X-Factor

Hours before Nicole Scherzinger was officially bounced from "X Factor" last night ... the former judge was in NYC, laughing off questions about her demise as if the mere THOUGHT of termination was pure insanity.

Nicole was leaving Nello's when we asked, "Are you still doing 'X Factor?'" - Nicole simply giggled at the question ... and then waved us off.

FOX has since confirmed Nicole will NOT return to the show ... neither will host Steve Jones.

50 Cent's performance on "X-Factor" last month was a bloody mess behind the scenes -- with one stagehand smashing his head open after falling off the stage ... this according to the 911 call obtained by TMZ.

The accident occurred just as Fiddy took the stage to perform two songs (below). According to reports, a stair riser crashed down on several stagehands ... striking two on the head and one on the elbow.

As a result of the accident, according to the 911 call, one man fell off the stage and "cracked his head open."

Simon Cowell is the butt of an inside joke behind the scenes at "American Idol" ... and it's all over some cocky statements he made about a rival show just a couple of months ago.

Sources at "Idol" tell us ... the honchos have been joking that they'll be DEVASTATED if the show doesn't get 20 MILLION viewers when "A.I." debuts tonight.

They're not serious ... they're simply mocking their former judge, who told the Hollywood Reporter last year he was counting on "X Factor" to pull in 20 mil on its debut ... or else he'd consider it a disappointment.

For the record, X Factor fell short. But 'Idol' has hit the 20 million mark multiple times ... including the 2011 finale.

"X-Factor" judge Paula Abdul secretly instructed Nicole Scherzinger to vote off Rachel Crow last week ... just moments before the earth-shattering elimination -- and we have proof.

Paula's mic was down when Nicole was making her decision -- but with a little volume tinkering ... you can clearly hear Paula whisper to Nicole, "Just let it go to a deadlock."

Nicole did just that ... a decision that sent Rachel Crow packing -- and resulted in a torrent of death threats from angry fans everywhere.

Everyone's blaming Nicole, but the audio raises the question -- is Nicole really at fault for sending Rachel home? So we gotta ask ...

It ain't over for former "X-Factor" contestant Rachel Crow -- TMZ has learned, Disney bigwigs are clamoring to sign the 13-year-old after her elimination last night ... and have already set up a meet-and-greet.

A rep for Disney tells us, "Now that she has been eliminated off X-Factor, a general meeting is planned with her and Disney Channel executives soon."

We're told Disney honchos want to go through a laundry list of possible opportunities for Rachel during the meeting -- including TV, movies, and radio.

"X-Factor" judge Nicole Scherzinger claimed she "died inside" when she saw the look on Rachel Crow's face last night ... after the 13-year-old was eliminated -- and TMZ has obtained footage of the emotional backstage meltdown.

Nicole told producers after the show, half in denial -- "I couldn't make that decision on my own ... I didn't send her home. I adore Rachel."

Nicole Scherzinger ran off the set of 'X Factor' in tears last night ... when the audience booed her like crazy for eliminating Rachel Crow ... and TMZ has learned she was hysterically crying in her dressing room for nearly a half-hour.

Nicole was charged with casting the final vote between Crow and Marcus Canty ... but didn't want to eliminate either .. so she sent the vote to "Deadlock" -- which meant it all boiled down to the audience vote.

Crow lost ... and broke down in tears ... and when the host of the show asked Nicole to comment, the crowd unleashed a chorus of boos.

Sources connected to the production tell TMZ ... Nicole bolted right for her dressing room ... and was "inconsolable" about the situation.

We're told Crow -- who was a crying mess herself -- heard about Nicole and went to the judge's dressing room ... where the two cried together and Crow told Nicole she was not mad about the decision.

"X-Factor" cast-off Drew Ryniewicz is lashing back after some deranged fans threatened to kill Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger last week -- telling TMZ, she has no hard feelings against the judges for dumping her ... and her fans shouldn't either.

As we previously reported, Paula and Nicole received an avalanche of death threats on Facebook and Twitter after they agreed to vote the 14-year-old off Thursday night.

Among the threats ... "F**K you paula you dumb c**t you voted off the most talented person on your f**king show. i hope you die you DUMB B***H."

The judges were shocked by the firestorm of hatred -- and Drew tells us, she was too ... "That's not what I represent and that's not what I want my fans to represent."

If the $5 MILLION recording contract wasn't enough ... TMZ has learned the people behind 'X Factor' are willing to shell out MILLIONS more to the winner ... depending on how hard the soon-to-crowned champ works after the show.

Here's the deal -- each contestant signed a contract which states that if they win the show, they will get their $5 million over a period of 5 years ... $1 mil-per-year.

According to the contract, obtained by TMZ, the $5 mil is an "advance" on any earnings the winner brings in from record sales, the official tour and more ... during the 5 years.

But the earnings are not capped at $5 mil -- if the performer generates more than $5 mil during the length of the deal, that person will get a cut of the profits. The more they sell, the more they rake in.

And there's more ... the singer is entitled to even more cash for any live performances outside of the official tour -- 30% of royalties from each gig -- and that money does NOT count toward the original $5 mil.

"X-Factor" hosts Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger voted off the wrong contestant Thursday night -- at least according to several angry Drew Ryniewicz fans ... whose violent threats have Paula and Nicole fearing for their lives.

According to our sources, Paula and Nicole both got the cold shoulder from Simon Cowell after the show ... who was "furious" with their decision. But that's nothing compared to the abusive tweets and Facebook messages they've received. Some of the messages read:

-- "F**K you paula you dumb c**t you voted off the most talented person on your f**king show. i hope you die you DUMB B***H."

-- "I hope you die, you selfish----------"

-- "@NicoleScherzy @paulaabdul go die"

Marriage proposals are sweet, right? Well not when some random dude invades your space while you're trying to tape "X-Factor."

As Nicole Scherzinger sat at the judge's table during a taping break, a Hungarian dude who was in the audience bolted toward her, got down on one knee and ... we'll she didn't say yes.

Security removed him from the CBS lot.

Several "X Factor" finalists claim they were nearly eaten alive at their L.A. hotel this week, TMZ has learned -- after a swarm of bloodthirsty bed bugs feasted on their flesh ... while they slept.

Sources close to the contestants tell TMZ, the unidentified singers in question were staying at the Grafton Hotel ... and when four of them woke up in the morning, they were covered in bites.

We're told the contestants did a little digging and claim they discovered the hotel had a massive bed bug infestation -- so they bailed asap, and notified "X Factor" producers ... who then dealt with the hotel and found new digs for the singers.

Sources connected to production say the hotel acknowledged the bed bug problem. A rep for the Grafton had no comment when we called.

Josh Krajcik's chance at winning $5 million bucks on "X Factor" could go up in smoke -- because the singer's doctor believes cigarettes and booze are sabotaging his shot at victory ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to the production tells us, Krajcik was having issues with his voice giving out during practice last week -- a doctor told him boozing and smoking were to blame ... and Krajcik should stop both IMMEDIATELY.

At that point, we're told that Josh's mentor, Nicole Scherzinger, stepped in to tell him to cut down before he gets eliminated ... but while Josh is trying, quitting ain't easy.

An "X Factor" performance last night revealed there's clearly lip-synching going down ... but a rep says the show is not alone, and it happens more often than you think.

During the opening song -- performed by all the contestants -- one singer started moving his mouth way after you could hear his voice. Oops.

An "X Factor" rep tells TMZ the vocals on all ensemble performances (not individual ones) are "pre-recorded" ... in order to give the contestants more time to work on competition songs.

The rep added, "This is also no different to what other competition shows do for ensemble performances."

Simon Cowell's enormous "X Factor" trailer isn't just pimped out -- it's a freakin' MASH unit ... fitted with better medical emergency equipment than your average doctor's office!

A source close to Simon tells TMZ the trailer now has something called a "Ready Cabinet" ... which transforms from an ordinary piece of furniture into a virtual hospital -- with a camera to examine wounds, a scope to check the inner ear, and a vitals monitor.

The rig is even ready for bad tickers -- it has an EKG glove that looks a lot like an oven mitt, but costs an incredible $4,000.

We're told Simon's in good health, and doesn't need this stuff -- but the company that makes the cabinet needed an over-sized testing ground -- and Cowell's huge trailer fit the bill. The prototype will eventually be used for disaster relief.

Simon Cowell is like an overprotective father when it comes to three girls he's mentoring on "X Factor" -- sources close to the show tell us ... he's deeply concerned for their safety and is taking precautionary measures.

According to our sources, Simon has grown concerned about the safety of the three girls -- Drew Ryniewicz, Melanie Amaro, and Rachel Crow -- after a recent trip to the mall turned into a mob scene.

Our sources says the incident prompted Simon to instruct his personal bodyguards ... they are not to let the girls leave the studio without some form of security. We're told Simon wants the girls to be able to feel safe while doing the kinds of things normal girls do.