The heartbreaking reason Simon Cowell missed Britain's Got Talent auditions
Simon will be joined by his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alisha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli this weekend
Britain's Got Talent is back on TV screens across the UK on Saturday (February 22), but head judge Simon Cowell will be missing for portions of the episode.
Marking it's 18th season since it's debut season in 2007, Simon will be joined by his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alisha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli, as well as presenters Ant and Dec.
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The 2024 edition of Britain's Got Talent was won by Amanda's Golden Buzzer act Sydnie Christmas, with the singer finishing above magician Jack Rhodes dance duo Abigail & Afronitaaa in the final, earning a spot at the Royal Variety Show.
Filming of this season's audtions began in the the first week of October, with the show moving away from Palladium theatre in London's West End to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Sadly, the audtion process was put on-hold following news of Liam Payne's death on October 16, 2024, when the singer died at the age of 31 after suffering a fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
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An ITV spokesperson said in a statment at the time: "Due to the tragic passing of Liam Payne, we have decided to postpone the Britainâs Got Talent auditions. Our thoughts are with Liamâs friends, family and all who loved him."
One week after Liam's passing, which devastated the world of music, the auditions resumed without Simon, who was temporarily replaced by YouTuber KSI.
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Simon first met Liam when he adutioned as a solo-act on The X Factor at the age of 14 in 2008, singing Frank Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon.
Liam made it to the judges houses, where Simon was his mentor. Choosing not to send him through to the live-shows, Simon encouraged him to "return in two years".
Listening to Simon's advice, Liam returned to the X Factor in 2010 for the singing competition's seventh series. Liam was eventually paired with Harry Syles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, with the five-piece forming One Direction.
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Under Simon's mentorship, One Direction came third on the show, with Matt Cardle being crowned the winner. However, the group went on to become the biggest UK boyband of the 21st century.
Signed to Simon's Syco Entertainment record label, One Direction went on to sell 70 million records worldwide, win seven Brit Awards and have four UK number one albums prior to going on an indefinte hiatus in 2016.
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Paying an emotional tribute to Liam following his passing, Simon said: "You never really know how you feel about someone until a moment like this happens. Liam, I am devastated. Heartbroken. And I feel empty. And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you.
"This is so difficult to put into words right now. I went outside today, and I thought about so many times we had together. I wanted to let you know what I would always say to the thousands of people who would always ask me. What is Liam like? And I would tell them you were kind, funny, sweet, thoughtful, talented, humble, focused. And how much you loved music. And how much love you genuinely had for the fans."
Simon returned to the show on January 7 this year, with the auditions continuing to be held in Blackpool for the first time and the four permaent judges together for the first time since last year.
Article continues belowBritain's Got Talen't new judge KSI was initally brought in to fill-in for Bruno while he was filming in the United Stated, but extended his period with the show while Simon took time off to process Liam's passing.
The controversy over which position $313.5 million slugger Rafael Devers will play in the Boston Red Sox infield may have repercussions for another player.
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Both SBSâs âBuried Heartsâ and MBCâs âUndercover High Schoolâ saw their viewership ratings rise for their second episodes!
On February 22, Park Hyung Sikâs new drama âBuried Heartsâ enjoyed a significant increase in viewership. According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode of the show scored an average nationwide rating of 8.1 percent, marking an impressive 2 percent jump from its premiere the night priorâand making it the most-watched miniseries of the entire week.
Despite facing stiff competition from âBuried Hearts,â Seo Kang Junâs new drama âUndercover High Schoolââwhich airs in the same time slotâalso rose to an average nationwide rating of 6.6 percent for its own second episode.
âUndercover High Schoolâ was also the most-watched drama of Saturday among the key demographic of viewers ages 20 to 49, with whom it earned an average rating of 2.8 percent.
tvNâs âWhen the Stars Gossipââwhich has just one episode left in its runâfell to an all-time low of 1.783 percent ahead of its series finale, while Channel Aâs new drama âThe Witchâ scored an average nationwide rating of 1.7 percent for its third episode.
Finally, KBS 2TVâs âFor Eagle Brothersâ remained the most-watched program of Saturday with an average nationwide rating of 16.3 percent.
Check out the first two episodes of âUndercover High Schoolâ with subtitles on Viki below:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40985c-undercover-high-school]
Or start watching âThe Witchâ here:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40442c-the-witch]
And âFor Eagle Brothersâ below!
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/40963c-for-eagle-brothers]
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LOS ANGELES (AP) â Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 78th minute of his first match with his new club, and Los Angeles FC remained perfect in eight Major League Soccer season openers with a 1-0 victoryâŠ
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 â Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 78th minute of his first match with his new club, and Los Angeles FC remained perfect in eight Major League Soccer season openers with a 1-0 victory⊠%23maine){kind=logo} |
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We can't cope.
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BLACKPINKâs RosĂ© is soaring to unprecedented heights on U.S. radio!
For the week ending on February 22, RosĂ© and Bruno Marsâ smash hit âAPT.â remained No. 1 for the fourth week in a row on Billboardâs Pop Airplay chart, which measures weekly plays on mainstream Top 40 radio stations across the United States. Notably, RosĂ© is the first K-pop artist ever to top the chart.
âAPT.â also rose to a new peak of No. 4 in its 13th week on Billboardâs Radio Songs chart, which measures U.S. radio plays across all musical genres (not just Top 40 pop).
Even including groups and male acts, Rosé is now the first K-pop artist ever to reach the top 4 of the Radio Songs chart.
Additionally, âAPT.â stayed strong at No. 2 in its 17th week on Billboardâs Global Excl. U.S. chart, No. 3 on the Global 200, No. 7 on the Hot 100, No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Meanwhile, RosĂ©âs solo album ârosieâ remained stable at No. 31 in its 10th week on the Billboard 200, extending its own record for the most weeks in the top 40 of any album by either a female K-pop artist or a K-pop soloist of any gender.
ârosieâ also held relatively steady at No. 35 in its 10th week on Billoardâs Top Current Album Sales chart.
Finally, RosĂ© maintained her position at No. 31 on Billboardâs Artist 100 this week, marking her 18th non-consecutive week on the chart as a soloist.
Congratulations to Rosé!
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Even including groups and male acts, Rosé is now the first K-pop artist ever to reach the top 4 of the Radio Songs chart.
Additionally, âAPT.â stayed strong at No. 2 in its 17th week on Billboardâs Global Excl. U.S. chart, No. 3 on the Global 200, No. 7 on the Hot 100, No. 11 on the Digital Song Sales chart, and No. 12 on the Streaming Songs chart.
Meanwhile, RosĂ©âs solo album ârosieâ remained stable at No. 31 in its 10th week on the Billboard 200, extending its own record for the most weeks in the top 40 of any album by either a female K-pop artist or a K-pop soloist of any gender.
ârosieâ also held relatively steady at No. 35 in its 10th week on Billoardâs Top Current Album Sales chart.
Finally, RosĂ© maintained her position at No. 31 on Billboardâs Artist 100 this week, marking her 18th non-consecutive week on the chart as a soloist.
Congratulations to Rosé! %23maine) |
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Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
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