The judges are not ready to crown Melanie Amaro X Factor champion just yet. Following one of Chris Rene’s two performances last night, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul jokingly argued about whether or not he looks like $1 million on stage… or $5 million the grand prize that will be awarded to next week’s winner. Does Rene have the best voice in the competition? No. But his spirit “transcends across the universe,” according to Scherzinger. That, or he’s just very good looking, right, ladies? Watch Chris cover “Fly” and “No One” now: Chris Rene – Fly Chris Rene – No One
Josh Krajcik also impresses judges with the Beatles’ ‘Something.’ By Adam Graham Chris Rene on “X Factor” Photo: FOX Nicole Scherzinger coined the term “Krajcik Magic” on Wednesday’s (December 7) “X Factor,” but it was Chris Rene who worked his mojo the hardest, arguably winning the night with his show-closing original, “Where Do We Go From Here.” Rene’s performance finished out a night that saw the top five contestants performing two songs apiece: one dance hit and one song of each contestant’s choosing. The episode’s drama (because what would “The X Factor” be without a little drama?) came from an “error in communication” that saw the contestants having to switch up their final songs with only 24 hours’ notice. How would they perform under the pressure? Would they remember their lyrics? And what kind of crazy hyperbole would Paula Abdul heap upon the contestants? Turns out they all handled the twist pretty well, with Rene stealing the evening with his original song. Cross-legged and strumming an acoustic guitar, Rene seemed perfectly at ease with “Where Do We Go From Here,” which brought to mind his initial audition when he performed another original, “Young Homie.” “Where Do We Go From Here” had a laid-back, easygoing vibe and wouldn’t have felt out of place being released on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. Simon Cowell remarked that at this point in the competition, performing an original is either “stupidity or a stroke of genius.” He ended up calling it the latter, with Rene reacting by jumping up and down in place. Up until Rene’s finale it appeared to be Josh Krajcik’s night, even though it started out shaky with a so-so orchestral take on Rihanna’s “We Found Love.” But he came around on his second song, punching up the Beatles’ “Sometimes” and having Scherzinger call him “the male Adele in the industry right now” before coining the term “Krajcik Magic.” Abdul literally couldn’t find the words to sing his praises, telling the burrito maker, “Adjectives just don’t describe your brilliance anymore, they just don’t measure up.” (Note: Will someone please lend Paula a thesaurus?) Speaking of Adele, Melanie Amaro opened the show with a clubby take on the Brit soul singer’s “Someone Like You” and later took on Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s “When You Believe.” Those are three gigantic singers to tackle over the course of a season let alone a single night, but Amaro acquitted herself nicely, with Cowell calling her “outstanding” and urging viewers to pick up their phones to vote so he doesn’t end up with another situation like he had with Drew last week. Bubbly 13-year-old Rachel Crow chose B.o.B and Bruno Mars’ “Nothin’ on You” for her opener and returned to last week’s Michael Jackson theme for “Music & Me” for her second performance of the evening. To say Abdul was ecstatic about the two songs would be an understatement. “Your vocal depth transcends all generations” she told Crow after the former, while explaining to her, “You are a wonderful role model. You are every girl’s best friend and every parent’s daydream. You are fantastic and magical,” after the second. Did we mention Abdul also called her “beautifully fearless”? Marcus Canty, who has landed in the bottom two the last two weeks in a row, took on Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” and Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.” The first song played more to his strengths, while the second honed in on his vocals, which often suffer in comparison to his abilities as an all-around entertainer. Cowell blew off the second song as “a bit boring,” but Canty’s mentor, L.A. Reid, compared his ability to get up after getting knocked down to no less than Muhammad Ali. “I’ve got your back,” Reid told him. But do voters? One artist is scheduled to be sent home on Thursday’s episode of “The X Factor.” What did you think of Wednesday’s show? Let us know in the comments!
Josh Krajcik also impresses judges with the Beatles’ ‘Something.’ By Adam Graham Chris Rene on “X Factor” Photo: FOX Nicole Scherzinger coined the term “Krajcik Magic” on Wednesday’s (December 7) “X Factor,” but it was Chris Rene who worked his mojo the hardest, arguably winning the night with his show-closing original, “Where Do We Go From Here.” Rene’s performance finished out a night that saw the top five contestants performing two songs apiece: one dance hit and one song of each contestant’s choosing. The episode’s drama (because what would “The X Factor” be without a little drama?) came from an “error in communication” that saw the contestants having to switch up their final songs with only 24 hours’ notice. How would they perform under the pressure? Would they remember their lyrics? And what kind of crazy hyperbole would Paula Abdul heap upon the contestants? Turns out they all handled the twist pretty well, with Rene stealing the evening with his original song. Cross-legged and strumming an acoustic guitar, Rene seemed perfectly at ease with “Where Do We Go From Here,” which brought to mind his initial audition when he performed another original, “Young Homie.” “Where Do We Go From Here” had a laid-back, easygoing vibe and wouldn’t have felt out of place being released on Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. Simon Cowell remarked that at this point in the competition, performing an original is either “stupidity or a stroke of genius.” He ended up calling it the latter, with Rene reacting by jumping up and down in place. Up until Rene’s finale it appeared to be Josh Krajcik’s night, even though it started out shaky with a so-so orchestral take on Rihanna’s “We Found Love.” But he came around on his second song, punching up the Beatles’ “Sometimes” and having Scherzinger call him “the male Adele in the industry right now” before coining the term “Krajcik Magic.” Abdul literally couldn’t find the words to sing his praises, telling the burrito maker, “Adjectives just don’t describe your brilliance anymore, they just don’t measure up.” (Note: Will someone please lend Paula a thesaurus?) Speaking of Adele, Melanie Amaro opened the show with a clubby take on the Brit soul singer’s “Someone Like You” and later took on Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s “When You Believe.” Those are three gigantic singers to tackle over the course of a season let alone a single night, but Amaro acquitted herself nicely, with Cowell calling her “outstanding” and urging viewers to pick up their phones to vote so he doesn’t end up with another situation like he had with Drew last week. Bubbly 13-year-old Rachel Crow chose B.o.B and Bruno Mars’ “Nothin’ on You” for her opener and returned to last week’s Michael Jackson theme for “Music & Me” for her second performance of the evening. To say Abdul was ecstatic about the two songs would be an understatement. “Your vocal depth transcends all generations” she told Crow after the former, while explaining to her, “You are a wonderful role model. You are every girl’s best friend and every parent’s daydream. You are fantastic and magical,” after the second. Did we mention Abdul also called her “beautifully fearless”? Marcus Canty, who has landed in the bottom two the last two weeks in a row, took on Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody” and Leon Russell’s “A Song for You.” The first song played more to his strengths, while the second honed in on his vocals, which often suffer in comparison to his abilities as an all-around entertainer. Cowell blew off the second song as “a bit boring,” but Canty’s mentor, L.A. Reid, compared his ability to get up after getting knocked down to no less than Muhammad Ali. “I’ve got your back,” Reid told him. But do voters? One artist is scheduled to be sent home on Thursday’s episode of “The X Factor.” What did you think of Wednesday’s show? Let us know in the comments!
Two contestants were forced to say This Is It on The X Factor tonight, as a pair of hopefuls Beat It off stage in eliminations that were the result of their Michael Jackson-themed covers from the previous evening. So, who got the boot? ASTRO and DREW! Early on in the hour, the top three of Melanie Amaro , Chris Rene and Rachel Crow were passed through to the next round. Astro, the 15-year old rapper from Brooklyn was then sent packing, reacting in a far more mature manner then when he was forced to sing for his survival two weeks ago. He hugged his fellow contestants and thanked his “Astronauts.” It then came down to Drew and Marcus Canty, with Paula Abdul casting the deciding vote for the former based on her chair-based performance from Tuesday night. Drew fought off tears, gave praise to Jesus and said she has “a lot to show” the world still. “I think she’s a little star and I think America knows she’s going to be a star,” Simon Cowell said of his protege. What is your take on these eliminations?
Chris Rene is nothing if not original. This X Factor finalist took to the stage last night and turned one of The Beatles’ better known singles into an R&B track, breaking down “Let It Be” in a way most viewers had likely not heard before. He then transitioned into “Young Homie.” How did this unusual mash-up turn out? See for yourself: Chris Rene – Let It Be/Young Homie Among other performances on The X Factor last night: Astro showed fans what he’s got . Josh Krajcik proved his versatility via a take on Wild Horses . Drew explained to us all what made her like a Skyscraper .
Chris Rene and Rachel Crow also earn high praise from the mentors. By Adam Graham L.A. Reid on “X Factor” Photo: FOX Youngsters stole the night when “The X Factor” went to Hollywood on Wednesday (November 9), with the top 11 contestants singing songs from the movies. Well, maybe Songs That Were at One Time Used in Movies would be more appropriate, since few people associate Coldplay’s “Fix You” with the Owen Wilson starrer “You, Me and Dupree” or U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” with the Julia Roberts/ Richard Gere flick “Runaway Bride.” Regardless, Astro, the 15-year-old rapper with enough confidence to fuel a rocket ship to the moon, soared with his rendition of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” which kept the Oscar-winning song’s structure but saw all new verses — including a shout-out to boxing legend Joe Frazier, who died this week — from the pint-size spitter. “You are a champion tonight,” Nicole Scherzinger told him, while Simon Cowell seemed equally impressed with Astro’s performance and the show’s ability to clear the use of the notoriously protective Eminem’s song. Elsewhere, 13-year-old Rachel Crow was compared by Cowell to a “mini-little Beyonc
