Check Out The First Trailer For X Factor USA

Simon Cowell is officially back in action and has definitely overshadowed the Cheryl Cole scandal.

Watch the debut teaser trailer for the X Factor USA, it is exactly what I expected:

Simon Cowell & Paula Abdul On 'X Factor' World Premiere

The X Factor, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, and LA Reid. The singing competition, which premieres Wednesday, Sept. 21, on Fox, will be hosted by British TV personality Steve Jones. After many months of speculation, confirms Simon Cowell that he's picked Paula Abdul to be one of the judges, when "X-Factor" premiered in the U.S this fall."Let's face it, is a

Read Simon Cowell's Full Statement On Sacking Cheryl Cole

"I am sorry"

I have to say, I'm glad Simon Cowell has spoken out about the situation.

At the end of the day he is a businessman, one of the most powerful business men in the world, and Miss Cheryl Cole is in a huff just because she didn't get her way!

Here's the full (extremely long) statement:

“When she turned down the UK show, we got back in touch and said, well she is still under contract with the US show so we invited her back. Her position was still there. We had some heated conversations with her US manager Will.i.am and he inferred this wasn’t a genuine offer. They thought that if she didn’t turn up on Wednesday then we wouldn’t pay her. "

"We made it clear that she was always going to be paid in full. We got to the point on Saturday when we genuinely thought she was going to accept the offer but again neither she nor they returned any calls. So we’ve announced Nicole. Knowing Cheryl like I know her, we noticed she was quieter than normal, looked a bit uncomfortable but I put some of this down to nerves. The overall feeling was that she was slightly out her comfort zone in America, compared to what she was in the UK. If she had accepted my original offer, she would have made a sensational return and would have understood she was more comfortable in the UK than the US."

"I apologize that all this has become public and I understand the stress she is under, and I hate that. But we have all been under a lot of stress. When things like this happen I look at the contestant, they must think this is crazy. All the attention is on us. I am sorry this has caused so much anguish and embarrassment, but I stand by what I believe was the right intention. And I would say that to her face right now. I had a text from her last Wednesday. She said she felt let down but at the time she understood that it was a professional decision. I replied saying this was never personal or saying you were terrible."

"It wasn’t that she was terrible – she was good – I just thought she’d be happier in the UK. After the year she’d had with Ashley and the whole malaria thing, you either shut it down and go for it or you have to be with your friends and family to deal with it. A hundred per cent I have to take full responsibilty because I do have a lot of sway."

"We are close friends. I still hope we are but sometimes when you’re that close, when you’re making these decisions with someone’s life you have to be certain. I stand by what I said to her. I hope we’re still close friends. I’m sure if she was here now there would be a frank discussion, but will I work with her again? Definitely. She’s a star. "

"The intention was to do it quietly and simply say to her that you have an option to rejoin the UK show. We were saying move to another show for even more money. There was offer of around £2.5million on the table including bonuses. So how is that sacking someone? If that’s being horrible to someone then I would be quite happy with someone doing that to me."

"She was certainly interested as we exchanged a few texts and she asked if she could have my dressing room at the studio and I said ‘of course.' Her management even asked for a legal waiver to her contract with the US show allowing her to open discussions with ITV. So we genuinely thought it was going to happen. But the big condition was that it was to be kept under wraps and she would make a big entrance last week at the Birmingham auditions and everyone would have loved it. But when the story got out, it changed everything."

"There was no more communication and we had set a deadline of Sunday, giving her six days to make a decision. That passed and we still had not heard anything. So we announced our UK judges. I genuinely thought she could return to the UK show and be triumphant. Louis knows. He was actually fired but then he came back to a triumphant return. She would have made a sensational return and would have understood she was more comfortable in the UK than she would be in the US."

"It was never vindictive It wasn’t personal. It was meant with best intentions. I was always going to honour the contract. I apologize it’s been made public.”

Well in fairness, I really feel sorry for Simon, he only has to explain himself because she's 'Britain's Sweetheart'. She really should have just taken the offer to return to the UK and swallowed some pride.

She will definitely regret this decision, I think she's a nobody without the X Factor. Simon made her who she is right now, and she should be thankful.

Fox Announce Nicole Scherzinger As New X Factor Judge!

Finally this whole ordeal has been settled!

Despite reports that Cheryl Cole had been offered to return to the US X Factor, bosses at FOX have named Nicole Scherzinger as the new judge.

Apparently Cheryl was offered her job back by Simon Cowell but she refused, and has instead been released from her contract and been paid the full amount she was supposed to make, £1.2 million.

In a statement, FOX wrote:

"Nicole Scherzinger will be replacing Cheryl Cole on the judging panel of The X Factor. Nicole will join Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid and Paula Abdul on their search across America to find the next global superstar or group to win the life-changing $5 million dollar recording deal."

Fox also mentioned the fact that Nicole has already worked on the show as a guest judge while in the UK:

"Nicole has previously joined Simon Cowell as a guest judge on The X Factor for the UK version of the show in 2010. Steve Jones will act as sole host of The X Factor."

They were one big happy family just a few weeks ago.

Despite all the rumours of Cheryl's return I knew this was going to happen, Nicole's appearance on the Britain's Got Talent final was no coincidence.

Meanwhile I don't think Cheryl will be too happy with the replacement. Even when Nicole appeared on the UK X Factor last year, reports said that Cheryl hated the former Pussycat Doll.

As well as apparently slamming Nicole for her singing skills, the songstress also was rumoured to be dating Cheryl's boyfriend Derek Hough, when they won Dancing With The Stars last year.

But Nicole dismissed the rumours this week, saying:

"There was a rumour of a feud between me and Cheryl, which is totally untrue. I also think you have to remember that The X Factor isn't about the judges; it's about those people out there with their dreams, and to be part of their journey makes me feel very humble."

EXCLUSIVE: Cheryl Cole Back On The US X Factor!!

Got cha!!

It looks like it was just a publicity stunt all along.

The News of the World are reporting today that Cheryl Cole is going back to the US to revise her role as judge. Despite being axed from the biggest gig in showbiz, sources say that Simon has done a U-Turn and decided to bring her back to the states.

According to showbiz editor Dan Wooton, the singer will be taking part in the next round of auditions, in New Jersey this Wednesday.

Apparently Simon decided to stand up for the Geordie, and has persuaded FOX bosses that she is the perfect woman for the job. An insider told the paper that Simon has been on Cheryl's side this whole time:

 "This is the biggest surprise of the lot - Cheryl is back. Who could possibly have predicted this - it appeared that Simon had dumped Cheryl for good? But behind the scenes Simon has been wooing Cheryl. And key executives at Fox all realised they had made a big mistake. They have been watching the tapes of her at the American auditions and realising that she could be a huge star over there."

Nicole has NEVER confirmed her 'new judging role'.

Last night a source inside the Cowell camp said:

"We have offered Cheryl a second chance and she might still come back to US X Factor. Fox have been re-examining the situation and have had a change of heart. After the debacle with the UK judging panel we have started negotiating with Cheryl’s camp and the ball is now in her court."

The one thing we all have to remember here is that this story of Cheryl being fired from the X Factor has NEVER been confirmed by ANYONE. It was also never confirmed that Nicole Sherzinger would be taking her spot.

In my opinion this entire scenario has been one big publicity stunt, and hats off to Simon Cowell, because it has definitely worked.

Cheryl Cole To Be Paid To Keep Her Mouth Shut?

What is it with gagging orders these days!

Cheryl Cole has reportedly been offered a £1.2million deal if she keeps mum about her axe from The US X Factor.

If the singer accepts the deal she woud then be paid her entire fee for the talent series, but for just four days! Meaning that she got paid around £25,000 per hour.

But in return the singer must not speak negatively about the show or Simon Cowell in the press. Sources close to the show said today that Cheryl may take the deal:

"Cheryl is going to be paid off if things go to plan. The last thing we need is someone with an axe to grind saying bad things about the show before it even starts. We hope a simple statement can be released next week and that will be the end of it. It's is an incredible amount of money for four days' work, but this is a multi-million dollar show with so much invested, it will be worth it. If she takes the money she is effectively agreeing to a gag."

I think she should take the deal! Cheryl's audition tapes will also be aired on FOX, so I see it as a win, win situation really. That's an awful lot of money!

Cheryl Cole "Shocked" And Headed Back To UK Tomorrow

Cheryl's US dreams have been crushed

Has her American dream already come to a tragic end?

I reprted last night that Cheryl Cole had been dropped but the US X Factor in favour of co-host Nicole Sherzinger, as audiences struggled to understand her thick Geordie accent.

Now a source tells The Sun newspaper that the 27-year-old star had no idea she was getting dumped by Fox producers: "She never saw it coming" an insider has claimed.

But sources close to Simon Cowell have suggested that Cheryl was fully aware her performance wasn't up to scratch on the show. Saying that TV executives were "concerned about her performance".

"Cheryl can hardly say this was a total shock. She actually knew about it three days ago. Simon told her in person at his house that it wasn't working and that he was under so much pressure to release her. She knows she has been nervous in her performances and TV execs were privately concerned."

Now it looks like the 'Promise This' singer is leaving L.A completely to return embarrassingly to the UK. Although Cheryl had begun to launch a music career in the states, with Will.I.Am as her manager, sources say she is moving straight back to London.

Cheryl looked happy in front of US press

Why would she do that you ask? Well apparently the former Girls Aloud star has been offered double to take back her position on the UK version of the X Factor, meaning N Dubz star Tulisa is out, and Cheryl and Kelly Rowland are in.

And she won't just be a simple judge, no, according to her mother, she will be Simon's replacement, making her the head judge. Apparently her mother told friends:

"Cheryl has been paid off to come back to the UK to sort out the show. Simon told her Tulisa just wasn't strong enough. The deal is she will be seen as the head judge, even above Gary Barlow."

People are already starting to spread rumours that Simon wanted Nicole Sherzinger as judge all along, and that bringing on Cheryl on board only to drop her was a big publicity stunt for the show. If  that is true at least it still got the Geordie singer in the headlines!

Meanwhile, Will.I.Am, has already organized Cheryl to duet with the likes of Rihanna and Usher, but who knows if any of that will go ahead now...

Gary Barlow To Replace Simon Cowell On X Factor?

Hmmm... I would much prefer Robbie Williams to take on this role.

According to reports Take That memeber Gary Barlow is set to take over from Simon Cowell on the X Factor. Apparently the singer-songwriter is "favourite" for the top judging role since 51-year-old Simon announced he would be ditching the show to launch the new US version.

An insider said Barlow is a shoe in:

"Gary is our favourite for the job. We are in discussions and we should have something to announce in the next couple of weeks."

Gary has appeared on the hit talent show as a mentor on a few occasions previously appeared as a mentor on the show, and apparently Simon was impressed:

"What Gary and Simon both have is an innate understanding of the music industry and what you need to succeed - that determination. Gary would be a great judge."

I really think Robbie would be better, who's with me?

Simon Cowell Says Cheryl Cole Is On US X Factor!

It really looks like she's grabbed her seat on the most sought after judging panel in the showbiz industry.

I reported last week that confirmed judge L.A Reid let it slip that Simon Cowell had already chosen Cheryl Cole to be on the US version of the X Factor, and now it looks like Simon has let it slip too!

Watch this interview closely, and see how Simon reacts when asked if Cheryl will be a judge:

Cheryl Cole WILL Be On The Us X Factor!

This is so confusing, every day there is a different report! But according to new US X Factor judge LA Reid, Cheryl Cole is on the judging panel!

While at The Kids' Choice Awards in LA on Saturday, L.A. he said Cheryl will be a judge:

"We're gonna compete against 'American Idol', which is just fine. I'm very confident. But along with Simon Cowell and Cheryl, I don't know who the other judge is. He believes Cheryl has that rare ability to connect with viewers that few others have. Even though she is still relatively unknown, Simon told Fox TV executives that Cheryl will prove an instant success with viewers when the series begins."

Wow, Simon Cowell has a lot riding on this. If Cheryl bombs (which I honestly think she will) then FOX will not be happy! Meanwhile there are also reports that if Cheryl fails she will be on the UK version again. Sources say if she accepts the offer she will be earning double what she earned last year, making her the highest paid woman on UK television!

Cheryl Cole Will Not Be On The US X Factor!

"Sorry love, you're out!"

It looks like Cheryl Cole has finally got her answer, she's not here to stay in L.A!

Simon Cowell has dashed Cheryl's hopes and announced that there will only be American judges on the panel of the US X Factor, as one British judge is enough! The 'Promise This' singer was supposed to be joining the music mogul, but it looks like being a Geordie has prevented her from reaching her dreams of US stardom.

Simon told press the new show will be judged by and for Americans only:

"I have to make sure we have a lot of Americans working on the show to begin with. I've got to have people on the panel with me who can judge American talent because I'm 51-years-old, I'm British and we've got people as young as 14 entering this competition. This is an American competition for American contestants."

So that's it for Cheryl, she'll be flying back to the UK soon and taking her seat back at the original X Factor panel. Although I have suspicions that she'll be releasing her music state side in hopes to be on the US panel next year.

What do you think?

Simon Cowell Announces New X Factor Judge!

Well this choice came out of nowhere!

After months of speculation, Simon Cowell has officially chosen the second member of The US X Factor's judging panel, and it's the former Chairman of Def Jam records, Antonio "L.A." Reid! (WTF).

Yes so it is not in fact Usher, who we all were hoping for, the second man is indeed someone who knows the industry inside out! So who else will be doing the music mogul duo? Well of course Cheryl Cole's name has been thrown around (but that's probably not going to happen). The three main women up for the two female roles are currently Paula Abdul, Jessica Simpson and Nicole Sherzinger. I'm guessing Paula and Jessica will make the cut!


Although Simon led us on to believe that Usher would be joinig him, he says he wanted "L.A" Reid all along:

"L.A. was my number one choice to sit alongside me on the show. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest ever music executives and of course a fantastic writer and producer. I am thrilled he has agreed to join the show, and for any artist auditioning, they know they have the chance to meet a true star-maker."

So who is L.A and what has he done? Well he's helped launch the careers of Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and many more. Get this, 33 of his hits have reached no.1! So he'll definitely know what he's talking about! LA said that he can't wait to start his new role:

"I am proud to stand next to my dear friend Simon, one of the world’s most gifted and charismatic talent magnets. The X Factor provides an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring artists of every age and genre to showcase their unique talents. I truly look forward to discovering our next generation of superstars."

The US version seems to be a little different to the UK version. Solo acts and groups aged over 12 can enter and there is no age limit! On top of that the winning act will receive a $5 million recording contract from Cowell's own label Syco and will merge with Sony Music.

This time next year, someone's life will have completely changed!

Photo via USMagazine.com