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More often than not, it’s the heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, or heartbreaking moments which define our memories of great television. Which is why each year, IndieWire chooses to recognize those scenes and twists which keep us enraptured in TV’s variety of narratives.

The picks below celebrate on-screen seconds which are the best sort of gut-punches and serve as examples of how this medium can have a genuine impact on how people see the world. From the far-off future to the Biblical past, it was an incredible year for TV, and these moments will be remembered for a long time.

[Editor’s Note: The following article contains light spoilers for the featured series.]

“911”

Bounce House Time!

“9-1-1” is a show built on sheer audacity. What other show would begin with a woman getting slowly constricted to death by a giant snake (and not have that be the craziest thing that happened in the episode)? Showing that no one was truly safe from the whims of Los Angeles-area disasters,...

Katie Holmes is one cool mom! The actress took her daughter, Suri, to U2’s concert at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, on Saturday night.

The star-studded show, also attended by Alicia Keys and Gwyneth Paltrow, was the first of a two-night gig at the venue as part of the Irish rockers’ Joshua Tree Tour 2017, which marks 30 years since the album and tour of the same name.

Exclusive: Bono Shares Secret to Long Marriage on 40th Anniversary of His First Date With Wife Ali

Arriving shortly after The Lumineers’ opening set, Holmes was accompanied by Suri, 11, who was looking cute in a black-and-white dress and green sweater -- perfectly in Irish theme for the music legends! The cutie also had a friend with her to keep her company while Holmes rocked out at the gig, which saw the band play the entire Joshua Tree album as well as other hits from their 40-year career.

“[link...

Honest question: Did anybody tune in to Monday’s semifinals of The Voice Season 12 not knowing for sure which singer would be getting their vote? I know when I sat down to recap it up, I was decidedly behind Chris Blue. Even if he had the offest of off nights and gave the worst performance of his run on the show, he was still going to get my support, because by that point, I had been more than satisfactorily dazzled. So it got me to wondering how many of the rest of you had also already chosen “your” contestant. And...

Elisabeth Moss in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Two exciting new limited series are making rather unconventional debuts this week, with The Handmaid’s Tale premiering on Hulu, which hasn’t had such a big event program like this before, and Genius giving National Geographic its first scripted show. We’re also saying goodbye to Bates Motel, welcome back to Silicon Valley, and hello in a new form to Dear White People. Plus there are a couple new places to have a laugh at the president.

To help you keep track of the most important programs over the next seven days, here’s our guide to everything worth watching, whether it’s on broadcast, cable, or streaming for April 23–29:

SUNDAYSilicon Valley (HBO, 10pm)

The boys of Pied Piper return, but they’re no longer a united force. The fourth season promises internal strife, as Richard (Thomas Middleditch) appears to quit his own company, as...

30 years ago today, Navy fighter pilot hotshots Maverick, Iceman, and Goose first flew across big screens around the world. It was on May 16, 1986 that Top Gun opened in theaters. Already well on his way to becoming a household name thanks to 1983’s Risky Business, Tom Cruise became a certified movie star with the release of Top Gun. It was also the first hit for director Tony Scott, who went on to direct other action flicks and thrillers like Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, and Déjà Vu (which reunited him with Top Gun star Val Kilmer) before his death in 2012. Top Gun, a slick, upbeat, Reagan-era ode to masculinity, boasted a memorable soundtrack (with Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” and Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone”), impressive dogfights, an endlessly quotable though often goofy script, and, upon its release, immediate box office success. It became the highest grossing movie of 1986. Also on this day,...

It was 36 years ago today that the world was left with what still stands as one of TV’s greatest cliffhangers: In the March 21, 1980 episode of primetime soap Dallas, J.R. Ewing is shot twice by an unseen assailant. Viewers were left frustratedly wondering who shot the conniving oil tycoon and whether he would survive. The whodunnit mystery had everyone guessing for a while: J.R. had a host of enemies, so there were lots of suspects. CBS created a marketing campaign around the phrase “Who shot J.R.?” T-shirts and bumper stickers printed with the phrase and “I Shot J.R.” became a common sight over the summer. During the 1980 presidential election, Republican campaigners made buttons that read “A Democrat shot J.R.,” while Jimmy Carter told people at a fundraiser in Texas, “I came to Dallas to find out confidentially who shot J.R. If any of you could let me know that,...

The organizers of the festival have announced the films that will be screen at the Korean Competition.

This year more than 120 entries were sent to the festival and programmers have selected only 10 films to be part of the Korean Competition. Fictions films predominated as 7 are fiction and 3 are documentaries. The 17th Jeonju International Film Festival is going to take place from April 28th to May 7th in Jeonju (South Korea). We will keep you updated as soon as more information about the films is available.

Korean Competition

No Preparation for Old Age by Lee Dongwoo

Delta Boys by Ko Bongsoo

Mrs. B. A North Korean Woman by Yoon Jaeho (*)

Breathing Underwater by Ko Heeyoung

Our Love Story by Lee Hyunju

With or Without You by Cho Sungeun

A Field Day by Kim Jintae

Worst Woman by Kim Jongkwan

Curtain Call by Ryu Hoon (*)

Press by Choi Jungmin

(*) – Part of the...

Like the wide white lapels of Cookie’s Chanel-plaid jumpsuit, it’s the “Are you kidding me?” details that make Empire so ridiculously delicious.

A hard-charging prosecutor shows up to court with a La Perla bra pushing her cleavage higher than a Patti Labelle glory note. A guy named Thirsty (!) — with a law degree from the University of Guam (!!) — lands a job defending one of the richest and most powerful men in music. And not even Fox’s own highly paid American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez is safe from the vicious tongue of the Lyon family matriarch.

RelatedAsk Ausiello: Spoilers on Empire,...

I finally did it: I saw U2 in concert.

I may have waited too long to catch the band in its prime, but its 37 years of experience -- without a personnel change -- and undiluted passion have made it one of the biggest concert draws for decades now, even if recent albums have been uneven in inspiration.

The current tour, with Thursday night being the next-to-last of eight shows at Madison Square Garden, is promoting last year's Songs of Innocence, which I mostly like. It figured that the annoying album opener, "The Miracle of Joey Ramone" (I wrote that it "panders like a commercial") would also be the concert opener (unless you want to give that honor to Patti Smith's recording "People Have the Power," which at all those shows is the song the quartet has walked on to, coming through the audience and climbing onstage). But then, pandering...

Chinese director Ju Anqi’s Poet On A Business Trip won the 16th Jeonju International Film Festival (Jiff)’s Grand Prize in the International Competition.

Ahn Koocjin’s Korean Academy of Film Arts (Kafa) feature production Alice In Earnestland picked up the Grand Prize in the Korean Competition.

Supported by the Rotterdam film festival’s Hubert Bals Fund, Poet On A Business Trip made its world premiere in Rotterdam and its Asian premiere at Jeonju. Completed more than a decade after it was shot, the film documents the poet Shu as he goes on a tour of the Xinjiang region in 2002, visiting the Uighur people of the area and composing 16 poems on his “business trip”.

Awarding the film its KW20m ($19,700) award, the International Jury called it “simple, curious, artful and ultimately very moving.”

“This selection of emerging filmmakers has been characterized by a risk-taking independent spirit, which we hope they will all take into their future...

In this week’s Grey’s Anatomy, Derek told Meredith (not quite all) about “the other woman,” Owen’s mother (reluctantly) came clean about her secret romance, and Jo treated a patient whose nose was home, sweet home to a…

On second thought, keep reading. I’ll tell you in due time.

PhotosCancellation Buzz: 9 Shows in Danger

Doctor, Heel, Thyself? | Picking up right where “Don’t Dream It’s Over” left off, “With or Without You” began with Derek at his own doorstep, eager to tell Mer that the woman who answered his phone was just his research fellow, Renee.

Not gonna lie. I found this episode of Grey's Anatomy to be less than stellar. Perhaps that's harsh, but in a season that's been so exceptionally good, "With or Without You" was not. Instead, it was disjointedly presented and unevenly written. Having said that, despite the fragmentation, we got to know Owen's mom a lot better tonight. We also finally learned what went down in Washington, D.C. between Derek and his fellow.

Recently, ABC served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Grey's Anatomy" episode 17 of season 11. The episode is entitled, "With or Without You," and it turns out that we're going to see some very interesting and dramatic stuff take place as Owen gets a big shocker when his mother is placed in the hospital. Meredith has to face the Derek issues, and more! In the new, 17th episode press release: Derek And Meredith Face The Music. Press release number 2: Meredith, rattled by the latest events, is going to try to figure out what to do about Derek. In the meantime, Owen is going to be shocked when his mother is admitted to the hospital. The episode was written by Elisabeth R. Finch and, it was directed by Chandra Wilson. Episode 17 is set to air on Thursday night, March 25th at 7pm central time on ABC.

Jurors in the "Blurred Lines" trial heard a bizarre bit of testimony on Wednesday when Robin Thicke took the stand and proceeded to perform an elaborate piano medley. The trial, which began in Los Angeles on Tuesday, will decide whether the 2013 hit infringes on Marvin Gaye's 1977 song, "Got to Give It Up." Thicke, 37, together with co-writers Pharrell Willliams and T.I., sued Gaye's family in a preemptive attempt to protect the song from claims of copyright infringement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In counterclaims, Gaye's children Frankie and Nona Gaye alleged that not just one but at least two...

Jurors in the "Blurred Lines" trial heard a bizarre bit of testimony on Wednesday when Robin Thicke took the stand and proceeded to perform an elaborate piano medley. The trial, which began in Los Angeles on Tuesday, will decide whether the 2013 hit infringes on Marvin Gaye's 1977 song, "Got to Give It Up." Thicke, 37, together with co-writers Pharrell Willliams and T.I., sued Gaye's family in a preemptive attempt to protect the song from claims of copyright infringement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In counterclaims, Gaye's children Frankie and Nona Gaye alleged that not just one but at least two...

The "Blurred Lines" trial on Wednesday included a bit of unusual testimony: a short piano medley performed by Robin Thicke. The singer, on the witness stand in the second day of the Los Angeles federal trial, played and sang a medley of U2's "With Or Without You," The Beatles' "Let It Be," Alphaville's "Forever Young," Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" and Michael Jackson's "Man In the Mirror." Why? It's part of his legal team's effort to demonstrate that Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I.'s huge hit "Blurred Lines" isn't improperly derived from Marvin Gaye's

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Bono recruits some famous "substitutes" when he's out sick.

As the U2 frontman recuperates from his recent bike accident in New York City, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Bruce Springsteen stepped in and played with the famous band for a concert event at Times Square in honor of World AIDS Day.

Photos: Must-See Star Sightings!

Billed as U2 Minus 1, The Boss performed the group's classics including "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" alongside band members Adam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr.

Twitter

Meanwhile, Martin wore a shirt that read "SUBSTITU2" and nailed his performances of "Beautiful Day" and "With or Without You."

Twitter

Carrie Underwood and Kanye West also hit the stage for the big event that was streamed live on YouTube. The concert's sponsor, Bank of America, also donated $3 million to the Red organization to fight AIDS.

In addition...

U2's "With or Without You" does not apply to Bono. The band announced this past Sunday that they are canceling a well-publicized gig because the lead singer will be unable to make the show.  The Irish rockers were scheduled to play a week-long residency at The Tonight Show, but have backed out on account of a recent injury that Bono suffered. The singer, 54, is undergoing surgery after getting into a bike accident in New York City's Central Park.  "It looks like we will have to do our [...]...

Washington (AP) — U2's classic album "The Joshua Tree," Linda Ronstadt's "Heart Like a Wheel" and an early, influential Christian rock album will play on forever, or at least as long as the Library of Congress is around. These albums from the 1970s and 1980s are among 25 recordings selected for long-term preservation in the library's National Recording Registry, chosen for their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance. Among the seminal sounds of the 20th century announced Wednesday are Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" and the Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown." Librarian of Congress James Billington said the recordings represent part of America's culture and history. "As technology continually changes and formats become obsolete, we must ensure that our nation's aural legacy is protected," he said. U2's 1987 album with hits like "Where the Streets Have no Name" and "With or Without You" was chosen after the library received many public nominations.

Cee Lo Green has a friend on the outside now. Tuesday night's elimination episode of The Voice not only revealed which three singers would compete for the championship next week, but also pushed another coach out of the competition. Photos: 'The Voice' Teams: Meet Season 5's Finalists With no Instant Save to wait for, the first elimination sent James Wolpert packing, after singing U2's "With or Without You" on Monday night. Though accurately predicted by last week's #VoiceSave – the only upside of the very alienating Twitter experiment – Wolpert's leave also marked Adam Levine's first loss of the season's

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Welcome to the semifinals of The Voice, Oh, Mourners of the Sprint Skybox! Tonight’s performances were pretty good, considering that no one on this show will ever be famous. It’s now become a tight race, like the Ascot! Will, James, Jacqui, Cole, Tessanne, “Best Day of My Life”Let’s be real with each other, this group number was kind of a shit show. Cole’s microphone was off. All of the men were horribly flat and then sometimes, without warning, irredeemably sharp. The girls really have far better pitch than the boys. One of them should win. If a man wins, I am leaving town.James Wolpert, “With or Without You”I know that some people do’t like Bono because of his tiny glasses and the fact that he is Bono — but I like him. I even like his rambling New York Times editorials about Frank Sinatra and the Irish economy.

We're one week away from the season finale of The Voice and there's still no clear winner. They seem to want us to think it's Tessanne Chin, but it could just as easily be Will Champlin. Either way, it's going to be a good year for coach Adam Levine, as two of his three teammates will almost certainly be among the top three in the finals.

Rolling Stone's Complete Coverage of 'The Voice'

The only member of Levine's fully intact team not in the running for first place?...

The Voice aired its semi-finals last night with the top five contestants – Will Champlin, James Wolpert, Tessanne Chin, Cole Vosbury and Jacquie Lee – taking the stage.

The Voice Recap: Group Performance

The five contestants opened the show together, performing the upbeat song “Best Day Of My Life” by American Authors.

Individual Performances

Wolpert from Adam Levine’s team opened up the individual performances with the powerful ballad “With Or Without You” by U2. Wolpert gave a strong performance, catching each note exactly and conveying the emotionality of the song.

Champlin sang fun.’s hit single “Carry On” next. Champlin added small changes to the arrangement to make it his own but still maintain the melody. His performance was fun and original, and his coach expressed his happiness with seeing Champlin smile while performing.

Christina Aguilera’s contestant Lee took on the emotional “Angel” by Sarah McLachlin. Lee sang the angelic,...

It’s really getting down to the wire on ‘The Voice!’ On Dec. 9, the top five performers took the stage and naturally — not one fell flat!

It looks like Adam Levine‘s Team may take this season. With three singers left, every one of them just got better and better — and Tessanne Chin closed out the show with a rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” since they obviously saved the best for last. While she was going through an emotional time in her life, it only made her voice stronger — and made us fall more and more in love with her. We were speechless after the performance, just like her coach was.

Top 5 Wow On ‘The Voice’

While Tessanne was great, that doesn’t mean that the other four singers fell short — because if there could be a five-way tie, it would have been tonight.

Tessanne Chin: 'Bridge Over...

The Voice has arrived at the semifinals, with one singer each left for Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera competing against Adam Levine's unscathed team. After the top five united for American Authors' "Best Day of My Life," they split for their live semifinal performances. With Cee Lo Green now out for the season, here's how they did: Photos: 'The Voice' Teams: Meet Season 5's Finalists Saved by the final Twitter vote last week, Levine's James Wolpert took on U2's tortured and moody "With or Without You." While Aguilera felt compelled to share that she'd suggested that song for

read more...

Can People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” (*With a Current Project to Promote/Not Named Idris Elba) be stopped?

That’s the question surrounding The Voice Season 5 semifinals, seeing how coach Adam Levine hasn’t lost a single contestant since Nov. 7 (aka Top 20 results night) (aka for freakin’ ever).

Related | The Voice: 25 Song Suggestions to Make Season 5 More Surprising (and Delightful)

Of course, perhaps the even bigger question is whether membership on any coach’s team means anything at all. I mean, fans of NBC’s reality singing huggernaut — a typo, but that seems apt given all the positive vibrations,...

It's the beginning of the end, "Voice" fans. Season 5 is beginning its quick march to the finale with Monday's (Dec. 9) live semi-finals. As the Top 5 take the stage for one song each, which of our favorites will hit all the right notes? And who will fall flat? Let's find out!

Before we get into tonight's competition, all five finalists take the stage to sing "Best Day of My Life" together. It's a really fun number, though Cole Vosbury's microphone seems to suffer a few malfunctions. Also, Blake Shelton is wearing a fake wig. Happy Monday!

For tonight's first performance, James Wolpert will be taking on U2's "With Or Without You," which coach Adam Levine is hoping will be a huge, anthemic performance -- one to prove that America made the right choice with their Instant Save last week. It's the right song choice. James sounds terrific throughout, really hitting...

Screenwriting team and Hemlock Grove creators Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman and their producing partner Michael Connolly are teaming with novelist Philipp Meyer to write and executive produce his novel The Son as a limited series under Shipman, McGreevy and Connolly’s newly minted production banner, ShineBox Smc. The Son is a multi-generational epic telling the story of America’s birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas oil empire. In addition to Meyer’s novel, ShineBox Smc also has acquired the rights to Domenica Ruta’s New York Time’s bestselling memoir With Or Without You, and journalist Wil Hylton’s military blockbuster, Vanished. ShineBox is currently shooting season 2 of Netflix‘s Hemlock Grove, produced by Gaumont International TV.

Sharon Osbourne has chosen her final six over-25s for the X Factor Judges' Houses stage.

Osbourne will host six hopefuls in Los Angeles, alongside veteran popstar - and former guest mentor - Robbie Williams.

Andrea Magee, 28, made her mark by performing an original song with flute when first in front of the judges. At Boot Camp, she took on 'With or Without You' by U2.

Shelley Smith has made it to Boot Camp twice before, but this year the 34-year-old delivery driver broke through to the final six with her performance of 'Respect' by Aretha Franklin.

Prison officer Sam Bailey, 35, impressed the judges with her room performance of 'Listen' by Beyoncé. She then won her place in Los Angeles by singing Emeli Sandé's 'Clown'.

Zoe Devlin, 28, is a former backing vocalist for Alabama 3. After quitting the band several years ago when she found out she...

Chicago – There is a moment in Guillaume Canet’s “Tell No One” when protagonist Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) is forced to run. The police are hot on his trail and have cornered him at his office, where he serves as a pediatrician. But before the cops burst through the door, Alex sails out his window, breaks his fall with a car roof and runs as fast as his feet can cary him.

This pulse-pounding moment occurs about midway through Canet’s 2006 mystery, and quickly unspools into one of the greatest sustained chase sequences in film history, proving that stunt work and in-camera effects will always trump any brand of digital trickery. Yet that is only one of countless highlights in this splendidly entertaining masterpiece of suspense. It was the sixth film distributed by Music Box Films, and ended up becoming one of their biggest hits, which is hardly surprising considering...

It might’ve started with Family Ties and “At This Moment.” Or maybe it was Friends‘ Ross and Rachel going on a break to the strains of “With or Without You.” Somewhere along the way, we started associating great songs with the big TV moments they’d accompanied, and we’re betting you do the same.

Since the fall season has already offered up some great iPod fodder, we’re helping you get your groove on by compiling a list of recent TV tunes that struck us as awesome, complete with song and artist information in case you want to...

The Walkmen recently announced that they have finished work on the follow-up to The A.V. Club's No. 2 album of 2010, Lisbon. To celebrate, the band posted a gloriously terrible medley of U2's "Pride (In The Name Of Love)," "With Or Without You," and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" on its website. While the band calls the medley "embarrassing," we say it would be embarrassing not to blast this as loud as you can, preferably while waving a white flag. [via thewalkmenmusic.blogspot.com]...

Now that New York band The Walkmen has finished their seventh studio album, they’ve offered fans a little insight into one of their recording sessions. The rock group posted a video to their Facebook page with audio of a U2 cover medley that includes songs like “Pride In the Name of Love,” “With or Without You” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”...

The Military Wives and Gareth Malone have confirmed plans to release an album of tracks later this year. In My Dreams will be released in time for Mother's Day on March 12, and will feature cover versions of U2's 'With Or Without You', Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' and Coldplay's 'Fix You' among others. It will also feature their number one single 'Wherever You Are', which beat X Factor winners Little Mix to the Christmas top spot last year. Group member Laura Thompson told Sky News: "It's just amazing, I'm so proud to be part of something that helps other people. I'm in awe." Susie (more)...

Nick Carter stepped out for the first time since his sister's death on Thursday.

The 32-year-old singer performed at New York City's Irving Plaza, just two days after sister Leslie Carter died.

According to E! Online, Nick played a slew of his own songs and cover songs, including U2's "With or Without You" and Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and also dedicated one of his own to his late sister.

During, "Falling Down," he told the audience, I never thought I'd have to, but I'd like to dedicate this song to my sister."

Nick ...

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Muscle relaxant, anxiety and bipolar medications found near singer's body.

By Gil Kaufman

Leslie Carter and Nick Carter

Photo: Chad Buchanan/Getty Images

Though the results of a toxicology test could take several more weeks, an incident report on the death of Leslie Carter reveals that the sister of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter was under the influence of several prescription drugs at the time of her death.

According to ABC News, details from the report compiled by officials who responded to the 911 call from Leslie Carter's family reveal that three drugs were found near her body: one to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a muscle relaxant and an anxiety disorder medication.

Leslie's stepmother, Ginger Carter, told authorities that the onetime singer had a "long history of mental illness and was on medication for her depression" and that she seemed depressed on the morning of January 30. In addition,...

Steven Spielberg first discovered the "Tintin" comics right after "Raiders of the Lost Ark" came out and reviewers compared his Indiana Jones to Hergé's classic creation. Ever since, the master director has wanted to bring the intrepid reporter, his faithful dog Snowy, and all the other characters to the screen -- and now he's done so with gusto.

"The Adventures of Tintin" follows our adventure-loving hero as he pieces together the clues to sunken treasure, meets his new friend Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) and foils a dastardly villain bent on revenge. Not only is the spirit of adventure catching, but you'll see three or four of the most incredible action sequences ever put to celluloid. Dr. Jones got nothin' on Tintin.

1. Last of the Haddocks. Next time you're evading armed henchmen, we recommend you deliver key exposition at full volume down an echoey corridor.

2. Newspaper Clue. After this movie,...

There are seven acts left competing for the final five slots on Season 1 of The X Factor this week, which means either Simon Cowell or L.A. Reid — or possibly both — will face the cruel ouster of one of their mentored contestants.

Check out my rankings for the remaining singers, then hit our poll to vote for your favorite!

7) Astro (Last Week No. 8 ) | Fanbase must have been activated by his brush with elimination in Top 10 week, but his “apology” for almost refusing to give a “save yourself” performance was missing two crucial words: “”I’m sorry.” No doubt his renditions of...

Scala & Kolacny Brothers have announced plans to release an extended edition of their debut album. The Belgian choir will repackage the self-titled disc with extra new tracks, along with their popular reinterpretations of famous rock hits. The reworked set will include their famous cover of U2's 'With Or Without You', which featured in the adverts for ITV1's Downton Abbey. The album will also feature covers of Radiohead's 'Creep', Coldplay's 'Yellow' and Alanis Morissette's 'Ironic'. The new version of Scala & Kolacny Brothers will be released on December 12 following their appearance alongside Britain's Got Talent winner Jai McDowall at this year's Royal Variety Performance. Scala & Kolacny (more)...

And then there were nine. Yes, folks, with Stacy Francis’ ouster during last week’s ridiculously dramatic results show, we’re down to the single digits in acts competing for The X Factor Season 1 crown.

Check out my rankings for the remaining contestants, then hit our poll to vote for your favorite!

9) Leroy Bell (Last Week No. 8 ) | His take on “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was solid, but World’s Sexiest Grandpa practically put us to sleep with, um, uh…anyone else remember what dude sang last week?

8 ) Astro (Last Week No. 3) | Just when the...

Josh Krajcik has been voted the best performer on X Factor USA's Rock Week by Digital Spy readers. The former burrito maker impressed judges and viewers alike with his version of Foo Fighters' 'The Pretender', grabbing a massive 35.3%, a nice lead over Melanie Amaro, whose version of Rem's 'Everybody Hurts' earned 18.3%. Drew Ryniewicz, who took on U2's 'With or Without You', pulled in 10.5% of your votes while 13-year-old Rachel Crow, who dominated Movie Week, still made a respectable showing with 10.2%. Readers were less impressed with rapper Brian 'Astro' Bradley, whose creative mix-up of the classic Police song 'I'll Be Watching You' only earned 6.7%. Close behind were Lakoda Rayne, whose attempt to change things up (more)...

In the words of Rem — and now, Melanie Amaro — “everybody hurts sometimes.” Unfortunately for Nicole Schpelunker, hurting time may arrive during Thursday night’s results-show telecast, as two of the three acts in her “Over 30s” category look like good bets to meet the same fate as the 15 (!) vocalists Tko’d under Paula Abdul’s watch over the last two weeks.

How bad is the prognosis for LeRoy “Dorian Gray” Bell and Stacy “Paw in a Bear Trap” Francis? Well, when asked by her fellow judges if LeRoy had a chance to capture the $5 million prize, the best Nicole could...

Astro and Rachel Crow also earn high marks, but Stacy Francis and Lakoda Rayne draw Simon Cowell's ire.

By Adam Graham

Josh Krajcik performs on "The X Factor"

Photo: Fox

"The X Factor" took on rock music Wednesday, with decidedly rocky results.

The debate of what really constitutes rock overshadowed the proceedings, with the increasingly catty judges sniping at one another over their song choices and whether they fit the evening's theme. In the end, only one performer, Josh Krajcik, turned in what could truly be considered a rockin' performance, plugging in and kicking out the jams with the Foo Fighters' "Pretender."

Krajcik was the evening's big winner — inspiring mentor Nicole Scherzinger to head-bang her way through his performance — along with teen rapper Astro, who is quickly becoming a favorite in the competition. Astro's original song, a dedication to hip-hop rapped to Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You,...

We faced the music yet again, but it was facing the judges bickering that had me covering my ears for half of The X Factor's Top 10 Rock Night.

I mean, come on, L.A. Reid! Your constant badgering about other contestants songs not sounding rock enough was ridiculous. At least Simon was complaining about your boy Chris Rene not choosing a rock song. You, on the other hand, were complaining about contestants taking a rock song and making it their own. Isn't that exactly what these competitions are all about?

Even Randy Jackson didn't put forth a judging performance this obnoxious until his third or fourth season on American Idol. Step your game up, L.A. Let's just move on to the performances...

Marcus Canty Covers "Piece of My Heart"

Leroy Bell "We've Got Tonight" - Boy, do I hate when the crowd cheers and claps during the soft moments of songs,...

For Rock Week on "The X Factor," Drew Ryniewicz and her mentor Simon Cowell chose "With or Without You" by U2. And we just keep falling more and more in love with Drew.

Initially, we had a thought that echoed Nicole Scherzinger's critique that we kept waiting for the song to kick up the tempo and rock out. And while it was Rock Week, it ended up not bothering us. Drew stayed true to her style and that's fine with us. She is not a rocker and she shouldn't try to be.

She's just lovely and adorable and has the most interesting voice in the competition. What did you think, "X Factor" fans? Are you on board the Drew train?...

Alright, we're at the Top 10 "X Factor" fans. Do you think Lakoda Rayne can survive so Paula Abdul has something to do? Or maybe we don't want them to and then Paula can just drink and be mouthy towards Simon for the next eight weeks. That'd be Ok too.

Oh, and this is Rock Week. Hmmm.

1. LeRoy Bell, "We've Got Tonight," Bob Seger

Great song. Great. So pumped about this. Vocally, it's gorgeous. It's like if Seger met Motown. I don't get what L.A. says about him being boring. This is wonderful to listen to and then when the song really kicks up, it gets more exciting. LeRoy isn't a run-around-the-stage singer. I went to a Billy Joel concert once and he barely moved and it was still great. Not all performers have to be crazy all the time, which is something L.A. has definitely made his boys do.

It’s Rock Week on The X Factor, so brace yourself for an overdose of heavy-metal hair thrashing via Nicole Sporeblinger, various instances of rock-and-roll hand from Paula Abdul, and at least three cases of L.A. Reid indignantly declaring “I’ve never heard that song before!” [Update: Read Slezak's full episode recap here.]

If you don’t want to face those kinds of shenanigans alone, then please consider this live blog post as your pithy, mildly inebriated viewing companion.

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