Even though there were several TV misfires in 2011, there was a ton of good things about this year’s TV-watching season. Here’s a list of the top 10 shows of 2011 . 1.“Luther”: Idris Elba hasn’t been nominated for a Golden Globe for nothing. BBC/BBC America’s “Luther” is a critically-acclaimed show from across the pond that features a detective who fights crime while dealing with his internal struggle, sometimes, violently so. This show is also notable because, at least in America, it’s one of the few shows that has a person of color as their lead character, thus broadening the landscape of viable actors in Hollywood. 2.“The Walking Dead”: AMC…

Nicole Scherzinger hasn’t yet confirmed if she’ll return for the second season of ‘The X Factor,’ Deadline is reporting. The former Pussycat Dolls singer has only said she’s had a lot of fun during the current debut season of the Fox singing competition, and she took the job to mentor the up-and-coming singers. But the elimination process has been hard on her, as “it’s something I could never have been prepared for,” Scherzinger added. Scherzinger was a last-minute replacement for original judge Cheryl Cole, who left ‘The X Factor’ before the auditions began airing. The singer, who was originally slated to be a co-host on the show, has received mostly…

Simon Cowell has already been known for his brash, unfiltered way of speaking about things. Sometimes (or, most times, I guess), he lacks tact–he told Lionel Ritchie he didn’t like his music when the singer was a guest judge on a season of “American Idol” and he just told a contestant on “The X Factor” that she had a routine that he felt was like an early version of Nicole Scherzinger–who’s also a judge on the show. But this time around, his comments forced he and his team to do some damage control. According to AOL Music, Cowell allegedly told The Mirror that Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Beyonce lack…

Simon Fuller, the creator of ‘American Idol,’ is suing the Fox Broadcasting Co. and Fremantle North America Inc. for not receiving an executive producing credit for the upcoming American edition of ‘The X-Factor,’ The Los Angeles Times is reporting. Fuller filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court, saying he was promised the producing credit alongside former ‘American Idol’ judge Simon Cowell, who’s set to star in the new reality singing competition. Fuller previously was involved in legal battles with Cowell in 2004, when the producer claimed the former judge of his British reality competition ‘Pop Idol’ ripped the show off. Cowell launched ‘The X-Factor (UK)’ that fall, much to Fuller’s…

Singer Cheryl Cole has signed onto be the third judge in the upcoming American version of ‘The X Factor,’ TVLine is reporting. She will be joining record executive and producer Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Simon Cowell, who will also be executive producing the talent show. Cole served as a judge for three seasons on the UK version of ‘The X Factor’ with Cowell, who hinted late last month that the singer would be joining him again. The fourth judge to appear on the panel as yet to be announced, but it’s rumored that Cowell’s ‘American Idol’ former co-judge is being considered for the job. Cole was chosen to be a…

Ever since the day Pia Toscano was voted off “American Idol”, an incident I’m officially calling “Pia-gate”, the internet has been clamoring with just who to blame and what to do to make the watching/voting experience better. The latest argument to spring up from the blogosphere is that Simon Cowell needs to come back. Or, at the very least, his judging style. From Entertainment Weekly to TVLine to The Daily Beast, entertainment pundits are sounding off on the collective opinion this year’s judges, which is that they’ve gone from enthusiastic, invested people who genuinely want to see the contestants do well to largely unaffective, “Everyone is great!” viewers. Richard Rushfield…

Kara DioGuardi confirmed on September 3 that she will not be returning as a judge on the next season of ‘American Idol,’ EW.com is reporting. FOX issued a press release, stating that after two seasons as a judge on the hit reality competition, she feels like now is the best time to leave. “It has truly been an amazing experience. I am grateful to FOX, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, as well as the cast, crew and contestants, for all they have given me,” DioGuardi said. When FOX announced last year that it was adding a fourth judge to the panel of ‘American Idol,’ it was met with criticism from fans…

Music mogul and ‘American Idol’ judge Simon Cowell is reportedly engaged to his girlfriend Mezhgan Hussainy. RadarOnline.com announced on February 26 that Hussainy confirmed the news, even though her and Cowell have been dodging engagement rumors for weeks. Radar also added that an official wedding date hasn’t been set yet. One reason why is that Cowell is insisting on a pre-nuptial agreement in order to protect his nearly $200 million fortune. Hussainy, the head make-up artist on ‘Idol,’ met Cowell on the set several years ago. While the two currently live together, Cowell denied being engaged, telling his agent Max Cifford that he didn’t propose to Hussainy. Clifford told PEOPLE…

One of the main people responsible for the continued success of American Idol is following in Paul Abdul’s footsteps at the conclusion of this season, according to the television section of aol.com. After several weeks of speculation, Simon Cowell has announced that he did not renew his contract with the hit FOX show, so that he will be free to develop the American version of the popular British hit The X Factor. The similarly-themed singing competition is scheduled to premiere during the fall 2011 season. Part of the reason there was such a delay in the official announcement was because the FOX network didn’t have an agreement with the show’s…

Think Susan Boyle has got talent? Meet Paul Potts an Opera singer who was the 2007 winner of “Britain’s Got Talent” from producer Simon Cowell. Synopsis: The search for the next big variety act in the UK is on with ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. Popular comedians and hosts Ant and Dec join the judges Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden on this highly anticipated show that will culminate in not only a big cash prize of £100,000 for the winning act, but also a starring slot performing in The Royal Variety Performance. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest from Britain’s Got Talent.