‘The X Factor’ notes: Ella Henderson, Union J, Christopher Maloney, and Rihanna

This season of “The X Factor” UK may be over, but plenty of the singers from the show are still drawing headlines for a variety of reasons, including some debate as to whether or not a few of them have been picked up by record label Sony.

Let’s start with what has been confirmed: Ella Henderson, despite a surprising finish outside the top five this season, has reportedly been signed nonetheless by Sony. Simon Cowell and company apparently still felt that there was enough talent here to justify such a risk with signing her to a deal, even though she did not exactly finish in a position that generally merits such a gamble. Then again, Henderson is young, has a great voice, and was a shock elimination similar to the likes of Jennifer Hudson and Pia Toscano on “American Idol.”

So has Union J followed up Ella with a deal of their own? There are rumors of such a signing coming down from one of their shows, but this is still waiting to be confirmed.

Tabloid talk – Now, let’s turn to some other rumors that are floating around the internet at the moment. The first one is truly wacky, as the Daily Mail claims that Christopher Maloney, who has yet to receive much of a deal at all after the show, may be given his own dressing room for the live tour since he and some of the other contestants do not get along. Maloney has been accused of “diva” behavior, and left the finale before it even happened in a heavily-disputed story.

Meanwhile, there are some other (even crazier) rumors out there suggesting that Cowell is recruiting Rihanna to judge the UK series and help its sagging ratings. Do we expect this? Not at all. As a matter of fact, the best thing that could really happen for “The X Factor” (at least in our mind) is to maybe replace Louis Walsh, but do nothing else and just hope “The Voice” UK tanks. The personalities on this show are not the problem; it’s the fact that there are too many talent shows on TV.

If you want to watch James Arthur’s debut music video, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ITV