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 S
ony Music.
This time next year, someone's life will have completely changed!
