I love you. As for her being a 'dancer', I've seen better movements in a toilet.

Christian Bale was not charged.. just arrested. She can visit but working and residency she'll have problems.

She has recorded loads of her music in LA. Wouldn't that be classed as working She also filmed with Will.I.Am for the Girls Aloud documentary a few years ago, so she must have some kind of visa.

That's a very mild criticism, compare to her singing ability

The thing that makes me slightly dubious is that there are these hints that it's gonna be Cheryl AND Nicole (or possibly Katy Perry) which seems kinda strange because they're using both spots to appeal to one demographic.

They're both current popstars/celebrities and that is their appeal and beyond a difference in skin tone (when Cheryl's been at the fake tan not so much) they pretty much merge into one.

I mean over here you've got the current popstar Cheryl who has that appeal to the kids and then you've got Dannii the showbiz stalewart who has been knocking around for years who has that appeal to a certain age of women. Who represents the modern thirty/forty year old and now the 'yummy mummy'. That although they do both appeal to that Grazia/Heat/New/Cosmo kinda crowd it's at different ends of that spectrum.

Also I've always thought that the US do hold experience and past glories in more high esteem. That they kinda celebrate their 'has been' popstars and their achievements much more than the UK where we treat them like lepers who should be sent to the knackers yard once they're not getting the hits. That the US like and respect and are incredibly receptive to popstars/celebrities who once were but might not be now, often moreso than the hot young things of today so it seems strange that they'd just have two of the latter.

I mean take America's Got Talent and American Idol, when Brandy and Paula went they replaced them with Sharon and Ellen. If it had been the UK they would have been replaced by Abby Clancy and Frankie from The Saturdays.

I don't think the X Factor judges "appeal" to anyone as such. The game they're playing is to make the audience feel like they know better, that they alone see through the circus, that they're somehow apart from the millions who are suckered into their armchairs every Saturday night by the slick presentation tricks that tug you along. It's a clever conceit that seems to work and keeps hold of a big audience. The whole thing is superficial nonsense for disposable consumption, but it's well packaged.

Simon was an unknown British Judge when he went over to American Idol, now he is arguably one of the most recognisable people on American TV. Big enough to carry a TV show to be the highest rated for years on end. So the fact Cheryl is unknown now is irrelevant.

Look at Simon Lythgoe on SYTYCD, unknown but it didn't hamper the show. Hell they even had Cat Deeley presenting who was completely unknown aswell.

There is plenty of precedent of American's accepting unknown people IF the show is right.

They'll market her as a friendlier, younger, cooler Victoria Beckham I presume.

I think she'll do well.

What's striking about American Idol is how sincere it presents itself as being. I don't know if Simon Cowell can easily get away with Vince McMahon theatrics and have people not lose respect for him.

The other thing that's odd is a lot of big names were talked about over the summer for the American Idol revamp. Even though it's still up in the air, names written about included Elton John, Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler, Harry Connick Jr, Justin Timberlake, Jenifer Lopez.

Yet the gossip over the US X Factor is all about Katy Perry, the girl from the Pussycat Dolls, and somebody nobody in America's ever heard of?

Really?

Good sensible post.

The logic that a US audience won't accept an unknown Brit presenting does not explain an unkown Cat Deeley presenting a high profile show in the US.

The same names and more like Britney, Whitney, Pink and Amy Winehouse were bandied about as Paula's replacement, and they ended up with Ellen, so let's wait until Wednesday and see who is actually going to judge Idol. It could be big names getting mentioned but with no intention of actually doing the job, whilst the X Factor names are serious potential judges.

If true, good riddance. At least it means she'll be off my TV screen at last.

SImon Cowell's adoration of Cheryl is quite extraordinary really. I can't see many others he would have brought to the US from UK as he is bringing Cheryl. Strikes me she was probably the only "non negotiable" aspect of the whole thing. He was having her by his side and thats it by the looks of things!

Has this even been confirmed? this report was taken from the DM with no official person talking but a source who for we know could be someone walking past the building. These reports have also been knocking around since the start of the year, on and off.

No, it probably won't be confirmed for a while. In an interview with Terri Seymour, Simon said they were ready to sign up the first judge for the show.

It's possible that the press have taken that comment and made a story.

i think the judging panel will be

Simon Cowell
Cheryl Cole
Nicole Scherzinger
Randy Jackson in the Louis role someone he has worked with for years & trusts

then theres the presenter there has been a few names linked to that but who will it be ?

More than likely.. the tabs are obsessed with Cheryl and she hadn't been seen in a few days.

Of course, it's anyone's guess who will actually end up on the panel with Simon, and Randy's contract will be up with Idol after next season. However, Randy is the one holdover from the original Idol judges. He was always overshadowed by Simon, but now, being the only judge with Idol experience, he may have an opportunity to finally step up his game and become a sort of senior judge to the new kids on the block. Granted, Tyler and Lopez are bigger entertainment names, but they're unproven quantities on Idol who could falter. So, I wouldn't predict that Randy will immediately run off to once again exist under Simon's shadow.

In fact, the very fact that X-Factor is Simon's baby and he will have an even greater influence on it than he ever had on Idol might deter big names from joining him on the panel. Why would someone with a big name and lots more music experience want to kowtow to Simon's ego?