The X Factor Fires Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, and Steve Jones
Unless your name is Simon Cowell, today was not a good day to work at Fox's The X Factor. The singing competition did some major housecleaning today, firing three faces of the franchise.
First up was host Steve Jones, who announced his exit via Twitter:
Less than an hour later, word spread that judge Nicole Scherzinger wouldn't be returning to the show either. And just a few hours after that, the show's biggest name (at least to anyone who loved saccharine dance-R&B; in the early '90s) became a ghost of The X Factor's past: That's right, Paula Abdul will not be back for Season 2. According to Deadline, all three moves were straight-up firings.
That leaves producer-creator-judge Simon Cowell (who didn't fire himself) and judge L.A. Reid as the two remaining survivors. It's clear the show will see some major reconstruction before Season 2 debuts in the fall.
If you'll recall, Cowell left American Idol to import his UK hit The X Factor to America, where his ego was living large and plotting to devour the country. But even with aggressive marketing and one of the most insane credit sequences in history, the show performed far below expectations. Poor Simon may have to rent out his 15 bedrooms just to make ends meet.
Will you miss Paula, Nicole, or Steve? Who do you think The X Factor will choose to replace them?
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But when they made the contestants come to their extravagant houses and sing to them personally on their lawn, it got to be a bit too "casting-couch" creepy.
Also, taking all the kids and putting them into a Glee-light "super group" was silly. As was the hyping of the kid rapper, who was good but very derivative.
Finally, I find it awkward to have teenie boppers competing with older singers. They pull it off in American Idol because the singers bond like a family and root for each other--or at least they give that impression-- while in X factor it's more cut throat.
Nicole was the best judge on the panel. Unlike the rest, she knew what she was talking about. She picked relatively good contestants and helped them make nice song choices and strong vocal performances (I was happy with how little flash and spectacle were in her contestants performances *cough* Simon *cough* Reid *cough*).
Paula I could do without. She was better here than she was in Idol, but she's still not all that coherent. I'm enjoying American Idol a lot more. Less melodrama. No Cowell, and a generally funny show to boot.
Maybe if they re-did the concepts, I could take it but it just became one big giant joke.
Poor Steve though, he was probably the only sane person on the show and they canned him.
And i'll return next season only because of simon, he's the best in this kind of show
Nicole & Paula, good ridabce, to me, it was Nicole the one who bothered me the most last season, and Paula, well, let her be in her parallel universe. I really hope Simon brings back Cheryl Cole, at least she is fun to watch