The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Melanie Amaro wins first U.S. season of "X Factor" Posted: 22 Dec 2011 08:07 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An emotional Melanie Amaro won the TV singing contest "The X Factor" on Thursday, earning a $5 million recording contract and closing the first U.S. season of the heavily hyped Fox show. Josh Krajcik finished second after a public vote and Chris Rene came in third after a Christmas-themed, two-hour finale that also saw performances by Justin Bieber, Stevie Wonder, Leona Lewis and 50 Cent. Amaro, 19, a ballad singer whose voice has drawn comparisons to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, had been tipped by the four judges to win after delivering a powerful rendition of Beyonce's hit "Listen" in Wednesday's live show. On Thursday, she dropped to her knees in prayer and wept with joy, speechless at her victory. More than 100,000 people auditioned for a chance to compete in "The X Factor," which judge and entrepreneur Simon Cowell brought to American television after making it the most-watched show in his native Britain. But the U.S. show has fallen short of the ratings and critical expectations set up by Cowell this year. It has drawn an average of 12 million viewers or about half the audience for long-running singing contest "American Idol" that is also on Fox. Amaro gets a $5 million contract with Cowell's Sony Music-owned record label SyCo and a starring role in a new commercial from sponsor Pepsi. "We came here to find a superstar and we found a superstar," said a delighted Cowell after Amaro won the contest. Krajcik, 30, a bluesy rock singer who worked in a burrito restaurant before joining the show, also congratulated Amaro. "Melanie deserves it. She has a wonderful voice. I have had such an incredible experience. I got to be myself and sing what I wanted to sing. I couldn't be happier," Krajcik said. Rene, 28, a recovering drug addict and rapper whose original song "Young Homies" has been a YouTube hit, was eliminated at the halfway point of Thursday's live show. All three contestants had performed two songs apiece on Wednesday. Host Steve Jones did not reveal the number of votes cast by the public by phone, text message, Twitter and online. "I feel amazing that I got to do this, that I am here," Rene said. "I got to touch a lot of people's hearts out here." "The X Factor" will return for a second U.S. season in the fall of 2012. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Steve Jobs to get Grammy for revolutionizing music Posted: 22 Dec 2011 04:19 PM PST (Reuters) - First it was a bronze statue in Hungary. Now it's a Grammy. The accolades for Steve Jobs, who died Oct 5, are still pouring in. The Recording Academy said Wednesday it is giving the co-founder of Apple a special ''Trustees Award'' Grammy. The Grammys, of course, are the top honors in the U.S. music industry. ''As former CEO and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs helped create products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books,'' the Recording Academy said in a statement. ''A creative visionary, Jobs' innovations such as the iPod and its counterpart, the online iTunes store, revolutionized the industry and how music was distributed and purchased,'' the statement added. A formal acknowledgment of his award will be made during annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 12 in Los Angeles. In 2002, Apple was a recipient of a technical Grammy award for contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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