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Tuesday, August 31, 2004
| Simon Slams Paula |
August 31, 2004
Delivering a few trademark snarls and sneers - "Paula Abdul was a diva. No, she was a bitch" - he left us in no doubt that it is the real Cowell before us.
To be continued...
| Sharon Blast for Cowell |
August 31, 2004
By Sue Evison for The Sun
Sharon Osbourne does not mince her words when discussing fellow X Factor judge Simon Cowell.
Rocker Ozzy Osbourne's wife reckons Simon is "a pompous little p***k who walks like he has a stick stuck up his a***."
The blast is another salvo in an on- going war of words between the pair which promises to make The X Factor one of TV's most entertaining - and bitterly contested - shows.
Sharon will slug it out with Simon and a third judge, boy band supremo Louis Walsh, in the ITV1 talent contest.
For Sharon, the grudge against Simon is personal after he called her pop star daughter Kelly "ugly" and claimed Ozzy had staged his life- threatening quad bike crash to help his duet with Kelly top the Christmas charts last year.
Sharon says: "Now I've had time to spend with Simon I can understand why he would never get my daughter.
"She is lovely, confident and pure, but he doesn't get that. He likes manufactured s**t. He wouldn't like a woman with an identity of her own who would answer back.
"He thinks all women should be like blow-up dolls, have big t*ts and do whatever he says.
"I met his girlfriend Terri in LA and said to her, 'What are you doing with him? Are you blind?' Simon was standing there. So what?"
The X Factor starts on Saturday night and sees the public voting for their favourite act - and judge.
The show is divided into three categories - solo acts aged 16-25, solo acts over 25, and groups - with each "managed" by one judge.
From the initial 50,000 applicants, only 120 will reach the next round - a two-day "talent boot camp."
Simon, Sharon and Louis will then compete to groom their acts to strive for the live finals - and ultimately stardom - then the public will decide who has done the best job.
Sharon can't wait to go head to head with Pop Idol's "Mr Nasty". She says: "I only agreed to do The X Factor so I could beat Simon's a***.
"I like to win and Simon likes to win everything. Well, this time he has got to deal with me.
"In a strange way I do like Simon - he can be quite charming - but he's the kind of bloke who would tell you he has got a big d***, the kind who would wear tight red Speedos on the beach, in the hope you might want to find out.
"F*** me," she laughs, pondering the thought. "I would never want to find out."
Sharon, 50, has every reason to be angry at Simon.
Ozzy was in a coma for eight days after the horrific quad bike accident at the couple's Buckinghamshire estate last December.
Simon later apologised live on Sharon's American chat show but she says: "Ozzy is furious that I'm doing The X Factor. He wants to rip off Simon's head and s**t in his neck.
"It's safe to say that Ozzy won't be coming to the studio - and Simon will never set foot in my home."
At the time of Ozzy's accident, Sharon had just fought her way back to health from colon cancer.
She says: "Ozzy had a nervous breakdown while I was sick. He couldn't cope. He lost the plot - drinking, drugs. He was kept under medical supervision for eight months.
"I knew all the time what was going on but I couldn't cope with the situation. It was all just running away with itself and I would just lie there and have to let it. It was hard.
"While I was in chemo my son Jack came and told me he was hooked on a heroin substitute.
"He thought he was going to lose his mum, his dad had had a nervous breakdown and he was alone, just 16, and frightened. I am proud of what he did - that he admitted he had a problem and cleaned up in rehab.
"He is now helping hundreds of other kids to do the same. In a way, me being ill spurred Jack into getting better and Jack being ill spurred me into getting better. I wasn't ready to let go because my babies needed me."
Ozzy's accident almost broke Sharon. In tears, she recalls: "I was in shock. It was disbelief - why us, after everything else? I didn't get it.
"Ozzy checked himself out of intensive care a month early, the stupid b*****d, and he came home and couldn't cope."
Just a few months after Ozzy's return, it was Kelly's turn to confess she had a drug problem.
Sharon says: "Kelly said she'd been on downers for five months and I thought to myself, 'I can't cope with this again. I can't take any more - my family are going down like dominoes. But you do cope and Kelly's well again now."
Sharon, who managed the latter part of Ozzy's career and was the brains behind TV show The Osbournes, reckons her business prowess will help her see off the other judges.
She says: "I've got one up on Simon and Louis - I'm the only one who has worked with a real artist.
"Simon has had success with two lots of puppets - Zig and Zag and The Power Rangers - and Louis is all Eurovision s**t and manufactured rubbish.
"That's why The X Factor will be different - because I know what I'm talking about."
Monday, August 30, 2004
| Sharon and I Fell out the Moment We Met ... Then Things Went Downhill |
August 30, 2004
By Sue Evison for The Sun
THE X FACTOR is the biggest -- and nastiest -- talent search in TV history.
And this time the nastiness is not reserved only for hopeless contestants. Judges Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne are at each other's throats too.
The hostility between Pop Idol "Mr Nasty" Simon and Sharon -- wife of rock legend Ozzy -- reached such levels during early filming that the pair no longer speak to each other.
Simon, 44, said: "I have a lot of respect for Sharon as a businesswoman but we fell out from the moment we first met and it has gone from bad to worse."
The new ITV show kicks off on Saturday night and sees the public voting for the best act -- and the winning judge.
The show is divided into three categories -- solo acts aged 16-25, solo acts over 25, and groups -- with each one "managed" by one of the judges.
From the initial 50,000 applicants, only 120 will make it through to the next round -- a two-day "talent boot camp".
Simon, Sharon and third judge boyband boss Louis Walsh will compete to groom their acts to strive for the live finals -- and ultimately stardom -- and the public will decide who has done the best job.
Each judge will be responsible for one category but they won't be told which until the first day of the camp.
Simon claims Sharon and Louis are conspiring to freeze him out in a bid to ensure he loses.
He said: "Sharon has ganged up with Louis. They agree with each other most of the time on the show, especially if it is at my expense.
"She rings Louis every day, often when I have been there, and he walks off to have a whispered conversation.
"Now she and I no longer speak off set at all. Not even to say hello or goodbye.
"She threw a glass of water over my head because we had a disagreement about an act. I was convinced I was right and accused her of being patronising.
"She didn't like it, picked up her glass and tipped the water over me. She never apologised. We haven't spoken since and I doubt we will."
The animosity between the two began last year when Cowell publicly claimed Sharon's pop star daughter Kelly was "talentless" and "ugly".
And when Sharon's husband Ozzy suffered a life-threatening quad bike crash in December, Simon suggested it had been a stunt to help Kelly and her dad get the Christmas No1 spot with their duet Changes.
He later apologised on Sharon's American chat show after it emerged that Ozzy had been left in a coma.
But behind the scenes, the furious mum-of-three has never forgiven Cowell.
Now the bitter feud has erupted on The X Factor -- and promises to descend into a venomous war of words.
Simon said: "I met Sharon for lunch at The Ivy in Los Angeles when I learned that the production company had invited her to become a judge.
"It wasn't a good move. We argued from the off and it ended with Sharon storming out and leaving me standing there alone, looking like a lemon in the middle of the restaurant.
"I did apologise for what I said about Ozzy but I stand by what I said about Kelly. I haven't met Ozzy and he's not on my dream list of people to meet, but I've always said I would be happy to say sorry in person. I've tried to be civilised but it seems the gloves are off.
"I also find it very strange that Sharon suddenly 'fell in love' with Louis -- she previously wrote an article calling him vile.
"But it's clear that she will do anything to win and to stop me winning -- even if it means teaming up with him. I didn't realise how competitive they both would be. They have both taken everything extremely seriously, which I find bizarre. I don't really care, though -- I'm confident I have the skills to win.
"Sharon has not worked in the music business for years and, let's face it, she hasn't done the best job in the world of managing her daughter.
"Louis is in a world of his own -- he still thinks the Eurovision song contest is great and that nobody over 23 should be a pop star. He's stuck in a time warp.
"He's like Sharon's lap dog, a replacement for the yappy things she has at home.
"But I'm not bothered -- it's the public who decide who the best judge is in the end."
Fuming Cowell was outraged at suggestions that The X Factor was a "fix" after it was claimed that Matt Johnson from One True Voice has been fast-tracked through to the finals.
Matt had been a contestant on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 -- judged by Louis Walsh -- and later landed a solo deal with Jive Records, a company associated with Cowell.
Simon insisted: "There are no rules to prevent anybody entering The X Factor -- Elton John could have entered if he wished.
"Matt auditioned like everyone else and was not fast-tracked -- there is no fast-track. The only way to get through to the final is with a majority vote from the judges. I voted against Matt because I didn't think he was any good. It was Louis and Sharon who voted for him.
"He has not made it through to the finals -- they haven't even been judged yet.
"I will take a £1million bet that Matt is not in the finals -- he has a less than one per cent chance of getting through."
Simon, whose mouth was insured for £1million because producers feared he'd get it smacked in, endured tears, tantrums and threats during The X Factor auditions.
He said: "We had more than 50,000 entrants and there are some brilliant talents. But there were many horrendous ones too -- the auditions were the low light of the whole show for me.
"I'd say 90 per cent of the people who turned up were awful. We had everything from an 81-year-old granny to a 65-year-old woman trying to pass herself off as a 20-year-old.
"A lot of them got a dose of reality -- there are more tears and tantrums on this show than I've ever seen in my life.
"We had security in the room – there was a lot of abuse thrown at me and people threatening all kinds of things, even to beat me up.
"One bloke tried to ram his Mercedes into the building after he failed his audition.
"It wasn't just bizarre, that's an understatement. You couldn't invent what walked through our doors.
"The show has become about the eccentricity of Britain, the delusions people harbour -- and betrayal.
"We had people who walked in as a five-piece band -- and, when we said only one of them was good enough to make it, the other four got dumped like hot potatoes while the one good member instantly re-entered in the solo category.
"The ruthlessness of human nature, which is demonstrated on the show, is quite extraordinary.
"There were lots of punch-ups because of the way some of the bands behaved -- and that was just between themselves.
"I've never seen anything like it -- and nor will the viewers have."
Simon, who is dating long-term girlfriend Terri Seymour, a TV presenter, also got hit on by female fans during the auditions.
He said: "Quite a lot of girls seemed to like me, which is why I think Sharon and Louis are jealous -- they can't understand it.
"But the most weird thing that happened for me was a woman who auditioned and told me she was obsessed by me, to the extent that she had even gone out and found a boyfriend that looked like me.
"If I say this woman was in her mid-fifties, I'm being generous.
"Then the bloke suddenly walked in. I'd say the only similarity between us was that he had dark hair.
"It was a very strange moment and I didn't know what to do, I was completely flummoxed.
"So I invited the bloke to sit on the judging panel with us and to judge his girlfriend -- and he agreed with me: She was rubbish."
The X Factor is on ITV1 this Saturday at 7.35pm.
| Ozzy Osbourne Flies in to Help Sharon Fight |
August 29, 2004
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
Rocker Ozzy Osbourne is flying into Britain to protect wife SHARON from verbal whip lashings from Simon Cowell during the filming of new British talent show THE X-FACTOR.
Cowell has already been in several fights with the superstar's wife during the opening auditions, so Sharon is flying in her much-missed Ozzy from their home in Los Angeles for reinforcement.
Sharon says, "Ozzy will be coming over from America to visit - and to keep an eye on Simon.
"When we are apart I miss everything about Ozzy. I love him dearly and I feel like an odd shoe without my husband."
Sunday, August 29, 2004
| Cowell Defends Reality Television Shows |
August 28, 2004
By Russell Fallis, Scottish Press Association for The Scotsman
Pop Idol's Mr Nasty, Simon Cowell, defended reality television today as he admitted being a big fan of other fly-on-the-wall shows including this year's Big Brother and Wife Swap.
The millionaire music mogul, whose new talent show The X Factor begins next week, said the story of Michelle's infatuation with Stuart on in Big Brother 5 was "every guy's nightmare" and had made "compelling" viewing.
Cowell, speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, also defended his own shows' format, saying viewers would not watch a "sanitised" version of auditions, where only good singers were shown.
The same industry gathering yesterday heard veteran broadcaster John Humphrys attack the "mind-numbing, witless vulgarity" of reality shows.
The presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme accused TV bosses of being motivated by money without regard for the welfare of audiences or participants.
But Cowell, who has a highly successful record label and recently set up his own television company, insisted Big Brother 5 had been "great TV" -- a year after the show's producers had "got it all wrong" with boring housemates.
"I have to say, that as a viewer, they got it right this year, because it was fascinating TV and I'm not ashamed to admit that" he told the industry audience.
He added: "People, thank God, in this country have a choice what they want to watch.
"It's quite obvious they want to watch more interesting things, as was shown this year, than they did last year.
"There are 150 channels you can watch now. If you want to watch the History Channel, good luck to you.
"If you want to watch stalker, like I did, watch Big Brother -- who cares? I wish I'd made it."
Cowell, who is reported to be worth around £45 million, said some people would inevitably be left unhappy in pop music auditions but to remove that from a programme about the industry would be to sanitise the truth.
A reality show like The X Factor was about "letting the cameras roll", the 44- year-old told the audience of media executives attending the annual Edinburgh gathering.
"The whole idea to me about making a reality show like (Pop) Idol or X Factor is very simple. You let the viewers look through the keyhole. That's all you do."
Cowell's new TV music talent contest, unlike Pop Idol, is open to all ages and he predicted that the eventual X Factor winner would be from the older generation since "they've got a better story to tell".
He was also typically blunt when asked about his fellow X Factor judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.
He said: "Sharon's like one of those fish at the bottom of the ocean who don't do anything till you swim near them and then they bite you from no-where.
"She's like a lioness because one minute she is incredibly coarse, and then as you'll see in the first episode she's a mum at heart.
"But she's dangerous and that's what I like about her.
"Louis is useless, but Sharon is fantastic television."
Saturday, August 28, 2004
| ''American Idol'' Is Looking for Hotties |
August 26, 2004
By Staff Writers for a Broadcast News/Canadian Press
"American Idol'' is looking for hotties and Simon Cowell is not hiding that fact.
Cowell says the music business is a business and like it or not, people are judged by the way they look.
Cowell says a lot of the people auditioning this year are out-of-shape.
He says he and Randy Jackson have been arguing a lot because Jackson keeps pointing out that Ruben Studdard is a big guy and he won.
Cowell believes Studdard was one-shot phenomenon and it won't happen again.
Cowell is also looking for someone to break the tedium of the auditions.
He says he finds them horribly boring and it's only when one talented person comes in that he gets a lift.
The auditions continue this week in Orlando, Florida.
| Flop Show Scraps Big Finish |
August 26, 2004
By Peter Dyke and Nigel Pauley for the Daily Star
TV Nick's Knock Down Sale
Telly flop The Block has had the final nail hammered into its coffin.
Bosses have scrapped the big live auction which was meant to be the dramatic climax to the reality series which stars Simon Cowell's brother Nicholas.
Now luxury flats featured in the show - being refurbished by four competing couples - will go to sealed bids in an attempt to avoid a "tacky" air about the finale.
The DIY series - hosted by property developer Nicholas and Lisa Rogers - has been a massive ratings flop for ITV1.
After just three weeks it was shunted from a peak 9pm screening to a late-night slot after fewer than two million viewers tuned in. The show was launched in a blaze of publicity with a GBP 50,000 prize for the couple whose newly-revamped apartment received the highest bid at auction.
However TV bosses feared potential buyers after the pads - worth more than GBP 300,000 each - would be put off by the live bidding stunt.
An ITV spokesman said last night: "We got the feedback that many people associated auctions with getting things at knockdown prices.
"This would have been a disservice to the couples who have spent a lot of time and hard work doing up the apartments.
"All the four couples taking part in the show now have estate agents on board and are each looking to secure the highest bid for their property.
"All bids will be kept secret from the contestants and will be revealed in the final show when the winners will be announced."
Telly bosses had been so confident the show would be a success that they gave sponsors Yellow Pages a ratings guarantee. They are now rumoured to have refunded the money.
Friday, August 27, 2004
| Abdul Jokes that Cowell Drove Her into Therapy |
August 23, 2004
By AP Staff Writers for AZ Central
WASHINGTON - Paula Abdul jokes that Simon Cowell has driven her to therapy.
Asked if her relationship with Cowell will be less prickly in the next season of "American Idol," Abdul says she goes to therapy for that, sometimes twice a week.
But Abdul says she'll keep standing up to Cowell and won't take any of his insults without giving some back.
Abdul, Cowell and Randy Jackson were in Washington over the weekend for "American Idol" auditions. They head to Orlando, Florida, for more auditions at the end of this week.
| What Are You Watching? |
August 26, 2004
By Mike Clark for USA Today
"The Office, the British TV series. I just got the first season. I am literally addicted to that show. I relate to the boss, David Brent (star Ricky Gervais). We are both unpopular."
-- Simon Cowell of TV's American Idol
| Mr Nasty's Classic Attempt to Create Some Op Idolso Creates Some Op Idols |
August 26, 2004
By Brian Mciver for Daily Record
Pop guru Simon Cowell has launched his latest bid for chart-busting success - with an operatic boy band.
Il Divo features four hunky classical music singers.
And Pop Idol's Mr Nasty intends to guide them to the top.
The new vocal group, whose name is the male equivalent of diva, has been put together by Cowell after a two-year worldwide talent search.
The band were unveiled last night, at their first public appearance in London.
They will sing in English, Spanish and Italian.
Il Divo's first single, due out in October, will be Regressa Mi, an Italian version of Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart.
A debut album will be released in November and will mostly feature classical version of pop hits.
Cowell, who has previously been behind chart stars such as Westlife, Robson and Jerome and Gareth Gates, said he wants to bring operatic-style music to a wider and younger audience.
And he believes his tuxedo-clad stars are the men to do it.
Cowell said: 'I am more proud of this album than anything else I've ever been involved with.
'Il Divo have taught me more than I have taught them. I am intimidated by and slightly in awe of their talent.'
The new band consist of American tenor David Miller, 31, Sebastien Izambard. 31 from France, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler. 33 and Spanish baritone Carlos Marin, 35.
Buhler is a former rock singer who was taught at the Luzern Academy in Switzerland and has sung internationally for the past seven years.
Marin is best known for performing in productions of Les Miserables and The Man from La Mancha.
Izambard is a self-taught prodigy, while US-based Miller graduated from the Oberlin conservatory in Ohio and has sung the lead in more than 45 operatic productions.
Although their experience is in classical music, Il Divo feel they are well prepared for an assault on the pop charts. Buhler said recently: 'Boy bands seem unnatural to a lot of people, but that is exactly the life we are used to.
'Opera is always like that. If I go and sing somewhere, it's always rehearsal in the morning, show in the evening, and I never see any of the other guys again.'
The international flavour of the band developed after a series of UK auditions failed to produce any suitable candidates.
Cowell hopes his league of nations will win over 20 to 50-year-olds.
As well as the album and single on the way, there are plans for an Il Divo UK tour.
Cowell is confident of success. He said: 'They're going to behuge.'
Thursday, August 26, 2004
| The Family Business That Simon Started, Part 2 |
August 24, 2004
By Anna Smith for The Scotsman
But one tabloid tale about Simon has stuck. It concerned his pet poodle, Prancer. He had to take the dog everywhere, a newspaper claimed, and he even had a special car-seat made for him. The story ran and ran, with plenty of help from Pop Idol hosts Ant and Dec, who mercilessly ribbed Simon about it on primetime TV. As embarrassing as this was, the impresario had to grin and bear it. After all, the journalist behind the story had a rock solid source, who went by the name of Nick.
NICK COWELL is 18 months younger than Simon, and as the youngster of the trio, has learnt a thing or two about practical jokes. Until recently, he had remained the faceless name behind a multi-million pound property firm, but now, thanks to the Cowell-loving ITV, he is fronting his own home make-over programme.
The Block follows four couples trying to outdo each other with renovation imagination. Why Nick is doing it is anyone's guess - he already has the multiple millions to sustain his life of luxury, and a wife and daughter he's happily settled down with.
Maybe it's just competition. In the past, Simon has said the two were "raised as twins", which inevitably bred a more intense brotherly rivalry than usual. And as Nick shares the looks, drive and ambition of his big brother, perhaps he wants a taste of the limelight, too.
Or it could well be a wish for recognition of his achievements. Unlike Simon, Nick has had to face the lows as well as the highs of entrepreneurial ventures. He bought his first property at the age of 19, a two-bedroomed maisonette for GBP 19,000 which he sold on four years later for GBP 141,000 profit. That bought him a further eight properties, and the Nick Cowell property empire began.
However, he suffered badly during the property crash of the 1980s, and by the early 90s, he and his business partner had only one car between them. Over the next ten years, he rebuilt his business, now owning more than 50 properties in London and living in a GBP 1.2 million apartment in Battersea.
The only thing he doesn't have is celebrity status, but now thanks to his TV show, he has a nickname (Nick the P****), and a burgeoning fan base. Admittedly, he's not as harsh as his brother - "I have grave doubts about that sofabed" are about as cutting as it gets - but he's famous all the same.
What remains to be seen is how much of this ambition is shared by the eldest Cowell, Tony. A journalist and writer, his most renowned effort to date has been co-writing Simon's autobiography. Now he is stepping out on his own, with his new book-reviewing TV show, Between the Covers, aka "Book Idol".
As understandable as it would be to get frustrated at the endless comparisons, he is not bitter when questioned on his younger brother's success. "Success has made Simon more laidback," he says. "There's a human, tremendously soft side to him. He's caring and loyal, and believes in karma. If people help him, he'll remember it."
Beneath all of their bravado and competition, the Cowell brothers appear to be close. Nick buys property for Simon, who asks Tony to write his life story. No doubt Nick and Tony both buy Simon's records, and so the family ties are tied.
IN A RECENT article in which they discussed their relationship, it was blindingly apparent the brothers have the utmost respect for each other. It turns out that the nation's favourite put-down artist really is a big old softie. "Tony was the older brother anybody would have wanted," said Simon. "When dad died in 1999, it made an impact on all of us. It drew us closer. Dad was the person I'd phone first. Losing him made me think about how much I value Tony, and all my family. I can tell Tony anything."
They say behind every successful man there is a good woman, and for the Cowells that woman is their mother. Simon and Nick's father, Eric, died five years ago, but Julia, now 81, still enjoys Sunday lunch with her three boys and gets taken to the odd premiere or two. Regardless of their love-to-hate relationships with the public, she can be proud of her sons' success and determination. And the fact that thanks to them, she'll never be short of primetime entertainment.
The End
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
| The Family Business That Simon Started, Part 1 |
August 24, 2004
By Anna Smith for The Scotsman
The American writer Thomas Merton once observed that solitude and silence teach us to love our brothers for what they are, not for what they say. If that's true, Simon Cowell must never see or speak to his.
The self-confessed Mr Nasty of Popworld has two brothers. If you don't know them already, you will by the time Christmas rolls around. Together, Simon, Tony and Nick are taking reality TV by storm, each with their own talent- search shows. With their combined backgrounds of music, property development and literature, they have all the bases covered and are riding high on our obsession with all things vote-related. Between Pop Idol (Simon), The Block (Nick), and Between the Covers (Tony - and it's ok, it's about books), there will be no escape.
Brotherhood and big business seem to go hand in hand. The Warner brothers did it, so did the Saatchis, and it didn't go too badly for the Hindujas either. But the remarkable thing about the Cowells is that rather than building their empire as an army of three, they have each gone their separate ways, only to come back together as a force in 21st century entertainment.
As impressive as their accomplishments are, be under no illusion that theirs is a rags to riches tale. The Cowells were never poor, and have done nothing but progress from mildly indecent money bags to highly offensive ones.
Raised by an EMI executive father and West End dancer mum, the Cowells grew up in Elstree, just north of London. Their next-door-neighbour was Gerry Blatner, head of Warner Bros UK, and as a result they spent their youth schmoozing with such celebrity greats as Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and Elizabeth Taylor.
This is not to say, though, that they were showered with the trappings of success. In a recent newspaper interview, Nick, 42, spoke of their early entrepreneurial experiences.
"We were seriously competitive, and pretty obsessed with money," he recalled. "From a really young age, we had to work for our pocket money from mum, and we'd do anything - washing cars, carol singing, mowing lawns, whatever. I don't think there was any doubt that we were going to do something with our lives because we were the sort of boys who were always making things happen, coming up with schemes to make a bit of cash, or to get girls."
And make things happen, they did.
Simon, of course, made the most cash, and got the most girls. At 44, he is the middle of the threesome, and is currently valued at somewhere between GBP 30- GBP 50 million. According to his autobiography, I Don't Mean To Be Rude, But... , which Tony, his half-brother, co-authored, he has masterminded 34 number one singles, more than 100 top 30 records and been behind the sales of more than 25 million albums. Then, of course, there is the Pop Idol phenomenon which he created with fellow impresario, Simon Fuller, (of Spice Girls fortune).
The high-waisted pop svengali left school at 16. Beginning in the mail room of his father's former employer, EMI, he relied on that oh-so-special balance of nepotism and hard graft. From there, he observed the dos and don'ts of pop production and, in the 1980s, left to form his own label, Fanfare.
By 1989, the music giants at BMG realised Simon had a gift for spotting cheesy chart-toppers, and signed him as an A&R (Artiste and Repertoire) consultant. The relationship was successful, long and lucrative, helping him secure his multi-million pound fortune and international playboy status.
Despite Simon's obvious aptitude for making money, however, it was Tony who had the original business head in the family. Throughout their childhood, Simon had looked up to Tony as something of a mentor, copying his love of cigarettes, women and pop music. Simon was the duckling to Tony's duck.
But despite his brother's angst, Simon did quite nicely on his own.
"I always saw him as a creative person, not a businessman," says Tony. "I worried about him being ripped off. I also worried about him through his lap- dancing period - the shows at Stringfellows. It's his thing to pull them. Fortunately, he's come out of that.
"I used to angst about him getting a stinky story, but he's single, he's not into drugs and prostitution, he's got nothing to hide."
To be continued...
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
| Simon Finally Finds the X Factor, Part 3 |
August 21, 2004
By Moira Petty for the Daily Mail
'I'm told what's wrong with me as many times as I criticise them. It's partly that we've got older, more confident contestants; partly that there were a lot of groups. We saw a lot of lippy girl groups in the north of England; the further north you go, the more outspoken they are.' Simon is expecting the sparks to fly between himself and the other judges and knows it will make great viewing. He says Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, 'is a difficult girl to figure out. She can be charming but you look into her eyes and they're like steel. I think she's keeping what she really wants to say for the later stages of the show when we go live.' Like Simon, Sharon pulls no punches. 'She invited me onto her American chat show and gave the best introduction I've ever heard. She said, "My next guest says my daughter is a fat cow, The Osbournes are over and my husband faked his injury to get a number one record. Please welcome Simon Cowell." It was all true. Sharon is an old lioness, protective over her brood.'
Louis Walsh has accused Simon of being addicted to fame and said that fellow judge Pete Waterman and Simon were like Steptoe and Son. 'I've never coveted fame,' says Simon.
'There's a lot of rivalry between the judges.
'When I told Louis he'd be out there on his own, the colour went from his face. I wanted him on the show as payback for what he did to Pete Waterman.'
He is referring to the spat between the two when Walsh took Girls Aloud to success from Popstars: The Rivals while Waterman failed with One True Voice, who split a year ago after chart failure. 'Louis rubbed Pete's nose in it. He wasn't a gracious winner.
'Now I hope I'll rub Louis's nose in it.' Until The X Factor and Il Divo launch next month, Simon is auditioning the latest recruits for American Idol. 'I loathe it,' he grimaces. 'It's like undergoing dental treatment without anaesthetic. But we've sold millions of records in the U.S. on the back of this.' Although he may be scathing about his fellow judges on The X Factor, few would have expected him to have remained on the same panel as fellow American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, to whom he once said, 'If you stripped naked in front of me, I'd be bored'. 'I hated her guts to start with. Then she got to trust me. I look after her. We do fancy each other,' he says. Had he thought of taking it further? 'I wouldn't. I couldn't bear the dialogue the following morning.' For two years, he has lived in a Pounds 7 million house in London's Holland Park and rented a Los Angeles mansion with Terri Seymour, the model turned U.S. TV presenter. 'My relationship with Terri is very simple. She's very understanding about my work. We've never had that uncomfortable conversation where she says, "Simon, I want kids". I've persuaded her that a puppy is a better alternative.'
Close friends claim you can pretty well say anything you like about Simon Cowell - and there has been a great deal said about his dodgy romantic flings with lap dancers, his slightly camp mannerisms and that he's a bit of a mummy's boy - as long as you don't cast any aspersions on his ability as a lover. 'A lot has come out about me in the papers but you have to remember before Pop Idol there were 25 years of relationships and they all came out in one go. I was never as bad as I seemed.'
Although he says, 'I've never been shy of money, I'm in this business to make a profit,' he could retire in luxury. Power, he says, is not important to him. 'A lot of people abuse whatever power they have. The irony is that they then lose it. Fame doesn't turn people into monsters. It enables them to become monsters. My dad (the late Eric Cowell, who ran EMI records property division) was honest. If he shook hands on a deal, it was a deal and I work on that principle. If you screw people in the short term, you pay the price in the long term.'
The X Factor starts on ITV from early September.
Il Divo's single will be released next month.
The Four Tenors: the Il Divo line-up:
DAVID MILLER, 31, is from Colorado and has lived in New York for ten years.
He has sung in opera companies all over the world and recently appeared on Broadway in La Boheme. 'It was a hefty decision to commit myself to Il Divo.
'Simon asked me to give him a year while we made an album. I was due to make my debut with New York's Metropolitan Opera as Cassio in Otello. When I realised the scope of Il Divo I decided to join. I can always go back to opera. I'm from a music-loving family. I met my girlfriend when we sang the leads in La Boheme. The candlelight flickered as we played a scene, we looked at each other and that was that. We've only seen each other a few times since I joined Il Divo but we're taking it day by day.'
URS BUHLER, 33, is from Lucerne, Switzerland. He has sung with the Salzburg and Amsterdam Operas and is a star of Holland's oratorio circuit. 'I sang in a boy's choir and at 17 joined a hard rock band. I decided to study classical music after hearing Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. I cancelled other engagements after meeting Simon. The other members of Il Divo are fantastic. We live in four identical flats in a block in Chelsea. Every voice has its own strengths. I found it hard to make pop effects, to be quirky or breathy. I told Simon, "I'm a classical singer and that's what I'm going to do," and he accepted it. Initially I had doubts about Simon's plans but now I love what we're doing.'
SEBASTIEN IZAMBARD, 31, is a songwriter and producer. Based in Paris, he also performs in musicals and concerts. 'I've never sung true opera. At the audition I nearly left when I heard the others' voices but David (Miller) said I should be myself and it worked. It was hard to leave my partner behind in Paris. We want to have children one day.
'For now Il Divo is my priority.
'The songs sound like they're made for us, which is great, as we were all scared by this venture after having successful solo careers. I had heard that Simon had a reputation for being very rude.
'He's turned out to be the nicest person in the business.'
CARLOS MARIN, 35, was born in Germany of Spanish parents.
He has appeared in La Traviata and Figaro, and taken leads in Spanish productions of Les Miserables and Beauty And The Beast.
'I was in concert in Dublin when I heard about Il Divo.
'I met Simon and I had many engagements but cancelled them all when I heard our songs. Sometimes you have to take risks in life. I have left my girlfriend, also a singer, home in Madrid. I am a Latin lover but she's not jealous.
'She trusts me.'
The End
Monday, August 23, 2004
| Simon Cowell Hires a Bodyguard |
August 23, 2004
By Staff Writers for Ananova
Simon Cowell has called in a 20 stone ex-Royal bodyguard to protect him on his new show.
He was scared his nasty put-downs at auditions for the X Factor would provoke violence.
So he has hired Tony Adkins to stand between him and any furious rejects reports The People.
A show insider said: "With the X Factor he has taken his criticisms to a different level. That provoked reaction and Tony was needed."
Irish entertainer Brendan Kilkenny was booted out of one audition by Adkins after arguing with Cowell.
The Pop Idol-style show will be screened in October.
| Simon Finally Finds the X Factor, Part 2 |
August 21, 2004
By Moira Petty for the Daily Mail
'They were already very successful and didn't know me from Adam. I promised them the group I envisaged wouldn't be cheap and awful and that anything they disliked, we wouldn't continue with. It's been a partnership. They've done all their own vocal arrangements. They've taught me more than I've taught them.' Simon pauses and looks a little coy. 'Actually, I'm intimidated by their talent. I'm slightly in awe of them. There's a thin line between Bono or the late Freddie Mercury and great classical music. It can be down to raw talent, passion and drama, something sadly lacking in the music business today. There are no guarantees of success. You can only do something you're proud of and hope the public agrees. For all I know, Il Divo might only sell 1,000 copies. But, even if it does, I'm still glad I did it.' All this is expressed with such confidence and exuberance, together with his bleached white telegenic smile, that it is clear that he would not countenance a flop.
'When I take on a project, I put a thousand per cent of myself into it,' he says firmly. 'Failure is not an option.' Since Pop Idol and its transatlantic counterpart, American Idol, he has become the world's most visible talent spotter and music entrepreneur. Time magazine put him at number 44 (coincidentally his age) in a list of the world's most influential men and his wealth has been estimated at Pounds 45 million. 'I know the exact figure of what I'm worth. Oh yeah,' he says. But it's clearly not enough to stop.
'Music and TV have come unstuck recently, led by the ponytail brigade who come in with charts and figures and say, "This is the age category you should be appealing to". How do they know what I like? I'm bored and jaded by the music industry. It's rare I hear a record on the radio and drop everything to listen to it.' Some, though, might say that Simon himself has been responsible for this sorry state of affairs. After all, the success of Pop Idol has led to a deluge of TV manufactured stars. Simon smiles. 'I was the ripple that created the wave,' he concedes. 'On the back of what I was doing, other people created this monstrous market full of forgettable acts.' What about the finalists of the second series of Pop Idol? Winner Michelle McManus has released just two singles and one album. Sam Nixon, who came third, and Mark Rhodes, second, formed a duo. They released one single but the follow-up only reached number 19, the promised album never materialised. 'I said, at the end of the second series, that I didn't know anything more about Michelle after 20 weeks than that she was overweight, from Scotland and could belt out a song. She had no personality. Once she came off the show, she didn't have the X factor, although she is still signed to the record label.' What of Gareth Gates, who Simon famously championed over Pop Idol winner Will Young?
'We don't agree on his musical direction. He wanted to make a more R & B sound. I didn't think it was right for him so, in future, he won't be working so closely with me. There are people who rate him. For me, Gareth was always going to be a pop act, but I didn't think what I said was going to make much difference to him.' For Will Young, however, Simon has only praise. 'We've never been the best of friends, but that doesn't bother me. He is the new Robbie and the public will continue to adore him. He's done it all himself and most of his decisions have been right.' As far as his new talent series is concerned, he hopes that The X Factor is going to take over for Saturday night audiences where Pop Idol left off. 'I couldn't get excited by the singers on Pop Idol 2. Like stocks of cod, you have to give the talent time to replenish itself.' For the new show more than 55,000 applications from wannabe stars flooded in. 'We've opened The X Factor to all age groups and if I thought I'd seen weird before, I have really seen weird now,' he says.
Along with judges, Louis and Sharon, he auditions hopefuls aged 16 to 81, from fresh-faced school children to tap-dancing grannies. 'It's really interesting,' he says. 'On Pop Idol we'd say to these 16-yearolds, "Why are you here?" and they'd say, "Because I want to be famous", and you'd have 18-year-olds saying, "I've sacrificed everything for my career". Now we have people with real stories, people who have really lived. There's one woman who is in her 40s. She has a great voice and, when she was in her early 20s, she was offered a recording contract, but her husband wouldn't let her take it.
Years later, she was offered another and again he wouldn't let her. Now she's left her husband and she sees this as her last chance. She walked into our audition room and proved something to herself.
Even hard-bitten cameramen who thought they'd seen it all were fighting back their tears.
'Audiences are going to love the emotion and human drama, when groups whose members have been together for years are forced to test their loyalty over their ambition. In a group of five we might say, "three of you were good but two were terrible". It is fascinating to watch what happens in those circumstances.
'We saw an 81-year-old woman I wouldn't personally have put through to the next round as she was so frail. And, on the last day, a singer came in who was the worst I have seen in my career. Surreally, he sang Tragedy, which is what it was.' So has he had to find a whole raft of new putdowns? 'As with Pop Idol, you make a judgment. You're not going to tell someone's granny that they are the worst thing you have ever seen, though it's tempting. So you zip it a bit more. The new thing in X Factor is that the public bites back.'
To be continued...
Sunday, August 22, 2004
| Simon Finally Finds the X Factor, Part 1 |
August 21, 2004
By Moira Petty for the Daily Mail
Simon Cowell says he feels like he's lived off McDonald's for the past three years, but now, suddenly, he's being served gourmet food. The reason for this feasting - and certainly Simon with his trademark V-neck T-shirt no longer worn tucked into that infamous waistband looks as though his appetite has been well satisfied - is because he claims to have found that rarity in his life: a group of people who can actually sing.
It's taken him nearly three years and he's almost given up on countless occasions. It has left him, he says, feeling 'intimidated and slightly in awe' - an extraordinary state of affairs for someone whose putdowns have been more memorable than many of the acts he's created.
There was, for instance, the singer who he said sounded like Mickey Mouse on helium, another who was told that he needn't have bothered getting out of bed, and countless others who slunk off stage with his withering 'distinctly average' ringing in their ears. And when his new TV talent show starts next month - called The X Factor, it promises to be the biggest ever - he will be his usual acerbic self, showing no mercy to the contestants or his fellow judges, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.
But today I am seeing a different Simon Cowell - a man so preoccupied with his new group, who are about as far away from a boy band as you can run, that he positively oozes charm.
Although at times he puffs and preens like a prize cockerel, there is a rare glimpse of humility, too. 'They have taught me something new,' he says proudly. 'I now know the difference between a tenor and a baritone.' Four incredibly handsome men in their 30s, they are all classical and opera stars so far established in their field that they were already earning about Pounds 300,000 a year each before Simon persuaded them to become his sexy new twist on the Three Tenors - the Four Tenors, or rather, a band called Il Divo, which means Divine Performer. 'I became obsessed with this idea,' he admits.
'I first had it three years ago when I was watching the original series of Popstars on TV.
'I was viewing it with clenched teeth because I had agreed to be a judge on the programme but then withdrew because I wasn't sure what the result would be like. When I saw the series I regretted that decision because I could see it was going to be a huge success.' Then The Sopranos came on. Andrea Bocelli, the blind opera singer, was singing Time To Say Goodbye. 'It occurred to me that there is no more fantastic music in the world than that - and it's incredibly sexy. I discovered opera then, in that instant, by accident. I realised they are the best singers in the world and they bring emotion to a song like no others. I wanted to create a new act featuring these kinds of voices and make it pop-opera. There isn't enough Xgood classical music out there for people like me. I work on gut instinct. I knew I didn't want female opera singers because they can sound a bit screechy and I'd only ever seen one opera, Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado, five or six years ago. There were parts of it which were amazing and parts which were mind-numbingly boring. I wanted to like it but I couldn't. With this act I wanted to create something which, when people heard it, they would think, "What the heck was that?" and just be blown away.' Il Divo's first single is a cover of Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart, belted out in operatic style, which is a little different to say the least. 'Its composer, Diane Warren, said it was by far the best version,' he says. That there are no Brits in the group is because Simon couldn't find one good enough. 'I based my judgment purely on the voices. If I'd found four great singers who were British I'd have gone with them.' What, no budding Russell Watson then?
'Russell is quite good, but he wasn't what I was looking for. You can't knock him too much. A lot of people like him but it's not for me.' Tracking down the calibre he wanted - 'guys who were about to reach the top of their profession' - was far from easy. Simon employed scouts to visit opera houses all over the world to find a selection of singers he could audition. 'A year and a half ago, I thought it was never going to happen. I gave it three months and then I got a visit from Carlos Marin, a 35-year-old Spaniard.
'A star had walked into my office. He was very charming and, when he sang, every hair on my neck stood up. To my untrained ear, he was as close to a star as I'd ever heard. It helped that he was good looking. I hadn't specified that, but I don't know that I would have taken an ugly one.' He didn't have to. After some juggling with his line-up, he teamed Carlos with American David Miller, 31, Frenchman Sebastien Izambard, 31, and Swiss Urs Buhler, 33.'
To be continued...
Saturday, August 21, 2004
| Cowell Turns on Pop Idol McManus |
August 21 2004
By Lee-Ann Fullerton And Beverley Lyons for The Daily Record
Simon Cowell has criticised Pop Idol 2 winner Michelle McManus, saying she has no personality.
Throughout the series, Cowell backed the Scots singer, and his support probably helped her to win. However the acid-tongued judge has now admitted she does not have the 'X factor' he was looking for.
Michelle's second single The Meaning Of Love flopped in the charts, and Simon blasted: 'At the end of the second series of Pop Idol, I didn't know anything more about Michelle after 20 weeks than that she was overweight, came from Scotland and could belt out a song. She just had no personality.
'Once she came off the show, she didn't have the 'X factor' required, although she is still signed to the record label.'
| The Celebrity Awards: Who Gets Your Vote in New Star Wars? |
August 20, 2004
By Caoline Virr for The Express
Hollywood actress Keira Knightley will battle it out with TV host Cat Deeley at The Celebrity Awards next month, sponsored by OK! magazine...and the winner will be announced at a glittering ceremony which is to be screened on ITV1...
Other award categories are:
SEXIEST MALE OF THE YEAR
SEXIEST FEMALE OF THE YEAR
MAN OF THE YEAR: Ant and Dec, Bill Nighy, Gordon Ramsay, Jonathan Ross, Jude Law, Nigel Harman, Shane Richie, Simon Cowell, Vernon Kay, Will Young.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
YOUNG CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR
REALITY STAR OF THE YEAR
MUSIC STAR OF THE YEAR
Friday, August 20, 2004
| A Wealth of Tarrant on Rich List |
August 20, 2004
By Fiona Cummins for The Mirror
TV presenter Chris Tarrant has made it on to the broadcasting rich list - with a GBP 28million fortune.
After starting his own production company, the Who Wants to be a Millionaire star is 22nd out of 103 big earners.
Brothers Roger and Peter De Hann, who own Saga radio, are top of the Broadcast magazine list with GBP 958million.
They have knocked Daily Mail owner Viscount Rothermere (GBP 880m) off the number one spot.
The highest female entry is Elisabeth Murdoch, 15th with GBP 50million. [She's the one who convinced FOX to carry American Idol. -- Ed.]
Also on the list are Pop Idol creator Simon Fuller (GBP 220m) and the show's Mr Nasty judge Simon Cowell (GBP 45m).
TV chef Jamie Oliver, 29, is the youngest person with wealth estimated at GBP 20million.
Other celebrities include chat show host Graham Norton (GBP 22m) and presenter Jonathan Ross (GBP 10m).
Prime Suspect writer Lynda La Plante is also listed with GBP 25million.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
| Cowell KO for Pete |
August 15, 2004
By Staff Writers for the Daily Star
POP svengali Pete Waterman has lost out to rival Louis Walsh, inset, to get on Simon Cowell's new telly talent show.
TV's Mr Nasty originally wanted both music industry giants to appear as judges on his forthcoming series X Factor.
But when Pete heard arch-rival Louis was also being asked to take part, he said: "It's Louis or me."
And 46-year-old record chief Simon picked Westlife boss Louis. An insider said: "At first Simon wanted them both on board because their constant rows and bust-ups when they were on the panel of Popstars: The Rivals made great television. Louis won the day on that show when Girls Aloud got to No 1 and Pete's act One True Voice floundered. Although Simon and Pete are great pals he decided to go for Louis."
The new series aims to find three new chart acts - a band, a pop idol and a middle-of-the-road singer.
Simon will be a judge on the show alongside Louis and Ozzy Osbourne's missus, Sharon.
| The Block Axed from Prime Time Slot |
August 18, 2004
By Anita Singh for The Press Association
ITV has axed reality show The Block from its peak-time slot after it flopped in the ratings.
The property programme, presented by Lisa Rogers and Simon Cowell's brother Nicholas, is being shunted to the 11pm graveyard slot.
Launched last month amid a blaze of publicity, the first episode pulled in only 2.6 million viewers. By Tuesday night's third episode, the audience had slumped to just 2.3 million.
ITV is now removing it from its 9pm Tuesday night slot and from August 31 it will go out at the later time for the remainder of its eight-week run.
"The Block has not performed as well as we would have liked in the 9pm slot," a spokeswoman said. "As a commercial channel we are aware of how many people are watching and consequently we have moved the programme to a later slot. We sometimes have to take these tough decisions to protect the overall performance of the schedule."
The format for The Block was taken from Australia, where it has been such a hit that it beat Big Brother in the ratings.
Four couples compete to renovate identical neighbouring properties on a budget of GBP 25,000.
At the end of the series, the apartments are auctioned off and the couple whose property fetches the most wins a GBP 50,000 prize.
The show was savaged by critics when it launched over here. The Daily Express called it "cheap rubbish" and "yawningly tedious" while The Sun's TV critic wrote: "The Block can only refer to the mental one ITV had when it commissioned the programme."
ITV is likely to replace the show in the schedules with a film.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
| Why Des is Gunning for Cowell |
August 17, 2004
By Nicola Methven for The Mirror, Sara Nathan for The Sun, and Staff Writers for the Evening Times and the BBC
TV sports veteran Des Lynam has launched a blistering attack on Pop Idol's Simon Cowell.
Des blasted Cowell, 44, in an interview with Radio Times.
Age has not mellowed the housewives' favourite, who saved most of his anger for Cowell. He says he hates Cowell so much he wants to thump him.
In an amazing rant at snide Simon, the usually genial Des branded the talent show "cruel".
"I'd like to go and punch that geek. What's his name? Simon Cowell," he declared.
"I'd like to punch him now. This minute. I would punch him. That's his game... he wants, almost wants, to be punched.
"He's earning millions out of people wanting to punch him, but I'll be one of the first in the queue."
As the unflappable anchor of Match of the Day and then The Premiership, Lynam never lost his cool, but in the interview he revealed a Mr Nasty side worthy of Cowell himself.
Lynam's next job will be hosting his own show on Radio 5 Live, interviewing major sports personalities.
| Recruits for X Factor |
August 17, 2004
By Neil Wilkes for Digital Spy
Sharon Osbourne has recruited her nephew to help her out on ITV's new pop reality show The X Factor.
Alongside Simon Cowell and Westlife manager Louis Walsh, Osbourne is one of the judging panel for the talent show, which begins on September 4.
As previously revealed on Digital Spy, each of the three judges will be competing by managing different acts, picking three experts each to help them in their task.
The Mirror reports today that one of Osbourne's helpers is Ozzy's nephew Terry Longden, who was previously a hairdresser on Channel 4's The Salon. He also appeared on her US talkshow earlier this year as a guest style consultant.
Cowell is said to have appointed former girlfriend and ex-popstar Sinitta to his panel.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
| Mr Nasty Goes Villa-Hunting, Part 2 |
August 15, 2004
By John Arlidge for Times of London
After so many bad experiences, what makes a home "100% right"? Good light is a "must", as are floor-to-ceiling windows and a rectangular, not round, swimming pool with an "infinity" view. In Spain Cowell has up to GBP 5m to spend and wants five bedrooms. He never cooks, "so the kitchen is irrelevant". Most important of all, "my girlfriend Terri (Seymour) must like it. She can't make it today, but she's been calling me every five minutes since I got here".
By now, Cowell was on his way to his second and last appointment of the day and Todesco was keen to do better this time. "This house is brand new and is on a massive gated estate. There is a private golf club, private stables, private tennis court and the kitchen in the house was designed by Pininfarina, the Turin design studio which styles Ferrari cars." As Todesco drove, Cowell explained why he was looking to buy a holiday home.
"Property is one of the best investments you'll ever make. It's the one bit of advice I'll always remember from my father. The expression 'safe as houses' is true if you are in it for the long term."
Cowell has invested almost half of his fortune in bricks and mortar. "Home" is a GBP 6m Victorian town house that used to belong to the French ambassador in Holland Park, west London. Two years ago he bought a new GBP 1m Arabian style villa on the giant, reclaimed Palm Jumeirah island off the coast of Dubai. "It's an investment. It will be ready in two years and I can flog it to Jim Davidson."
He lives in his new 12,000sqft Beverly Hills home for six months of the year when he is working on American Idol, the US version of Pop Idol.
His latest acquisition is for fun.
"I spend Christmas every year at the Sandy Lane hotel in Barbados, but it would be useful to have a villa somewhere hot in Europe for long weekends during the rest of the year, because I never really take summer holidays."
But why Spain? "I've never been comfortable in France. The good thing about Spain is there are loads of English people here. I've got lots of friends, people in the music and TV business, who come here. Plus, you've got all the stores you like.
You can treat a home in Marbella like a house in the country in England -- only without the English weather."
Nobody would dispute that southern Spain is very British, but isn't he worried that the Costa del Sol is a bit -- oh, how would you put it on your show, Simon? -- "c-r-a-p"? Won't his newfound fancy friends make fun of him for moving into the home of cheap package holidays, all-day breakfasts and Robin Hood pubs? "I couldn't care less what people think. I've never been hip and I never will be," Cowell said as he arrived at the second viewing of the day -- an GBP 8m five-bedroom villa on Zagaleta estate.
Outside, waiting to greet him was the owner, Jenny Finlay, from Merseyside, whose French manicure and bright blonde hair perfectly complemented the mutton dressed-as-glam interior. The glass and steel dining room, Cowell confessed, he'd "seen somewhere before in a porno movie", the kitchen "looks more like a Formula One garage than a place to eat", the marble floor was shinier than his veneered teeth and the triangular chrome bathroom basins were "a little, erm, Arab". Minutes later he was back in the cool of the car on his mobile phone, making arrangements for auditions for his latest talent show, The X Factor, which goes on air in Britain next month.
Cowell's performance could have come straight out of a property-based version of Pop Idol, but, as he headed back to the safety and comfort of the Marbella Club, something happened that you never see on television. He began to regret being so rude. "I feel bad now, because I quite liked Jenny, the owner of the second property. I think she's quite sweet. She's all happy that we've gone round, and she'll read this and be upset."
For a seductive moment, Todesco dared to dream of the 10% commission on an GBP 8m sale, but the hard-as-nails hit-man quickly reverted to type. "Oh, f*** it. I hated it." Todesco's smile turned to a grimace. "But I'll be back," Cowell shouted as he headed back to his hotel suite. After a cameo role in the "Home Idol" show, Todesco did not know whether to laugh or cry.
* Majestic Real Estate, 0800 027 6797 www.majesticspain.com
The End
Monday, August 16, 2004
| Mr Nasty Goes Villa-Hunting, Part 1 |
August 15, 2004
By John Arlidge for Times of London
With his GBP 5m budget, it should be easy for Simon Cowell to find a winning Spanish holiday home. But John Arlidge finds the Pop Idol judge as tough on swanky properties as on wannabe singers.
Buying a house is like doing Pop Idol. Sellers put on a big song and dance and I turn up and slag them off." Simon Cowell, Pop Idol's Mr Nasty, is househunting in Spain. He's just seen his first multi-million-pound villa on the Costa del Sol and he's telling his estate agent, Angelique Todesco, that he would rather admit he was wrong about Will Young than live there.
"Appalling, hideous, ghastly," Cowell shrieks. "I'm so bored, can you show me round the next villa topless?"
Cowell, 44, is an estate agent's worst nightmare. He seems to have the attention span of a five-year-old and is quick to say what he likes -- his brother, Nicholas, runs two property investment firms, so he knows a thing or two about the business -- but is even quicker to say what he doesn't like. And this afternoon, he hates everything. Todesco looks as happy as one of his talent-show rejects.
She had started the day as optimistic and determined as Michelle McManus. She met Cowell as he stepped off his GBP 11,000-a-trip private jet and made sure he checked into a GBP 600-a-night suite at the five-star Marbella Club. After arranging a meal and a spot of sunbathing at the GBP 1.5m home of his publicist, Max Clifford, she waited as Cowell changed into his favourite stonewashed jeans, slipped into a pair of spectacularly pointy GBP 600 Berluti handmade shoes and an Armani T-shirt, and headed out.
As Todesco drove Cowell to his first appointment in her silver Toyota Land Cruiser, her prospects looked as bright as her highlights. "We've got two properties," she beamed. Cowell flashed a dazzling, movie-star white grin. "One was owned by Adnan Khashoggi's son and the other is on Khashoggi's own former private estate in the hills. We only want to show you the best. That's what Majestic Properties does."
Sadly, the experience proved to be anything but majestic. When arms trader Khashoggi's son bought Casa Arabella, a GBP 2.5m, five-bedroom hacienda style villa on a hillside above Marbella, footballers' wives were women who married footballers, not a tasteless ITV drama, but Khashoggi Jr was a man ahead of his time. His house is the perfect setting for a holiday episode of the hit show in which Jason and Tanya rent a house and while away the summer drinking.
"It's pure Essex," sniffed Cowell as he walked in and spied the leopard-print cushions adorning the cream sofas. "Everything is mock -- mock French belle epoque dining room, faux English library with books nobody has ever read, a chintzy Moroccan lounge with Posh 'n' Becks gold thrones, and, ah yes, the 'authentic' Hawaiian canoe table in the gazebo, set on an island in the middle of a lake full of koi carp. All right, I think we've seen enough." Thirty seconds after walking in, Cowell was cooling his handmade heels in the Land Cruiser.
Cowell's reaction might seem extreme -- even for a man who has made a GBP 45m fortune making the kind of acerbic remarks that reduce grown men to tears -- but he has had a tough property upbringing. He has spent the past two years looking for a home in the most cut-throat, expensive and downright silly housing market in the world -- Los Angeles. After viewing more than 50 homes, including Jennifer Lopez's Beverly Hills mansion, where she recently married her third husband, he finally bought a GBP 7m mansion on Palm Drive last month. He is now spending a further GBP 3m doing it up.
"When you've done LA, you become very demanding," he explained. "Out there, I saw the worst houses on the planet. Now, I don't waste time on anything that isn't 100% right. In LA I saw this one house which was so bad I thought I must be on Candid Camera. It was owned by a guy who was gay, but who had married a woman who had had almost as much plastic surgery as my estate agent.
"The couple had hired a porn star to run their business manufacturing sex fetish gear ... for dogs. There were all these weird pictures on the walls with dogs wearing rubber-wear. The first thing they said to me was: 'Would you like to see the discotheque? It's attached to the kitchen'.
"I was speechless."
To be continued...
Sunday, August 15, 2004
| Simon's Back in Town, Part 3 |
June 22, 2003
By Rebecca Hardy for the Mail on Sunday
Cowell grew up in Berkshire and decided on a career in the entertainment industry as a child. His father, whom he adored, worked for EMI. His next-door neighbour ran MGM studios. He would look over the garden fence and see Roger Moore, Robert Mitchum, and Elizabeth Taylor. His other motivation was that he wanted to leave school as soon as possible.
"On a Sunday evening, the music to a religious programme would come on," he says. "It signified the awful moment whenthe weekend was officially over. From then on the countdown to school started. I used to feel sick to my stomach."
He started work as a postboy at EMI and, at 21, launched a record label with a friend. They had little money and no clout. At the time he found the music business "fun, but frustrating."
"When I'm perceived as being rude to somebody, I'm only doing what I've had done to me many times," he says. "But if people like Pete Waterman hadn't taken the time to turn around to me and say, 'You haven't got a clue what you're doing. You've got to do it like this,' I wouldn't be in the position I'm in today. At work, I'm quite loyal, until someone messes with me and then I have a very long memory. I play dumb sometimes and people have taken advantage of that. If I shake hands on a deal, it's a deal. If somebody then does something to try to put one over one me, it gets to me.
"I also realised from an early age that the only way you could really do this job was to have money. When I first worked in A&R, I was paid a salary and a bonus. I persuaded my bosses to take the cap off my bonus but cut my salary in half. That was just before I signed Robson and Jerome. I had a hunch they were the real McCoy. That deal probably made me GBP 1 million instantly.
"I remember when I officially became a millionaire. It was what I'd always dreamed of. I was skiing when this contract arrived that meant I was officially there. I felt nothing. I thought, "OK, this is not just about money. There's more to it." Playing the game is part of the buzz. It is a game and playing it is fun."
Two years ago, Cowell negotiated an exclusive arrangement with pop impresario Simon Fuller's 19 Group, which owns the Pop Idol format with Fremantle Media. While Fuller would manage the careers of the winners, the records generated would be released on Cowell's label.
The partnership has been hugely lucrative, but is also described as a "match made in hell." Both men share a first name, an ego, and the need to control.
"I never regret going into business with Simon. We both played a huge part in the success of Pop Idol," he says. "The problem is that we are very similar people. We both want control and success. I go through times when I don't like him much, then I see him and like him again.
"I've always said Fuller is the best deal-maker I've ever met. But I've always felt that I make better records.
"If I believe someone can do something better than me, then I'll take a back seat. But when it comes to a lot of the things I do in my job, I honestly believe I do it better than other people."
Cowell's need to control goes hand in hand with his quest for perfection. It is the most striking thing about him. We return to it again and again.
"The only thing that keeps me awake at night is losing the plot," he says. "Getting it wrong by not going with your instincts, by compromising when you shouldn't. I get frustrated when things aren't perfect. If things are not going the way I want them to, it makes me very unhappy. Then I can have a temper.
"The most important thing Pop Idol has done for me is that, for the first time in my life, I feel I'm almost in control of my destiny. Before Pop Idol, I'd go away at Christmas and think, 'What am I going to do next year?'
"The industry I work in is very fickle. Pop artists have a short shelf life. I'd always be thinking, 'Am I going to find the next Westlife? Will I be offered the next Spice Girls?' Now I have a business that can grow, so in five or ten years I won't be relying on Pop Idol or American Idol to give me my status."
He has also to keep reminding himself not to get carried away with the hype. "One day I logged on to the American Idol website and started reading about myself and became obsessed," he says. "Loads of people were saying how much they hated me. I scrolled halfway through to see if anyone liked me, and then I thought, 'Cowell, you're falling into the trap of taking yourself too seriously.'
"I've never gone on to the website since. That was the day I had to slap myself mentally and say, 'This is a bit of fun. It's not life and death. It's all going well, but it may not last, so make sure you enjoy it while you can.'"
The End
Saturday, August 14, 2004
| Simon's Back in Town, Part 2 |
June 22, 2003
By Rebecca Hardy for the Mail on Sunday
He maintains he couldn't care less what people think of him, but I suspect he does. His home is straight from the pages of a glossy interior-design magazine. There is champagne in the fridge, but no food. The staircase is modern and cut from stone with no handrail.
The sitting room is vast, and is furnished with black leather sofas and modern sculptures, but there is nothing personal on display -- no photographs, no books. Cowell moved into the house three years ago and spent 18 months modernising it. Now he wants to sell it.
"I chose everything," he says. "I made the house perfect, but it's too me. It's not a comfortable house and that's my fault. I need someone else to come in here and make it comfortable. I always want to change things."
Cowell obsesses about the tiniest imperfection. He thinks the flatscreen television is too small, and says it looks "like a stamp" above the fireplace. It's driving him mad. We talk about it as much as I would with a girlfriend.
In fact, Cowell is a sexually ambiguous man. He adores the company of beautiful women, but remains a bachelor. There is something about his voice and manner that hint at an underlying femininity. His teeth are too white, his hair too coiffed, his clothes too pristine.
When he appeared on gay comedian Graham Norton's television chat show, he was presented as "one of us" and escorted to his chair by two beefcakes. Cowell insists he is not gay.
"Some guys have more of a feminine side than most," he says. "I don't play rugby. I don't drink beer. I don't go to pubs. I prefer things to look good. I work in an industry that has thousands of gay people, so if I was gay it wouldn't bother me. None of my friends would care. If I thought men were more sexy than women, then fine, but I can honestly say, on my life, I have never fantasised about being with a man."
So why doesn't he settle down? Cowell has had more than his fair share of girlfriends. "I've had somewhere between 70 and 100, if I were to hazard a guess," he says. But they seem to go as quickly as they arrive." He also says he hates to be held at night. "I can't bear it."
He dated pop star Sinitta for two years and was once engaged to a girl called Louise, but it didn't last. I ask him if he's ever been in love. "I think most people mistake lust for love," he says. "My feelings of being in love were mostly when I was younger, out of control, and lusting after somebody.
"To me, relationships are a bit like work. When the buzz has gone, and it fizzles out, then it's time to move on. Things are cool at the moment with Terri, but who knows how she will feel next week, or next month?
"That concept of being with someone for a long time is lost on me. My biggest fear is being half of one of those couples you see in restaurants. They're married but have nothing to say to each other. You can feel the resentment because they're stuck with each other. It could be because of the children, it could be the money, or it could be the security.
"That, for me, is as bad as it gets. It's why I'm nervous about the idea of being with somebody for 20 years. I'm also too old for children now. I hate the idea of being 60 when they're 17, and being too old to do all the active things I would want to be doing with them.
"My lifestyle wouldn't suit children, either. For me, never knowing what's going to happen next keeps me energised and interested. There's still a buzz. I never want to feel that this is the end of it, that this is a good as it gets."
Cowell maintains he is an enormously open and honest person. He is, but at times he is also impossible to fathom. And he is never happy with what he has. The house, the girlfriends, the millions, the success -- none of it is enough. He always wants more.
Cowell has been chasing "the buzz" for as long as he can remember. He was badly behaved from the age of three. He once tried to burn the house down. "I wanted to do anything that was deemed to be bad," he says. "I get bored very quickly so I was always looking for the next buzz -- drinking, smoking, whatever. But never drugs. I couldn't be that out of control."
Friday, August 13, 2004
| Simon's Back in Town, Part 1 |
June 22, 2003
By Rebecca Hardy for the Mail on Sunday
"I don't care what people say about me. My only motivation is to be successful and make money. It's the only motivation I've ever had," says Simon Cowell. He is Pop Idol's Mr. Nasty, the put-down king of trash television. He's been described as smug, snide, and rude. Tom Jones wants to punch him, Paula Abdul despises him.
As a judge on American Idol, the US version of Pop Idol, it took one summer for Cowell to be labelled the "meanest man in America." Time magazine has devoted a page to the "Importance of Being Simon Cowell," while the British tabloids obsess about everything from his high waistband to the details of his sex life.
Cowell, 43, takes it all on the chin. Talk is cheap, it's the money in the bank that counts, and he has more than GBP 30 million. He is also achieving huge business success. Pop Idol winner Will Young's single Anything is Possible/Evergreen, which was released on Cowell's BMG record label, was Britain's fastest-selling debut single ever. In the US, American Idol was the top-rated show -- 52 million viewers watched last September's final. He is also working on a second British series of the hit show and auditions started this month.
As well as a record label, Cowell also runs a TV company. By next year he expects to have three further shows on TV. "If you asked me to describe the past two or three years," he says, "I'd say they've been fun, but it's just been target practice. I want more, I really do.
"Money is fantastic," he adds. "It's the best thing in the world. It changes you as a person. It gives you confidence. I first appreciated how much money I had a year and a half ago. I'd watched a documentary on a single mother who had to borrow GBP 250 at Christmas for presents and a hamper, and then had to pay back GBP 45 each month for the following year.
"The next day I went into Dixons at Heathrow and bought a games console for about GBP 150. That GBP 150 was like a penny to me. I didn't have to think about whether I could afford it or not. I realised then how much money I had -- even more so than when I bought this house or my Ferrari.
"No one should feel embarrassed about admitting they're in this for the money. I don't do projects to be remembered in 50 years' time, or to make a cultural difference. If I want art, I'll buy it. Anyone who comes to my label to work is there to make as much money as possible."
I meet Cowell and his current girlfriend, Terri Seymour, at his home in Holland Park, west London. They have known one another for several years and became lovers when they worked together in Los Angeles. They have just returned from a holiday at the exclusive Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados. Cowell also went there for Christmas and the New Year.
"I love the hotel, but if I haven't got the right view, I'm unhappy," he says. "If I'm sitting in a restaurant and I'm facing a wall, I can't enjoy myself. I'm a Libran and I have the stereotypical Libran characteristic: everything has to look nice.
"You know when you've got a beautiful car and there's a scratch on the wheel? You're the only person who sees it, but you hate the car. Everything has to be perfect."
Terri, a 30-year-old TV presenter, is perfectly beautiful -- tall, slim, white-toothed, with glossy dark hair that looks straight out of a shampoo advert. Cowell is tanned, toned, fit, and casually smart in faded jeans and a blue top pulled down over the waistband.
In the flesh, Cowell is not really nasty. In fact, he can be charming and funny, and has huge energy. He is also a man of his word, however harsh, with a tight-knit circle of friends who would go to the ends of the earth for him.
We had lunch in Barbados a few months ago and were interrupted time and again by star-struck teenage girls wanting a piece of him. Cowell can be an impatient man, but he didn't once show a flicker of irritation. "I couldn't do that to someone," he says.
When he was a child, Cowell met Bernard Cribbins and asked for his autograph. "He basically told me to go away," he says. "I was seven years old and I still remember that."
Thursday, August 12, 2004
| Simon Tidbits |
Simon to Diet?
August 11, 2004
By Staff Writers for the Sky News
:: Simon Cowell has decided to go on the Sir Cliff Richard diet.
He's only having one meal a day to try to get rid of his ever-increasing man boobs.
He explained: "It's all down to living in LA - the portions are so big there."
Just like your head then Simon?
********************
DIY-er in Bust-up with Cowell Bruv
July 22, 2004
By Graeme Culliford for the Daily Star
Simon Cowell's kid brother Nick suffered a Pop Idol style putdown on new DIY telly show The Block.
It came after he slagged off the work that wannabe property renovator Tim, 37, had been doing on his house.
In revenge Tim, partner of former Bond girl Helene Hunt, daubed the words "Nick the prick" on an inside wall, fuming: "He's full of s**t - just like his brother."
********************
Spotted!
July 22, 2004
By Katie Hind, Leigh Purves, and Amy Watts for the Daily Star
In London: Simon Cowell in his gym gear in Hyde Park.
********************
Performance Preview: Weirdness Comes Naturally
July 23, 2004
By Mark Baker for The Register-Guard
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Poodle Hat"
That's the name of his first studio album in four years, released in 2003. Silly songs? Maybe. But they won Yankovic his third Grammy Award in February. And where did the inspiration come from?
The Eminem parody is called "Couch Potato" and is not about losing yourself in the music, but losing your mind watching television. ("There's Simon Cowell/ Who folks wanna disembowel/ He opens his mouth/ Always says something foul/ They're dyin', wow/ Wannabes are cryin' now.")
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
| Looking for Talent? It's Simple, Simon |
August 5, 2004
By Neil McCormick for The Telegraph
Perhaps it is time for the UK to give up trying to force our dubious musical wares on the world, says Neil McCormick
Simon Cowell recently described himself as "the best talent spotter in the country". Which might explain a great deal about the current state of the music business.
The man who gave us Robson & Jerome, Gareth Gates and Michelle McManus has a new (un)reality series, X Factor, set to air on ITV next month. Cowell has thrown the doors of the audition rooms open to anyone who wants to have a go.
"We're not specifically looking for a pop star of 80," he says, "but the age limit is off." Apparently having become convinced that the public has "grown weary" of the manufactured pop formula, Cowell says: "I'm going after the 30-plus market now."
This would all be depressing enough without Cowell's latest revelation. Despite there being a record 45,000 applicants, Cowell admitted last week he has not been particularly impressed with them. "It's unbelievable. Only a handful are anywhere near decent. You can't imagine who we've had through our doors. It's a serious worry."
And well it might be. If 45,000 singers and musicians can't impress Britain's self-proclaimed leading talent spotter, perhaps it is time for the UK to give up trying to force our dubious musical wares on the world and just import ready-made idols from America (an approach multi-national record companies would be happy to adopt). Or might it be that the problem lies not with the talent but the spotters?
I am sent a huge number of albums every week, some of which, admittedly, can induce in me a Cowell-like sense of despair. Yet, surprisingly often, no-budget, self-released albums impress me as being as good (or better) than anything the majors are promoting...
The harsh reality is that there is a huge amount of musical talent in the UK trying to squeeze through the exceedingly narrow filter provided by five (soon to be four) major record companies, all of whom are engaged in making cutbacks, and much of whose budget is spent on developing manufactured pop. (It is interesting to note that six of the 12 artists nominated for this year's Mercury Prize were either released or developed by independents...)
So what do you do if you have ticked all the boxes demanded by the industry - developed your own sound, songs and image, and even built a loyal live following - and still find yourself denied the opportunity to be heard?
In arguably the most exciting development in the UK music scene in years, a loose collective of bands are staging "guerrilla gigs". Inspired by the example of the Libertines, groups such as Razorlight, the Others, the Unstrung, the Cherubs, The Paddingtons, the Left Hand and Special Needs simply turn up and play in whatever location is available (pubs, flats, squats, even on the London underground) using the internet to spread the word...
Music lovers, hungry for the passion and commitment such groups project, are responding. The Libertines sold 5,500 tickets for a secret gig in the Forum by posting a single message on the web.
I doubt their fans would agree with Cowell's assessment of UK talent. What I would really like to see is the Libertines storm the set of X Factor and show Britain's finest talent spotter what he's been missing.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
| Fight Test -- Simon Cowell, Part 2 |
September 17, 2003
By Bulent Yusuf and Doug Brown for Robot Fist
Found by Kelly
Refreshingly honest geezer in a maelstrom of superficiality OR malevolent BFG who steals kids' dreams? Purveyor of perfect pop OR shallow showboating s**t? YOU decide.
Part 2
DEFEND
Reminding us that Warhol never meant that fifteen minutes of fame is an inalienable right"
by Doug Brown
WHAT is it about Simon Cowell that inspires so much loathing? His bitchiness and his trousers, it seems. Neither is a real reason for disliking the man.
First, let's address his fashion sense. I don't see a problem - he wears inoffensive casual clothes that don't always fit properly. Basing hatred on the height of someone's waistband is the sort of thing that started the war, you know.
Now, the real issue. Cowell's trademark criticisms directed at Pop Idol's wretched contestants are witty in a real, rather than Anne Robinson, way. Robinson abuses the panel on The Weakest Link with desperately clunky lines like: "Which one of you is one reinforced steel joist short of a construction site?" Compare that to this exchange between Cowell and an American Idol hopeful:
Cowell: I've heard better people singing outside the subway.
Nathaniel: Well, that's fine, but I worked really hard, and…
Cowell: So do they!
Nathaniel: Well, that's fine, but did they stand out in the cold and rain and…
Cowell: They're standing outside the subway. So yes.
Not only is his rudeness entertaining but it's also entirely justified. It may seem strange that he's lashing out at the wannabe culture he helped to create. It may even be distasteful to watch teenagers reduced to tears. But the truth is that pop stardom is not easy to achieve and most people do not have the potential to make it. Simon Cowell is reminding us that Warhol never meant that fifteen minutes of fame is an inalienable right. Who can blame him for telling bad singers who believe they deserve success that they aren't as good as they think they are? They've asked for it by turning up in the first place. "No one has ever been helped by being patronised," Cowell says. As he said to one auditioner: "What angers me is that people like yourself who have the most attitude have the least talent."
When Pop Idol was formulated it was obvious that the talentless would queue overnight to appear in front of the judges. Brutal honesty was always going to be a key feature of the show. Cowell knew that the programme was an opportunity to demonstrate that his job is not to be dismissed as simply turning shit into shinola: Pop Idol was a chance for him to be respected for having the star-spotting instinct.
This instinct has indeed brought us great pop. The Teletubbies do still make me a little queasy, admittedly, but who dislikes Sinitta? Westlife, Robson and Jerome, Will Young, Gareth Gates… They may not be to everyone's taste but they've sold millions, and that's the only way to judge them. They are the best pop free-market capitalism can provide. And finding pop music objectionable is snobbery of the worst sort. The public are the ultimate arbiters and should not be rejected as sheep, preyed on by wolves with marketing campaigns. It was a surprise to the makers of Pop Idol, after all, that there were effectively two winners last time round. (Not that they were objecting to twice the sales, of course.) Cowell is to be admired for giving us so abundantly what we're clamouring for.
We aren't just lapping up the Idols themselves, but also the machine that generates them. Pop Idol is inspired television and Cowell invented it. There's always been a fascination with the manufacturing processes behind pop music. Now we get to see the whole route from audition to release of a single with the added excitement of petty rivalries and sobbing. Not for nothing is it called "reality TV". People turn up hoping for fame and Simon Cowell confronts them with reality: "You're one of the worst singers I've ever heard in my life".
Now he's made enormous amounts of money Cowell can get down to doing what he clearly loves most, which is taking the piss on a mammoth scale. Quite right too. When MTV Cribs visited his colossal and empty house in the States he was completely frank about its silliness: "I've got two living rooms. Why do I have two living rooms? Pointless. And it's not like I'm ever here." He's engagingly honest about not caring for his image or possessions.
This shouldn't be confused with arrogance. He's aware of his shortcomings, such as emotional immaturity and an inability to take criticism. He can't conduct a relationship. But he shouldn't be vilified for liking lap-dancers and underwear models - he can afford to cherry-pick his partners (so to speak) so why shouldn't he? He's successful and rich and if he looks slightly smug it's because he knows it's all based on disposable pop. And where would the world be without pop? Pretending to enjoy Kid A, that's where.
Monday, August 09, 2004
| Simon Wins TCA Award |
August 9, 2004
Simon won an award at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards, which were held at the Universal Amphitheater last night. The show will be televised this Wednesday on Fox.
In the category of Television:
Reality/Variety Jackass: Simon Cowell, American Idol.
| Fight Test -- Simon Cowell |
September 17, 2003
By Bulent Yusuf and Doug Brown for Robot Fist
Found by Kelly
Refreshingly honest geezer in a maelstrom of superficiality OR malevolent BFG who steals kids' dreams? Purveyor of perfect pop OR shallow showboating s**t? YOU decide.
Part 1
ATTACK
"Smug doesn't even begin to cover it"
by Bulent Yusuf
IF YOU were to look up the word 'smug' in the 2003 Who's Who of Arrogant Bastards, you may well find a picture of Simon Cowell. More than that, you're likely to find a neon arrow pointing at his simpering mug, complete with the sound effect of a booing audience and a pop-up diagram showing how the particular architecture of his trousers is the source of his evil powers.
But smug doesn't even begin to cover it. This man is a snake-eyed coward whose sole purpose in life is to sit behind a desk and tear to shreds the dreams of any teenager who is stupid enough to enter his lair. Okay, I tell a lie, that's not his only purpose in life. The other is to make as much money as humanly possible, and he doesn't care who he exploits and how many kids he has to step on to do it.
His pre-eminence in popular culture is a strange phenomenon, for so many reasons. For one thing, he's established some kind of dictatorship in popular music, and can make or break an aspiring artist with a twitch of his eyebrows. Thanks to the outrageous success of the Pop Idol concept, Cowell can bind any winners (or near-winners) to him with a cast-iron management contract, controlling every aspect of their fledgling careers and taking a HUGE chunk of the profits.
He then floods record stores with the amateur warblings of these second rate acts, which was most capably demonstrated when the number one baton was passed between three Pop Idol acts consecutively, from Will Young to Gareth Gates to Darius. Cowell makes enough money to fill a bling-bling Hum-Vee, and the British music chart collapses, with manic little pop tweenies left to pick up the pieces.
What's wrong with this picture?
On another level, Cowell's status has shifted from the villain-you-love-to-hate to the villain-you-love-to-love. The tabloid press thinks he's brilliant because he's always a source of good copy, so they build him up as a straight-shooting crusader who's not afraid to tell the truth about the appalling singers he has to deal with. Well, isn't that just wonderful?
Lisa Simpson, the wise sage of Springville, once said that depressing teenagers is like shooting fish in a barrel. In the case of TV's self-styled Mr Nasty, putting them down isn't too hard either. A teenager's self-esteem is about as resilient as snotty tissue, and dropping them into a water-tank with a ruthless shark is as perverse a spectacle as I've ever had the misfortune to witness. Yes, there are some kids today who are stupid and deluded for clinging to some notion of becoming famous, but I don't care to see them humiliated for having a dream.
And then there's the sticky (bun) issue surrounding fat people. Cowell is the prime exponent of the theory that fat people will never make it as a pop-star, because adolescent girls don't find them sexy. That's as frank an admission of physical discrimination as you're ever going to get. It's not the musical talent that the Evil One is concerned with, it's their haircut. Never mind that their voice might be soulful enough to make a hardened crim cry tears of joy, if they're fat they're instantly ridiculed. It's as if Barry White or Meatloaf or even Alison Moyet had never happened.
If we were to take this argument of his a step further, what happens when someone in a wheelchair summons up the courage to audition for Cowell? Would they also be shown the door, because being disabled wasn't 'sexy' enough? The point is that we live in an all-inclusive society, not a diktat run by a venal guttersnipe, and people shouldn't be swept under the carpet because they can't live up to ridiculous expectations.
But above all else, the most irritating thing about Simon Cowell is his trousers. What the hell was he thinking when he pulled on such wretched attire? From the high waistline, to the bellbottomed flares, to the strict regimen of black clothing, he is a walking talking fashion disaster. Who the fuck is this man to tell me what passes for good music, when he can barely dress himself properly?
In truth, the trousers are a clue to the whole mystery. Simon Cowell is nothing more than a panto villain. From his scripted judgements, to his horrible dress sense, to the way he hams it up when he finds a singer who has the potential to make him money. The sooner you realise that, the sooner we'll all stop paying attention, and the sooner he'll just fly away on a broomstick.
To be continued...
Sunday, August 08, 2004
| Talking to...Nicholas Cowell |
From the August 7 - 15, 2004 issue of Heat
By Chris Longridge
The Block's property expert talks to Chris Longridge about poodles, Father Christmas, and his famous brother (that's Simon).
How did you get to do The Block?
I knew the producer, and she rang me up for advice because I'm in the property business. She said she'd found some properties in Brighton and asked me to come and take a look at them for the show. I said no at first, but in the end curiosity got the better of me and I went down to see them. And obviously I took the job.
Has your brother Simon given you any tips?
Not one. But whatever he told me I'd do the opposite anyway. He'd tell me to do it the wrong way on purpose.
Was he like that as a kid?
He was terrible. We were always getting into trouble, but with him being slightly older, he was usually the instigator and I was his tool for getting things done.
Such as?
He gave me a crew cut when I was three. Our parents went absolutely mad. And he once set Dad's Father Christmas suit on fire. It was his way of proving that Father Christmas didn't exist.
Now, the big one: How high are your trousers?
Someone said that to me at the end of filming, and I thought, "S**t, I haven't checked once." But I don't wear my trousers high. I have normal-waisted trousers.
Is Simon going to be a bit funny about you stepping on his turf in Heat and on TV?
Yeah. I think he will be. He hasn't been so far -- he's very busy with his own stuff. But there's a big difference: he's a star in his show and has done unbelievably well. My part is much smaller, and property is my business. I'm not taking it that seriously, and I don't think he is either.
Does it bother you that in all the interviews you do, people just want to ask about Simon?
Not at all, not in the least.
Good. I'll ask a couple more then. Between the two of you, who's the boss?
I think I am.
Would he agree?
No! I'm good at some things, he's good at others. If it's a family problem, I'll deal with it.
So, what's his forte?
I don't think he's got one actually. He's got the most money -- he can buy his way out of anything.
What kind of music does he listen to in private?
He's got dreadful taste in music. At his last place, he had one of those CD players where you can stick 200 CDs in, and he only had three in there: Frank Sinatra, Robson and Jerome, and...let me make up a good one...Summer Hits of 1983.
Do you often do this kind of wind-up on each other?
Yep. The one I got into the most trouble for was telling a journalist he had a poodle called Prancer.
Not helping to stifle those gay rumours...
Not at all! Next day I get a call from Simon in the States, spitting, "What's all this about f***ing Prancer the f***ing poodle?"
How did he get his revenge for that one?
I'm still waiting.
Saturday, August 07, 2004
| ***TV Alert*** Simon on Banzai |
There's a repeat of Simon on Banzai:
The Comedy Channel -- Wednesday, August 11 -- 1:30 pm Central Time.
| Simon Cowell Urged to Marry Terri Seymour! |
August 6, 2004
By Staff Writers for Female First
Found by MaritimeSimonFan
Simon Cowell's family are urging him to marry girlfriend Terri Seymour.
However, the 'American Idol' star believes they only want a chance to embarrass him at the wedding.
He revealed: "All the family think Terri is terrific and would love to see me married - but they just want a nice wedding and the chance to embarrass me during the speeches, because I've given them hell."
But Simon's older brother, Tony, insists they want him to walk model Terri down the aisle because she has made him grow up.
Tony, 54, added to the Sunday Times magazine: "Since Simon's been with Terri, he's matured.
"The three of us went to Mexico, and I saw how she looks after him, how they argue and laugh.
"I think he should marry her, but I'm not giving him any brotherly advice - he'd ignore it."
Simon and Terri share homes in London and Los Angeles.
Friday, August 06, 2004
| Cowell Consoles Seacrest |
August 5, 2004
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
American Idol judge Simon Cowell showed his softer side when he heard pal Ryan Seacrest's chat show had been cancelled, by phoning to console him.
Last week it was announced that ON AIR WITH RYAN SEACREST had been culled by bosses, just a handful of months after debuting, due to struggling ratings.
And sharp-tongued music mogul Cowell quickly gave his support to Seacrest, who also hosts American Idol.
Seacrest says of Cowell, "For the first time ever, he wasn't sarcastic! He said, 'I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing.'
'He reminded me that it's just part of the business and that now I can get more rest."
Seacrest is also a radio host.
| Simon Begs |
July 16, 2004
By David K. Li for New York Post Page Six on Yahoo
Fox also announced yesterday that contestants can now be as old as 28 to enter the wildly popular talent show "American Idol."
The previous age cap was 26.
"It allows us to pull in a wider talent pool," said Keith Hindle, New York- based vice president of marketing for "Idol" producers Fremantle Media North America.
Network suits and producers, however, did not move up the minimum age requirement of 16. Show judges -- most notably Simon "Mr. Nasty" Cowell -- had begged Fox and producers to make contestants be at least 18.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
| Search for Prop Idol Is On |
August 4, 2004
By Deborah Tucknott for This Is Brighton and Hove
Simon Cowell's younger brother is making his own mark on the small screen lending his expertise to new reality show, The Block.
Nicholas Cowell, an expert in property investment rather than music, will cast his experienced eye over four couples' attempts to renovate four newly-built houses in Brighton's Vine Street in just 12 weeks. Nicholas steps into action once they have finished each room when the winner of each 'room reveal' then gets extra money to help them make their house an attractive proposition for potential buyers, ready for a live auction in September.
Nicholas, 42, says: "I loved the format of the show.
"I thought it was great fun. It had everything in it - it wasn't going to be just another boring property show or another boring game show or reality show."
After the success of his brother Simon on Pop Idol and American Idol, it is no surprise Nicholas has already been approached a number of times to recreate his brother's success in his own area of expertise.
But it has taken until now for producers to to find the right show to entice him in front of the cameras.
He said: "They gave me a DVD of the Australian version of The Block which was just fantastic. When I got it I watched it one after the other and loved it.
"The role of the property expert was a fairly minor one as far as I was concerned. It wasn't about presenting the show which I didn't want to do. So I thought, why not?"
Although Nicholas might say he and Simon are very different, the similarities between their on-screen personas are there for all to see. Dapper dress sense? Check. Effortless charisma? Check. Bitingly honest comments? Check.
Nicholas argues: "I think we're very different people in lots of ways. But obviously we are alike because we're very similar in age and we're very close. We're like proper brothers.
"We have sibling rivalry and all that but I love him. It's all part of the game isn't it? I suppose we are alike but I'm very punctual and have different likes and whatever. He's, well, he's Simon."
Like Simon, Nicholas is going to become known for his forthright comments about the contestants efforts. Already The Block has gained the nickname "Property Idol". But Nicholas plays down his and his brother's famously honest appraisals.
He says: "I've got no idea where that attitude comes from. I just think it's because we're both very confident people. And also I think if any professional is being asked to give an opinion on something they know a lot about then they'd be very upfront as well."
Did Simon give you any tips when you told him you were going on television? "Oh yeah," grins Nicholas, mischievously. "He said to wear my trousers a bit higher."
Nicholas was the youngest of four brothers and a sister who were brought up in Elstree by their estate agent father Eric and their dancer mother Julie, who lives in Ovingdean.
The entertainment world was always part of the family's lives as they lived next door to the head of film company Warner Brothers, Gerry Blatner.
The family friend would often invite the Hollywood stars who were filming at nearby Elstree Studios to glamourous parties organised at the Cowell household.
Nicholas recalls: "There would be all these people like Gregory Peck, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor over at our house.
"As kids we didn't understand who these people were, but it was the most famous people of the time so that's where the love of glamour comes from."
However, Nicholas, followed in his father's footsteps and started his career in property.
He explains: "I didn't do very well at school. I think I got three O-levels. My dad had friends in the West End of London who were very aggressive property people and persuaded them to give me the job of the office junior. That's where it started."
Now, 25 years later, Nicholas is at the top of his game. He formed his own business at 22, survived the 1991 property crash, and now runs two of London's most respected investment firms.
He says: "I love the business. Property is a rare profession in that you don't need to be qualified. Even now I borrow substantial amounts of money from the bank and I don't need to be qualified to do that, they trust my judgement."
Nicholas has made a lot of money from his expertise. He lives in a plush apartment in south London, overlooking the Thames, with his wife Katie Aylwin and their baby daughter Georgia. But he laughs loudly at the suggestion he might be richer than Simon.
"No way," he says. "We don't compare bank statements. Simon's done incredibly well so, you know."
Nicholas's move into television has seemingly caused no rivalry between the two successful brothers. In fact Nicholas says Simon welcomed the idea.
Nicholas says: "He thought it was a very good idea to do The Block. There are obvious advantages to being well-known, it does open a lot of doors for you. So I don't think it's going to do me any harm, touch wood."
Despite being so alike and following similar paths, or perhaps because of it, the brothers are very close.
Nicholas helped Simon invest his growing wealth in property after his success on Pop Idol and American Idol and he can often be spotted in the audiences of the shows, lending his brother his support.
Nicholas says: "We get on very well. We live our own lives very much but we've got mutual friends and we go out together about once a week.
"I never found it strange when he became famous. It's been a lot of fun. You can either be positive about it or go, 'Oh my God my brother's famous, isn't this a terrible thing'.
"But we've had great fun with it all. You go places and get noticed, it's great. We take the good side out of it and the negative side is people talk about you and write about you but, you know, who cares?"
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
| Cowell: I'm a Workaholic |
August 3, 2004
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
Pop mogul Simon Cowell is a compulsive workaholic and is driven by money.
The American Idol and Pop Idol judge confesses he struggles to switch off and relax, even when on vacation.
Cowell says, "I'm verging on obsessive about work, which isn't good. I had a holiday because I was so tired and I said to my girlfriend: 'mobiles off.' And after two hours I was twitching. I'm driven by money."
| Cowell: I'm Not Interested in Fame |
August 3, 2004
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
American Idol judge Simon Cowell isn't motivated by the pursuit of fame.
The British music manager has become a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic because of his caustic put-downs on the American Idol and Pop Idol talent shows.
But Cowell insists he is driven by money and success not celebrity.
He says,"I wanted to be in control of my destiny -- and that is what television has done for me. But I have no desire for fame. If it all stopped tomorrow and I had to go behind the scenes again, I'd be happy."
| Simon on Pop Idol and Signing other Acts |
August 3, 2004
By Staff Writers for The Mirror
Tanned Simon told us how he can't wait for his ITV1 talent show - which finds him judging alongside Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh - to get underway.
But while he's looking forward to nurturing new acts, he didn't have much encouragement for the last Pop Idol winner, Michelle McManus, runners-up Sam and Mark or wannabe singer Jordan.
"It just hasn't worked out for Michelle and I don't know if she's going to release any more material," he sighed. "It's the same for Sam and Mark.
"The public has grown weary of that [Pop Idol] formula and that's why we've changed things with this show, by throwing it open to people of all ages. I'm going after the 30-plus market now.
"And I'm not going to be working with Jordan either. She has a good voice and if it was three years ago, I would definitely have signed her up.
"But now the market has changed and I wouldn't be able to do anything with her. I'm more excited about my new four-piece male classical act Il Divo -- they're going to be huge..."
As part of the new show, which hits our screens in the first week of September, X Factor finalists get to spend time in the judges' homes and Simon will be giving his a make-over for it.
"I think it's time I put some pictures in frames," he said. "And maybe hide some of the more expensive vases, in case one of the finalists decides to throw a wobbly."
Good thinking, Si.
PS: Memo to Big Brother reject Michelle Bass from Simon -- don't bother getting in touch to get a record deal.
Simon, who's a BB fan, said: "Michelle's a mad bunny boiler and, let's face it, we've all been there.
"I heard she had a decent voice but the problem is that no one likes her - the public hate her. So, no, I won't be touching her with a barge pole."
Phew.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
| Cowell Says "No!" to Marriage |
By Staff Writers for Contact Music and The Mirror
We have some bad news for Simon Cowell's girlfriend Terri Seymour.
If you think you'll be frogmarching him down the aisle any time soon, forget it.
The music executive, dubbed Mr Nasty for his scathing comments to wannabe stars, has been dating the model-turned-TV presenter for years, but insists he wants to keep their relationship the way it is.
He says he has no intention of tying the knot with anyone, including Terri, 30.
"Weddings are so old-fashioned and there isn't one on the horizon," Cowell told us yesterday during the promotional shoot for his new show, X Factor.
"I believe in the saying, 'If it ain't (isn't) broke, don't fix it'. Things are going great with Terri, so why change anything. She's in Los Angeles working on two TV shows.
"My family love her to bits and yes, they'd love to see me get married. But I think they want it more for the actual wedding day."
And it's not just a wedding ceremony Cowell is avoiding -- he has no plans to have an heir to his millions.
"I don't want babies the same way I wouldn't want a puppy," said Simon, who was accompanied by his ex-girlfriend Jackie St Clair.
"It's too much responsibility. I don't know how Terri feels about that but that's my opinion. Who'd want another me running around anyway?"
| More 'X Factor' Details Revealed |
August 2, 2004
by Neal Wilkes for Digital Spy
More details have been released about Simon Cowell's X Factor, billed as the "biggest ever TV talent show."
In the show - which is the headliner of ITV's autumn schedule - Cowell will compete against Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne to discover the next big singing sensation.
The trio will sit through auditions from around the country, with acts falling into three categories: '16-25 solo', '25 and over solo' and 'groups'.
From the initial 50,000 applicants, just 120 will make it onto the next round, a two-day intensive boot camp. Each judge will be responsible for one group, but won't be told which until the first day of the boot camp.
Only 5 acts from each group will be left standing at the end of boot camp. They will then visit the home of their judge, whom - with the aid of three specifically chosen experts - will eliminate another two.
The three remaining acts in each group get to move on to the live finals.
Kate Thornton will be hosting the main ITV1 shows while GMTV's Ben Shephard will front ITV2's Xtra Factor companion series.
Monday, August 02, 2004
| Hangin' out with Simon Cowell |
By Staff Writers
From the July 14, 2004 issue of 3am Magazine, free with the Daily Mirror
This is somewhat similar to another article I posted a while back about where Simon shops, but this one has more and different info.
Simon's back in London having won the Yanks over with his blend of shrewd sarcasm and rudeness on American Idol. Here's where the high-waisted king of pop goes...
He gets the papers from...
...his local shop Gnasher, on Napier Road in Kensington. The newsagent said: "I like Simon very much. We deliver his newspapers every day and he doesn't discriminate between rich and poor -- he's a very kind man.
His gnashers are fixed by...
...dentist Roderick McNeil in Cavendish Square. He says: "Simon has been coming to me for six years and I treat his whole family. He hasn't been in since last year, and like anybody he doesn't really enjoy coming to the dentist, but he's very cooperative and a great patient."
He gets the chop at...
...Michaeljohn, Albemarle Street, London -- where Charlie Chan cuts his hair. "Simon has been coming in to have his hair cut by Charlie for at least two years, and it costs GBP 99.00 for a haircut," said the Michaeljohn receptionist.
He watches films at...
...London's Kensington Odeon. "I went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban recently and hated it," says Simon. "It was the worst of the three Harry Potter films and to me it had lost its charm. There was a certain something about the first two but this one -- excuse the pun -- had definitely lost its magic."
He buys CDs from...
...Harrods. "I bought a Rat Pack album called Live at the Sands most recently -- it's playing in my car right now." Well, you'd think he could get free CDs!
He loves to lunch at...
...Italian restaurant Shumi, on St. James Street -- owned by actor Roger Moore's son, Geoffrey. He says: "Simon always grabs a seat by the window overlooking St. James, as it's a great view. He likes the Bellini, which is a recipe taken from Harry's Bar in Venice. With it, he usually has our two-course meal for GBP 19.50.
He keeps his trousers up...
...with belts from Armani. "My brother Nicholas' then-girlfriend [they were recently married] went to buy me a Christmas present from Gucci, in Sloane Street," says Simon. "She spoke to a very snooty shop assistant and said, 'I'd like to buy a belt for my future brother-in-law.' So he brought out some belts and she said: 'I need to make sure it's the right size,' and she asked him to put the belt around his waist. She then said: 'A little bit higher than that' and he replied 'It's not as if you're buying a belt for Simon Cowell, madam!' And she said 'Well, actually, I am!'"
He gets his trousers cleaned at...
...Burlingtons, on Kensington Church Street -- they call themselves "dry cleaners of distinction," and Simon hasn't complained yet! "Simon comes in at least three times each week like clockwork," said manager Paul Murray. He gets his trousers, shirts, and everything else pressed here. He's a great, down-to-earth guy and he has been coming here for about five years now."
Sunday, August 01, 2004
| Unsexiest Man? |
August 1, 2004
By Staff Writers for UTV
Brad Pitt has been voted the world's sexiest man - with David Beckham relegated to fourth place.
Female fans certainly approved when the Hollywood hunk donned a leather skirt in Greek epic Troy.
He shot from number three to number one in Company magazine`s annual 100 Sexiest Men poll, with his Troy co-star Orlando Bloom a close second...
Company readers also voted for the world`s unsexiest men.
Michael Jackson topped the list yet again, followed by Chris Evans, Peter Andre and Simon Cowell.
David Beckham was in eighth place.
Top 5 Sexiest Men:
1 Brad Pitt
2 Orlando Bloom
3 Nigel Harman
4 David Beckham
5 Justin Timberlake
Top 5 Unsexiest:
1 Michael Jackson
2 Chris Evans
3 Peter Andre
4 Simon Cowell
5 Robbie Williams
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