The X Factor Season 3, mercifully, has come to an end. And the finale represented everything strange and uneven about the competition, lowlighted by an odd montage to departing judge Demi Lovato (an admitted substance abuser) that featured her often taking swigs from a cup and defying Simon Cowell. The punchline? Demi drinks Annoying Juice. Lovato’s reaction, as caught on camera in a candid moment? “That’s f-cked up,” she said to Kelly Rowland. But… oh… right: there was also a winner to crown. Carlito Olivero was eliminated first, leaving it down to Jeff Gutt and the adorable twosome Alex & Sierra. And the champion is… ALEX & SIERRA!!! “Thanks for not making fun of my weird faces all the time,” Sierra said, shocked, soon after hearing the news. So, hey, at least the show got the winners right. Or did it? Do you agree with the outcome? Did Alex & Sierra deserve to win The X Factor? YES! No, it should have been Jeff! No, it should have been Carlito! View Poll »
The Top 10 has become The Elite 8. Following a mediocre performance show on Wednesday, two more contestants were sent home on the Fox competition this week. First, Khaya Cohen was given the bad news, as Mario Lopez told her at the outset of the hour that she garnered the least number of overall votes. From there, it was down to a pair of Paulina’s charges, Carlito Olivero and Tim Olstad, and it was time for the duo to sing for their survival. Olstad went first with “You Raise Me Up” and Olivero followed with “Beneath Your Beautiful.” Who impressed the least? Kelly Rowland voted to oust Olstad, Demi Lovato did the same and then Rubio actually concurred, making it unnecessary for Simon Cowell to even voice his opinion. So long, Cohen and Olstad. You had a great run. Did the right X Factor finalists go home this week? VOTE NOW: Yes, but they had a great run! No, Tim deserved to stay! No, Khaya deserved to stay! View Poll »
The X Factor Top 10 took to the stage last night, with contestants covering a wide range of artists. There were takes on Elton John… One Direction … Queen… and The Beatles, just to name a few. But were any of them actually any good? That’s the question we’ll try to answer below… Rion Page – “Your Song” Jeff Gutt – “Bohemian Rhapsody” Tim Olstad sang John’s “Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word” and seemed to lose all control when he stood up and walked away from the keyboard. Not much originality or emotion here. Jeff Gutt went all “Bohemian Rhapsody” on viewers, after talking about his son once again in his introduction video. It was okay. But the songs requires the right kind of theatrical performer – and Gutt isn’t him. Khaya Cohen finished in the Bottom 3 last Thursday and tried to make up for that with “Let It Be.” But the staging was very odd and there was far too much yelping. That’s never a good thing. Josh Levi told us that “Sweet Dreams” were made of this and it was a solid vocal performance. As usual, though, it was also over-produced, as the artist starting off in a red telephone booth for some reason. Still, points for being in tune. Alex & Sierra sang “Best Song Ever” and it was terrific. These two are our favorite. They improved on the original version. Rion Page was a close second, dedicating “Your Song” to her baby brother. Her best vocal to date. Josh Levi – “Sweet Dreams” Alex & Sierra – “Best Song Ever” Carlito Olivero used holograms for his rendition of “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” That was plaid weird. The singing itself wasn’t too awful, but not much really stood out. Except for the holograms. And that isn’t a compliment. Lillie McCloud did great work on “This Woman’s Work.” She brought the emotion to Kate Bush’s classic track and nearly made Kelly Rowland cry. Ellona Santiago went with Ellie Goulding’s “Burn” and lacked any real passion while doing so. Some pitch problems also plagued this performance. Restless Road wants to “Fix You,” per Coldplay. Too bad the harmonies were all over the place, making us wonder why Simon Cowell gave the group a standing ovation. Oh, right, he’s their mentor. What a dumb concept. Who was your favorite from the evening? And who do you foresee going home tonight?
And then there were 16. The final 16, that is, as The X Factor has spent the last two weeks narrowing its Season 3 field down to four sets of four acts each. Who stands the best chance at winning it all? Let’s break it down group by group, shall we? THE GIRLS: Rion Page has to be the front-runner here. She’s only 13. She has overcome a disability – and she can really sing! She’s one of the top contenders overall. Which girl do you think has the best chance of winning? Khaya Cohen Rion Paige Danielle Geimer Ellona Santiago View Poll » THE OVER-25s: We’re casting our early stock with Lillie McCloud . This 54-year old has talent and passion and a loyal fan base already. Which over-25 singer do you think has the best chance of winning? Jeff Gutt Rachel Potter James Kenney Lillie McCloud View Poll » THE BOYS: Maybe the hardest group to call, but Josh Levi won us over this week. As the judges noted, this 15-year old has star potential written all over him. Which boy singer do you think has the best chance of winning? Carlos Guevara Tim Olstad Carlito Olivero Josh Levi View Poll » THE GROUPS: A group is not going to win. They just can’t gather the same sort of fan support as a single adorable boy or an incredibly talent girl. But Alex & Sierra are a real-life couple and their Grease duet this week was totally awesome. Which group do you think has the best chance of winning? Restless Road Sweet Suspense Alex & Sierra Roxxy Montana View Poll »
And then there were 16. The final 16, that is, as The X Factor has spent the last two weeks narrowing its Season 3 field down to four sets of four acts each. Who stands the best chance at winning it all? Let’s break it down group by group, shall we? THE GIRLS: Rion Page has to be the front-runner here. She’s only 13. She has overcome a disability – and she can really sing! She’s one of the top contenders overall. Which girl do you think has the best chance of winning? Khaya Cohen Rion Paige Danielle Geimer Ellona Santiago View Poll » THE OVER-25s: We’re casting our early stock with Lillie McCloud . This 54-year old has talent and passion and a loyal fan base already. Which over-25 singer do you think has the best chance of winning? Jeff Gutt Rachel Potter James Kenney Lillie McCloud View Poll » THE BOYS: Maybe the hardest group to call, but Josh Levi won us over this week. As the judges noted, this 15-year old has star potential written all over him. Which boy singer do you think has the best chance of winning? Carlos Guevara Tim Olstad Carlito Olivero Josh Levi View Poll » THE GROUPS: A group is not going to win. They just can’t gather the same sort of fan support as a single adorable boy or an incredibly talent girl. But Alex & Sierra are a real-life couple and their Grease duet this week was totally awesome. Which group do you think has the best chance of winning? Restless Road Sweet Suspense Alex & Sierra Roxxy Montana View Poll »
The X Factor was back at it last night. A week after announcing the final four over-25s and final four girls , the Fox competition turned its focus to the young men hoping to bring home a million grand prize dollar. Do any of the quartet who advanced to the next round stand a chance of standing alone at the end? Scroll down for their identities and vote below… Josh Levi X Factor Audition Carlos Guevara sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” and the 16-year old may have included too many runs in the rendition. But the emotion came through and he put a nice twist on the ballad. Tim Olstad went Miley Cyrus on us with “The Climb” and the recent college graduate received a major boost from the crowd after they booed Paulina for cutting him off. The guy seemed kind of stiff and has a long way to go. Carlito Olivero chose “Dreaming of You” and it’s safe to say he needs to work on his falsetto. But he need not work on his looks, which will clearly work in his favor. Josh Levi went all souful for“I Can’t Make You Love Me.” He likely has the most potential. All four judges gushed over the 14-year old’s star-like qualities. So… who was YOUR favorite of these final four boys? Carlos Guevara Tim Olstad Carlito Olivero Josh Levi View Poll »
The X Factor was back at it last night. A week after announcing the final four over-25s and final four girls , the Fox competition turned its focus to the young men hoping to bring home a million grand prize dollar. Do any of the quartet who advanced to the next round stand a chance of standing alone at the end? Scroll down for their identities and vote below… Josh Levi X Factor Audition Carlos Guevara sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” and the 16-year old may have included too many runs in the rendition. But the emotion came through and he put a nice twist on the ballad. Tim Olstad went Miley Cyrus on us with “The Climb” and the recent college graduate received a major boost from the crowd after they booed Paulina for cutting him off. The guy seemed kind of stiff and has a long way to go. Carlito Olivero chose “Dreaming of You” and it’s safe to say he needs to work on his falsetto. But he need not work on his looks, which will clearly work in his favor. Josh Levi went all souful for“I Can’t Make You Love Me.” He likely has the most potential. All four judges gushed over the 14-year old’s star-like qualities. So… who was YOUR favorite of these final four boys? Carlos Guevara Tim Olstad Carlito Olivero Josh Levi View Poll »
The X Factor can name all the new judges it wants, but the success of this competition will come down to one thing on Season 3: Its level of talent. And through two weeks, contestants have definitely impressed on stage, partly for their voices, and also for their backstories. There’s Victoria Carriger , a mother of eight and lover of Kelly Clarkson; Ashly Williams , who dedicated a Whitney Houston track to her late mother; and Rion Page , 13-year old who has overcome a major disability. Click through an assortment of the top performances below and then vote on your favorite member of the Top 40: Rion Page X Factor Audition Carlos Guevara X Factor Performance Ashly Williams X Factor Audition Stone Martin on The X Factor Lorie Moore X Factor Audition Victoria Carriger X Factor Audition WHO DO YOU WANT TO WIN? Ashly Williams Stone Martin Carlos Guevara Rion Page Victoria Carriger Other [Cite in Comments] View Poll »
Oscar Pistorius won a battle in court today, but his rep followed it up by assuring the public: The Olympian and suspected killer will NOT be attempting to win any track and field races in the near future. A judge eased the runner’s bail restrictions this morning, giving Pistorius permission to leave the country in order to perform his sport. The 26-year old sprinter would simply need to run those plans by officials at least a week prior to any event. However… “Oscar does not intend to compete,” his rep said in a statement. “He merely challenged the travel restrictions imposed, since he was not considered a flight risk during the bail hearing. At this point in time there are no plans for him to travel at all.” Pistorius is accused of murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by firing multiple shots through the bathroom door behind which she was hiding. He is free awaiting trial on a premeditated murder charge. He is free awaiting trial on a premeditated murder charge. – See more at: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/stars/oscar-pistorius/#sthash.uq5mU7Ea.dpuf
