First L.A. Reid. Then Britney Spears. Now, in a move that should surprise no one, Khloe Kardashian will no longer be hosting The X Factor. (Let the rejoicing begin.) Also, Demi Lovato was asked if she wants to return as a judge, and suggests who should place Britney. And Simon Cowell is in the middle of working on a musical based on X Factor. Read on to find out all the details.
Report: Khloe Kardashian Fired from X Factor
The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: according to the New York Post, Khloe Kardashian has been dropped as a co-host of The X Factor. This comes after judge Britney Spears quit in January, and L.A. Reid announced his departure days before last year’s finale. But fortunately for us, Khloe’s hosting partner has received good news. “They are asking Mario [Lopez] to come back, but not Khloe,” an insider told the Post.
Simon Cowell hired Khloe for season 2 of the singing competition show because he wanted one of the co-hosts to not have any hosting experience. Unfortunately, Simon should have known what he was getting himself into because, while she’s in her element on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Khloe oftentimes stumbled over her words while reading the teleprompter, got in the contestants’ faces to ask questions and pretty much did everything a skilled host shouldn’t do.
Now the question becomes, will Simon go back to having only one host, or is he still going to push to have a duo? Mario has proven that he’s just as talented as Ryan Seacrest in this area and should go solo for season 3. But if the latter, he needs to hire someone who’s a natural like Kelly Osbourne or Cat Deeley.
As far as the judging panel goes, the Post mentions that Cheryl Cole, who was famously fired while the season 1 auditions were still filming, is “in talks to return to the show — possibly as part of a judging panel that would be comprised of Cowell and three younger women.” Singer Ne-Yo is reportedly negotiating a contract to replace one of the now ex-judges, so the mention of “three younger women” is doubtful. Then again, maybe this is Simon’s way of making nice with Cheryl after she sued the show for $2.3 million for withholding money from her and for the abrupt removal. As of right now, I’m not buying that Simon would bring her back on, but you never know.
Nothing has been confirmed or announced yet. A spokesperson for The X Factor said, “The producers have not yet made the talent decisions for this year.” And knowing Simon Cowell, don’t be surprised if he waits until right before filming commences on the auditions to finalize contracts.
Demi Lovato Wants to Stay On as Judge
Staying on the topic of speculation over who’s staying and who’s leaving, Demi Lovato has made it known her intention to return to the judges table later this year — that is, if the show wants her back. “I’m focusing on my music this year,” she told Extra, “so it’s going to be a lot of touring, a lot of promoting of my album … but I would love to. Obviously, if they asked for me to come back, I’d say yes.”
With Britney gone, who would Demi like to see replace her? “I would love to see Lady Gaga. I don’t know if that is possible or not.” I’ll answer that for you, Demi: that is not possible. Britney received $15 million, and Gaga’s contract would be worth more than that. And after the show’s low ratings, there’s no way they’re going to shell out that kind of money again.
Simon Cowell Working on The X Factor Musical
You might be thinking, an X Factor musical — really? Keep in mind that the original British edition has been on the air for years, is the UK’s flagship singing competition show and has produced huge superstars like Leona Lewis and One Direction.
According to the New York Post, the plot centers on “a young black woman who lives in a trailer park — with her grandfather, who’s in an iron lung, no less — auditions for The X Factor. Blessed with a Susan Boyle-type belt, she makes it through the first rounds.”
Alexander Hanson is playing Simon. And one of the songs performed is called “Falling in Love with Myself,” a “merciless sendup of Cowell’s preening narcissism.” The real Simon is heavily involved in the production and will inject some of his own money into the project to make it happen.
A workshop for the musical took place two weeks ago at the Soho Theatre in London. Word has gotten out about what the show is like, and it sounds like it’s more of a satire/parody of X Factor. A source said, “Act I is fast and wacky. Act II is bizarre.”
Simon’s plan is to bring The X Factor Musical to the Palladium Theatre at the West End starting in spring 2014. And if it’s successful enough, he wants to bring it to Broadway.
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(Image courtesy of WENN)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
