Britney Spears
Call it a tale of two networks. Whereas NBC's chairman dwelled on the network's great past year at the TCA winter previews, Fox's Kevin Reilly was focused on the future. "We here at Fox sort of limped our way in here from 2012," he said. "Nobody's happier than us to turn the page and get onto a fresh year and better things to come."
Reilly said Fox struggled with airing shows consistently because of the usual interruptions (postseason baseball), as well as the presidential debates. But he also acknowledged lower ratings across the board because of the overall "vibrant" ecosystem of television.
"There is more choice, more quality, more breadth of quality," he said. "There are so many access points, so many availabilities. ... That is very good for the overall television business.
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American Idol
With a new year comes a fresh set of challenges for some of TV's biggest names, shows and networks. Here are some developments we'll be watching closely.
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Britney Spears
Will Britney Spears follow L.A. Reid out the door on The X Factor?
Us Weekly reports that the 31-year-old singer is about to get the boot after just one season on...
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Rihanna, Fergie
Mariah Carey. Nicki Minaj. Keith Urban. Shakira. Usher. In recent years, the revolving door at the judges' table on reality singing competitions like American Idol and The Voice has seen a lot of action. And The X Factor has been no exception, cleaning house following the first season by handing pink slips to judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger (who, in turn, replaced Cheryl Cole, who was ousted during the auditions) and hiring on Demi Lovato and Britney Spears in Season 2.
Now Simon Cowell and producers must return to the drawing board to find a replacement for L.A. Reid, who announced last week he will not return for the show's third season. So who should replace him? We asked The X Factor's Reid, Cowell and co-host Mario Lopez that very question backstage after Thursday's finale...
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Tate Stevens
Thursday marked the season finale of The X Factor, and the question on everyone's minds at the start of the evening was ... how is this show possibly going to stretch the announcement of who won to a whopping two hours?! With no performances by the contestants that will have any impact whatsoever on the result, and no sing-off, is that even possible? (Spoiler: yes.)
Of course, the other mystery was which of the three finalists — Tate Stevens, Carly Rose Sonenclar or Fifth Harmony — would actually walk away with the grand prize, a $5 million recording contract. But before we get to that, let's address the first query. Here's a breakdown of how exactly the show managed to balloon itself to 120 minutes, when the actual victory reveal took approximately two:
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Carly Rose Sonenclar
This is it — the three remaining contestants on The X Factor gave their final performances Wednesday, and now viewer votes will determine which one will walk away with a $5 million recording contract Thursday night.
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Fifth Harmony
On Thursday's episode of The X Factor, one of the final four acts was sent home, while viewer votes sent the other three on to next week's final. Who made it through, and was the right act eliminated? Keep reading to find out.
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L.A. Reid
Another spot is opening up on The X Factor judges table.
After undergoing a major overhaul for the singing competition's current season, L.A. Reid will be exiting the show to devote more time to his day job as chairman of Epic Records, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I have the utmost respect for....
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Carly Rose Sonenclar
It's all up to the audience now.
The final four contestants on The X Factor sang their hearts out Wednesday night for a spot in next week's final, and audience votes alone will determine which act gets eliminated on Thursday night and which three will advance — with no sing-off or judges' votes to decide. Additionally, the show isn't going to reveal the rankings of the Top 3, meaning that viewers won't know who the frontrunner is heading into the finals.
For the second week in a row, the acts each performed two songs — one of their choosing and one selected by them and their mentor (though Demi Lovato is the one judge with no contestants remaining). Here's a breakdown of each performance.
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Britney Spears
Who is the top-earning woman in the music industry this year?
No, it's not Taylor Swift. It's...
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