol in January, I mean. How about we look at the Top 3 (and others) and look at marketability. Let's start with our darling winner, Melanie Amaro. It's really fitting that both her audition and winning song was "Listen." That was sung by Beyonce in Dreamgirls. And for a little while now, I've been thinking that they need to market her as a Beyonce type singer. That could be her best shot at being an accessible singer. For Josh Krajcik, he needs to go down the Daughtry route with that kind of rock music (and maybe a little of David Cook thrown in as well). I'm sure L.A. will make sure that Chris Rene is signed, and he'll obviously be doing hip/hop, R&B and rap.
What about outside of the Top 3? I'm sure Marcus Canty will get a record deal somewhere, but he won't do well. There's nothing that distinguishes him from other R&B singers like Usher. There've been rumors that Disney is after Rachel Crow. I hope she does something like that, because I could see her doing really well with that. It's hard to tell right now what they would do with someone like Drew, maybe songs similar to Demi Lovato? Astro will most likely get a deal somewhere. Unfortunately, I don't see anything big happening with the others: LeRoy Bell, Lakoda Rayne, Stacy Francis, The Stereo Hogzz and InTENsity. I'm sure most of them will try to put out music, but nothing will happen from it.
We're now less than a month away from the return of the show that started it all. American Idol season 10 premieres January 18 and 19 at 8pm on FOX.
This has been a fun few months recapping The X Factor on OMGWire. For even more from me, follow me on Twitter @TheJeffDodge, @TVWatchOnline and @Bieber_Guy (and follow OMGWire @OMGWire). I hope we can do this all over again next fall. In the meantime, it's time to sign off and say...see ya then...
Showing posts with label X Factor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label X Factor. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
The X Factor: Top 4
My recaps/reviews of this week's Top 4 episodes of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire performance show article & HERE for the results show.
Marcus Canty - "I'll Make Love to You" [Boys / Mentor: L.A. Reid]
It was a very conservative performance. This isn't going to cut it at this point in the competition. I know he and L.A. didn't choose the song (it was chosen by the public in the Pepsi Challenge, but it was still safe. What was the deal with the rose and the dancers? Overall, very boring, to say the least.
Melanie Amaro - "Hero" [Girls / Mentor: Simon Cowell]
I'm sure some would say this is safe as well. The difference, though, is that Marcus doesn't have the voice that Melanie has. Simon said she would be doing a twist on the song - what was it, that it was a tad slower? I don't know. But her voice is still exceptional.
Josh Krajcik - "Hallelulah" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
This reminded me of when he did "Wild Horses" a few weeks ago - slow, haunting, emotional. Josh seems to always do great when going down this route. This is the perfect time to pull out a song and performance like this, right when he's trying to get into the finals. And L.A. is back to doling out criticisms just for the heck of it, and not for any particular reason.
Click HERE & HERE to read the entire recaps/reviews.
Click HERE to read the entire performance show article & HERE for the results show.
Marcus Canty - "I'll Make Love to You" [Boys / Mentor: L.A. Reid]
It was a very conservative performance. This isn't going to cut it at this point in the competition. I know he and L.A. didn't choose the song (it was chosen by the public in the Pepsi Challenge, but it was still safe. What was the deal with the rose and the dancers? Overall, very boring, to say the least.
Melanie Amaro - "Hero" [Girls / Mentor: Simon Cowell]
I'm sure some would say this is safe as well. The difference, though, is that Marcus doesn't have the voice that Melanie has. Simon said she would be doing a twist on the song - what was it, that it was a tad slower? I don't know. But her voice is still exceptional.
Josh Krajcik - "Hallelulah" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
This reminded me of when he did "Wild Horses" a few weeks ago - slow, haunting, emotional. Josh seems to always do great when going down this route. This is the perfect time to pull out a song and performance like this, right when he's trying to get into the finals. And L.A. is back to doling out criticisms just for the heck of it, and not for any particular reason.
Click HERE & HERE to read the entire recaps/reviews.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The X Factor: Top 5
My recap/review of last night's Top 5 performance episode of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Chris Rene - "Live Your Life" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
Even though this isn't something I would go seek out to watch, this is absolutely the kind of performance we see by established artists. And you know what? I loved it. This is the avenue he needs to go down post-X Factor. And I loved the added touch of the moving floor.
Melanie Amaro - "When You Believe" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
This is the perfect song for Melanie. We're halfway through the night, but this is by far the best of the night so far. Her vocals were flawless, and the choir coming out was just perfect. The feel of this felt like she was in the Top 2 and gave the performance that caused her to win (if not the winning performance itself).
Rachel Crow - "Music and Me" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
This is definitely an improvement over her first song. And while it allowed her voice to shine, there was still something about it that seemed disconnected to me. I have a feeling that she could be in danger this week.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Chris Rene - "Live Your Life" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
Even though this isn't something I would go seek out to watch, this is absolutely the kind of performance we see by established artists. And you know what? I loved it. This is the avenue he needs to go down post-X Factor. And I loved the added touch of the moving floor.
Melanie Amaro - "When You Believe" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
This is the perfect song for Melanie. We're halfway through the night, but this is by far the best of the night so far. Her vocals were flawless, and the choir coming out was just perfect. The feel of this felt like she was in the Top 2 and gave the performance that caused her to win (if not the winning performance itself).
Rachel Crow - "Music and Me" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
This is definitely an improvement over her first song. And while it allowed her voice to shine, there was still something about it that seemed disconnected to me. I have a feeling that she could be in danger this week.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The X Factor: Top 7
My recap/review of last night's Top 9 performance episode of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Josh Krajcik - "Dirty Diana" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole Scherzinger]
It may not have been as strong as last week, but overall I enjoyed it. On the downside, the song forced him to sing a lot of low notes, which didn't help him. And they really need to fire the dancers. Josh is a rock artist - when do you ever see dancers like this on stage with a rock performer? You don't. Get rid of them.
Rachel Crow - "Can You Feel It" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
Her voice was shaky or something during the first half. Fortunately, her voice was powerful and on by the end. And I think it was the song that caused those problems overall. So in that regard, maybe it wasn't the best song choice. I think it's about time that Rachel take charge again.
Marcus Canty - "Pretty Young Thing (P.Y.T)" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
In a way, this theme is right up Marcus' alley, depending on the song. Michael Jackson knew how to put on a show, and so does Marcus. Simon is right on that the vocals weren't the best at times. But regardless, I enjoyed watching it as a performance.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Josh Krajcik - "Dirty Diana" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole Scherzinger]
It may not have been as strong as last week, but overall I enjoyed it. On the downside, the song forced him to sing a lot of low notes, which didn't help him. And they really need to fire the dancers. Josh is a rock artist - when do you ever see dancers like this on stage with a rock performer? You don't. Get rid of them.
Rachel Crow - "Can You Feel It" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
Her voice was shaky or something during the first half. Fortunately, her voice was powerful and on by the end. And I think it was the song that caused those problems overall. So in that regard, maybe it wasn't the best song choice. I think it's about time that Rachel take charge again.
Marcus Canty - "Pretty Young Thing (P.Y.T)" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
In a way, this theme is right up Marcus' alley, depending on the song. Michael Jackson knew how to put on a show, and so does Marcus. Simon is right on that the vocals weren't the best at times. But regardless, I enjoyed watching it as a performance.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The X Factor: Top 9
My recap/review of last night's Top 9 performance episode of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Melanie Amaro - "The World's Greatest" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
Dedicated to: God. The song perfectly suited her dedication. It's hard to tell yet where this will rank among all her sets (not one of her best), but she was virtually flawless vocally. In previous weeks, some may have called her bland, but she really showed personality when she was talking afterwards. And her accent during that talking got really thick - what was up with that?
Chris Rene - "Let It Be"/"Homie What You Tripping On" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
Dedicated to: Tim, a counselor from his rehab. "Let It Be" is a great song, but turning it into an R&B/Hip-Hop song didn't work - it didn't fit him at all. Then he segued into "Homie What You Tripping On," his audition song. While the vocals weren't perfect as usual, the second song was enjoyable to listen to.
LeRoy Bell - "In the Arms of An Angel" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole Scherzinger]
Dedicated to: mom. He started off a little rough, but improved as the song went on. By about the middle, he was back in good form. I've already been a fan of his, so I enjoyed that last half. But I'm not sure if it was enough to garner new fans/more votes.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Melanie Amaro - "The World's Greatest" [Girls / Mentor: Simon]
Dedicated to: God. The song perfectly suited her dedication. It's hard to tell yet where this will rank among all her sets (not one of her best), but she was virtually flawless vocally. In previous weeks, some may have called her bland, but she really showed personality when she was talking afterwards. And her accent during that talking got really thick - what was up with that?
Chris Rene - "Let It Be"/"Homie What You Tripping On" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
Dedicated to: Tim, a counselor from his rehab. "Let It Be" is a great song, but turning it into an R&B/Hip-Hop song didn't work - it didn't fit him at all. Then he segued into "Homie What You Tripping On," his audition song. While the vocals weren't perfect as usual, the second song was enjoyable to listen to.
LeRoy Bell - "In the Arms of An Angel" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole Scherzinger]
Dedicated to: mom. He started off a little rough, but improved as the song went on. By about the middle, he was back in good form. I've already been a fan of his, so I enjoyed that last half. But I'm not sure if it was enough to garner new fans/more votes.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The X Factor: Top 10
My recap/review of last night's Top 10 performance episode of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Rachel Crow - "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" [Girls / Mentor: Simon Cowell]
The reason why last week worked was because she took control and chose her own song. But this one harkens back to the Top 17 and Top 12 weeks, which were weak. They brought out the dancers and the outfit that doesn't look right on her (just as those weak weeks I just mentioned did). I'm just not understanding why all the judges gave her standing ovations. Her voice wasn't her strongest.
Josh Krajcik - "The Pretender" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
Josh is rock, so this has to be his week. I'm not familiar with the song - kind of a strange song (mainly because most of the song is sung in the same note). But you know what? He delivered. It was rock through and through.
Marcus Canty - "Piece of My Heart" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
In the intro video, he talked about moral values. Then during the song, he slides across the floor underneath a line of scantily clad women? Come on. Just to let you know, Marcus, R&B/Hip-Hop (which is the area he's obviously going to end up in post-show) and moral values don't mesh very well. As for his voice and performance, possibly one of the best of the night. At first, I wasn't sure, but I liked it by the end.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Rachel Crow - "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" [Girls / Mentor: Simon Cowell]
The reason why last week worked was because she took control and chose her own song. But this one harkens back to the Top 17 and Top 12 weeks, which were weak. They brought out the dancers and the outfit that doesn't look right on her (just as those weak weeks I just mentioned did). I'm just not understanding why all the judges gave her standing ovations. Her voice wasn't her strongest.
Josh Krajcik - "The Pretender" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
Josh is rock, so this has to be his week. I'm not familiar with the song - kind of a strange song (mainly because most of the song is sung in the same note). But you know what? He delivered. It was rock through and through.
Marcus Canty - "Piece of My Heart" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
In the intro video, he talked about moral values. Then during the song, he slides across the floor underneath a line of scantily clad women? Come on. Just to let you know, Marcus, R&B/Hip-Hop (which is the area he's obviously going to end up in post-show) and moral values don't mesh very well. As for his voice and performance, possibly one of the best of the night. At first, I wasn't sure, but I liked it by the end.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
The X Factor: Top 11
My recaps/reviews of this week's Top 11 performance and results show episodes of The X Factor are now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the Top 11 recap/review.
Click HERE to read the Top 11 Results Show recap/review.
LeRoy Bell - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Runaway Bride [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
"I'm Already There" was one of his weakest. But he's back in good form tonight. His soulful voice was a pleasure to listen to.
Chris Rene - "Gangsta's Paradise," Dangerous Minds [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
Since he did rap, let's compare him against Astro. Who was better tonight? Chris Rene, because his song was one that went back and forth between rap and regular singing. I seem to like these kinds of rap songs better than ones with strictly rap, like Astro's. And I found myself getting into this performance. There were only a few pitch problems. Well done, Chris!
Click HERE to read the Top 11 recap/review.
Click HERE to read the Top 11 Results Show recap/review.
LeRoy Bell - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," Runaway Bride [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
"I'm Already There" was one of his weakest. But he's back in good form tonight. His soulful voice was a pleasure to listen to.
Chris Rene - "Gangsta's Paradise," Dangerous Minds [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
Since he did rap, let's compare him against Astro. Who was better tonight? Chris Rene, because his song was one that went back and forth between rap and regular singing. I seem to like these kinds of rap songs better than ones with strictly rap, like Astro's. And I found myself getting into this performance. There were only a few pitch problems. Well done, Chris!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The X Factor: Top 12
My recap/review of Wednesday night's Top 12 performance episode of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Rachel Crow - "Walking on Sunshine" [Girls / Mentor: Simon Cowell]
A great song. She wasn't always on pitch, especially during the first half. But she has a great personality to make up for that. I didn't understand why they changed the lyrics from "Walking on sunshine" to "You're my sunshine." It messed up what is a fantastic song. And ever since the live shows (both last week and tonight), I haven't been a fan of her clothing or hair style, or on-stage props.
Lakoda Rayne - "Landslide" [Groups / Mentor: Paula]
I wasn't impressed. It was a very safe song choice. And there was some shaky vocal moments (and one flat voice during the harmony), but their harmonies were pretty solid. The seasons aspect was corny.
Josh Krajcik - "Jar of Hearts" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
How do you top what he did last week? Since it worked, maybe Nicole thought he should do another slow song. And while not as beautiful as last time, his voice was still pretty good. Since he looks like a rocker, I think he needs to try out a more upbeat song, something more rock-like.
Marcus Canty - "Beautiful Girls"/"Every Little Step" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
The Boys category hasn't been the strongest, but Marcus has always had strong vocals. Tonight, his voice wasn't the strongest. Then he stepped up more in the second half and it felt more like he was an established artist.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review. I realized after the fact that while I did made my bottom 2 prediction, I didn't type up my elimination prediction. So, I'm saying here that I predict that InTENsity will be sent home this week.
Elimination Prediction: InTENsity
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Rachel Crow - "Walking on Sunshine" [Girls / Mentor: Simon Cowell]
A great song. She wasn't always on pitch, especially during the first half. But she has a great personality to make up for that. I didn't understand why they changed the lyrics from "Walking on sunshine" to "You're my sunshine." It messed up what is a fantastic song. And ever since the live shows (both last week and tonight), I haven't been a fan of her clothing or hair style, or on-stage props.
Lakoda Rayne - "Landslide" [Groups / Mentor: Paula]
I wasn't impressed. It was a very safe song choice. And there was some shaky vocal moments (and one flat voice during the harmony), but their harmonies were pretty solid. The seasons aspect was corny.
Josh Krajcik - "Jar of Hearts" [Over 30's / Mentor: Nicole]
How do you top what he did last week? Since it worked, maybe Nicole thought he should do another slow song. And while not as beautiful as last time, his voice was still pretty good. Since he looks like a rocker, I think he needs to try out a more upbeat song, something more rock-like.
Marcus Canty - "Beautiful Girls"/"Every Little Step" [Boys / Mentor: L.A.]
The Boys category hasn't been the strongest, but Marcus has always had strong vocals. Tonight, his voice wasn't the strongest. Then he stepped up more in the second half and it felt more like he was an established artist.
Click HERE to read the entire recap/review. I realized after the fact that while I did made my bottom 2 prediction, I didn't type up my elimination prediction. So, I'm saying here that I predict that InTENsity will be sent home this week.
Elimination Prediction: InTENsity
Friday, October 28, 2011
The X Factor: Top 17
My recap/review of this week's Top 17 (& first live) episode of The X Factor is now up at OMGWire.com. Below are some excerpts from my commentary.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Chris Rene - "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
His song choice wasn't the best; maybe a little too subdued? I don't know. He still needs to work on his voice because it's still not the best. I hate to say it, but Astro might have been better. By the way, Chris Rene was one of the contestants I saw audition live in person when I attended one of the Seattle tapings back in June.
The Stereo Hogzz - "Try A Little Tenderness"
They're the best of the night so far. They have the whole package - excellent choreography and dance moves, great vocals, and the lead singer has a great voice. And a fantastic arrangement.
LeRoy Bell - "Nobody Knows"
Dexter gets the Most Energy Award, but LeRoy gets the Voice Award over him. I love his voice. The song was such a pleasant song. Some may say it's the wrong choice, but I liked it.
Melanie Amaro - "I Have Nothing"
She's been my favorite the entire season so far, and before tonight, I pegged her as the winner already. She's a pop star in the making. The song choice was a tad predictable, but she did great with it. My only negative is that she got a little off-pitch when she really went for those high notes, but it was quickly remedied once she steadied onto those high notes.
Who was eliminated, and who's in the Top 12? Click HERE to check out the entire recap/review.
Click HERE to read the entire article.
Chris Rene - "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"
His song choice wasn't the best; maybe a little too subdued? I don't know. He still needs to work on his voice because it's still not the best. I hate to say it, but Astro might have been better. By the way, Chris Rene was one of the contestants I saw audition live in person when I attended one of the Seattle tapings back in June.
The Stereo Hogzz - "Try A Little Tenderness"
They're the best of the night so far. They have the whole package - excellent choreography and dance moves, great vocals, and the lead singer has a great voice. And a fantastic arrangement.
LeRoy Bell - "Nobody Knows"
Dexter gets the Most Energy Award, but LeRoy gets the Voice Award over him. I love his voice. The song was such a pleasant song. Some may say it's the wrong choice, but I liked it.
Melanie Amaro - "I Have Nothing"
She's been my favorite the entire season so far, and before tonight, I pegged her as the winner already. She's a pop star in the making. The song choice was a tad predictable, but she did great with it. My only negative is that she got a little off-pitch when she really went for those high notes, but it was quickly remedied once she steadied onto those high notes.
Who was eliminated, and who's in the Top 12? Click HERE to check out the entire recap/review.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The X Factor Seattle Audition Taping: On-the-Scene Report
As I mentioned on Twitter, I attended one of last week's audition tapings in Seattle for Simon Cowell's new singing competition show, The X Factor. My On The Scene report recounting my experience is now up at OMGWire.com. Below is an excerpt from my report.
Click HERE to read the full On The Scene Report.
Visit TV Watch Online's American Idol & X Factor News page for all the latest news on The X Factor.
Click HERE to read the full On The Scene Report.
Conversations With The Contestants:
Whenever a singer or group came on stage, the judges would ask various questions, including finding out their name, age, job and musical influences. And what I found surprising was that the judges would ask for a different song after they first performed. I know that that happens on the Idol auditions, but they asked for different songs quite a lot, even asking some for the list of songs they had lined up. Overall, the judges spent a lot of time with each contestant. There was only one time where they whisked a contestant off fast. After her song, they did a quick no vote and that was the end of that.
Whenever a singer or group came on stage, the judges would ask various questions, including finding out their name, age, job and musical influences. And what I found surprising was that the judges would ask for a different song after they first performed. I know that that happens on the Idol auditions, but they asked for different songs quite a lot, even asking some for the list of songs they had lined up. Overall, the judges spent a lot of time with each contestant. There was only one time where they whisked a contestant off fast. After her song, they did a quick no vote and that was the end of that.
Most of the time when the judges were waiting for another singer to come out, they would be chatting amongst themselves the entire time. And even when a singer or group came out, they would continue talking to each other and not acknowledge the singers until they got to their spot on the stage. Even though I would hate to have a seat behind the judges (you wouldn’t be able to see hardly anything), I would have loved to be sitting right behind them and try to hear what they were saying.
The X Factor premieres Wednesday, September 21 and Thursday, September 22 from 8-10pm on FOX.Visit TV Watch Online's American Idol & X Factor News page for all the latest news on The X Factor.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Combined American Idol & X Factor News Page
You may have noticed that whenever any major X Factor news articles come in, I have put them on the American Idol News page. And starting today, I have decided to make it official, and rename that page 'American Idol & X Factor News.' (It still retains the same URL). On that page, you can find all the latest news on both American Idol and The X Factor. I am doing this because I have not yet decided if I will give X Factor its own page to chronicle the competition over the course of each season (but I very well may). I also did this because it makes it easier for you all to clearly see that that page covers news on two shows, and not just on Idol.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
X Factor E-Mail List Hacked!
I received an e-mail from Fox Broadcasting Company with the subject line: "Important Message About Your Request to Receive Information from THE X FACTOR." Back when the auditions were first announced, I signed up to their e-mail list to receive audition information. This e-mail reveals that "computer hackers illegally accessed information you and others submitted to us." Below is the entire message from FOX (click on the image for the full-size version):
Some excerpts from the message:
"We are writing with regard to your registration on Fox.com to receive audition information about THE X FACTOR. This week, we learned that computer hackers illegally accessed information you and others submitted to us to receive information about THE X FACTOR auditions. As you may recall, the information you provided to us did not include your Social Security number or any financial information (such as bank account or credit card information), and you were not required to enter a user name or password to access our site. As a result, no financial information, Social Security numbers, or passwords were accessed by this unauthorized party. It is possible, however, that the information you did provide to us, which included your name, email address, zip code, phone number (which was optional), date of birth, and gender, may have been accessed.
"We are taking this matter very seriously and took immediate steps to stop the illegal intrusion. We are also working with federal law enforcement authorities to investigate this illegal action.
...
"...If you receive an email that appears to be from Fox.com or THE X FACTOR asking for personal information, please forward it to askfox@fox.com and then delete it, as it did not come from us. You can also send an e-mail to askfox@fox.com if you have any questions or concerns."
If you are on the e-mail list for information about The X Factor auditions, you most likely received this e-mail. I thought I would share this with you all so that everyone is aware of the situation and knows how to handle any suspicious activity.
Incidents like this should always be taken seriously, so if you do have any questions or concerns (or information regarding the hackers), I urge you to e-mail FOX at the address above.
Some excerpts from the message:
"We are writing with regard to your registration on Fox.com to receive audition information about THE X FACTOR. This week, we learned that computer hackers illegally accessed information you and others submitted to us to receive information about THE X FACTOR auditions. As you may recall, the information you provided to us did not include your Social Security number or any financial information (such as bank account or credit card information), and you were not required to enter a user name or password to access our site. As a result, no financial information, Social Security numbers, or passwords were accessed by this unauthorized party. It is possible, however, that the information you did provide to us, which included your name, email address, zip code, phone number (which was optional), date of birth, and gender, may have been accessed.
"We are taking this matter very seriously and took immediate steps to stop the illegal intrusion. We are also working with federal law enforcement authorities to investigate this illegal action.
...
"...If you receive an email that appears to be from Fox.com or THE X FACTOR asking for personal information, please forward it to askfox@fox.com and then delete it, as it did not come from us. You can also send an e-mail to askfox@fox.com if you have any questions or concerns."
If you are on the e-mail list for information about The X Factor auditions, you most likely received this e-mail. I thought I would share this with you all so that everyone is aware of the situation and knows how to handle any suspicious activity.
Incidents like this should always be taken seriously, so if you do have any questions or concerns (or information regarding the hackers), I urge you to e-mail FOX at the address above.
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