![Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, One Direction, and Louis Tomlinson](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTQ0MTM4MTY0MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjQxMzA5Nw@@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
In the course of The X Factor’s two-hour finale, the Fox show crowned a winner, went overboard on Christmas sets and provoked screams out of dozens of teenage girls. You saw all that watching at home, but what didn’t you see? EW was on the scene for the taping of X Factor’s wrap-up to its sophomore season. Read on for 10 things going on at CBS Television City during the taping that you didn’t see on TV. Warning: spoilers ahead!
1. Leading up to the start of the show, the man in charge of revving up the audience...
1. Leading up to the start of the show, the man in charge of revving up the audience...
- 12/21/2012
- by Emily Rome
- EW.com - PopWatch
![Khloé Kardashian](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDg4MzcwNjE1M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODEyMDA4MQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR22,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Khloé Kardashian](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDg4MzcwNjE1M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODEyMDA4MQ@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR22,0,140,207_.jpg)
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain of chest hair — or the Neilsen ratings, for that matter — The X Factor is the biggest singing competition in the world!
It’s got its own season-finale red carpet filled with teenagers who will keep screaming in the hopes that they’ll achieve their lifelong dreams of seeing their own faces on network television and a bunch of production assistants dressed up to look like paparazzi.
Paid spokespersons Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez feed you a heightened and interminable stream of verbal signals to reinforce the message. There’s Mario, in...
It’s got its own season-finale red carpet filled with teenagers who will keep screaming in the hopes that they’ll achieve their lifelong dreams of seeing their own faces on network television and a bunch of production assistants dressed up to look like paparazzi.
Paid spokespersons Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez feed you a heightened and interminable stream of verbal signals to reinforce the message. There’s Mario, in...
- 12/21/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
![Emblem3 in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU3NzQyMjI2N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTY2MTY4OA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Emblem3 in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU3NzQyMjI2N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTY2MTY4OA@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
Let’s breathe a collective sigh of relief for Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez. With the number of competitors on Season 2 of The X Factor down to the mid-single digits, neither one of ‘em will have to awkwardly count on their fingers to keep track of the proceedings from now through the season finale. (Okay, maybe that Kardashian woman will have problems till we’re down to the final four, but I digress…)
Anyhow, where our perpetually malfunctioning hostbots dodged a bullet, the X Factor audience was not so lucky. Honestly, is there any sport or competition imaginable — short of...
Anyhow, where our perpetually malfunctioning hostbots dodged a bullet, the X Factor audience was not so lucky. Honestly, is there any sport or competition imaginable — short of...
- 11/30/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
Lyric145 have unveiled the track they originally planned to perform on The X Factor USA's 'Diva Week'. The trio were eliminated from the competition earlier this month after failing to impress with their mash-up of Katy Perry's 'E.T.' and Queen's 'We Will Rock You'. However, they later revealed that they had been forced to change their song choice at the last minute. "We had to learn a brand new song within a couple of hours," band member Lyric Da Queen told TV Guide after their elimination. "I'm actually proud of us for executing the performance the way we did, being that we had so little time." Lyric145 have now released a recording of the track they had originally (more)...
- 11/26/2012
- by By Catriona Wightman
- Digital Spy
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
President Obama pardoned not one, but two turkeys. (Congrats, Cobbler and Gobbler!) Most major networks scheduled repeat programming so families and friends could gather around the Thanksgiving table (or plot Black Friday ops with military-style precision). But Simon Cowell, dastardly Brit, scheduled an X Factor results-show telecast.
Wait, what is this? A non-animated airing of How the Grinch Stole Thanksgiving? I mean, Wednesday’s performance show was stuffed to the point of bursting (sorry if that phrase made you reach for the Tums) with haunting and harrowing tales from the Season 2 Top 10′s past. (Read the recap here, if you missed it.
Wait, what is this? A non-animated airing of How the Grinch Stole Thanksgiving? I mean, Wednesday’s performance show was stuffed to the point of bursting (sorry if that phrase made you reach for the Tums) with haunting and harrowing tales from the Season 2 Top 10′s past. (Read the recap here, if you missed it.
- 11/23/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
If a year ago, you’d told Flint, Mi-based rapper Lyric Da Queen that she’d be covering a Miley Cyrus party anthem on national television, she’d have laughed in your face. But after landing in one of Simon Cowell’s patched-together groups on The X Factor, Lyric (along with her cohorts Jemelle “Melee” Joseph and Julien “Jewlz” Joseph) got in touch with her inner Disney diva — and wound up being labeled a “superstar” by Cowell and his adviser Marc Anthony.
“It’s funny how you can be pulled out of your comfort zone, and end up doing something great,...
“It’s funny how you can be pulled out of your comfort zone, and end up doing something great,...
- 11/21/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
Lyric 145 member Lyric Da Queen has vowed to remain positive following the group's elimination from The X Factor USA last night. The trio, who were mentored by Simon Cowell, were automatically asked to leave the competition after receiving the fewest public votes this week. However, Da Queen has vowed to remain positive about the results. "I'm not bummed out at all," the singer told E! News backstage. "I do wish we could've showed the world what we really could do. But now the door's open for us to show the world, so I'm excited about that." Da Queen admitted that the trio would have liked to be able to sing for their survival, joking: "I can honestly say, if we would've been able to do a 'save (more)...
- 11/16/2012
- by By Catriona Wightman
- Digital Spy
![Taylor Swift at an event for 2019 Golden Globe Awards (2019)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGM0YjhkZmEtNGYxYy00OTk0LThlNDgtNGQzM2YwNjU0NDQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTU3ODQxNDYz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Taylor Swift at an event for 2019 Golden Globe Awards (2019)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGM0YjhkZmEtNGYxYy00OTk0LThlNDgtNGQzM2YwNjU0NDQzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTU3ODQxNDYz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Ok, what the hell, America? You really thought Lyric 145 and Jennel Garcia deserved to go home more than CeCe Frey, Arin Ray or Paige Thomas? We'd rather assume there are some serious shenanigans going down behind the scenes of The X Factor than believe that viewers purposefully committed such a heinous crime against humanity. But, as we work through the five stages of grief, we now accept that this is why the state of music is the way it is these days.
During a double elimination, our lady Lyric Da Queen...
During a double elimination, our lady Lyric Da Queen...
- 11/16/2012
- Rollingstone.com
The first double elimination of "The X Factor" Season 2 claimed two unfortunate victims: hip-hop trio Lyric 145 -- the most energetic and original act on the show -- and early favorite Jennel Garcia -- who struggled to define herself as a rocker.
"I'm not bummed out," says Lyric Da Queen, who entered the competition as a solo act before partnering in a group with brothers Julien and Jemelle Joseph. "I do wish we could've showed the world what we really could do, and do what we originally planned: original lyrics in hip-hop. But I don't believe in coincidences, I think everything happens for a reason. Now the door is open."
Garcia agrees that it's best to view the elimination as a new beginning. "It's time for me to show the world who I am," Garcia says. "Coming into this competition I lost myself. But I was looking for a place...
"I'm not bummed out," says Lyric Da Queen, who entered the competition as a solo act before partnering in a group with brothers Julien and Jemelle Joseph. "I do wish we could've showed the world what we really could do, and do what we originally planned: original lyrics in hip-hop. But I don't believe in coincidences, I think everything happens for a reason. Now the door is open."
Garcia agrees that it's best to view the elimination as a new beginning. "It's time for me to show the world who I am," Garcia says. "Coming into this competition I lost myself. But I was looking for a place...
- 11/16/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
![Arin Ray](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTY2NTEzMjgtNTg0ZC00ZTA2LTk4YTQtOWE2N2MyZGZjZTg2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQwNDk0MzYy._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Arin Ray](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTY2NTEzMjgtNTg0ZC00ZTA2LTk4YTQtOWE2N2MyZGZjZTg2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQwNDk0MzYy._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Tension hung in the air, thicker and more pronounced than Demi Lovato’s ’80s-era eyebrows, on tonight’s X Factor Top 12 results show. Even Khloe Kardashian could feel it: “Live on stage we’ve got a sensational performance from the incredible Taylor Swift!” she declared, eyes burning with ennui (or was she merely distracted by a shiny object dangling in the distance?).
Whatever the case, the telecast took a hideous turn within its first 20 minutes. No, I’m not talking about this exchange in which the Kardashian woman and cohost Mario “yes my soul is in the Lost & Found” Lopez...
Whatever the case, the telecast took a hideous turn within its first 20 minutes. No, I’m not talking about this exchange in which the Kardashian woman and cohost Mario “yes my soul is in the Lost & Found” Lopez...
- 11/16/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
They kept calling it Diva Night on The X Factor, but it was more like Battle of the Sob Stories. Financial hardship, superstorm Sandy, a heroic kitten rescue and a mother who tragically died in a car crash on Christmas Eve were all contenders. Yup, a week after Jason Brock was sent back into oblivion and the surprising leaderboard rankings were revealed, the top 12 busted out the tissues before doing their best diva impressions to avoid falling victim to tonight's double elimination.
Piggybacking on reports that one of the guys...
Piggybacking on reports that one of the guys...
- 11/15/2012
- Rollingstone.com
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
Sometimes I wish I’d stuck with my late-’90s foray into yoga, the better to watch The X Factor while balanced on the top of my noggin. I mean, we’re all desperately seeking a different vantage point from which to make sense of this loud, brightly lit, oftentimes confounding affair, right?
Until I become the best-selling author of How Slezak Got His Namaste Back, however, I’m just going to have to rely on my old friends sauvignon blanc and incredulousness to help me endure the supercalifragilisticwhattheeffjusthappened-ness of it all.
Yes, Ameirca, recoil in terror as Britney Spears...
Until I become the best-selling author of How Slezak Got His Namaste Back, however, I’m just going to have to rely on my old friends sauvignon blanc and incredulousness to help me endure the supercalifragilisticwhattheeffjusthappened-ness of it all.
Yes, Ameirca, recoil in terror as Britney Spears...
- 11/15/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Britney Spears, Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Demi Lovato in The X Factor (2011)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjMzOTc5Mzc4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDk5NDY0OA@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
"I did it for the gays. And Japan." Those were the goofy departing words of "Mr. Entertainment" Jason Brock, the first X Factor contestant to be eliminated based on viewer votes. No real shocker there, considering he shouldn't even have made it into the live rounds to begin with. Neither was the fact that "unlikable" CeCe Frey rounded out the bottom two. No, the true surprise of the night was that, for the very first time on any singing competition, the order in which viewer votes ranked the acts was...
- 11/9/2012
- Rollingstone.com
![Simon Cowell in American Idol (2002)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzNDE5ODQwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIzNjQyMg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Simon Cowell in American Idol (2002)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzNDE5ODQwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIzNjQyMg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
The alarmed look on Simon Cowell’s face said it all. Tuesday night’s Top 16 announcement telecast of The X Factor featured more hysterical weeping than a Grey’s Anatomy season finale, a Justin Bieber concert, and an onion-slicing competition combined.
But all those tears weren’t entirely for naught. Demi Lovato and Simon Cowell narrowed down their respective Young Adult and Groups acts from six to four — and combined with the decisions by Britney Spears (Teens) and L.A. Reid (Over 25s) that aired last week in certain parts of the country (see the recap of those decisions here) — leading...
But all those tears weren’t entirely for naught. Demi Lovato and Simon Cowell narrowed down their respective Young Adult and Groups acts from six to four — and combined with the decisions by Britney Spears (Teens) and L.A. Reid (Over 25s) that aired last week in certain parts of the country (see the recap of those decisions here) — leading...
- 10/24/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
![Simon Cowell in American Idol (2002)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzNDE5ODQwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIzNjQyMg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Simon Cowell in American Idol (2002)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzNDE5ODQwN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIzNjQyMg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR12,0,140,207_.jpg)
Simon Cowell might just be a genius. An hour into Wednesday night’s X Factor episode, all I could think was “Just an hour and change till the series premiere of Nashville!”
A mere 45 minutes later, however, the state of my mental health rested entirely in the fates of a lady rapper from Flint, Mi, who fancies a sequined eyepatch; a trio of Texas sisters who look like they’ve been perpetually trapped inside a tampon ad; five (possibly six) teenage boys glued together by Simon Cowell’s sweat and Marc Anthony’s tears (it’s hard to keep count...
A mere 45 minutes later, however, the state of my mental health rested entirely in the fates of a lady rapper from Flint, Mi, who fancies a sequined eyepatch; a trio of Texas sisters who look like they’ve been perpetually trapped inside a tampon ad; five (possibly six) teenage boys glued together by Simon Cowell’s sweat and Marc Anthony’s tears (it’s hard to keep count...
- 10/11/2012
- by Michael Slezak
- TVLine.com
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