“The X Factor” Australia is once again the No. 1 TV series in the nation, based on the ratings of the show’s Season 3 premiere, which had 1.3 million viewers when Australia’s Channel 7 televised the episode on August 29, 2011.
But the ratings triumph has come with off-camera drama between the two new judges on the show’s panel: Australian singer/actress Natalie Bassingthwaighte and British singer/TV personality Brown (also known as Mel B), who is best known for being a former member of the Spice Girls.
Brown and Bassingthwaighte both joined “The X Factor” Australia in 2011. Brown replaced radio personality Kyle Sandilands, and Bassingthwaighte replaced singer Natalie Imbruglia. The other two “X Factor” Australia judges are singers Ronan Keating (of Boyzone fame) and Guy Sebastian (the first winner of “Australian Idol”).
Season 3 of “The X Factor” Australia marks the debut of new judges and a new age limit for contestants. As of Season 3, the show’s minimum age for contestants has been lowered from 16 to 14 years old.
In the Season 3 premiere, a standout contestant was Emmanuel Kelly, an adopted son of Children First Foundation executive director Moira Kelly. Emmanuel, who was physically affected by chemical warfare in Iraq, impressed “The X Factor” judges with his version of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
Source : Examiner.com
