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It was a nail-biting moment for 13-year-old Rachel Crow and Marcus Canty, 20, as they waited for the judges on the popular Fox talent show “The X Factor” to decide their fate on Thursday night.
Contestant Rachel Crow and Marcus Canty stand on either side of host Steve Jones on the X-Factor.
13-Year-Old Throws Epic Tantrum After Being Voted Off ‘X-Factor’
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Tagged bennyhollywood, context, decide-their, detected, Hollywood, invalid, judges, rachel, throws-epic, video
Another young contestant got sent home this week on The X Factor. A week after Drew Ryniewicz was reduced to tears, the same fate befell 13-year old Rachel Crow, who fell into the bottom two and then got eliminated after the judges deadlocked and the show left the final decision up to viewers. After falling into her mother’s arms following the reading of the verdict, Crow – whose Tuesday night performances you can watch HERE – composed herself and said: “I love you so much, everybody, for voting for me and thank you for giving me this because without you I am nothing. I hope this is not my ending. I know it’s not and I will go so far. I promise you!” What do you think? Did Rachel deserve to go home this week?
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The X Factor Results Show: Down to Four…
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Tagged arms-following, bennyhollywood, factor-results, Gossip, got-eliminated, hollywood update, judges, left-the-final, mother, rachel, rachel-crow, reading, the x factor, verdict, week
Note to L.A. Reid: the song “Skyscraper” was written and originally performed by Demi Lovato . She’s 19 years old. What would you like Drew Ryniewicz to cover, a track from Sesame Street ? Following this 15-year old’s emotional performance last night, Reid contrived an argument with Simon Cowell by somehow claiming he continues to select singles for his pupil that are not age-appropriate. Why are you doing songs for old people? he asked in one of the more insane assessments of the season. Simon responded that his fellow panelist was coming up with “stupid, pointless criticism” and he’s right, but there’s also little doubt he encouraged this outburst beforehand. Can the judges please stop making this show about them? Take it away, Drew… Drew Ryniewicz – Skyscraper
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Tagged after-sunday, breaking-down, Gossip, hollywood-news, judges, michelle-obama, Obama, pupil, season, simon cowell, skyscraper
Two contestants will go home on Wednesday’s results episode. By Adam Graham Astro on “X Factor” Photo: FOX Teen rapper Astro addressed his blow-up last week and promised to not let his fans down again during Tuesday’s (November 22) performance episode of “The X Factor,” which found the competition’s top nine contestants dedicating their performances to special people in their lives. Astro, the 15-year-old Brooklyn rapper who had a near meltdown and almost refused to perform after landing in the bottom two on last week’s results episode, explained in a pre-packaged introduction he “didn’t know how to control my emotions” last week and he “could have handled it better.” He then went on to address the situation further in an original song he performed set to Jay-Z’s “Show Me What You Got,” in which he rapped, “Got my head in the right place and I’m back to win.” Before the judges weighed in on his song, he explained to his fans, “To Team Astro and all the Astronauts across the world, but mostly hip-hop, I’ll never let you down again.” Simon Cowell, who harshly criticized Astro for his attitude last week, took to the young MC’s apology. “The music business needs unpredictability,” Cowell said, explaining he admired Astro for speaking his mind. His mentor L.A. Reid went with the cooler-heads approach as well. “As long as you keep a good head on your shoulders and always do your very best, you’ll be fine,” he told him. Here’s how the rest of the evening’s performances shook out. The Girls Rachel Crow opened the show and dedicated Yolanda Adams’ “I Believe” to her adoptive parents. The performance sparkled, and never one to exaggerate, Abdul said Crow was proof angels exist on earth. Melanie Amaro enjoyed her biggest moment yet on the show, and following her performance of R. Kelly’s “The World’s Greatest” she excitedly celebrated onstage, shouting out her upbringing in the Virgin Islands. Cowell said she is needed in the competition, and Nicole Scherzinger stopped the show to give her a hug, nearly giving ultra time-conscious host Steve Jones a heart attack. And L.A. Reid showed another lapse in his musical knowledge when he criticized Drew for not singing “age appropriate” material, after the 15-year-old sang 19-year-old Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper.” That put Cowell on the offensive, and he spat back at his rival, “I’m sick to death of your pointless, stupid criticism,” going on to call it “unfounded,” “inaccurate” and “complete and utter rubbish.” In this case, we sort of have to agree with Cowell. The Boys Marcus Canty dedicated Boyz II Men’s “A Song for Mama” to his own mama, who was sitting at the foot of the stage, and earned unanimous praise from the judges. “I’ve worked with some great singers, you are as great as any great singer I’ve ever worked with,” Reid told him, while Cowell said Canty put himself back in the competition with the performance. Chris Rene, meanwhile, sang a mix of the Beatles’ “Let It Be” and his own “Young Homie,” which he sang in the early audition rounds. “You reminded everyone why we liked you,” Cowell said, echoing the sentiments of all the judges. The Over 30s Josh Krajcik closed the show singing the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” alone at his piano, surrounded by a series of spotlights that made him look like a prisoner in some sort of light jail. Abdul called the burrito maker “larger than life” and Cowell said he was “outstanding,” while Scherzinger told him, “Beyond this competition, I strongly believe your music can change the world.” LeRoy Bell took on Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel,” the soundtrack to way too many of those wrenching animal cruelty awareness ads, and dedicated the song to his late mother. The judges thought it was his best performance, save for Reid, who called it “heartfelt for sure, but not your very best.” The Group Lakoda Rayne, the sole remaining group in the competition, chose to sing Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” — an odd choice for a dedication, though they were celebrated by the judges. But Cowell seemed to already be acknowledging their fate when he said, “I genuinely wish two people weren’t going home tomorrow.” Yes, two acts are slated to get the ax during Wednesday’s results episode — so much for the warmth of the season! — which is also set to feature performances by Kelly Clarkson and Bruno Mars. What did you think of Tuesday’s “X Factor”? Did you believe Astro’s explanation for his behavior? Let us know in the comments!
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‘X Factor’: Astro Raps Through His Drama
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Tagged astronauts, Hollywood, judges, Kelly Clarkson, Music, News, performance, performances, rolling-stones, song, the-competition, world
‘For [Simon Cowell] to just beat me up like that, I don’t understand,’ singer tells MTV News after Wednesday night’s episode. By Gil Kaufman, with reporting by Jim Cantiello Stacy Francis performs on “The X Factor” Photo: FOX It seems that every reality-show singing competition has to have one polarizing contestant who makes headlines every week for something. “X Factor” appears to have found its lightning rod in former professional singer Stacy Francis, who ripped it up with judge Simon Cowell on Wednesday night’s rock-themed performance episode. The 42-year-old Brooklyn native and single mother, who is being coached by Nicole Scherzinger, was lambasted by Cowell for her sleepy rendition of Meat Loaf’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” which he said was “the sort of thing I would expect someone to sing at the Hilton Hotel with people turning their backs, eating peanuts.” MTV News spoke to Francis backstage after the show, and she admitted that Cowell’s slings and arrows bewildered her. “I just want a fair judgment, and I don’t feel like it was fair,” she said. “I feel like because I’m not in Simon’s category, he beats me up every week. I don’t know if I can really take on what he says as an artist and really say, ‘OK, how can I make this better?’ ” On a show where the judges usually save their harshest fire for each other, Cowell went all in on Francis, saying, “I thought the song was a horrible choice. I like rocks; that was a pebble.” Indeed, Francis, standing at a feather-covered mic stand while wearing leather gloves and a sparkly silver dress, emoted her way through the lesser-known Loaf tune while accompanied by a grand piano, mirror-ball effects on the giant onstage videos, lots of ground fog and a wind machine. She took issue with Cowell’s criticism that the song was too cabaret, noting that the audience seemed to love it. “For him to just beat me up like that, I don’t understand; I don’t get it,” she said. “I sang a Meat Loaf song, which is a rock song, and he said he didn’t love it. Melanie Amaro sang an R.E.M. song, and he loved it. It was the same tempo … I don’t know, I was very confused about it.” Francis said it seems to her that the other females in the competition have an advantage because they are in Cowell’s category and he doesn’t give them as much grief. “My first audition, he told me he loved me and he loved my voice and he loved everything,” she said. “All of a sudden, I’m the worst thing in the competition. I don’t understand it. That’s very confusing, and I think it’s very unfair.” As for judge Paula Abdul’s comments about some of Francis’ vocals being flat, the onetime member of the group Ex-Girlfriend said, if anything, her vocals sometimes go sharp because she pushes too hard, but rarely flat. “I don’t think that I ever go flat, so that’s weird,” she said. “To me, [Abdul] has one group in the competition that’s left so she would love to see any other contestant [leave] except her only one. I don’t know if I’m getting a fair evaluation as an artist or if it’s just the bickering amongst the judges because they wanna win.” Share your review of Stacy Francis’ performance in the comments below! Related Photos ‘X Factor’ Top Twelve Performances
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‘X Factor’ Judges Leave Stacy Francis ‘Very Confused’
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Tagged bennyhollywood, competition, contestant, cowell, Hollywood, judges, News, Photos, review, simon cowell, song, Voice
Michael Jackson’s estate is looking to bring his life to the big screen. With Dr. Conrad Murray ‘s involuntary manslaughter conviction in the past, MJ’s executors have approached Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock’s Montecito Picture Company about the possibility of producing and financing a Jackson biopic. The project would only cover certain periods of the late singer’s life. Pollock confirmed that the two sides are engaged in early talks but cautioned that there is no deal in place . A spokesman for Jackson’s estate had no comment. The estate is currently focused on Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, so there is no rush to get the potential movie into production. However, the fact that the estate is keen to pay tribute to the greatest entertainer of our time on the big screen should have Hollywood agents salivating. Who do you think could play Michael Jackson on film?
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Michael Jackson Biopic in the Works
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Tagged bennyhollywood, from-the-crow, Gossip, Hollywood, hollywood-news, immortal-world, jackson-on-film, judges, life, Music, petulant-child, Videos
Stacy Francis was eliminated from The X Factor tonight. But that wasn’t the story. Due to a polarizing performance that was anything but rock ‘n roll, young Astro (aka Brian Bradley) also found himself in the bottom two – and after being informed of this news, he initially refused to perform for the judges! “I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here,” Astro said to boos from the crow. The petulant child needed to be told by mentor L.A. Reid that he needed to sing/rap for his X Factor life before he actually did so… and then he proceeded to sulk his way through a rendition of “Never Say Goodbye.” Still, because this now creates buzz and much-needed drama for a show still struggling in the ratings, the judges voted to send Francis home and keep Astro around. Simon Cowell did give him a nice scolding at least. It was disgraceful all around. Do you think the right contestant was eliminated?
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The X Factor Results: Who Got the Boot? Who Whined Like a Baby?
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Tagged astro-on-stage, being-informed, bennyhollywood, from-the-crow, Gossip, Hollywood, hollywood-news, invalid, judges, ncis, news update, petulant-child, simon cowell, the x factor, Videos
‘I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here,’ mini-MC says after landing in the bottom two. By Adam Graham Stacy Francis on “X Factor” Photo: FOX Stacy Francis — the 42-year-old diva who once pleaded to Simon Cowell, “I don’t want to die with this music in me!” — was eliminated from “The X Factor” Thursday night (November 17). But the bigger story was 15-year-old hip-hop dynamo Astro , who found himself in the bottom two with Francis and was none too pleased with his fate. Asked to sing for his life in front of the judges, Astro nonchalantly strolled onto the stage and announced, “I really don’t wanna perform. I feel like it’s unnecessary.” He turned to his mentor, L.A. Reid: “But I’mma leave it up to you. You’re my mentor. Do you think I should perform?” Reid told Astro he had come a long way in the competition and that he should perform. Astro turned back and proceeded to give a halfhearted, visibly jaded performance of a song in which he talked about his experiences on the show. Francis, for her song, belted out “Amazing Grace.” When it came time for the judges to make their decision, Astro was scolded for his attitude by the panel, with Reid telling him, “You acted a little bit like a quitter, and it upset me.” But Cowell was the hardest on the Brooklyn MC — whom Rihanna once compared to “a mini J. Cole” — telling him, “I don’t like your attitude right now.” “Look at me, and think about your mum watching the show,” Cowell said to him. “Because you are showing disrespect to your mom. You are showing disrespect to the audience at home, and I don’t like people with this attitude.” Astro retorted, “No disrespect to you or this show, but I just feel like if you’re going to put me in the bottom two, I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here, you know what I’m saying? That’s it.” By this time, Astro was being showered with boos from the audience, and a tear that had welled up in his eye began to stream down his face. Cowell asked if he’d take the same attitude if put in the position again, and Astro apologized, telling him, “Honestly, man, it’s cool.” With the audience chanting, “Stacy! Stacy!” Cowell cast his deciding vote. “I really don’t want to do this,” he said, voting for Astro to stay, saying he thinks he had a better chance of winning the show and ultimately sending Francis packing with a 3-1 vote in favor of her ouster. (Nicole Scherzinger, Francis’ mentor, was the sole vote for her to remain.) Francis thanked the judges for her time on the show and took responsibility for her so-so rendition of Meat Loaf’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” the night prior, which was slammed by Cowell. “I don’t believe I did great last night. I go with that, and I have to suck up my pride and take responsibility for the performance I gave,” Francis said. “I just want to thank Simon Cowell for giving me a chance, because I’m 42 years old, and he allowed me to sing for the world week to week.” Earlier in the night, Paula Abdul — who had already seen two of her groups get kicked off the show — caught a break when she learned her sole remaining group in the competition, Lakoda Rayne, was voted through to next week. Upon hearing the news, Cowell looked as though William Hung just won a Grammy, while Abdul proudly crowed, “I told you so, I told you so!” During the commercial break following the announcement, Cowell tweeted, “How the hell did that happen?” The episode also featured a performance from Rihanna, who showcased her current Billboard chart-topping single “We Found Love.” While it was presented as live, the performance was taped following Wednesday’s episode. The top 10 contestants opened the show with a group rendition of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” celebrating the week’s rock and roll theme . What did you think of Astro’s reaction to his near-elimination? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos ‘X Factor’ Top Twelve Performances
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‘X Factor’ Loses Stacy Francis As Astro Loses His Cool
Astro and Rachel Crow also earn high marks, but Stacy Francis and Lakoda Rayne draw Simon Cowell’s ire. By Adam Graham Josh Krajcik performs on “The X Factor” Photo: FOX “The X Factor” took on rock music Wednesday, with decidedly rocky results. The debate of what really constitutes rock overshadowed the proceedings, with the increasingly catty judges sniping at one another over their song choices and whether they fit the evening’s theme. In the end, only one performer, Josh Krajcik, turned in what could truly be considered a rockin’ performance, plugging in and kicking out the jams with the Foo Fighters’ “Pretender.” Krajcik was the evening’s big winner — inspiring mentor Nicole Scherzinger to head-bang her way through his performance — along with teen rapper Astro, who is quickly becoming a favorite in the competition. Astro’s original song, a dedication to hip-hop rapped to Puff Daddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” caused L.A. Reid to gush that he not only has what it takes to win the competition, but also to become a “major international star,” while Simon Cowell told him he has more maturity and intelligence than the older contestants he’s up against. Astro’s consistency, meanwhile, irked Paula Abdul. “Can you just suck for once?” she pleaded. “I don’t think you can!” Here’s how the remainder of the contestants fared: The Boys Chris Rene, sporting one of Jay-Z’s controversial Occupy All Streets T-shirts , did Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry,” which Cowell argued wasn’t nearly rockin’ enough. “Loved the performance. Would have been great if the theme was reggae,” Cowell quipped. Marcus Canty’s take on Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” earned high marks from everyone but Cowell, who said it felt like he was pretending to be someone he’s not. L.A. Reid shot back with a simple, “You rocked!” The Girls Coming off a strong performance last week, Rachel Crow took on the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” which more than satisfied the judges. “The question is, can you sell records? Can you sell tickets? And the answer is yes,” Reid beamed. Melanie Amaro’s piano-and-vocals version of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” was dismissed as “so not rock” by Reid, and Scherzinger questioned why she wasn’t moved to tears by the song (she explained that, normally, she is a weeping mess by the song’s close). Cowell, however, boasted that the performance reminded him of Adele and Alicia Keys — performers who are not the least bit rock, mind you, but who happen to sell a lot of records. Fourteen-year-old Drew, meanwhile, took on U2’s “With or Without You” — which was similar to her version of Coldplay’s “Fix You” last week — and Reid, Scherzinger and Abdul all stressed they’d like to hear her do something outside her comfort zone. But Cowell dismissed their comments and praised her, saying he’s confident she’ll be in the competition “until the end.” The Over 30’s LeRoy Bell’s straightforward reading of Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight” was smacked down by the judges. “You’re good, man, but I need more. This is the big time,” Reid scolded him. Stacy Francis dedicated her performance of Meat Loaf’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” to her “Franatics,” but Cowell trashed her performance with his most stinging critique of the season to date. “It was the sort of thing I would expect someone to sing at the Hilton hotel with people turning their backs eating peanuts,” he said. (It’s safe to say he is not a Franatic.) The Group Lakoda Rayne, Paula Abdul’s sole remaining group , got hammered for what Cowell called their “stupid” and “gimmicky” choreography, and he called the group’s performance of the Outfield’s “Your Love” mashed up with Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” “a complete mess.” When Reid called Cowell’s critique harsh, Cowell barked, “Watch your back” at Reid. Me-ow, you two! One finalist is due to be sent home on Thursday’s (November 17) show, which is also set to feature a live performance by Rihanna. What did you think of rock night on “The X Factor”? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: ‘X Factor’ Judges Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid
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‘X Factor’: Josh Krajcik Rocks Out On A Rocky Night
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Tagged alicia-keys, celeb news, Girls, judges, Music, News, paula-abdul, song, stacy-francis, woman
On the books, Pacman got himself another W in Vegas last night against Juan Manuel Marquez. But everyone didn’t necessarily agree with the judges on this one. In fact, most in the sold-out crowd of 16,368, as well as quite a few on press row, thought he had lost. Pacquiao took a majority decision, but seldom in boxing history has a fight this big ended with this much doubt and controversy. The gutsy, effective opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, who was given little chance and was sent off as anywhere from a 7-1 to 9-1 underdog, left the ring to raucous cheers, as he waved a huge sombrero. It was a good 15 minutes after the fight ended before the crowd stopped booing and hissing. To many, the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world was outboxed by Marquez, at 38 his senior by six years. Marquez not only stayed with Pacquiao in a heated pace for all 12 rounds, but he seemed to get the best of whatever flurries the two managed in their nonstop jiggling and dancing and feinting. Seldom before in boxing has there been a scene where a highly popular champion gets booed loudly and raucously during his post-match interview. Nobody could hear a word of what he said, and nobody seemed to care. They had seen what they had seen. Nacho Beristain, Marquez’s manager, called it “a robbery of the utmost.” It was a night in which the last thing you wanted to be was a judge. The three who will take tons of heat on this one were Robert Hoyle, Dave Moretti and Glenn Trowbridge. Hoyle had it 114-114, Moretti 115-113 and Trowbridge 116-112, both for Pacquiao. And so ended the controversial trilogy between the two. In 2004, Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round and Marquez came firing back to get a draw. That’s the last semi-blemish on Pacquiao’s record. In that one, a much-forgotten element was that one of the judges scored the three-knockdown round 10-7 for Pacquiao, rather than the almost automatic 10-6. That one point would have erased much of the talk about this matchup. In the next fight, in 2008, Pacquiao won a split decision by one point. That was controversial too, but nothing near what this one may turn out to be. Did y’all watch the fight? Who did you took it? Source
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Were You Watching: Did Manny Pacquiao Really Win That Fight Last Night??
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