Emily Michalak Advances On 'X Factor'

Emily Michalak, a 12-year-old Montville resident, appeared on talent search competition "The X Factor" on Thursday night and advanced to the next round.

Emily moves on to the next part of the competition, where contestants who survived open auditions will go through pop star boot camp in hopes of ultimately winning the top prize, a $5 million recording deal.

The episode featured auditions held in June at the Prudential Center in Newark, the last stop of a multi-state talent search. Emily's full audition did not air, as some of the contestants' auditions did, but she was featured in a series of brief segments about people who advanced.

"All of them said 'Yes,' and I can't believe it," she said after her audition. People who went to support her said, "This is the best moment of my life," and "We're so happy."

"The X Factor" is record executive Simon Cowell's newest venture after leaving "American Idol" last year. On the show, Cowell, Paula Abdul, record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid and singer Nicole Scherzinger judge members of the public who perform.

"The X Factor" airs at 8 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday on Fox.