Simon Cowell will be surrounded by women when THE X FACTOR returns for its third season this fall on FOX. Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Rowland and international pop star Paulina Rubio join him and Demi Lovato as judges on the hit singing competition series.

Simon Cowell said today, “It’s taken more than a decade, but I’m delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls (I think!). Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel. It just feels like the time to do something different.”

“I am very excited to be reuniting with Simon Cowell and THE X FACTOR family,” said Rowland. “It feels great to be able to take this journey here at home in the states!”

“I love THE X FACTOR! I can’t wait to find the next big music star here in America,” added Rubio. “I’m so thrilled to be part of the show as a judge. Simon, be careful what you wish for, let’s see if you are ready to handle me, empieza la fiesta, amigo!”

A pop star since the age of 16, Kelly Rowland grew up in the spotlight as a member of Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling groups of all time. Her powerful voice was a key ingredient in the group’s awe-inspiring list of chart-toppers and dance floor smashes, including four No. 1 singles in the U.S. and more than 60 million albums sold worldwide. The group received 14 Grammy Award nominations, and won three times, including Best R&B Song in 2001 for “Say My Name.” As a solo artist, Rowland has released three successful studio albums – “Simply Deep,” “Ms. Kelly” and “Here I Am” – selling more than five million records. Rowland’s first forays as a soloist contributed to the 2002 Grammy Award-winning song, “Dilemma (with Nelly),” and have been further evidenced by her gold and platinum solo albums. Her upcoming album, “Talk a Good Game,” will be released June 18. Rowland served as a judge on the eighth season of the U.K. version of “The X Factor.”

Paulina Rubio, considered to be one of the most influential contemporary Latin artists, has sold more than 20 million records around the world and has released 10 studio albums. Raised in Mexico, she began her professional music career in 1984, as a member of the popular teen pop group, Timbiriche. Since going solo in 1992, Rubio has created major hits both in English and Spanish and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards in the category of Best Latin Pop Album. Her prominence as an international artist extends to the digital world, as well. Official YouTube/VEVO views of Rubio's videos exceed 87 million. She has more than 1.2 million Facebook “likes” and more than 6.6 million Twitter followers.

“We are thrilled that Kelly and Paulina are joining Demi on the panel this season, in what is sure to be a triple threat of talented and successful women against Simon week-to-week,” noted Mike Darnell, President, Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “This is an incredible panel of judges and we can’t wait for fans to see what’s in store for Season Three of THE X FACTOR.”

“Kelly’s incredible talent as a member of one of the world’s most successful groups, Destiny’s Child, combined with her judging experience as part of the U.K. version of ‘The X Factor,’ make her an ideal choice to join this talented panel,” said Trish Kinane, executive producer for FremantleMedia North America. “Paulina is an amazing Latin superstar who brings glamour and fiery passion to the judges’ table. We welcome both of them in joining Simon, Demi and Mario in what will prove to be an exciting season.”

Last season, Tate Stevens was crowned THE X FACTOR Season Two winner and was awarded a recording contract, as well as production and creative support to develop, create, record and shoot his first original track and music video. Tate’s video debuted as a Pepsi commercial during the live telecast of the “55th Annual GRAMMY Awards®” and soon after, he released his first single, “Power of a Love Song.” He released his self-titled debut album last month.

Along with Stevens, THE X FACTOR discovered an amazing amount of diverse recording artists last season, such as finalists Fifth Harmony, Emblem3 and Carly Rose Sonenclar, all of whom also are working on their debut albums. Emblem3 are set to join Selina Gomez on her summer concert tour series this year and have just released their debut single, “Chloe (You're The One I Want).”

“The X Factor” format has created global superstars, including One Direction, Leona Lewis, Cher Lloyd and Olly Murs. Artists discovered by the competition series have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 110 No. 1s, 270 Top 10 records and 500 Top 50 releases. THE X FACTOR is now aired in 191 countries, and local versions of “The X Factor” are now commissioned in 41 territories.  

If you watched “American Idol” on Thursday, May 2, you witnessed one of the most remarkable performances ever seen on television.

The artist was the amazing, always inventive will.i.am — with a lot of well-choreographed accompaniment — performing “Bang Bang” from the motion picture “The Great Gatsby.” It was a feast for the eyes and the ears as will.i.am and company, snazzily dressed from head to toe, brilliantly created a 1920s scenario. No one who saw it will ever forget it. (You might still be able to watch it on YouTube.)

But that is the sort of thing we have come to expect from will.i.am (and yes, he lowercases the “w”). Think for a minute about those wildly imaginative Black Eyed Peas TV performances and videos.

There seems to be no limits to this man’s talents — producer, rapper, songwriter, dancer, choreographer, voice actor and on it goes. He has been richly rewarded for his efforts, including seven Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, three World Music Awards, a Billboard Music Award and a Teen Choice Award.

Those were all Black Eyed Peas projects, produced by will.i.am, but he has also produced an array of other acts, including Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Earth, Wind & Fire, Usher, Britney Spears and U2.

The Black Eyed Peas reached their highest peak with the 2009 release of the mega-selling album “The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)” which was loaded with exciting hits such as “Boom Boom Pow,” “Rock That Body,” “I Gotta Feeling” and “Meet Me Halfway.” The group even performed at the Super Bowl.

BORN William James Adams Jr. in predominantly Hispanic East Los Angeles, will.i.am had a mother who was a staunch believer in her son cultivating his musical skills and making a point of being unlike anyone else. She also instilled a sense of independence.

“Most singers in the industry have managers, producers and A&Rs. I manage myself and produce myself,” he said, adding this playful zinger: “Singers don’t know any better.”

Interestingly, in high school he met and became friends with Allan Pineda (stage name: apl.de.ap) who would later become one of the founding members of the Black Eyed Peas along with will.i.am.

will.i.am and apl.de.ap were still in high school when they and three others formed a socially conscious rap group strangely called Atban Klann. At the time he was known as Will 1X. The group’s name was changed to the Black Eyed Pods and later to the Black Eyed Peas.

THROUGH the years there had been a series of personnel changes, but the group line-up stabilized with will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (Jaime Gomez) and Fergie (Stacy Ann Ferguson).

Will there be another Black Eyed Peas album? Yes, but only when the time is right. Meanwhile, the members are involved in other projects. will.i.am’s solo album is titled “#willpower.”

As would be expected, will.i.am is also involved in the world of fashion but, of course, not mainstream fashion. He is a man who is turned off by the thought of dressing like anyone else. Before the formation of the Black Eyed Peas, he attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, which is located in Los Angeles.

In 2005 he introduced a clothing line of his creation, i.am. He introduced it in Las Vegas at the Magic Apparel Trade Show.

Considering the technical aspects of his videos and stage show, it is also not surprisingly that he is very much interested in robotics, computers, etc. He was named director of creative innovation by Intel Corp. in 2011, which meant having input in developing tablets, laptops and smartphones.

On the philanthropic side, he founded i.am.angel, an organization committed to “transforming lives through education, opportunity and inspiration.”

Looking at everything will.i.am does, the title of that Black Eyed Peas song comes to mind: “Boom, boom, pow!”

Love to laugh? Well you are in luck! Southfield will soon be home to the comedic stars both on stage and off. The Comedy Zone, a national, live-comedy theatre chain, will soon be opening next door to Southfield’s AMC Star Movie Theatre. It is the first and only of the chain’s 65 U.S. venues to be located in Michigan.

The Comedy Zone’s grand opening show, June 6-8, will kick off with a three-night engagement by world renowned comedian, writer and actor Charlie Murphy, and his show “Charlie Murphy’s Acid Trip.” Comedian Freez Luv will open the show.

For budget friendly entertainment, all seats at The Comedy Zone are equally and modestly priced. The comfortable and intimate design of the 300-seat showroom ensures that each patron gets a good seat.

The Comedy Zone will feature celebrity comics from all over the country. With weekly shows that include nationally touring acts, it promises to establish the city of Southfield as Metro Detroit’s premier venue on the live comedy circuit.

The club’s debut show, “Charlie Murphy’s Acid Trip,” is expected to set the stage for a continuing line-up of star acts to follow in coming months.

Murphy has headlined sold-out shows around the world. He spent several years performing as part of various critically acclaimed tours with fellow comics Joe Rogan, John Heffron, Mike Epps and former fellow Chappelle show cast members Bill Burr and Donnell Rawlings. His headlining tour “I Will Not Apologize” was released on DVD and premiered on Comedy Central in the No. 1 slot.

Murphy’s writing career spans more than two decades. His autobiography, “The Making of a Stand Up Guy,” was published by Simon and Schuster, and he has written several screenplays, including “Norbit,” starring Charlie’s brother, Eddie Murphy, which opened No. 1 at the box office.

His current tour, “Charlie Murphy’s Acid Trip,” will also be released on DVD.

The Comedy Zone is located at 25333 West 12 Mile Road in Southfield. For more information on this and other shows there, visit detroitcomedyzone.com or call (248) 506-1946.

To purchase tickets or to get show times, visit ticketmaster.com or call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

One of the strangest news items to surface recently is Tina Campbell, one half of the gospel music superduo Mary Mary, telling a national publication that she was at one time considering “killing” her husband, Teddy, because he was cheating. Let’s hope she didn’t really mean that.

Sometimes you expect more (not a lot more) from people who are always singing and/or talking about “the Lord,” but I guess being a human being supersedes anything else in many respects.

“Once I became aware, I initially wanted to kill my husband,” said Campbell. “I did physically try to stab him. Several times.”

Wow!

But then again, such things can happen anywhere. Back in 2007, Prophetess Juanita Bynum was physically attacked on an Atlanta hotel parking lot by her husband — Bishop Thomas Weeks.

If Bynum is truly a prophetess, as I said at the time, seems she would have been able to “prophesize” that her husband, the good bishop, was likely to jump on her — and then stay away from him or have the police on stand by if she did decide to meet with him.

I guess the bottom line is that people are people, with all of our shortcomings and periodic unexpected behavior, but with some people it goes to extremes.

KEITH SWEAT has been a successful recording artist since 1987 but, surprisingly, has only received one major award, a Favorite Male R&B/Soul Artist award at the 1997 American Music Awards. You’d think he would surely have one or more Soul Train Awards.

By the way, time sure flies. Keith Sweat will be 52 in July.

If you’re in the market for an apartment in Los Angeles, you might want to get in touch with famed record company executive, producer and songwriter Antonio “L.A.” Reid. He is selling his six-bedroom apartment and the asking price is only $18.9 million!

Some artists take something like ten years to make a new album (Stevie Wonder, Sade, Anita Baker, Maxwell), but Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience, Part 2” is scheduled for late September release. The first “20/20” came out in March.

FLAVOR FLAV (William Drayton, Jr.) the annoying rapper from Public Enemy, goes to trial in September for chasing and threatening his girlfriend’s son with a butcher knife. Officially it’s a “weapon and child endangerment” charge. He could get up to 12 years.

Meanwhile, another rap star, Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins), got out of federal prison early this month. He had gotten two years for illegal gun possession.

These rap stars sure set a good example for young people!

Usher will portray famed boxer Sugar Ray Leonard in the soon-coming movie “Hands of Stone” which is about another famous boxer, Roberto Duran. Usher said, “I think my dancing skills will make it easier for me to pick up his moves.”

Usher has been in several movies: “The Faculty,” “Light It Up” and “In the Mix.” And in addition to that, he was a smash on Broadway in “Chicago,” being responsible for a significant boost at the box office.

Kudos to Harry Connick Jr. whose new album, “Every Man Should Know,” consisting entirely of songs he wrote, will be released June 11. Jokingly yet with a large element of seriousness, he said, “I’m tired of being a slave to the record company. I’m just going to sing music that I like to sing, and I’m just going to write and create.”

HAD TO chuckle when I got to the part of Cissy Houston’s fascinating book, “Remembering Whitney,” where she talks about the time when, as a little girl, Whitney blackmailed her brother, Michael.

He had been taking their father’s car and Whitney said if he didn’t let her drive, she was “gonna tell.” He let her do it (her feet barely reached the pedals) but Michael, seated next to her, was understandably terrified.

Cissy Houston just found out about this very recently when Michael, the oldest of her two sons, confessed.

She said, “If I had known about this then, Michael’s butt would still be sore!”

Here is an interesting quote from the always outspoken Cher: “If you’re Black in this country, if you’re a woman in this country, if you are any minority in this country, what could possibly possess you to vote Republican?”

BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that when she was very young, Whitney Houston “wanted to marry Michael Jackson.”

MEMORIES: “We’re in This Love Together” (Al Jarreau), “Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” (Ann Peebles), “Silly” (Deniece Williams), “On the Wings of Love” (Jeffrey Osborne), “Don’t Let Go” (Isaac Hayes), “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” (Barry White), “The Whole World is a Stage” (the Fantastic Four), “Native New Yorker” (Odyssey), “She Works Hard For the Money” (Donna Summer).

BLESSINGS to anyone reading this column at this very moment.

WORDS OF THE WEEK, from Queen Latifah: “Do things your way and surround yourself with positive people.”

Let the music play!

Steve Holsey can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and PO Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.