(Image source: Fox/The X Factor)
BY BRICE SANDER
Could ‘The X Factor’ be pulling one over on its audience?
Perez Hilton has made it his personal mission to uncover as much as he can about top 12 contestant Stacy Francis-- who he claims isn’t an undiscovered talent.(Fox/The X Factor)
The anchors on WFTX’s Morning Blend run through the evidence the gossip blogger has dug up so far.
CARLEY WEGNER: “Apparently she’s had quite a background and, so, a lot of people are calling her a fraud.”
BILL WOOD: “Quite a background? What do you mean? You mean she’s a fake?”
CARLEY WEGNER: “Yes- she was a member of a ‘90s R&B girl group, Ex-Girlfriend…”
BILL WOOD: “Oh, she’s a professional musician, sort of!”
CARLEY WEGNER: “She had the same manager as Mariah Carey. The group was produced by R Kelly, she has performed with Whitney Houston, Madonna and Price.”
BILL WOOD: “Now is that against the rules for X Factor?”
That’s exactly what the entertainment media’s trying to figure out - is Francis breaking the rules? One Gather blogger defends the show.
“There could be a reason for [the attacks] if other similar shows like The Voice didn't also include singers with earlier music careers … If X-Factor did its due diligence, then there's nothing left to debate.”
Hilton continues to post videos of the singer’s past performances on his site, including one at Tom Cruise’s birthday party. AOL argues that puts Francis under even more fire.
“None of this would be particularly scandalous (since numerous 'Idol' contestants have courted controversy over past record deals) if Francis hadn't taken to Twitter to deny many of the accusations leveled at her, thereby whipping fans and gossipmongers into a frenzy.”
But a friend of Stacy’s tells E! News, Hilton’s blowing this all out of proportion.
“‘Stacy stopped singing when she was 30 years old because of [a] relationship … She had some gigs here and there … Were they big gigs? No. She's just wants to get that big break now.’”
And some suggest the show’s probably making Francis cover up her past. A Cinema Blend blogger says, so what?
“Still, how many people watching X Factor actually remember her from any of that?”
So far, Fox has no plans to remove Francis from the competition.
Transcript by Newsy
