Thursday thread: 'X Factor' premiere, Scotty McCreery and more

Simon Cowell's The X Factor will premiere with a pair of two-hour episodes on Wednesday, Sept. 21, and Thursday, Sept. 22.

• Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina will be among the featured performers on CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock, which will air Aug. 7 on ABC.

• Jennifer Hudson will be a featured guest on French DJ/producer David Guetta's Nothing but the Beat album, due Aug. 30.

• Randy Jackson, who recently launched a website called Randy Jackson Next, is also pitching a daytime-TV talk show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.