Frankie Cocozza lands Celebrity Big Brother spot

December 8, 2011 By Dez Rowley
frankie-cocozza

Axed X Factor contestant, Frankie Cocozza, is attempting to cling onto his new found fame by signing up for a stint on the new series of Celebrity Big Brother. The 19-year-old was dramatically dropped from the singing competition last month amid allegations of drug use.

According to a report in the tabloid newspaper, The Sun, Frankie looks set to pick up a five figure sum, rumoured to be in the region of £30,000, for agreeing to appear on the celebrity edition of the reality TV show which starts in the New Year.

The reports goes onto claim that the singer from Brighton secured his place in this year’s line up for Celebrity Big Brother after promising the show bosses that he’d have sex in the house, which will no doubt help to boost ratings on the Channel 5 show.

While the 19-year-old party lover may not be an A-list celebrity, he has become notorious for his partying antics during his time on the X Factor this year and is well known by the viewing public in the UK and likely to bring some controversy to the Big Brother house.

Amelia Lily was voted back into the X Factor after Frankie’s axing from the show and is now facing Little Mix and Marcus Collins in the live final this weekend. ITV2 Xtra Factor host and former contestant Olly Murs has said that he thinks it would be a shame if Frankie Cocozza isn’t allowed back to the final this week to perform with this year’s contestants, however show bosses will decided by the end of the week whether or not the hell-raiser will be permitted to take part in the final show.

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X Factor hit by fix claims after Amelia Lily’s winner’s single available to pre-order

December 7, 2011 By Carl Wheeler
amelia-lily

The X Factor has been hit with claims of a fix after Amelia Lily’s winner’s single was made available for pre-order temporarily yesterday, despite the final not having taken place.

The 17-year-old is in the running to win the title of X Factor Winner 2011 along with girl band Little Mix and hairdresser Marcus Collins, however although all three of the remaining contestants have recorded their winner’s single, only Amelia Lily’s track was made available for pre-order through the HMV website prompting suggestions that the winner of the show may have already been decided.

However HMV have been quick to quash the rumours, describing how the website encountered a technical issue while uploading the singles available for ore-order which meant that only Amelia Lily’s single details were displayed although all of the winner’s singles, including those for both Little Mix and Marcus Collins, were due to be posted online for pre-order. The music store said it was a genuine slip up and that the incident does not signal that HMV has any insider knowledge on who will win the competition.

All three of the winner’s singles will now be made available for customers to pre-order via the HMV website, although only the orders for the actual eventual winner’s track will be processed once the winner is announced following this weekend’s grand final.

Amelia Lily’s inclusion in the final three of the competition has proved controversial previously as she was originally eliminated in the first week of the singing competition by her own mentor Kelly Rowland, but re-entered the show halfway through after Frankie Cocozza was axed for breaking the rules.

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Rihanna hangs onto number one spot in UK singles chart

November 21, 2011 By Trudi Johnson
rihanna-2011

Rihanna clung onto the number one spot on the UK singles chart yesterday and celebrated with an energetic performance of her hit single on the X Factor results show.

The pop star gave a lively performance of her number one single, We Found Love, featuring Calvin Harris which hasn’t been out of the top three since its release on September 22nd. The track is the lead single off the Barbadian singer’s forthcoming new album Talk That Talk.

As is often the case with Rihanna, controversy is something the singer seems to court. While previous performances on the X Factor from Rihanna have prompted criticism due to her risqué choice of outfit, last night’s tartan dress saw her cover up more so than on previous outings on the show, however it was her choice of footwear which was making the headlines in this morning’s papers.

While to the millions of viewers watching from home, Rihanna’s footwear would have gone unnoticed, but some eagle-eyed studio audience members noticed that the singer’s trainers had some rude words scrawled in tippex, mostly notably the words “F*** off” branded on her shoes close to the base of the trainer.

As well as the naughty shoes, Rihanna also prompted a lot of noise on twitter over her badly disguised miming during parts of her performance on the X Factor. Did you see Rihanna singing We Found Love on last night’s show? Let us know your thoughts on the miming and those trainers!

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X Factor’s Rebecca Ferguson announces tour dates

November 18, 2011 By Trudi Johnson
rebecca-ferguson

X Factor runner up, Rebecca Ferguson, has today unveiled a 14 date tour which will see her perform across the UK during February and March next year. The UK tour will support the Liverpudlian singer’s debut album release, Heaven.

Rebecca Ferguson’s tour will start in Manchester in February before playing 14 dates throughout the country, finishing up in London in mid March.

The 25-year-old singer will also return to the stage that launched her career this weekend when she performs the first single release from her new album, Nothing’s Real But Love, on the result show on Sunday evening. The debut single is due to get its release next week, with this weekend’s performance timed to support the track as it hits the shops.

The mother-of-two has been speaking about the process of creating her first ever album saying she insisted that she be involved in writing her own songs. Rebecca described how she sat down with her record label Sony and argued that for her to be seen as a credible artist, she needed to write her on material, and so the singer has been busy writing and recording for the album, Heaven, over the last year. The finished article is due for release on December 5th.

As well as the tour announcement and the first live performance of her new single on this weekend’s X Factor, Rebecca has also released two videos of her performing new tracks, Shoulder to Shoulder and Fairytale, both of which are available to view online now.

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New X Factor judging panel confirmed by ITV

May 31, 2011 By Carl Wheeler
x-factor

The new look judging panel for this year’s X Factor has been confirmed in an announcement on Twitter by ITV, and there’s no room for the one time golden girl of the hit talent show, Cheryl Cole.

Many believed the Girls Aloud singer would rejoin the judging panel after being ditched by the US version of the show last week amid fears American viewers wouldn’t understand her Geordie accent. However there was no mention of the 27-year-old on this morning’s announcement by the TV channel.

So Cheryl Cole is out, as is Dannii Minogue and Simon Cowell who has bowed out to concentrate on the American X Factor. On the flip side, Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland is in, as is N Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos and Gary Barlow who have all been confirmed as the judges on this year’s X Factor. Louis Walsh has survived the chop and is the only remaining judge from last year’s panel.

It’s been reported that Cheryl Cole was given the opportunity to return to the UK version of the X Factor, but that she failed to respond to offer before the deadline set by TV bosses. There’s been no word as to whether the Fight for this Love singer will be making an appearance on this year’s show in a non-judging capacity.

The auditions for this year’s show are due to start this Wednesday in Birmingham followed by auditions in Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff, London and Liverpool.

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Simon Cowell hires a fleet of limos to transport guests to his 50th birthday bash

October 5, 2009 By Kate Owen
Simon Cowell hires limos for guests at 50th bash

Simon Cowell’s birthday bash certainly didn’t disappoint. The well connected X-Factor judge invited an army of 400 celebrity friends along to Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire, to celebrate his big 50 in style. The star studded event was a tongue-in-cheek ego fest which featured table cloths with Simon’s silhouette, waiters wearing Cowell masks, and inside each toilet cubicle was a framed picture of the birthday boy whilst a DVD of various celebrities speaking in glowing terms about Simon played on a loop in the back ground.

Simon Cowell hires limos for guests at 50th bash

Simon Cowell hires limos for guests at 50th bash

However the music mogul didn’t forget to treat his guests on his big day. A fleet of top of the range limousines complete with suited chauffeurs were hired to transport guests from central London to the luxurious marquee in Hertfordshire. The revelry carried on until the wee small hours with the birthday boy finally calling it a night just before 5am. He was chauffeured home in his favourite vehicle, a black Rolls Royce Phantom.

Amongst the glittering guest list which read like a bumper issue of heat magazine, were several of Simon’s old flames including Terri Seymour, Sinitta and Jackie St Claire. His mother Julie Cowell had pride of place next to her son at the top table whilst fellow X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole, minus husband Ashley, sat on his other side. Other notable celebs who attended included Danni Minogue and Louis Walsh, Katie Price (who arrived late) David Hasslehoff, Gordon Ramsey, Kevin Spacey, Kate Moss and retail billionaire and Top Shop owner Sir Philip Green whose wife, Tina, organised the whole event.

Not surprisingly for someone who made millions out of the music industry, the entertainment was suitably spectacular. Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke performed as well as retro band Earth Wind and Fire plus a tribute Frank Sinatra act. The whole party reportedly set the Cowell back a cool £1 million; let’s hope the straight talking judge who admits to not liking parties much managed to enjoy himself.

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Robbie Williams set to perform on the X-Factor

September 18, 2009 By Trudi Johnson
Robbie Williams will not perform at the Europe Music Awards on Thursday
Robbie Williams will perform on the X-Factor

Robbie Williams will perform on the X-Factor

Former Take That star Robbie Williams plans to make a massive comeback as he debuts his brand new single for the first time in front of an audience on the X-Factor. The Rock DJ singer will perform his latest track, Bodies, on the popular Saturday night show in October so as to coincide with the single’s release date.

The performance will be the first time the singer has performed the song live in the U.K, and what a way to do it. With an audience of millions of music loving fans and a panel of high profile judges, Robbie couldn’t have asked for a better platform on which to showcase his new work.

The 32-year-old singer has confessed to being fan of the hit ITV show and said he’ll “be watching every week, just like everyone else.” An insider at the X-Factor said they were very excited to have secured Robbie’s performance on one of the live finals. They also said they were looking into the possibility of having the singer from Stoke conduct a master class with some of the finalists or even work as a mentor with one or two.

Last year Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and Beyonce all performed on the show and it seems this year they’re not exactly begging for performers with a starry line-up already being talked about. One of X-Factor’s own judges, Cheryl Cole is due to perform her debut single on the show too and rumours are circulating as regards to a few other top musical names.

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Cheryl Cole signs lucrative deal to be the new face of L’Oreal Paris

August 27, 2009 By Kate Owen
Cheryl thanked her dentist during her acceptance speech at the Glamour Awards
Cheryl Cole is the new face of L'Oreal Paris

Cheryl Cole is the new face of L'Oreal Paris

Cheryl Cole has long been lauded as a style icon. These days, you’d be hard pressed to open a magazine and not find a picture of the Girls Aloud singer. Global beauty brand L’Oreal now hopes to bottle some of that Cheryl charm by launching her as the face of the iconic company in the U.K.

L’Oreal has wasted no time in lining up the X-Factor judge’s first assignment. From next month, Cheryl will be seen in adverts promoting the latest addition to the brand’s hair product range, Elvive Full Restore 5.

The adventurous singer recently dabbled with her hair colour opting for red-tinted locks. The look earned her the nick-name Cherry Cole in the tabloids but the 26 year-old saw the error of her ways and has since reverted back to her normal brunette colour, just in time to promote the new hair product.

Cheryl is out of the country at the moment as she is filming the section where the contestants visit the judges’ houses as part of the X-Factor. She has released a statement in which says “I have always loved the brand and have always wanted to say the iconic phrase ‘because you’re worth it’ so to be given that opportunity is absolutely amazing.” The Geordie singer is said to earn a reported £500,000 from her one year contract.

Previous famous faces for L’Oreal include Jennifer Anniston, Jane Fonda and Beyonce. Cheryl Cole is the first British female to front the brand since Kate Moss was signed up in 1998.

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Simon Cowell favours luxury limo hire on first episode of the X-Factor

August 24, 2009 By Carl Wheeler
Simon Cowell could be about to give up full time judging duties on TV talent show
If you were one of the 9.9 million people who tuned into the first episode of this year’s X-Factor on Saturday night then you may have noted the difference in calibre of vehicles used by each of the judges. Where Simon Cowell’s colleagues, Louis Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue chose to arrive at the Manchester auditions in a fleet of silver BMW’s, flash Simon couldn’t help himself and chose to make his entrance in a chauffeur driven, exclusive black Rolls Royce Phantom.
As one of the most influential members of the judging panel, and one of the most successful music mangers of recent time, Simon has an image to uphold; and the Rolls Royce Phantom is certainly the right vehicle to create an impression. The striking supercar has an imposing yet elegant image, onboard you’ll find all the latest luxury features you’d expect of a vehicle of this calibre. There’s a champagne bar, DVD player plus plasma screen, mood lighting, air conditioning, and leather reclining seats making a very popular choice for limo hire.
However it’s doubtful whether Simon had a chance to enjoy all the Rolls Royce Phantom has to offer as viewers will have noticed Simon’s trip from his hotel to the audition venue was embarrassingly short. The Roller didn’t even make it a out of first gear as the 49-year-old music mogul hopped aboard, and was driven 25 metres round the corner of the same building and made his arrival in front of hundreds of screaming fans. But red-faced Cowell seemed to see the funny side saying with a grin, “I didn’t know my hotel was so close to the venue.”
The opening episode of the 6th series of X-Factor was a blinding success pulling in 9.9 million viewers; the second highest ratings of the night went to The National Lottery which only attracted a paltry 2.3 million viewers in comparison. As expected there was the usual mix of contestants ranging from the sublime to the scary. School teacher Danyl Johnson received a standing ovation from both the audiences and the judges, tipping him as a potential winner. X-Factor fever is already gripping the nation, hold on tight for what’s sure to be an unforgettable series.
Simon Cowell alongside his favourite luxury Rolls Royce

Simon Cowell alongside his favourite luxury Rolls Royce

If you were one of the 9.9 million people who tuned into the first episode of this year’s X-Factor on Saturday night then you may have noted the difference in calibre of vehicles used by each of the judges. Where Simon Cowell’s colleagues, Louis Walsh, Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue chose to arrive at the Manchester auditions in a fleet of silver BMW’s, flash Simon couldn’t help himself and chose to make his entrance in a chauffeur driven, exclusive black Rolls Royce Phantom.

As one of the most influential members of the judging panel, and one of the most successful music mangers of recent time, Simon has an image to uphold; and the Rolls Royce Phantom is certainly the right vehicle to create an impression. The striking supercar has an imposing yet elegant image, onboard you’ll find all the latest luxury features you’d expect of a vehicle of this calibre. There’s a champagne bar, DVD player plus plasma screen, mood lighting, air conditioning, and leather reclining seats making a very popular choice for limo hire.

However it’s doubtful whether Simon had a chance to enjoy all the Rolls Royce Phantom has to offer as viewers will have noticed Simon’s trip from his hotel to the audition venue was embarrassingly short. The Roller didn’t even make it a out of first gear as the 49-year-old music mogul hopped aboard, and was driven 25 metres round the corner of the same building and made his arrival in front of hundreds of screaming fans. But red-faced Cowell seemed to see the funny side saying with a grin, “I didn’t know my hotel was so close to the venue.”

The opening episode of the 6th series of X-Factor was a blinding success pulling in 9.9 million viewers; the second highest ratings of the night went to The National Lottery which only attracted a paltry 2.3 million viewers in comparison. As expected there was the usual mix of contestants ranging from the sublime to the scary. School teacher Danyl Johnson received a standing ovation from both the audiences and the judges, tipping him as a potential winner. X-Factor fever is already gripping the nation, hold on tight for what’s sure to be an unforgettable series.

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Madonna and Robbie Williams to appear on X Factor

August 14, 2009 By Trudi Johnson

madonnaLast night it was leaked that Madonna and Robbie Williams are planned guests for the X Factor live show this year. Brian Freidman, the shows lead choreographer, let slip that the two superstars were set to mentor contestants and perform live during the final stage of the competition.

X Factor is set to be bigger than ever this year as V-necked Simon Cowell pulls no punches in the fight against rival BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. The rivalry between the two shows in recent years has been one of the strongest on television, with X Factor winning last years battle with a 14 million viewership for its final as opposed to Strictly’s 12.6 million.

It is believed that these big-name stars, in addition to a strong rumour regarding a possible appearance by Whitney Houston and Rihanna, are a response to Strictly’s recent scrapping of their Sunday show. This change brings the BBC show in more direct competition with the ITV show because the extended show will be longer, with a similar duration to its rival.

The X Factor have recently completed filming of its second stage, the bootcamp, and the four judges are currently choosing which of their hopefuls will make it to the third and final live stage. During filming, the X Factor have made use of several of Limo Broker’s vehicles, including the classic Lincoln Towncar and, Simon’s favourite,  the 8-wheel Hummer H2. The public will have to wait a while to see these in action because the X Factor starts again on August 22 with Strictly Come Dancing starting later, in early September.

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