X Factor News From Simon

Simon laid it on the line yesterday as to how The X Factor is going to be different from American Idol, and America’s Got Talent–he said that the judges will work with the three finalist, and will decide what the finalist will sing, and their arrangement. Simon told Entertainment Tonight, “(the judges with the finalists) That means you have to work with them up to five or six days a week…So, I need to find someone willing to make that commitment because it is hard work. …It is important to me that I have people I can trust in terms of their expertise and their gut feeling. It is a difficult decision when you are putting a team around you. I also think it is important on show like this that you have people who are competitive with each other because essentially, the judges are taking part in this competition as well as the competitors.”

I kind of love that idea. That way the judges are emotionally invested in the finalist, and it makes it more interesting…Plus as a viewer, I’d love to see how the judges coach the finalists.

Simon also eluded to the fact that they haven’t make a decision as to who the judges are yet, but he didn’t rule out Paula. He said, “It is quite unusual, when you work with somebody for as long as I did with Paula, we were friends on the show for, I would say, 80 percent of the time. Interestingly afterwards, we have been in regular contact. I am not going to say today on this call who we are going to confirm or not confirm. The truth is, we honestly haven’t made our minds up yet. We are talking to a number of people. I will make an announcement in, I would say, three to four weeks. It might be a bit longer.”

I wonder what Paula’s CBS contract entails? I hope she wasn’t dumb enough to sign exclusively to them. Her show is tanking, and I would do anything to see Paula on TV again with Simon. They had such great chemistry. Paula would stare off into Never Never Land, and Simon would give the real critique. On the down side to having Paula as a judge, I don’t know if I’d want to be a finalist with Paula as my mentor. But really, who cares about the finalists…I love me some Paula!

Please Simon, pick Paula!!!