At long last, we finally get our first sneak peek at “The X Factor“. Fox unveiled the promo during the 2011 All-Star Game. At first glance, the video looks rather boring and uninspired. Then you realize, Simon Cowell is brilliantly poking fun at “American Idol” and the countless awful renditions of classic songs.

A young girl comes in front of the four judges- Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, L.A. Reid and Cowell- and performs “Tomorrow“. They all compliment her on her spirit and play nice with each other. Suddenly, Simon wakes up from this horrible dream. He then proceeds to jump into a hot sports car while “Live and Let Die” plays in the background. It’s all very James Bond’ish.

But the most revealing part of the clip is the judges’ interactions with each other. One of them throws something at another judge. DRAMA. Just in case you were wondering, Cheryl Cole doesn’t make an appearance in the clip. That being said, we see all four judges and host Steve Jones together for the first time as they walk in slow motion. Oh yeah, we finally see the first glimpses of the live auditions as well. Check it out below.

watch the video promo after the jump

Matt Cardle may have won “The X Factor’s” 7th series, but a couple of acts from that same year are looking to become the biggest thing to come out of that competition. Girl group Belle Amie who placed 7th just premiered their new music video, while boy man band The Reason 4 recently released theirs as well. The latter didn’t even make the live shows and were eliminated at the judges’ house. So which of the two former X Factor hopefuls has the better offering?

First up are the lovely ladies of Belle Amie. When they competed on the British reality show, they were a four-member group. Geneva Lane left, leaving Rebecca Creighton, Esther Campbell and Sophia Wardman left to fend for themselves. Their debut “Girls Up” is a catchy girl power song with a tinge of R&B. The accompanying music video reminds me of N Sync’s “It’s Gonna Be Me” meets Nicki Minaj. The three ladies step out of their doll boxes and perform some signature PCD choreography. In other words… I like it a lot.

When competing on the show, Glenn Vine, Scott White, Marc Higgins and Nathan Rawlings competed as The Reason. For some reason or another, they altered it to The Reason 4. Interesting… This self-proclaimed man band look more like a bunch of gay-for-pay porn stars than a singing group. I guess that can be taken as a compliment. The boys are avid supporters of the gay community. Pretty smart move, if you ask me. The gays love a pretty package. They’ve performed at numerous gay bars in England and showed off their bodies on photo spreads in gay mags, Attitude and Boyz. For their latest single, The Reason 4 covered Hoobastank’s hit, “The Reason“. I’m not sure what “the reason” was, but whatevs. Check out their cover below.

watch both music videos after the jump

When news first hit the net that Cheryl Cole had been replaced on the US version of X Factor by former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, rumors spread like wildfire that either head judge Simon Cowell had fired her OR that Nicole had pulled a bit of a diva attitude and convinced FOX execs that she would be a better fit the show. Well, it looks like all fingers are officially pointing to Simon who admitted to The Sun in the UK that he indeed was behind her release.

“The feeling was that she was slightly out of her comfort zone in America. The intention was to do it quietly and say to her she had an option to rejoin the UK show. … At the end of the day we were saying, ‘Move to another show for even more money’. There was an offer of around £2.5 million on the table including bonuses. How is that [firing] someone?”

It looks like that conversation never went well. After Cheryl and her manager, Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am decided to stop taking phone calls from TV executives to discuss her future endeavors, the UK line up of judges was announced for X Factor and with much surprise to many of us, Cheryl’s coveted spot was filled by Kelly Rowland.

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It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Cheryl Cole. First, the British singer was booted from the US version of “The X-Factor” in favor of Nicole Scherzinger. Many speculated that she would return back to the original British show to take her rightful place back on the panel, but alas she’s lost out to another American singer. This time it’s none other than Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland. That being said, reports say that Cole was offered her old job back but didn’t respond before the deadline. I’m thinking she’s probably bitter about being fired from the US version. Who can blame her? Here’s what my girl, Rowland said about her new gig.

“I am so excited to join The X Factor UK and be able to spend time in one of my favourite places in the world. The music coming out of the UK right now is incredible with artists like Adele, Jessie J and James Blake, so I’m confident this season of The X Factor will give me opportunity to hear a few diamonds in the rough. Being a judge is never easy, but I promise to be as sternly honest as I can and also encourage everyone who crosses the stage. I can’t wait to meet the world’s next superstar!” – Kelly Rowland

Hopefully Kelly will do a great job on the judging panel. Last time Rowland was responsible for giving constructive criticism, she didn’t do all that well. For the inaugural season of Bravo’s Project Runway replacement, “The Fashion Show“, Kelly was tapped to co-host the show along with sit on the judging panel. I love Rowland, but she had no business giving design advice. From what I heard, the designers never respected her feedback. That along with other factors probably lead to her being replaced by the fabulous Iman for the design show’s second season. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, Kelly shows a bit more edge and serves up some serious opinions this time around.

check out the other judges after the jump

This week, I wrote about X Factor judge Cheryl Cole’s desire for fame in America. Well, it may look like her desperation was for a good cause. It seems as though the question being asked often, “who is Cheryl Cole?” may have cost her her judging position on the new FOX fall series.

Even though Cheryl is a famed singer and judge of X Factor in the UK, her star hasn’t found a way to shine very brightly in America. TMZ broke the story but very few details seem to be available. I’m sure that as the story develops, so will the specifics. So if Cheryl is out, then who is in? Apparently, Nicole Scherzinger was set to co-host the show is ready to fill in the void.

Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid are still set to be in their spots without change as they continue to film auditions in Los Angeles. Nicole does have experience in the matter. She is one of the permanent judges on NBC’s The Sing-Off and even subbed in for Cheryl Cole on the UK X Factor before.

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What’s the cost of fame and fortune? According to FOX, your boyfriend and few minor tweeks to make you absolutely ready. So who’s about to pay the price? Possibly X Factor judge Cheryl Cole and her boyfriend Derek Hough. The two have been together for a while and Derek has stood by Cheryl’s side through some of her toughest battles, but will all of that become irrelevant for the want to be famous in America?

According to The Mirror, FOX executives have bluntly told Cheryl Cole that she will have better success and fame in the US if she breaks up with Dancing With the Stars pro. A source close to FOX is saying that this break up will probably be the best for Cheryl. “Derek may be dreaming of worldwide stardom but he’s seen as a small-time dancer on a TV show… and pretty uncool. TV executives are thinking that if she’s going to win over Hollywood, she’d be better off doing it as a sassy and single girl-about-town.”

FOX is telling Cheryl that being single will do wonders for her image and that there will be a ton of guys in LA that will be knocking at her door to get a date with the UK import. A friend of Cheryl says that she is torn by the whole situation but is toying with the fact that it may be nice to have a fresh start in America. Oh boy.

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Today was Fox’s turn to unveil its 2011-2012 schedule at this year’s upfronts presentation. The upcoming season is a huge one for Fox. Not only are two highly anticipated series finally making it on air (Terra Nova and X Factor), but the network is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It’ll commemorate this milestone with a star-studded retrospective special airing on Sunday April 1. It’ll feature Fox’s biggest stars from both past and present paying homage to the network.

Overall, Fox picked up nine new shows. Five of which will premiere in the fall, while the remaining four will debut midseason. Obviously with new shows coming in, room has to be made to accommodate the brand new shiny hopefuls. Gone are “The Chicago Code,” “Lie to Me,” “Breaking In,” “Traffic Light,” “Human Target.”, “Running Wilde”, “Lone Star”, “The Good Guys” and “America’s Most Wanted“. None of them are too surprising with exception to the latter.

The criminal catching series has been on the network since 1988 and still garners over 5 million viewers on Saturday. Pretty impressive for a dead television night. However, with the production costs increasing, producing the show no longer became viable and thereby canceled. That said, the show will return with four specials throughout next season. With over 1000 episodes and equally as many captures underneath its belt, it’s ironic the long running show won’t make it to FOX’s 25th milestone year.

check out the new shows after the jump

Reunited, and it feels so good. Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul will be together again on US television. After months of rumors, speculation and numerous names swirling around, the judges of the US edition of “The X-Factor” were finally confirmed. Antonio L.A. Reid was the first to join, then came Cheryl Cole’s confirmation last week. Just hours before the show’s filming start date, the fourth judge was revealed at last. It was none other than the sweet, often times incoherent, former American Idol judge Paula Abdul.

All four judges showed up Sunday at the Galen Center in Los Angeles to listen to the first round of auditions. Everyone dressed up for the occasion, with exception to Cowell who showed up in his signature look- t-shirt and jeans. Both ladies looked stunning in purple, which is the Homorazzi’s favorite color (obviously). I think Cheryl Cole is going to be a huge US fashion icon. She was simply gorgeous in those purple Diane von Furtstenberg pants and Oscar de la Renta top, accessorized with a wide turquoise belt.

find out who the co-hosts are after the jump