According to the future ex-judge for The X Factor, his decision to leave the show was so that he could focus on his company, Epic Records, which he has been “neglecting” while working on The X Factor. In an interview with Access Hollywood, LA said that he was saddened to be leaving, “but only a little bit,” which begs the question as to if there is more to his departure than he is letting on.

The Epic Records CEO made it no secret that he was unhappy with being “stuck” with the older contestants on this season of The X Factor, even telling the singers themselves that they were his last choice.  Throughout the season, he seemed to become increasingly frustrated with the process and some of the contestants, even telling the ladies of 5^th Harmony that they should be called “5^th Unison” due to their lack harmony within their performances.

Regardless of why LA has chosen to leave the show, his expertise will be missed, but undoubtedly replaced with, hopefully someone in the business with as much experience as him and not another judge that is simply on the show for shock value.

Who do you think should replace LA Reid on The X Factor judges’ panel? Share your thoughts!

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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Last week’s first place finisher, Tate Stevens, had another good night as he stayed true to his roots with Craig Morgan’s “Bonfire” and Clay Walker’s “Fall,” which he dedicated to his wife for their 15^th anniversary. After two quality performances, Simon declared that Tate was as likely to go back to his old job as he was to fly to the moon. I think that means that Simon thinks he’s a sure thing.

Wunderkind, Carly Rose Sonenclar, who has yet to do anything but amaze, faltered a little for the first time last night when she took on two iconic song choices which made her seem, as Simon put it, “hesitant.” Last week, Carly wowed everyone with a truly unique cover of a Justin Bieber song, but this week, it seemed that risk taking was not on the agenda, as she powerhoused her way through Elton John’s “Your Song” and John Lennon’s “Imagine with less tenderness and control than she maybe should have. Hopefully, America won’t hold it against her because she really does deserve a place in the finals.

Boy band, Emblem 3 had one of their best nights, even managing to get a few words of praise from Demi Lovato. With a fairly solid performance of Peter Frampton’s “Baby I Love Your Way” and an even better performance of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” the trio managed to even coerce a bit of an overzealous compliment out of LA Reid when he stated they were “teen heartthrobs like The Beatles.” They were good last night, but not THAT good, LA.

Last up for the night was girl group, 5^th Harmony, who were determined to prove that they could, indeed, harmonize.  With what was one of their better performances to date, the girls took on Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen” and while there were harmonies to be heard, I’m not sure if they were from the girls themselves or the backup singers hiding in the background. Their second song of the night, Shontelle’s “Impossible,” did not go over as well, largely in part due to the fact that they already sang it previously in the competition. LA deemed the repeat performance “lazy,” perhaps putting the final nail in the 5^th Harmony coffin.

Tonight on The X Factor, unlike previous results shows, only one contestant will be saying goodbye to the competition. In addition, the rankings will remain a mystery as the final three head into next week’s finale.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

The post The X Factor Recap: Who Will Make it to the Finals? appeared first on TVHackr.

First up for the night was the girl who continues to hang on by a thread, CeCey Frey, with Coach Demi Lovato’s song choice, “The Edge of Glory.” While not good, it also wasn’t the worst she’s ever done, therefore putting us all at big risk for having to watch her yet another week on the show. CeCe’s second song of the night was Katy Perry’s “Part of Me,” to which she promptly butchered (Phew!).

The Over 25’s last hope for a win, Tate Stevens, had an uncharacteristically rough night with his first song, Bon Jovi’s “Livin on a Prayer,” falling a bit flat with the judges. Thankfully, America knew better than his coach, LA Reid and chose Garth Brook’s “If Tomorrow Never Comes” for his second song, which allowed him to shine and earn back some of the votes he may have lost with the first performance.

Simon Cowell’s Groups continued to hang in there with both Emblem 3 and Fifth Harmony still in the game. Emblem 3 held their own last night with a quality, if not predictable, performance of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.” For America’s song choice, they sang Alphaville’s “Forever Young” and did it justice as well. Fifth Harmony also struggled through last night with Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” a performance which LA Reid felt inclined to point out contained no harmony, and Demi Lovato’s “Give Your Heart a Break,” a song choice Mr. Cowell found annoying.

The Teens group continued to stand strong with both Diamond White and Carly Rose Sonenclar left in the running for the title. Diamond White, who has narrowly escaped elimination on more than one occasion (and actually was eliminated on another), had a good night with James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds” (how very ironic of America to choose this song). Carly Rose, as usual, went above and beyond what any of the other contestants are even capable of with her own take on Justin Bieber’s “As Long as You Love Me” and a very powerful performance of Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy.”

At this point, it is very clear who should win this competition and should someone else take the crown on finale night, it won’t be because they are genuinely the most talented. While this may seem appalling to some because it is supposed to be a talent show, the truth is, The X Factor is looking for the artist that is the most marketable and who will make the most out of a $5 million contract. Will a somewhat shy 13-year old be able to sell as many records as say, a country crooner or a boy band with a million screaming preteen fans? These are the things to consider as we move into The X Factor’s final weeks. Either way, you know my vote:  CeCe out tonight and Carly for the win.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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Starting off the night was Diamond White from the ‘Teens’ group who took on Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” in an attempt to break out of the ballad box. As she bounced around the stage and flashed her charming smile, she certainly did look as though she were having fun, which was very nice to see, however, vocally, she seemed to struggle with keeping the notes while moving around so much.  The other remaining contender from the ‘Teens’ group last night, Carly Rose Sonenclar, gave another awe inspiring performance with her rendition of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” which led the judges to continue to question if she was actually even human. At this point, it is apparent that Carly is truly a bit a prodigy and that regardless of what happens on The X Factor, she will be important to the music industry in the future.

On the other end of the age spectrum, the ‘Over 25’ group continued to try to maintain their domination of places in the top 3 with Vino Alan taking the stage first with the Righteous Brothers’ classic “You’ve Lost That Love and Feeling,” the song his coach, LA Reid, suggested he switch to at the last minute. Unfortunately for Vino, it seemed that the last minute change did not serve him well, as he seemed unpolished and a bit awkward. Tate Stevens, who came in second last week, took Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” for a spin and proved exactly why he has been at the top of the leader board repeatedly throughout the competition.

The struggling ‘Young Adults’ group was very obviously trying to push the envelope last night with Paige Thomas even giving an almost theatrical performance of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” While it seemed a bit awkward at times to me, she did look like she was having fun for the first time and the judges raved about it, making it one of her most successful performances to date. CeCe Frey, on the other hand, was a hot mess with her horribly shaky and nauseatingly flashy attempt at Patti Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” Even her runs and “improvisations” were contrived and taken directly from Christina Aguilera’s version of the song.

Simon Cowell’s Groups certainly brought everything they had to the table last night, with Fifth Harmony taking on Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger,” which seemed appropriate in light of one of the group’s members coping with the death of her grandfather. While the singing was undeniably good, the girls never moved anywhere on the stage throughout the entire song, which, with such an upbeat song, seemed very awkward. Emblem 3, on the other hand, moved all over the stage while performing the Monkees’ hit “I’m a Believer” which, in my opinion, really showed a direction they could head in and be very successful.  La Reid and Simon Cowell were both very enthusiastic about their extremely entertaining performance, while Demi just didn’t get it, a sentiment that can only be offered by someone with no appreciation for nostalgic masterpieces like that song.

Tonight, the final 8 will become 6 when two more contestants are voted off on the live results show.  While one of my picks for elimination tonight is an easy one (can we finally tell CeCe goodbye?), the other is a bit harder to nail down since we are getting to a point in the competition where it is inevitable to see genuine talent head home.  If I had to factor a guess, despite her change of pace performance, Paige Thomas may be in trouble as well.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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The X Factor said a tearful goodbye to two members of Britney Spears’ teens group when Beatrice Miller and Arin Ray were eliminated from the competition.  It wasn’t all bad news, however, for Ms. Spears on last week’s Thanksgiving episode, because her other team member, Carly Rose Sonenclar was named the top performer of the week, having earned the most number of votes from the viewers for her amazing rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

It’s beginning to become very clear that the end is approaching, with many of the remaining contestants truly beginning to show that they are standouts amongst the competition.  Simon Cowell’s Emblem 3 seems to get better each week and LA Reid’s Tate Stevens and Vino Alan have both proven to be heavy hitters in the competition. Demi Lovato’s group has struggled throughout the competition with CeCe Frey and Paige Thomas both finding themselves in the bottom two on more than one occasion. Also still in the competition are possible dark horses Diamond White and Fifth Harmony who seem to perform well each week, but just can’t strike a chord with the viewers.

Tonight, the remaining 8 contestants take the stage in order to win the votes of viewers across the country so that they might earn the chance to move on in the competition. Also on tonight’s episode of The X Factor is the premiere of Britney Spears’ new “Scream and Shout” video featuring will.i.am.

The X Factor airs tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

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The X Factor results show started off right away with a bang, wasting no time in eliminating the first of two contestants for the night. After a very long and dramatic pause that would even make Ryan Seacrest blush, Mario Lopez announced that hip hop group Lyric 145 would be heading home. While they may not have been the worst of the night (still looking at you, Cece), it was only a matter of time before they were going to be in trouble, so this elimination was less than traumatic.

After Lyric 145’s exit and a performance from Taylor Swift, we continued to learn, one by one, which contestants would be safe and which ones were still in danger. The first somewhat surprise contestant named safe was Arin Ray, who I thought for certain would be in the bottom two. Shortly after his announcement, came the biggest shocker of the night…that CeCe Frey, the singer all the judges criticized the night before, was safe. You could immediately see the remaining contestants look around now that their assumed buffer was safe for who might be the ones to go instead. In the end, it came down to Paige Thomas and Jennel Garcia in the bottom two, which seemed unjust at best since Jennel was the only one in her group who stood out on live performance night. After each girl took their turn to try to sing to save herself, the judges voted to send Jennel home, but only after Simon refused to reveal his vote until Demi chose between her two team members (to which she actually solely voted to keep Jennel), making the elimination even more awkward than usual.

Like last week, The X Factor decided to reveal the actual rankings of each of the contestants, letting them know where they stand in the pack. Not surprisingly, Arin Ray found himself near the bottom again,while Embelm 3 saw a jump to the top four just behind Vino Alan. CeCe Frey also saw herself move up the rankings scale (voters, what are you thinking?) while powerful teen sensation Diamond White fell far down to join Beatrice Miller in the bottom four. Carly Rose Sonenclar found herself in the second place spot just behind second time first place ranker, Tate Stevens. Simon Cowell’s newly formed girl group Fifth Harmony found themselves nestled safely in the middle of the rankings ladder.

Next week, the top 10 will continue to fight to stay in the competition and with last night’s surprise elimination, it is clear that no one is safe.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7 on Fox.

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When it comes to the worst group of the night (and arguably the season), Demi Lovato’s young adults hold the title. CeCe Frey, who just can’t seem to get the message that America is not a fan, tried to wow everyone with Celine Dion’s “All By Myself,” but in the end, the only one blown away was CeCe herself, by the wind machine that was pointing at her during her performance. Poor Paige Thomas tried again to take Demi’s advice and fared a little better than last week, but still didn’t evoke any strong emotions from the crowd with her attempt at Donna Summers’ “Last Dance.” In fact, the only young adult who stood out last night was Jennel Garcia, who chose to forego Demi’s advice and return back to how she was during the audition process.  Not only did she go with a slightly sexy, but spunky song choice with Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” but she even brought back her fringed shirt look that she confidently shook around as she danced.  I hate to say it because I think Demi Lovato is a sweet girl, but is it possible that the same people who are styling her new Groucho Marx-esque eyebrows are the same people offering advice for the styles of these poor contestants in this group? Take a page from Jenell’s book, Demi and ditch the new stylists and go back to your audition look as well…it was way cuter.

The teens continued to look like heavy front runners last night with Diamond White determined to prove to everyone why she was brought back into the competition with her powerful rendition of Beyonce’s “Halo.” Perhaps the biggest standout of the entire night, however, was Carly Rose Sonenclar with a performance of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” that left Simon asking her If she was even human. This girl has some serious singing chops and even if she doesn’t win the competition, which L.A. predicted she might, we will be seeing her for a long time to come. Beatrice Miller, on the other hand, is also a victim of her coaches inability to get a handle on what  would be best for her because, while she sang Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” beautifully, it was so slowed down and boring that it was hard to even remember her youthfulness, much less her likability. Arin Ray, suffers from the opposite problem in which Britney has a bit too much confidence in him, assigning him Madonna’s “Crazy For You” to take on, which only proved that he just isn’t a standout at this point in the game.

Simon Cowell’s groups were two for three last night with Emblem 3 nailing a perfectly harmonized rendition of Alicia Keyes’ “No One” and girl group, Fifth Harmony, impressing the judges with Mariah Carey’s classic, “Hero.” The only group up in the air last night for Mr. Cowell was the wannabe hip-hoppers Lyric 145, who, while I get that the whole hip hop vibe and appreciate the mash-up of “ET” and “We Will Rock You” (I watch Glee, I know about mash-ups), just don’t seem to work for me because it really sounds like they are talking over each other the whole time instead of performing together. While Simon would disagree with my diagnosis, L.A. apparently would not; as he criticized the group and even warned that they may be at risk for elimination in tonight’s show.

With only two contestants left in the over 25 group, L.A. has to focus hard on the last two standing if he is to pull off a win this season. Lucky for him, his two remaining contestants, Tate Stevens and Vino Alan, were both ranked in the top 4 last week, with Tate being on top.  Last night, Tate took on Shania Twain’s “From This Moment” and managed to top his own performance from the week before. Vino, on the other hand, may not have been as good as the week before with a gritty rendition of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” but his performance was still amongst some of the best of the night.

Tonight, the contestants will learn their fates as we find out who will be staying and who will be going home.  If America stays consistent and votes for the best performances of the night, we should be seeing a bottom two filled with CeCe Frey and Arin Ray, to which I think the judges will send CeCe home, but with a fickle viewing audience anything could happen.  Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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Making the results show a bit more interesting than usual was the fact that The X Factor decided to share with the judges and all of America just how the contestants ranked amongst voters.  This proved to be a definite eye opener for, not only the singers themselves, but their coaches as well, as contestants who thought themselves to be front runners found that they were, in reality, sitting in the middle of the pack. One such act that surprised Simon Cowell, and very little seems to surprise him, was Emblem 3 with the fact that they didn’t rank high at all amongst the competition.

In an ironic twist of fate, Diamond White, who was eliminated by Britney Spears the week before only to be invited back, found herself in the top four, while Arin Ray, the boy who she lost out to, was ranked way at the bottom in 11^th place.  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night, however, was that country boy Tate Stevens led the pack, a fact that not even his coach, LA Reid, expected.

Tonight, the top 12 contestants will perform and while some will hope to hold their places in the lead, others will try to shake them up and climb the rankings ladder. One thing is for certain; however, all the contestants will be fighting to stay in the competition for a chance to be the next winner of The X Factor.

The X Factor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on Fox.

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