U.S. X-Factor Season One - Simon Cowell Confirms Paula Abdul As One Of The Judges

[sk9tingfan]

Totally and completely underwhelmed so far

[Rob]

I liked it. I liked the first kid, the 20 year guy whose mom gave him 2 years to get it together, the middle guy in the Anser group (the side guys could be changed out), the 42 year old lady, and the rapper. I like seeing older more mature singers. The voice is my favorite, but I will watch this over Idol.

[Satellitegirl]

I enjoyed it. I like the audition format better. I could have done without all the airtime they gave to the junk waver.

[my little pony]

i didnt enjoy the OTT child or the old people, or anyone not named cheryl - i may skip the rest of the auditions

[Marilou]

I watched and will probaly watch again, but not tonight. I also was a little bored during the 2nd half. LOVED Cheryl!! Don't like Nicole. Think they made a bad move with that one.

[floskate]

Nice to see some Chezza (Cheryl) love here. If I were American I would be soooo offended at the USTV execs who presumed on my behalf that I would not be able to understand her because of her accent. It's not that strong - there are many Geordies who I cannot understand and I'm British - and she has a natural warmth that comes across in this kind of format very well. It is the UK X Factor that made her and the TV and press have had a field day this morning claiming Cowell has made a monumental mistake.

This airs tonight over here and I will tune in just to see whether the format has been changed at all for US audiences. BTW our UK version has many new judges this year and Cheryl has been replaced by Kelly Rowlands who is knocking it out of the ball park. She is absolutely the star judge this year!!

[my little pony]

from my grassy knoll i wonder if it all (my new bff cheryl's hiring and firing) wasnt prefabricated for publicity or to help negotiate w the other judges

[overedge]

I switched over to Toddlers and Tiaras midway through the second hour, to see some real drama and crazy. I thought Cheryl Cole was great and Pussycat Girl was (yawn). And if Simon is going to be on a show I want to see Tells-It-Like-It-Is Simon, not Suck-up Simon. If that Beyonce wannabe with the red spandex shorts/underwear had shown up on Idol, he would have booted her after the first shrieky pitch.

And really, Paula's reaction to Junk Guy was a little OTT. I'm sure she has seen that part of a man before. Was there something else under that X Factor logo that made her run away and puke?

[soxxy]

I caught the guy who took off his pants.

When do the live shows begin?

[Ziggy]

BTW our UK version has many new judges this year and Cheryl has been replaced by Kelly Rowlands who is knocking it out of the ball park. She is absolutely the star judge this year!!

Kelly Rowland is the best music show judge I've ever seen. Love her.

from my grassy knoll i wonder if it all (my new bff cheryl's hiring and firing) wasnt prefabricated for publicity or to help negotiate w the other judges

I am pretty sure that's what happened. All this drama will not only ensure very high ratings for US X Factor in the UK, which otherwise not many people would care about, but it also meant loads of publicity for X-Factor in general, just before it was due to air in the UK.

I mean they screen tested her extensively, they knew her accent, etc.

Although there were also sources saying Cheryl was depressed, was difficult to cooperate with, refused any kind of help and then (after refusing a stylist) turned up wearing that RIDICULOUS Scooby Doo's Daphne outfit complete with BIG HAIR.

But then it could have been made up by the execs, obviously.

[rfisher]

Actually, the ratings weren't that good and they dropped significantly in the 2nd hour. There wasn't much competition in the first hour, but apparently a majority of viewers did like I did and switched channels. Frankly, I think most US viewers are tired of the bad audition crap that is the hallmark of Idol and X Factor. The Voice and The SingOff spoiled viewers. It remains to be seen how they do overall. I didn't see enough to make me watch any more of the taped shows.

[PeterG]

Anyone else think it was strange that the opening music and graphics were almost identical to American Idol...?

I enjoyed the first show, but agree with most of the criticisms people have already stated. One other thing they should drop is that when the judges have spent five minutes raving about a contestant, and then they spend another minute or two stating whether they get a YES vote or not. Very suspenseful...

And how about Nicole Scherzinger's introduction? After they talk about her earlier successes, it is stated that now she is a multi-platinum selling artist in her own right. In Australia! Her first album was to be released in 2007, then 2008 and then 2009, before finally being shelved. Her new album has had hits in the UK and Australia, but in the U.S., "Right There" only managed to sneak into the top 40 (reaching #39).

from my grassy knoll i wonder if it all (my new bff cheryl's hiring and firing) wasnt prefabricated for publicity or to help negotiate w the other judges

I wondered if Simon is Cheryl's manager, and this was his way of introducing her to American audiences. I don't know if any of Cheryl's CD's (or those of Girls Aloud, the group she was in before beginning a solo career) have even been released in North America. This was one way of letting North Americans know that she exists...

[Ziggy]

Her new album has had hits in the UK and Australia, but in the U.S., "Right There" only managed to sneak into the top 40 (reaching #39).

Over 120,000 copies sold in the UK isn't amazing but it's nothing to sneeze at.

I wondered if Simon is Cheryl's manager, and this was his way of introducing her to American audiences. I don't know if any of Cheryl's CD's (or those of Girls Aloud, the group she was in before beginning a solo career) have even been released in North America. This was one way of letting North Americans know that she exists...

will.i.am is Cheryl's manager. Cheryl reportedly refuses to speak to Simon Cowell ever since she got sacked.

Neither Girls Aloud, nor Cheryl's solo albums have been released in the US.

Cheryl's Cole second album was supposed to be released in the US, with the X-Factor used to promote it. That's now been shelved, obviously.

[overedge]

Neither Girls Aloud, nor Cheryl's solo albums have been released in the US.

I think Cheryl's album was - at least, you can get it on iTunes.

[Ziggy]

I think Cheryl's album was - at least, you can get it on iTunes.

You're right, it is. I meant a proper physical release with promotion, the whole broohah.

If she performed Promise This live on X-Factor US, it would surely result in big (or at least decent) US sales for her.

Not gonna happen now.

[LuckyCharm]

This is total BS. How come the Americans couldn't get Kelly? I actually don't mind Nicole though. I thought she did just fine on The Sing-Off.

[cailuj365]

I was flipping through channels last night and watched this for about two minutes. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that I was catching an American Idol rerun. There was Simon at one end of a table, Paula next to him, and a black guy on the other end. This is a new show for American viewers, but it already feels old.

[dbell1]

I was flipping through channels last night and watched this for about two minutes. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that I was catching an American Idol rerun. There was Simon at one end of a table, Paula next to him, and a black guy on the other end. This is a new show for American viewers, but it already feels old.

Really? "A black guy"? That's L.A. Reid. Educate yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.A._Re...ds.2FAccolades

Comparing Randy "Dawg" Jackson to L.A. is like comparing fleas to a Best in Show winner.

[PeterG]

Melanie performed a pitch-perfect carbon copy of "Listen". However, we already have a Beyonce...

What did people think about Dexter, who got bad reviews for performing James Brown, and then, when given a second chance...sang James Brown? (And then the judges put him through!!)

Over 120,000 copies sold in the UK isn't amazing but it's nothing to sneeze at.

According to wikipedia, that's a gold album (300,000 for platinum). Maybe if Nicole gets to perform live on the U.S. X-Factor it could take a future single farther up the charts than "Right There". Her CD, "Killer Love" has been released around the world, but I don't think it's been released in her home country yet...

[floskate]

I turned off after Cheryl got the boot. That is one very dull judging panel