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From TMZ

It’s official … Khloe Kardashian and Mario Lopez will be the new co-hosts of “X Factor” … TMZ has confirmed with sources connected to the show.

We broke the story … Khloe and Mario had been thiiiiiiis close to a deal for months … but now we’ve confirmed they’ve both signed on the dotted line … it’s a done deal.

Nicki Minaj at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Image: B.Dowling/WENN.com

Big news for American Idol: Nicki Minaj (along with country singer Keith Urban) is coming on board as one of  the talent show’s newest judges, joining newcomer Mariah Carey and longtime Idol judge Randy Jackson, who will be a “mentor” going forward.

But will the addition of Minaj boost ratings, especially in the African American community? The judge’s seats are now filled with three African Americans, and with blacks watching more TV (210 hours per month) than whites (about 153 hours), Latinos (131 hours) and Asians (100 hours), it could be a smart move by AI producers. TV/radio producer Derrick Mack thinks so.

Mack, founder of MACK-Nificent Enterprises, LLC, produces the upcoming show Release Your Inner MC, in which celebrity old-school hip-hop artists judge amateur MCs. “In my opinion, I think having Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey on American Idol will offer an immediate boost in ratings in the black community,” he told us via chat. “Because the two ladies have such a different appeal from each other, they should attract a diverse cross-section that would surely reach outside of our communities to the general audiences as well.”

But Mack adds, “How long will Nicki be able to keep those new audiences tuning in considering the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ trend that exists in modern rap music? …Nicki Minaj doesn’t really represent the black community accurately or completely. While her popularity is obvious, she’s not going to draw the loyalists that say, Salt-n-Pepa or Queen Latifah might draw. But then again, Idol’s main target is not the real hip hop audience, it’s a general audience.”

According to an article in USA Today, adding a judge that appeals to the urban audience has worked once before for AI. “’Idol is hoping for the kind of success it had when it hired Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler in 2010 and saw ratings rise for the first time in five seasons,’ says analyst Brad Adgate of ad firm Horizon Media. Ratings dipped significantly, however, in their second and final year,” the newspaper says.

But the new celebrity talent boost in the ratings didn’t work for The X Factor when it added Britney Spears.  Spears “[hasn't] provided a straight-out-of-the-gate ratings bump,” the article continues. “I don’t think if Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler were introduced now that they would drive up ratings the first year even.” USA Today  blames the “saturation” of singing shows and celebrity judges. In addition to AI and X Factor, there’s also Duets, The Voice and America’s Got Talent, to name a few.

There’s only so much TV anyone can watch.

Source: Sugarscope.com

Although Kelly Rowland announced that she was quitting the “X Factor” UK due to increasing demands from TV chiefs, Kelly’s reportedly finding out that those demands were intentional to push her out as a judge and she is not happy.

Kelly is said to be fuming over the fact that the show’s execs treated her the way they did so that they could go after former judge Danni Minogue and convince her to make a comeback to the program. Though the “Motivation” singer cited “global commitments” and “scheduling issues” as the reason for her departure, it seems her bosses were less than impressed with her, particularly after she flew back to America during last season to carry out another job when she should have been mentoring her contestants. Requesting that her pay be tripled to come back for a second season didn’t help either. Confirming news that she would not be returning, Kelly said:

“I love the UK and being part of the show last year. Mentoring the girls was such an incredible experience I will never forget.  I would like to thank Simon for the great opportunity and asking me to be a judge last season.”

Only Kelly and the TV execs know what went on for sure but if we see Danni Minogue back next season we can probably assume it’s true the “X Factor” wanted Kelly out. As they say in showbiz (or on Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 album), on to the next one.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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I know you’ve been missing Simon Cowell’s crazy behind these days since he hit the emergency exit button from “American Idol.” But now that he’s coming back with “The X Factor,” premiering next Wednesday on FOX at 8 p.m. (EST), he’s doing press and has some words for prospective folks trying to audition for him in the future, as well as everyday people. There are five songs he does NOT want to hear you sing whether you’re planning to audition for “The X Factor” or you just feel like singing out loud. These five songs can NOT be touched according to Cowell:

1. R Kelly: “I Believe I Can Fly” 
2. Etta James: “At Last”
3. The Righteous Brothers: “Unchained Melody”
4. Jason Mraz: “I’m Yours”
5. John Legend: “Ordinary People”

When it comes to songs like “At Last,” Cowell said he’s pretty much “allergic” to that song at this point, and for “Ordinary People”? He says the way people sing it will never be as good as the original. True. And while his picks are definitely songs people who can’t sing really shouldn’t try, there are many others that folks have just worn the hell out that we don’t want to hear again either. We were inspired to put together our own short list of the top five songs people who can’t sing for real shouldn’t try. EVER. Check it:

1. Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” (do you need an explanation?)
2. Mariah Carey: “Emotions”/ “Hero” (anything by her actually…)
3. Alicia Keys: “Fallen” (people doing the intro of this song KILL me)
4. John Newton: “Amazing Grace” (Got to have your vocals on POINT to jazz this one up)
5. Judy Garland: “Over the Rainbow” (Too slow, and it doesn’t really compliment your voice)

So there you have it folks. Unless you’re busting out karaoke with friends at an actual lounge, I shouldn’t hear you on trains, on the street, in the shower, on television or anything, singing these songs. They are either untouchable or they’ve just been played out. There are thousands of other songs out there ready and available to rip apart, so you know what to do…