Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones were all fired from "The X Factor" on Monday, according to individuals close to the show.

FOX and producers Fremantle and Simon Cowell were looking to make a clean sweep, according to those individuals, and are looking for new talent to replace the two judges and the host.

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Said one of those individuals: "They survived this year, but it didn't really work. So they've figured they have an opportunity to fix it.

"They expected Paula to be the goofy girl, and Nicole to be the pretty one. But Paula was so bad that it made none of it work."

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A FOX spokesman confirmed the departures of Scherzinger and Jones, but could not immediately confirm Abdul's departure.

Part of the issue, the insider said, was that Fox chose to spend its money on an elaborate set and glitzy production values for the live show. By contrast, NBC's "The Voice" spent its budget on hiring top-shelf talent, including Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton.

Aguilera is said to be receiving upwards of $10 million per season for "The Voice." One insider told TheWrap that Abdul was receiving only $1 million for a season of "The X Factor."

Also from TheWrap: 'X Factor': Why It's the Most Exhausting Show on TV

Jones confirmed his exit on Twitter.

Scherzinger, the lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls, replaced original "X Factor" judge Cheryl Cole, who was dismissed from the show in May 2011.

Report;  Cowell sends Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones packing...The show has scored admirable ratings, but hasn't lived up to creator Cowell's expectations. He said last summer he hoped it would top "American Idol" as the country's top-rated show, but it failed to climb from the roughly 12.49 million viewers who watched its September launch. Indeed, "X Factor" earned only half of his former s.how's ratings in its first season, which wrapped in December.

The show stirred buzz for certain episodes -- most notably the Dec. 8 live-results show when teen contender Rachel Crow unexpectedly got the boot -- but "X Factor" viewership fell to as few as 8.51 million.

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Scherzinger was knocked for indecisiveness, especially when she refused to make a crucial ruling on which of two contenders should go home. Abdul was largely a peacemaker this go-around, and had few of the sparks she displayed with Cowell on "American Idol." Instead, Cowell feuded with new judge L.A. Reid.

"X Factor" has averaged a 4.2/12 rating among Adults 18-49 and 12.4 million total viewers last season, close to the ratings of NBC's new singing competition, "The Voice."

"The Voice" returns to the airwaves on Feb. 6. "X Factor" hopes to have replacement talent locked in by April, according to the insider.

Source:  msn.com

The "Sex and the City" star's personal life became an exercise in the politics of sexual orientation last week when The New York Times Magazine quoted Nixon saying that for her, being gay was a conscious choice. Nixon has been in a relationship with a woman for eight years. Before that, she spent 15 years and had two children with a man.

After some gay rights activists complained that Nixon's remarks could be used to deny a biological basis for homosexuality, the actress on Monday released a statement to The Advocate magazine explaining she is technically bisexual, and not by choice.

Nixon told the magazine: "What I have 'chosen' is to be in a gay relationship."

Source:  ap

"The Help," a movie about the treatment of maids in a Mississippi town during the civil rights era, took top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night, making it the movie to watch as the Oscar awards approach next month.

Viola Davis won the best actress trophy, while Octavia Spence was given the best supporting actress honor. Both women portrayed maids.

"The Help" also won the best cast ensemble SAG award.

"The stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color and women," Davis said. "It's all of our burden, all of us."

Davis' best actress win seemed to throw the Oscar competition into a frenzy, since she beat Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams, actresses who won Golden Globes two weeks ago.

Streep was nominated for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "Iron Lady," and MIchelle Williams, was nominated for playing movie legend Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn."

Jean Dujardin won the SAG best actor in a film award for his lead role in "The Artist," a black-and-white, silent film.

The win gives Dujardin an apparent edge against George Clooney and the three other nominees in next month's Oscar best actor competition.

Spencer's supporting actress SAG award makes her a clear frontrunner for the supporting actress Oscar, considering she also won the Golden Globe.

"These women represent our mothers and grandmothers," Spencer said, referring to the maids portrayed in "The Help." "By honoring me, you're honoring them."

Christopher Plummer, 82, also earned frontrunner status for in the Academy Award best supporting actor competition by winning the SAG honor Sunday night for his role in "The Beginners."

"I just cannot tell you how much fun I've had being a member of the world's second oldest profession," Plummer said as he accepted his SAG trophy.

Hollywood's awards season neared mid-point Sunday night with the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild honors -- the only industry awards that solely recognize performers.

The SAG actor trophies go to both television and film actors, and the winners are chosen by their acting peers.

SAG President Ken Howard also used the event to announce the actor union's board approved a proposal to merge with AFTRA, another acting union, pending approval of their memberships.

On the prime-time television side, HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" won for best ensemble cast in a drama series for a second straight year. It was also the second consecutive time for the show's star Steve Buscemi to win the SAG best actor in a TV drama award his role of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson.

Jessica Lange won the SAG trophy for best actress in a TV drama series for her work in the FX's "American Horror Story." It is her first SAG honor.

"It was a real leap of faith for me to jump into it, but it's been a wonderful ride," Lange said of her role as "Constance."

In the television movie or miniseries categories, best actress award went to Kate Winslet for "Mildred Pierce." Paul Giamatti won best actor for his portrayal of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in "Too Big To Fail."

"Modern Family" won the best ensemble cast in a TV comedy series for a second year.

Alec Baldwin won SAG's best actor in a TV comedy series for "30 Rock," while 89-year-old Betty White was given the best actress in a comedy award for "Hot in Cleveland," which she won last year.

"I don't think they can read," White said as she accepted. "I think they made a terrible mistake."

The show at the Shrine Exposition Center aired on TNT and TBS. Both TNT and TBS are units of Time Warner, the parent company of CNN.

Source:  cnn.com

Crawford Shaw, of Bedford, N.Y., withdrew his claim Thursday on a multimillion dollar Iowa Lottery prize just as mysteriously as he has made it, saying through a Des Moines law firm that he couldn't satisfy lottery officials' request for basic information about how he obtained the winning ticket.

The lottery has asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa attorney general to investigate.

Officials say Shaw submitted the ticket for redemption on behalf of a trust on Dec. 29, less than two hours before it expired, and has identified the recipient only as a corporation in the country of Belize. The lottery wants to know how Shaw obtained the ticket to make sure it wasn't stolen and that a valid player bought it.

It has been 13 months since the winning ticket was purchased at a Des Moines gas station in December 2010. The payout for the prize would have been $7.5 million cash, or $10.3 million spread over 25 years after taxes.

Iowa lottery officials had given Shaw until Friday to provide the identities and contact information of anyone who purchased or possessed the ticket.

Instead of claiming the prize in person, as is normally done, Shaw signed the ticket on behalf of the trust and shipped it by FedEx to a Des Moines law firm he had retained.

Shaw, 76, sent a fax to the law firm Thursday saying he doesn't know the identity of the purchaser. The firm relayed the information to lottery officials.

Shaw, 76, sent a fax to the law firm Thursday saying he doesn't know the identity of the purchaser. The firm relayed the information to lottery officials.

"In order that the claim be resolved without further controversy, Crawford Shaw, as Trustee for and on behalf of the Trust, does hereby withdraw the Claim and does hereby agree to take no further action to enforce the Claim," the fax signed by Shaw reads.

Shaw signed the ticket on behalf of Bedford, N.Y.-based Hexham Investments Trust, though lottery officials have said he misspelled the name of the trust by leaving off the second "h." Shaw claimed not to be a beneficiary of the trust.

Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich said Thursday that it's the strangest situation officials can recall in the 26-year history of the lottery. He declined to speculate on the details of the claim, saying if he knew more than what's been released, lottery officials would probably be writing a check to a winner.

"I'm telling you, if I could take all of the suggestions, it would be a heck of a fun book," Rich said.

He previously had said the lottery had received several claims that the ticket was stolen.

Iowa law also prohibits employees and contractors of the lottery, their relatives and anyone younger than 21 from playing.

Shaw said Wednesday through the Des Moines-based Davis Brown Law Firm that if the jackpot were paid, the money would be donated to charity. He declined to comment further Thursday.

Records show Shaw played at least a minor role in the collapse of Industrial Enterprises of America, a chemical company that was looted and bankrupted in 2009 by a stock manipulation scheme. Shaw helped found the company after taking control of a Houston-based shell corporation, serving as its CEO from 2004 to 2005.

Shaw's history also includes lawsuits alleging fraud in Delaware and Texas.

The unclaimed money will go toward future prizes, Rich said.

Source:  ap

Prosecutors say Alex Da Silva gave dance lessons at salsa clubs where he met aspiring dancers he assaulted. The assaults were not related to the TV show.

Da Silva was convicted of raping a 22-year-old woman in 2002 and attacking another woman with intent to commit rape in 2009.

The jury deadlocked on four other counts, including two more alleged rapes. Those counts were dismissed.

A defense attorney says the women who accused Da Silva were not telling the truth.

Da Silva will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

Source:  ap

Demi Moore was doing "whip-its" -- a type of nitrous oxide inhalant -- before she was rushed to the hospital earlier this week, TMZ reported.

The troubled actress became semi-conscious and had symptoms of a seizure after inhaling a dangerous amount of nitrous oxide -- a gas typically inhaled by young people looking for a cheap high -- a friend told paramedics who attended the scene, the gossip site reported.

The 49 year old was rushed to the hospital from her home in Los Angeles late Monday night, before checking into a treatment facility Tuesday to reportedly seek treatment for substance abuse.

Her rep said that she was seeking "professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health."

However friends of the star said she went to rehab because she is "emotionally and physically exhausted" over her painful split with Ashton Kutcher, who is "acting like a teenage boy," the New York Post reported.

One friend told the newspaper that Kutcher, 33, who was spotted partying with Brazilian supermodels Monday at Sao Paulo fashion week, continues to flirt with women while still calling his ex "when he is at a low moment."

"Demi was talking to Kobe Bryant at a CAA Golden Globes party, and Ashton came over and made a scene," the source told the newspaper. "He made jealous comments to Kobe, then Ashton went to the bar and was openly flirting with other women."

"Demi put up with a lot from Ashton -- and despite the rumors, she always gave him the benefit of the doubt." the source continued. "Now he's carrying on like a teenager, goes around with other women, and then, when he's feeling scared and lonely, he reaches out to Demi."

The friend said Kutcher's behavior was taking its toll on the star, who has pulled out of her latest movie "Lovelace," adding that Moore felt "exhausted and humiliated."

Moore announced she was ending her marriage to Kutcher after six years -- amid reports he had engaged in multiple extramarital affairs.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads former House Speaker Newt Gingrich by two points in Florida, a margin well within a new poll's margin of error, reflecting a close race in the key primary.

Thirty-six percent of Republicans likely to vote in Florida's primary said they intend to vote for Romney; 34 percent would choose Gingrich, according to a CNN/TIME/ORC poll released Wednesday.

The poll underscores the tightness of what has essentially become a two-man race in the largest state yet to hold its nominating contest in the past month. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has seen his numbers plummet to 11 percent from 19 percent in CNN's last poll of Florida, conducted Jan. 13-17. Nine percent of Florida Republicans voiced support for Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who is not competing in earnest in Florida's primary.

The new data reflect the closeness of the race following Gingrich's win in the South Carolina primary last Saturday; Romney had led the former speaker by a 25-point margin in the previous version of this poll, a lead that's shrunk to two points, within the five percent margin of error of this survey.

The poll is the first statewide survey in Florida conducted completely after South Carolina's primary, in which Gingrich trounced Romney by 12 points, reviving his campaign and seemingly claiming the mantle of the candidate who presents a conservative alternative for Romney.

In the intervening days since that primary, the Romney campaign has spent millions on advertising assailing Gingrich's record, and a super PAC spending on Romney's behalf has spent millions more. A pro-Gingrich super PAC has also reserved millions in ads, but it's still dwarfed by the spending done by Romney forces in the state.

Moreover, Romney's been voicing sharper criticism of Gingrich and his record in Congress and advocacy work for Freddie Mac, most pointedly in a high-rated debate on Monday night in Florida.

To that end, the CNN poll suggests that Romney might have regained some footing against Gingrich in recent days. While Gingrich led Romney, 38 to 32 percent, in Sunday's polling, respondents on Monday and Tuesday were slightly more for Romney, 38 to 29 percent.

Source:  msnbc.com