Ladies and gentlemen, we have an X Factor champion! Say hello to Jeffrey Gutt. Granted, it might be a little early to hand this contestant the crown, but he absolutely blew the judges and the attendees in Greensboro away last night, belting out an incredible version of “Hallelujah” and then bringing his four-year old son on stage to bask in the applause. It may have been a heavily produced conclusion to the audition, but that doesn’t take away from Gutt’s impressive vocals. You will be seeing this man again on stage. Enjoy his performance now:
One would think after five episodes and three seasons in less than 18 months, The Voice ‘s blind auditions would start to fizzle a bit. Hasn’t been the case so far. The judges are on fire (namely Blake) and the talent keeps pouring in. Let’s break down the contestants who advanced last night, with video performances … Team Adam Levine Benji, a former race car driver, slayed with “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Dude just commanded the stage and showed off some seriously impressive range:
TWITTER – twitter.com Facebook – www.facebook.com This was a really quick recording & video! I had this cover on youtube 4 hours after it was even OUT! Sorry about lip sync problems and stuff.. lol, SWAGGY. Hope you like it! Thanks for watching! http://www.youtube.com/v/EiRjhgmOjvc?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Read more: Daniel J – Justin Bieber – boyfriend cover – believe album – 2012
Gene Simmons’ daughter did not spend Father’s Day with her dad. Instead, Sophie Simmons flew out to San Francisco to try out for The X Factor. While Gene and Sophie do have a close relationship, Sophie decided to spend Sunday with Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato. “This isn’t about my dad. This is all about my audition,” Sophie reportedly told the judges, asking to be judged on merit and not by her surname. Sophie may or may not have made it to the next round, but with a rock star for a dad, she’s likely not afraid of performing on the stage at least. Speaking of dad, he wasn’t feeling snubbed. Gene actually took a private jet out to see his daughter as she tried out for the Fox show. Awww. Other highlights of the San Francisco auditions: Britney Spears meeting a familiar face, a gay contestant who came out publicly after auditioning in front of The X Factor panel. Demi Lovato’s hair ! [Photo: WENN.com]
Donald Trump has announced that the Miss Universe Organization – which he owns! – plans to sue Miss Pennsylvania USA, a.k.a. Sheena Monnin . Monnin resigned her crown Tuesday claiming Sunday’s Miss USA pageant was rigged … and has no morals for allowing transgendered contestants. Miss Rhode Island Olivia Culpo won Miss USA 2012 , while Monnin, who did not place in the top five, said it was predetermined from the start. Trump begs to differ and says he hopes Monnin has a good lawyer. Donald Trump Responds to Sheena Monnin “We’re going to bring a lawsuit against this girl,” he told Today co-anchor Ann Curry and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in separate interviews. “It is so ridiculous,” Trump told Curry of Monnin’s charge, noting that the voting is “supervised by Ernst and Young and everything is certified.” “They’ve done an investigation. I just found out about it … the person that supposedly showed the list totally denies that that ever took place.” Besides, he noted later, “the organization doesn’t care who the Top 5 are, or the Top 10,” adding, “I mean, what difference does it make?” Hard to argue with him on the latter point. You’ve seen one Miss USA, you’ve pretty much seen them all … even if they’re all smoking hot. Anyway, Trump says Sheena Monnin is bitter because she’s not it. Monnin announced Tuesday on Facebook page she was resigning after she “witnessed another contestant who said she saw the list of the Top 5 BEFORE THE SHOW EVER STARTED proceed to call out in order who the Top 5 were.” “After it was indeed the Top 5 I knew the show must be rigged; I decided at that moment to distance myself from an organization who did not allow fair play and whose morals did not match my own,” she added. By “morals,” she means Trump’s decision to change the rules and allow Jenna Talackova to compete for Miss Canada despite being born a man. Asked his first impression of Monnin, Trump said, “I saw her and my impressions were she didn’t have a chance of being in the Top 15 – not even close.” “And all this is, is a girl who went there, lost, wasn’t in the 15, and she’s angry at the system … I never felt she had a chance. All this is is buyer’s remorse.” Donald Trump, ladies and gentlemen.
Last night, viewers were treated to one surprisingly impressive act on America’s Got Talent : Andrew De Leon , a gothic-looking opera singer. They were also treated to one controversial contestant: Timothy Poe, a veteran who claimed to have developed a major stutter after suffering an injury in Afghanistan. You can watch video of his audition and backstory here… Timothy Poe America’s Got Talent Audition HOWEVER, multiple sources have now come forward and are casting doubt on Poe’s assertion that a RPG blast in 2009 resulted in this brain-damaged condition. First, there’s the Minnesota National Guard, which said in a statement to Yahoo! TV: “Sgt. Poe’s official military records do not indicate that he was injured by a grenade in combat while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, as he reports. Then, there’s investigative work by The Associated Press, which dispute Poe’s self-proclaimed 14 years of service and state it could only find evidence that he was a specialist for nine years and did not receive a Purple Heart, which is handed out to all military personnel injured in combat. Finally, there’s this simple quotes from Poe’s ex-wife to The New York Post : “There were no combat injuries. I think he developed a ‘feel sorry for me’ stutter.” Poe tells TMZ , however, that it’s not unusual for there to be medical record snafus coming out of Afghanistan and that he DID receive treatment at a medical facility in that country before moving to one in Landstuhl, Germany. But he also said, citing legal reasons, that he cannot produce any evidence to back up these claims. What do you think of all this? Do you believe Timothy Poe’s story?
It’s a good thing Joshua Ledet got on that plane to Hollywood, isn’t it? Who knows how far he’ll go now. This 19-year old from Louisiana – who started singing at the age of three in church, and who is a rumored member of the top 24 – told the American Idol judges last night that he nearly couldn’t board his flight due to anxiety. But he got up the courage, sang an emotional cover of “Jar of Hearts” and received a well-deserved standing ovation, as well as a pass on to the next round. Watch the sterling audition now and most definitely keep an eye on Ledet going forward: Joshua Ledet American Idol Audition – “Jar of Hearts”
Jen Hirsch has something in common with Colton Dixon : both are back on American Idol , hoping for a better fortune. Each tried out for the show on seasons past (Dixon on 10, Hirsch on nine) and each has now advanced to Hollywood the second time around. How far can Hirsch go? All the way, if last night’s rendition of “Georgia on My Mind” is any indication. Received as well as any audition on the two-hour episode, Jen showed quite the range and enjoyed quite the reaction from Steven, Jennifer and Randy. They gave this Agoura, California native a standing ovation. See for yourself: Jen Hirsch American Idol Audition – “Georgia on My Mind”
Up until last night, Reed Grimm appeared to be one of the most confident American Idol contestants in recent memory. The guy initially auditioned with the Family Matters theme song , after all. But the season 11 contestant – who grew up on stage, singing alongside his family – showed some panic in Hollywood, as he was told shortly before it was time to perform that he could not sing a capella as he had planned. He had to include the band. Cue a call to Reed’s mother and concern over whether or not he even belonged on the competition… and then cue what we believe to be an Idol first. Has anyone else ever played the drums for an audition before? Grimm did so here, rather well, to boot, earning a comparison from Randy to Casey Abrams. Reed Grimm – “Georgia on My Mind” (American Idol Audition) Reed received approval for the next round, and he’ll join a few other standouts from last night there, including Joshua Ledet, Colton Dixon and Jen Hirsch .
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