FOX day at the Television Critics Association tour in Beverly Hills wrapped up today with an X Factor Panel.
Judges Demi Lovato, Paulina Rubio, Kelly Rowland and Simon Cowell were on hand to answer questions.
Of course, everyone wanted dish on Simon’s latest scandal. Is he or is he not going to be a daddy? Did he really impregnate his best friend’s wife?
“I appreciate the question,” Simon told the crowd, “Unfortunately I have to keep this, for the moment, private. it’s just one of those things.” No dish for us!
As far as X Factor is concerned, here are some key bits that came out of the session:
- Simon called the 5 million dollar prize “A little too much.” It’s been reduced to a million plus a record contract with Sony.
- Boot Camp and Judges Home rounds ARE NO MORE. We love the audition shows and we love the live shows, but we felt like the middle bit took too long, so we’re doing a brand new thing in the middle that will involve all the judges,” EP AndrewLlinares told Entertainment Tonight.
- The new middle stage will still whittle down the contestant pool to 4 persons per judges. “”It’s about focusing on the contestants so we don’t lose people in these huge eliminations,” Llinares said.
- The X Factor will return to its original categories for Season 3: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups. (Last season, it was Teens, Adults, Over 25s, Groups)
- The judges learned who they will mentor just yesterday.
- When asked if he’d return to American Idol if the X Factor was cancelled, Simon said he couldn’t imagine either scenario.
- Simon doesn’t believe a singing competition can survive without creating stars. “You’re making a promise to the artists. It’s not a guarantee, but I take this responsibility the most seriously. It’s not what happens inside the competition, but outside the competition that matters.” Hm.
- Simon has high hopes for Season 2 alums, Emblem3. He expects their just released album, Nothing to Lose to land in the Top 10 next week.
- When asked when he realized last season that the panel wasn’t working, Simon answered, “Day one.”
