Beyonce Knowles joined Alexandra Burke onstage to sing her hit single 'Listen.' Burke, clearly blown over by the opportunity to sing with one of her idols, gave an outstanding performance. This performance was a dream come true for the 20-year-old from London.

You are really good.' Solomon came in third in the contest.īeyonce Knowles and Alexandra Burke duet 2008 Cowell's expression transformed as she broke out a goose-bump inducing version of Louis Armstrong's 'It's a Wonderful World.' Cowell mouthed 'Oh my God' at the camera and later told the singer, 'Stacey, I am rarely surprised, but that took me by surprise. 'Sometimes my mum does,' she chuckled back and then began to sing. Cowell asked her who told her she was good. Stacey Solomon, 19, arrived onstage in teeny hot pants with a shy giggly manner. Their dancing, which is better than singing, is reminiscent of a drunken Backstreet Boys routine.Ĭowell called them 'deluded' and said he was praying they wouldn't win this year's 'X Factor'. John and Edward Grimes (AKA Jedward), twins from Dublin, dressed in matching red leather jackets bopped and screeched their way to stardom with their rendition of Britney Spears' 'Oops I did it again.' Out of key and out of step they inserted a few lines from the Titanic into this routine presumably for comedic, or distraction, value. Here, ABC News rounds up some of the Xtra-ordinary moments. This open door policy has led to some spectacularly bad performances and some stunners. As Cowell himself has said the likes of the now globally popular, Susan Boyle could apply. Rumours are circulating that Jayzee is jostling to be a judge on the Stateside show and Cowell has hinted he may be reunited with Abdul.īut unlike 'Idol' which has a maximum age of 28 for contestants, the 'X Factor' welcomes people from all ages. have included Paula Abdul, Cowell's former celebrity sidekick in American Idol and reality television favorite Sharon Osborne. Each group is mentored by one of the judges who fight to promote their candidate.

The final 12 are divided into categories - boys, girls, groups and over 25s. The judges narrow down the contestants in the initial phases, hundreds of thousands are whittled down until the public is given the vote and ultimately decides the winner. Cowell is his typical candid, some might say cutting, self. Auditions are held in front of an auditorium of family, friends and 'X Factor' fans. currently consists of Cowell, Dannii Minogue (sister to Kylie), British pop star Cheryl Cole, and Louis Walsh, pop producer and promoter extraordinaire. At times the 'X Factor' has attracted 19 million viewers taking as much as 60 percent of the overall audience. The formula for the 'X Factor', while similar to 'Idol,' is a consistent winner in the U.K. With its mix of shockingly good and bad contestants, the 'X Factor' has been wowing British viewers since 2004 and has churned out a variety of pop stars, the most successful of which is Leona Lewis. Cowell is going to launch a new talent show, the 'X Factor', which will also appear on Fox.

While Cowell may be leaving 'Idol' Denzel and others need not fear as the acerbic Brit, whom everyone loves to hate, is not leaving U.S. The actor's somewhat panicked response summed up how many felt upon hearing that Simon Cowell is leaving 'American Idol.' 'How are you going to have the show without him? Who's going to insult people?' 14, 2010— - 'What!' Denzel Washington exclaimed to a reporter when he heard the news.

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