Tag Archives: The X Factor

Melanie Amaro has got The X Factor….and 5 million bucks!

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Part II of The X Factor finale was a nail-biter and an awesome concert! I almost threw my neck out bobbing my head so hard during 50 cent’s performance. Come on…you know “In Da Club” is the ultimate dance jam! Melanie Amaro is the first X factor winner here in the US…and after getting to know her a bit this week…I’m pretty confident she’ll wear the crown well. The 19-year-old is full of faith…brimming with humility…determined beyond measure…oh…and that victorious VOICE.  Here are some snapshots from the X Factor grand finale red carpet…andclick here for my interviews with The X Factor stars just moments after the big show. And tune into Good Day New York Friday morning to catch so much more (yes..that means I’m sleeping for 2 hours tonight and reporting back to work)!

Truly Julie with judge Paula Abdul….host Steve Jones…..judge LA Reid!

 

 

 

 

 

Truly Julie with runner up Josh Krajcik.                  Sweet Simon giving Truly Julie a peck!


Truly Julie with Brooklyn’s own Astro!

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion Front: Truly Julie’s dress Bensoni, shoes Rebecca Taylor.

The X Factor Finale Part I!

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In less than 24 hours…the life of one of the top three contenders on The X Factor will change forever. He or She will be 5 million dollars richer…and his/her voice…will most likely end up on your playlist somewhere down the road. I mean…I would buy “Young Homie” on itunes right now! My hats off to Melanie Amaro, Josh Krajcik and Chris Rene for taking us on an X-ceptional journey this season….for helping us see that dreams do come true. Catch my interviews with the top 3 as well as the judges from tonight here! 

Truly Julie with Melanie Amaro! Fashion Front: Truly Julie’s dress by Robert Rodriguez (available at RentTheRunway.com)

And I found my yin to my yang this evening…Nicole Scherzinger pointed out our contradictory outfits. Um…I’m pretty sure no one is looking at me or my dress when I’m standing next to her. While she wouldn’t clearly confirm or deny the rumor that she’s not coming back as a judge next year…she did say that she definitely will release her album “Killer Love” early next year…and she plans to tour. Which makes me wonder if she’ll have any Xtra time for The X Factor…hmmmm.

Look who else I ran into?! Brooklyn’s own….Astro! He’ll be hitting the stage tomorrow night for Part II of The X Factor Finale. Astro is releasing a FREE mixed tape album on Dec 22nd at 9:01PM…so follow me on twitter (@JulieChangFox5) for deets on where to download. 

 

 

LA Reid Breaks Down his Fellow X Factor Judges with One Word

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L.A. Reid is quickly becoming one of my favorite people. It doesn’t matter that he signed Justin Bieber or Rihanna or Mariah…he’s so real. When the cameras aren’t rolling, L.A. is quite generous with his sage advice. I feel like I’ve gained so much from our brief encounters. I won’t share the words of wisdom he gave me on love, life and success, but I’ll say this loud and clear: his mentor group on The X Factor is in good hands. You’ll see the mentoring episodes in the next few weeks. After the open audition episodes will come bootcamp…then, mentoring at each of the judges’ homes. Click on the picture to catch my latest interview with L.A. Reid.

What Had Simon Cowell Cracking Up? Find Out!

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Of all the times I’ve interviewed Simon Cowell…I’ve never caught him off guard. Until now! Click on the picture to watch our interview. You’ll also hear from the rest of The X Factor gang: Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid and Steve Jones (sans Nicole Scherzinger. She was finishing her tour).

Emmys Sneak Peak, Set Tour of “I Hate My Teenage Daughter” & The X Factor World Premiere Screening!

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I just wrapped up my third 18 hour work day so this post will be brief (and probably full of spelling/grammer mistakes..ha!)…but I wanted to bring you the latest out of LA. The day started with all the preps for the Emmys including the red carpet roll out with host Jane Lynch and producer Mark Burnett. They are really focusing on being green this year…so the red carpet will be donated to Habitat for Humanity post Emmys & they will also use solar panel energy for some of the production. I got a glimpse inside the Nokia Theater…complete with picture marked seats. Lets just say…whomever sits closer to the stage equals more star power. Steve Carell is definitely front row. And shhh..don’t tell, but I noticed Glee’s Chris Colfer is sitting front row…but Lea Michele got booted to the 2nd row. All the funkadelic colors on the stage is to test all the different lighting hues.  Here’s the most important detail you need to know about the Emmys…that I’ll be hosting a half hour post Emmys special on Sunday night 11:30PM-12AM on Fox 5:)

 

After chilling and talking with Jane Lynch (do not fear, she will be dancing and singing come Sunday night)…who was so so so gracious with her time (she rushed off after the interview to finish writing the award’s scripts!)…I got a sneak peak inside the Governor’s Ball. This is where the stars will party right after the Emmys. The decor inside is beyond decadent. Chandeliers galore! My favorite is the woman on top of a 40 foot chandelier skirt. Very Gaga-esque.


I felt like cattle today…being herded and rushed from one location to the next. I guess that’s what happens when you’re covering the launch of what seems like a dozen shows in 3 days + a set tour of the upcoming show “I Hate My Teenage Daughter” (starring Jamie Pressly and 2 time Tony Award winner, Katie Finneran) + all the Emmy’s preps. Oh! And the world premiere of what will be the biggest show on television: The X Factor.

The X Factor red carpet was electrifying! I caught up with host Steve Jones and Paula Abdul’s manager, Marty….and the best…I did “Asian poses” with Simon Cowell’s better half, Mezghan.

She is such a beauty inside and out. He’s very lucky to have found her. Mezghan stunned the crowd in her Victoria Beckham blue sheath and killer Jimmy Choo studded heels. In fact…all the ladies smashed it with their looks tonight. Paula looks better than ever…and Nicole Scherzinger has the best figure and skin on the planet. She may be a robot.



That’s a wrap for this tired, sleepy….extremely blessed reporter!

Simon Cowell Shows his Softer Side…While Talking about The X Factor Takeover

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I’ve interviewed Simon Cowell a few times in the past…but this was our first one-on-one, sit down. Yeah yeah, he’s known to be a bit pompous and sure, he’s acerbic at times..and yup, he probably s*&%ts bricks of gold, but WOW, was he an absolute gem today! So gracious and FUN! He played along when I asked him to ‘do the dougie’(if you do not get this reference, google “Cali Swag”); and we even played a silly, yet intuitive, word association game. You’ll see my complete interview with Simon on Good Day New York soon..but here’s a snip it for now. When I said, “what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Paula”…with a loving grin, he said, “bonkers”. Wait till you hear his immediate response for: Idol, The X Factor, Success, Failure, Love, and Money. He may be the most influential person in entertainment….but during our interview…he was just Simon, the guy from next door/across the pond.

Fox Rolls Out its Fall Shows Including The X Factor!

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I’m in LA this week covering all the new Fox shows for this fall…including the X Factor! Reunited and it feels so good (insert Peaches & Herb tune)…the lovely Paula Abdul is back with Simon Cowell…and she says The X Factor will prompt some serious tears. And smiles:) Believe it or not..she says Nicole Scherzinger cries more than she does! Paula just finished taping the “Judges Home” episode, where she mentored 8 contestants at her home…then whittled it down to just 4 contestants! Catch all theThe X Factor action when it launches September 21st on Fox.

Mark my words…Steve Jones, the handsome host of The X Factor, will be the biggest star in the US, and perhaps the world, in a year. He is the whole package: wits, charm, looks, and heart. But don’t look for this dream boat on twitter…he’s quite anti. This is Steve and me doing our best “Zoolander” face. After all, this Welsh lad was discovered by Elle magazine! Lucky for us..he parlayed his modeling gig to hosting what will be the biggest show on television. The X Factor is going to crush it!

I also have huge respect for LA Reid. What a classy, genuine guy. He helped usher the career of…well…Usher! And so many others e.g. Justin Bieber, Pink, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and the list goes on for miles…and yet, he’s still so nice and real. I really look forward to seeing him mentor/judge on The X Factor. He’s also a skilled drummer…so I hope to one day hit the sticks with him!

The Fox Fall Junket also celebrates the new season launch of returning shows. Expect Glee to shed some of its glamour..and get down to the basics of character and relationship development. Expect less celebrity guest stars, homage theme episodes and more family! I’m told we’ll meet the parents of the main characters this season. I ran into Lea Michele (AKA Rachel Berry) at the Fox Eco/Casino Party. She just got back from New York Fashion Week…so she was beaming with wicked style. She did that J.Mendel dress proud.

More pics from my LA adventures in the picture gallery below. More to come tomorrow as well!