Simon Cowell

Demi Lovato Is Returning to The X Factor for Season 3

Originally posted 03/28/2013 02:50PM

It's going to be Simon vs. Demi round two when The X Factor returns this fall.

Lovato is returning as a judge for season 3 of the Fox reality competition, the network announced on Thursday.

"I am so excited to return as a judge and mentor on The X Factor," the 20-year-old singer said in a statement. "Last season was an unbelievable experience and I really enjoyed developing personal relationships with the contestants and the panel. I look forward to taking my previous experience and applying it to make this season even better!"

Lovato, who was joined on last year's judging panel by Cowell, L.A. Reid and Britney Spears, famously clashed with the tough Brit during the show, swapping biting commentary as Cowell sometimes questioned Lovato's mentoring abilities.

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Credit: Scott Kirkland/Picturegroup

The X Factor

Simon Cowell Signs The X Factor's Fifth Harmony

Originally posted 01/17/2013 09:00AM

Fifth Harmony and One Direction have a lot in common.

Both groups auditioned as five individuals before being put together by The X Factor mentors. Both groups went on to place third on their seasons. And, now, both groups have been signed by their X Factor mentor Simon Cowell.

"I knew from the girls' first performance at the judges' homes that we'd done the right thing," Cowell, in an exclusive statement, tells PEOPLE of Fifth Harmony. "The chemistry between the girls both on stage and off is fantastic, and they are incredibly talented."

Fifth Harmony's Ally Brooke, 19, Camila Cabello, 15, Normani Hamilton, 16, Dinah Jane Hansen, 15, and Lauren Jauregui, 16, developed a loyal fan base of "Harmonizers" during the Fox reality show's second season and have now signed a recording deal with Cowell's Syco Music and fellow X Factor mentor L.A. Reid's Epic Records.

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Credit: Scott Kirkland/PictureGroup

The X Factor

Tate Stevens's X Factor Win Proves Age Doesn't Matter, Says Simon Cowell

Originally posted 12/21/2012 02:00PM

While his girl group didn't win The X Factor, Simon Cowell thinks America got it right when viewers picked the show's oldest contestant, Tate Stevens, 37.

"We set out to do this show and take away as many rules as possible, partly to prove the point that you can sell records and be popular beyond the age of 29," Cowell said after the show's finale Thursday when Stevens, a married father of two, walked away with a $5 million recording deal.

"At my record label we don't have a sign on the door saying, 'If you're over 30 you can't sign here,' " he continued. "We don't run the business that way. This proves that there is a market for older people. I mean, look at Susan Boyle. I sold 30 million albums with Susan. So there's a market out there."

As for Simon's kind words, Stevens told PEOPLE, "[At the wrap party] Simon said some nice things which means a lot; he's the boss – and he seems to have a lot of confidence and in me going forward in my career."

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Simon Cowell Calls Sandy Hook Tribute the Hardest Thing He's Done on TV

Originally posted 12/20/2012 10:05AM

It takes a lot to bring out Simon Cowell's softer side.

But the normally acerbic X Factor judge choked up Wednesday night as he introduced the show's emotional tribute to the Sandy Hook shooting victims – in what he later said was an extremely difficult moment for him.

"I would say it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do on TV in my life," Cowell, 53, said after the show, in which Carly Rose Sonenclar, Tate Stevens and Fifth Harmony made their final performances of the season.

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Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

The X Factor

Little Big Town, LeAnn Rimes to Duet with X Factor Finalists

Originally posted 12/19/2012 10:40AM

It's down to the wire for this season's The X Factor as teen sensation Carly Rose Sonenclar, country crooner Tate Stevens and girl group Fifth Harmony are set to square off in the finals this week doing duets.

Sonenclar, 13, is partnered with LeAnn Rimes; Stevens, 37, will shared the stage with the group Little Big Town; and Fifth Harmony will pair up with judge Demi Lovato as anticipation builds for a winner.

At a press conference Monday, The X Factor's creator Simon Cowell praised the finalists and predicted that anything can happen as the show prepares to wrap its season Thursday night on Fox.

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