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It was reported earlier this month Simon Cowell and X Factor producers planned to introduce a guest 5th Judge to help boost ratings. However, it appears things have not gone to plan. Names like Sir Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and Dolly Parton were all rumoured to be making an appearance. Even Sir Tom Jones name was out there following his axing from The Voice. A source told The Sun "Another idea has been tossed on the scrapheap, because it wasn’t planned well enough, " "This is becoming a recurring problem. Execs come up with ratings-chasing ideas on a whim, not thinking whether they will be possible, leave it too late and then ditch them." Up until a couple of days ago it looked like it was happening, Simon Cowell loved the idea, but now apparently the idea has been scrapped. Shame, we rather fancied seeing legends like Rod Stewart and Dolly onboard, and what about Louis Walsh? Does this mean no guest appearance from Louis this year? #SimonCowell

The Overs find out where mentor Simon Cowell is taking them for Judges’ Houses and it’s safe to say, they were more than a little bit excited… The X Factor Judges' Houses airs Saturday 8pm & Sunday 7.30pm #SimonCowell

Simon Cowell could quit the UK X Factor for a second time to relaunch his American version of the show. The Mirror are reporting he is close to having the show recommisioned to 2015. Executives at his company Syco are in the final stages of securing a deal – most likely back with Fox – after staff put together a new proposal which has been “well received”. It means Simon, who returned to the British judging panel this year with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, may leave the UK – as he did in 2010 when the US show first launched. Simon is believed to be eager to sign up singer Nicole Scherzinger, who was a judge on the UK show for two series. A source close to the music mogul said of the new US deal: “This is obviously fantastic news for Simon – all of the talks are going in the right direction for him to be back in America next year. “He loves the States and he loved the show. It was a huge disappointment when it wasn’t recommissioned last year. He is enjoying his stint back in Britain but the fact is, this is great news for him and his team. “A lot of work has gone into bringing the US X Factor back, so hopefully it will all now go ahead without any glitches. “Staff have put together a new proposal which has been very well received. Everyone is determined to make this work. “There will be absolutely no question that he will be on the judging panel.” The source added that Simon was always thinking about who he wants on his shows, and said: “Nicole is among his first choices. He is a huge fan and would have loved to have had her back on the UK show this series but it just wasn’t possible with Cheryl returning.” He has also been impressed with former Spice Girl Mel B, and has already asked her return to the UK show next year. SOURCE: The Mirror Journalist - Katie Hind #SimonCowell #XFactor

It's time to face the music for the last time...Last night we saw Kevin Davy White leave the competition, so we are down to the final two with Rak-Su and Grace Davies. Tonight's song choices are: Grace Davies: Original - Nothing But Words Grace Davies: Original - Too Young Rak-Su: Original - Touche Rak-Su: Original - Mona Lisa Guest performers on the show tonight are Little Mix, Pink and Sam Smith. Tune into ITV at 7.20pm to see who will win X Factor 2017. #XFactor

It is always fun when Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour get together. Will Simon be at the American Idol final week for a reunion with Paula Abdul and Randy? Has having Eric made him softer towards the child contestants when he judges the Got Talent shows? Simon embarrasses Terri by revealing her secret crush. #SimonCowell #TerriSeymour #America39sGotTalent

Simon Cowell has spoken about the scare he had when he fell down the stairs at his London home. Paramedics taking Simon out to the ambulance after his fall Admitting he feared he had broken his neck with the fall which saw him taken to hospital on a spinal board. Simon spoke about his accident at the Music Industry Awards, telling The Sun: “I was lying on my back thinking, ‘I hope I haven’t broken my neck’ .“But the NHS staff were the most amazing people I’ve ever met, genuinely. Fortunately it was all fine.” Simon also admitted he hasn’t told young son Eric about the accident saying,: “He probably would have told me off, and I didn’t want to worry him. He’s only three.” It has also made Simon reflect on his his life as he added: “It does make you realise what’s truly important in life.” Simon Cowell rushed to hospital in an ambulance after falling down his stairs #SimonCowell

Simon Cowell and David Walliams arrived at the Britain's Got Talent auditions in Manchester were David got down on one knee to propose. Simon Cowell and David Walliams arriving in style - of course! Always time for a selfie... Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon looked gorgeous as always. Alesha's legs must have been freezing! That's what happens when you are late Simon Cowell - you're subbed! Take a look at our gallery of photos: While you are here, why not take a tour around our new website with lots of interesting photos, videos and interviews. #SimonCowell #DavidWalliams #AmandaHolden #AleshaDixon #AntandDec #Britain39sGotTalent

We are now into week three of the live X Factor shows. At this point we should be getting some idea on how the contestants are performing. Have you got a favourite yet? Let us know who you liked the most this week by voting in our fun poll. We will show you who came out top and how the other faired prior to the official results tomorrow. #XFactorPoll

Britain's Got Talent talks about this year's Britain's Got Talent in a new interview. Read the interview in FULL with pictures. When you’re heading into a new series of Britain’s Got Talent what are you hoping for? I’m hoping for good people, you want to be surprised and you don’t want a bad version of what you’ve seen before. That, for me, is the most important thing. You always want to be surprised on this show. The surprise aspect, going back to Paul Potts and Susan Boyle, I just didn’t expect them to be that good and they were amazing. That’s what this show is about. How much of a pain in the neck is David now he’s won Best Judge at the National TV Awards twice? This may sound like sour grapes, but I’m going to say it...he canvasses all year long! I found him once sending out tweets begging and pleading, I’ve never done that before, maybe I should. He’s not the most popular judge, he just isn’t! Has it been a double whammy of pain for you seeing as he’s also been awarded an OBE? Urgh! Being around everyone, you’ve got Ant and Dec and now David. I know what’s coming next - it’ll be Alesha and Amanda. I will literally be the only person without anything. I can see this one coming. It’s annoying, it really is, and they don’t let it go! When the cameras are not rolling, are you all still good friends? It’s interesting because this year, including myself, you kind of go, ‘This is a fun show to be on’ and what’s important is that it actually makes you feel good at the end of the day. There’s something about a day filming, you really feel good after. So I suppose what I am saying is we all got that this year, we could feel it. We all get on well, we’re very lucky. It’s a big year for the royals with a new baby and a wedding coming up. What do you think about Princes William and Harry? I’ve met Prince Harry a couple of times and I have to say I think he’s one of the most down to earth, nice, decent people you’ll ever meet. He was very relaxing to be with, he was very enthusiastic about the show. The same with Prince William, I met him at the Royal Variety Performance and I thought he was really charming. They are the next generation of the royals and I think we’re lucky, they are really nice people. And the people they have married, or Prince Harry is to marry, are amazing. They’ve both got a good sense of humour so when you’re doing the auditions do you have them in mind? I’ll be honest with you, having the royal connection makes the show unique. I think that’s a really good thing and sometimes it puts it into context, good and bad. You might be watching the worst act in the world going, ‘We don’t want to put that lot on the Royal Variety!’. For me, you hope most importantly that by doing well on the show you can change someone’s life. That’s why most people come on the show. Whether there’s a door that’s been slammed in their face or whatever it might be, there’s a reason they come on. To see the difference it makes to peoples lives, it’s quite incredible! Just look at Susan Boyle and what a success story she has been! One guy comes back every year, gets a no but still comes back again! How do you rate the talent this year? I don’t like jinxing it because every single time on a show like this you ask what the talent is like and they’re like, ‘We’ve got the best talent in the world’, then they didn’t. We have real potential this year, I will say that. But it’s not their first audition, it’s what they do in their second audition that counts. It’s not just the talent, it’s them as people which makes a big difference. I could name a couple of people but I won’t, it’s not fair on the others. I’ve got a very good feeling that when these audition shows air quite a lot of things are going to happen quite quickly, I do believe that. In what way? Well, like with Susan Boyle and how her clip was shared around the world and stuff like that. You are going to see some stories which will make you go, ‘Woah!’. There’s some viral moments, for sure. You pressed your golden buzzer for a father and son act, what was it about them that got you in the moment? People have asked me if I have changed since I have had Eric and of course you do, you can’t help it. In a very positive way you start, particularly now he’s four, looking at the world through his eyes as well, which is fun because we get to watch great movies together! But there was this kid and I was thinking, ‘God, that literally could be Eric’. It wouldn’t be me as the dad, but it could be Eric. There was something about this boy, he sang with his dad and I thought the song they wrote was really cool. I caught a glimpse of Ant and Dec ready to run down and push the golden buzzer, and I thought, ‘No way! This one is mine!’. You have to watch this act, I think they are really great people, it’s unusual to see a dad and his son, but it worked. When it comes to the golden buzzer you are the most successful judge... I am because I am the best and David is the worst! He’s got an abysmal track record. Literally, abysmal. I don’t even know why we give him a golden buzzer. Maybe I should take it off him and give it to Stephen, or give him a bronze one. How can the other judges beat you? You know what? Sometimes these things are just in the moment. You do get caught up in the moment, I’m not going to lie. You can get emotional or excited and press your buzzer. There have been times when you look back, not so much me, but the others and must have gone, ‘What was I thinking?’. You caused crockery carnage with the other judges during one act, what happened? I think that was the end of the long day, and at the end of a long day I wouldn’t suggest putting anything that could be thrown on stage in front of us! The act started it, to be fair. But there was a fire on stage, mugs and plates were being thrown and in the middle of it all this poor guy is playing an instrument - it was brilliant! It was funny, you do get a bit giddy at the end of a long day filming. One moment that is almost bigger than the show is when Hollie, a victim of the Manchester bombing, auditioned. How did you feel see ing her on stage with her friends? God only knows how she dealt with that at her age, the affect it must still have. The fact that she got together with a bunch of friends and did something, more than just an act, it was a statement. It showed that the cowards can’t win and that she overcame it. I thought it was respectful, it was one of those moments I will never, ever forget. To come back in front of a theatre, and think about that for a moment after everything she’s been through - and in Manchester - you just have to go, ‘Respect’. I saw the friendship and their bond. I was so happy that they trusted us enough to come on our show. It was a good thing. There are loads of great magicians this year, are you pleased with that? Yeah, magic is becoming big again. It’s moved on. But magic is like singing, it’s not just about the magic, it’s about the person who performs it. You can have a great voice but if you have no charisma then you have no shot. That’s what we’re starting to see with magic, it’s got to be all things combined. Why do you believe in magic so much? Because I do! There are certain things you hear about today which 100 years ago you would have said, ‘Ye are a witch!’. So, why not?! The contestants are all looking for success, something you’ve had plenty of, but has the success you’ve achieved lived up to your expectation? It has actually because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I was a kid. I wasn’t very good at school, I wasn’t crazy about rules. Ironically, I was turned down by the company who are my partners now, FremantleMedia. I applied to be in the mail room with them and they turned me down flat! The same in the film business, I was going to be a runner on Stanley Kubrick’s film, but no, he doesn’t employ runners. So I ended up in the music business and now I have a TV and Music company. The great thing about it is, and this is true, I said it the other day when we were in a screening and I pinched myself. I went, ‘I’m sitting in a screening room with people I like working with, watching something we’ve made’. You can’t take that for granted. It’s a fantastic job and you don’t have to have a horrible boss! I always had the fear that I would have the most boring boss in the world who would play golf and I would have to go round to his house with his wife and talk about golf over dinner. I promised myself that would never happen, and it hasn’t. Oh, actually it did happen once and I walked out after 20 minutes because I couldn’t put up with it! So, yeah, everyone wants to be more successful but not to the point where you start believing your own hype. You don’t want to over stretch yourself. If you can make something which is popular and people like, it’s the best feeling in the world. You were asking some very random questions of the contestants this year so let’s throw some of them at you... What would your superpower be? I want to be able to fly, definitely. I’d just fly around for the day, go everywhere, I’d love that. Add in super strength as well, why not, that would be cool. So basically you want to be Superman?! Yes! I want to be Superman! I’ve always wanted to be Superman! What’s the pinnacle of your career or have you already reached it? I hope not! There’s always a pinnacle for different reasons, I can’t say it’s one artist or one record, or one moment. It’s everything combined. One of the worst feelings is that you’ve had your pinnacle. Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t. I don’t know. But you always have to strive for something new. It goes back to my surprise element about BGT, you want something we haven’t seen before that becomes a moment, or an artist who becomes super successful. Who knows? But I am always confident something else will happen. Looking ahead to the live shows, why have you moved them to Hammersmith Apollo? It has to be in a theatre and I’ll tell you why. We go into a studio and make it look like a theatre, it’s like buying a Mini and trying to make it look like a Rolls Royce! There’s something about the theatre element. So whenever we do the live shows in a studio, something, that gloss, glow, whatever you want to call it, is missing for me. So I’m thrilled because this year I have got my own way...again. Last year Amanda caused controversy with her outfits, are you hoping she might do the same this year? The good thing about Amanda when she does the live shows is she’s always thinking about the contestants and not her! Look, do I care? No! It’s easy for me because when I walk into my wardrobe everything is identical so I don’t worry about it. If I’m being honest with you I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about! Finally, what’s the one thing you are most looking forward to about the live shows? I want unpredictability and people stepping up their game, and I think being in a different venue this year is exciting. #simoncowell #britainsgottalent #interview

#SharonOsbourne #NicoleScherzinger #XFactor #SimonCowell #DermotO39Leary

Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Louis Walsh and Alesha Dixon arrive in Edinburgh for the X Factor auditions. Alesha stepped in for Sharon who had to fly back to Los Angeles with back problems. Nicole Scherzinger matches Alesha in a monochrome outfit Louis Walsh looking rather dishevelled Dermot O'Leary fancied his hands with the bagpipes See all the photos in our gallery #XFactor #SimonCowell #AleshaDixon #LouisWalsh #NicoleScherzinger

Simon Cowell put up a £10k reward to help little Edward Latter get his dog - 10 month old Morse back after it was stolen last month. Yesterday the delighted boy discovered his dog had been found and said: 'I can't believe it, I have my best friend back. It's too late for Christmas but this is the best present ever.' Simon Cowell is said to be over the moon Edward's 'best friend' has returned. The £10,000 reward was offered by Simon after he read about the theft. A source close to Simon said at the time: 'It's heartbreaking to see a little boy's Christmas ruined. Dogs are so important to so many of us. We just hope it helps lead to the safe return of Morse.' It is thought the thieves picked up the Border Terrier to use as stud but Morse seems to have escaped his captors. A couple 20 miles away from their home in Marden, Kent, had found a muddy dog walking through their street and thought it could be missing Morse. They brought the bedraggled hound in, washed him, and then called Mr Latter who was unsure until he was sent a photo, and then drove the family to the village of Meopham. The theatre carpenter, 40, said: 'Me and Amanda were still quite sceptical, but Edward saw him and recognised him straight away. He just said "Is that Morse, is Morse coming home with us". 'He was absolutely over the moon. We were still unsure if it was him though - as he wasn't responding to his name or coming to us. 'We spent about an hour and half over there and we still were not sure, so we took him home to get his chip scanned. It was only when we took him to the vets on Saturday morning and got his chip scanned that we found out for sure. 'We instantly broke down in tears, I was delirious for a few seconds, it was absolutely wonderful, we were just hugging each other, hugging Edward and hugging the dog.' A witness spotted two men bundling Morse into the back of a van five minutes after he darted out of the family home and Mr Latter thinks he was sold as a stud.