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Tuesday, February 28, 2006
| Chippendales Offer American Idol's Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson Official Talent Scout Job Offers |
February 27, 2006
By Staff Writers for Yahoo Biz
Just last year at the White House Correspondent's Dinner, the First Lady, Laura Bush, joked about how "one night after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendales. I wouldn't even mention it except Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there. I won't tell you what happened, but..." In turn, the longest running and most successful male revue in history took the opportunity to send the nation's most prominent female and her gal pals a lifetime pass to Chippendales and a few souvenir items as well.
More recently, on the February 22nd broadcast of "American Idol," Simon Cowell
chose to compare the performance of one male hopeful to someone who might aspire to be a Chippendales performer. Shortly thereafter, Randy Jackson also referenced the venerable Chippendales when heartthrob Idol wannabe Ace Young got his turn at the mike.
Based on a poll of Chippendales executives and their female talent scouts, it looks like Randy has the better eye for future sex symbols, as Ace was a unanimous choice over Gedeon McKinney (who at 17 is a bit young just yet for Chippendales!). However, Gedeon's future might still hold a spot in Chippendales should he choose to pursue that career path.
The Chippendales have decided that with Simon and Randy among the world's best judges of talent these days, an open offer stands for either of the entertainment gurus to join the Chippendales as official talent scouts. "We would be happy for Simon, Randy or both of them to take us up on our offer," said Vice President of Marketing for Chippendales Kevin Denberg. Denberg added that the two talent judges could call the Chippendales corporate headquarters at 866-CHIP-999 to accept the offer. The Chippendales currently have a Chippendales show at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and several touring companies around the world. www.chippendales.com
"We look forward to hearing from Simon or Randy and are flattered and appreciative that they recognize the talent it takes to be a Chippendales performer. Getting to wear the cuffs & collars is a dream come true for many young men just as winning 'American Idol' is for the tens of thousands who audition each year," explained Denberg.
Monday, February 27, 2006
| Pop Goes the Opera |
February 27, 2006
By Chris Lee for LA Times -- Calendar Live
Professional sourpuss Simon Cowell, from whom nary is heard an encouraging word when he's gunning down "American Idol" contestants, seemed Saturday to have left his sangfroid at home as he gushed over the four singers warbling before him.
"Oh, yeah!" he cheered after one number. "I love it!"
What did it take to unlock Cowell's inner cheerleader?
Only Il Divo, the pop-classical quartet that recently debuted at No. 1 on the national sales chart with its third album, "Ancora," and consequently sold out the 6,200-seat Gibson Amphitheatre, where Cowell was among the ecstatic onlookers.
It also helped that the quartet, a virtual United Nations of steamy hunkitude, is Cowell's brainchild.
"Honestly, to see these guys perform tonight is the proudest moment of my life," Cowell said during the show. "I came up with the idea four years ago. I just thought we should bring this music to the masses like we've done tonight. You see the reaction."
That'd be the swooning fans, mostly women, and a veritable hailstorm of clothing: blouses, scarves and what appeared to be a pair of pink panties and a frilly red negligee.
Not the response given most singers trained in classical conservatories, but then, this multiplatinum-selling collective doesn't consider itself part of the opera world. They call their music "popera."
Assembled by Cowell after a two-year international talent search, the GQ-handsome bandmates are long-haired Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, clean-cut San Diego-born tenor David Miller, French pop star Sebastien Izambard and silky Spanish baritone Carlos Marin. (Like many boy bands, the four stars do away with surnames on their latest CD, "Ancora.")
Il Divo — the male equivalent of "diva" — is adored by fans and savaged by critics for mixing opera chops with mainstream world music and pop staples to achieve something closer in vibe and sound to an operetta or a Spanish zarzuela than bona fide opera. But perhaps more important, especially to the women on hand at the Gibson, the singers looked in their shiny designer suits to have burst from the cover of a Harlequin Romance novel.
Backed by a 20-piece orchestra and a five-piece rock band, they descended a semiround of faux-Greek amphitheater stairs beneath Doric columns to thunderous applause.
"They're certainly good-looking, vibrant young men," said audience member Clara Vega, with a laugh. "It definitely helps."
The group is already a worldwide juggernaut. It has released three albums in less than a year and topped charts here as well as in Spain, Finland, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia, selling over 5 million units, according to Sony BMG. Il Divo's first album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 last April and has sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. And its holiday album, "The Christmas Collection," was No. 1 on the Classical Crossover chart for 10 weeks, selling 544,000 copies.
But "Ancora's" No. 1 debut this month stunned many American music journalists. According to Geoff Mayfield, Billboard magazine's director of charts, the album benefited from release-date serendipity and the support of an adult audience. "Ancora" sold 156,000 copies in its first week, not necessarily enough to land a chart-topping hit during busier times of the year, he said.
"It's an older audience," Mayfield said last week. "A lot of the people who buy Josh Groban or Andrea Bocelli's nonclassical recordings would be susceptible to buy Il Divo. They had exposure on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' right around the time the album came out, and that certainly picked up awareness. The adult consumer has been pretty important for the last few years."
And in the last few weeks. Mayfield pointed out that adult support also landed Barry Manilow's "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" atop the album chart two weeks after "Ancora's" release.
Where Il Divo resides on the Three Tenors/Backstreet Boys divide was made clear Saturday by the group's choice of librettos, or in this case, cover songs: no Brahms, but Toni Braxton's post-breakup lament, "Un-Break My Heart"; instead of Bach, there was Les Baxter's soaring "Unchained Melody"; rather than an aria from the repertoire of Caruso, it was Eric Carmen's anguished '70s radio chestnut "All By Myself" (each Hispanicized, respectively, as "Regresa a Mi," "Senza Catene" and "Solo Otra Vez").
"Popera" was just fine by Franchesca and Christopher Morgan from Temecula, who traveled three hours to see the concert (there was traffic) and describe themselves as "not opera people." They own two of the group's three albums and said Cowell's influence wasn't least in their decision to buy them.
"Il Divo is not all-the-way classical, and we're more comfortable with that," Franchesca Morgan, 46, said. "And having Simon's approval was definitely a big vote of confidence. We're big-time 'American Idol' fans. He goes for tone, pitch and passion."
Like the U.K.'s chart-topping female "contemporary opera" duo, Opera Babes, before them, Il Divo's popularity owes as much to the members' sex appeal and interpersonal chemistry as to vocal quality alone.
The quartet engaged in canned stage patter; they gently chided Buhler for being Swiss, told self-deprecating jokes and cracked wise about meeting one another's mothers. A Washington Post reviewer came away from a performance this month seriously underwhelmed: "Il Divo? Quattro formaggi," he wrote.
F. Paul Driscoll, editor of Opera News, has limited praise for the ensemble's opera-inspired sound but stops short of condemning the group for diluting classical music, even if Il Divo's album sales reflect a triumph more of marketing than art.
"As an act, they're very effective, talented and very charming," he said. "In terms of the real opera world, I don't think they're a blip on the radar. They're the classical version of a boy band, manufactured to fill a perceived need on the part of a recording company."
Cowell, who lives in L.A. when he is judging "American Idol," was seated Saturday in the orchestra area (directly in front of a reporter) and was the first to clap when a song ended and among the first on his feet for their several standing ovations.
His response was more in line with that of Rosamelia Martinez, 26, who came from a small town in Colombia specifically to catch Il Divo in the Southland. She said critics who focus on the group's physical appearance — or tried to judge them by the standards of classical music — are missing the point.
"Looks are like a hook, but Il Divo has something underneath — they are real people," she said. "And many reviewers judge them in terms of opera. It's unfair! This is a pop group. It's different from opera."
| You Can't Make That on Television |
February 26, 2006
By Ryan Pearson for Hampton Roads
A series on ABC features amateur inventors pitching their ideas, from a farming family's sheep-moving conveyor belt to a young boy's car trash-disposal vacuum.
Each episode earnestly probes the tribulations of going from the eureka! moment to fully formed product. The catch? ''The New Inventors'' is a half a world away, on a different ABC -- the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (http://www.abc.net.au/newinventors/).
For those of us in the U.S. who are honestly intrigued by the spirit and determination of aspiring Einsteins, well, don't hold your breath.
A series on our ABC launching next month, called ''American Inventor,'' is expected to deliver less gee-whiz gadgetry and useful-if-boring contraptions -- but more tears, showmanship and silliness.
Here's what ''American Idol'' host Simon Cowell, whose company produced the show, recently told Business Week to expect: ''Anything from a race track for cockroaches to a stick to beat off a bear if one should encounter them on the way home. We had one woman who said she wanted to save every child -- her product was a cage. We've got the wacky, the weird, and the wonderful.''
In America, it seems, we can't celebrate a good thing without first making fun of a bunch of bad things. In other words: While great inventions could conceivably make for great TV, it's the outrageous and wacky efforts that TV executives seem to think we're most captivated by. (They may be right, by the way; judging from the 30 million-plus viewership of the ear-aching first ''Idol'' rounds.)
The clash of civilizations between Hollywood types and the mostly inward-focused inventing community premieres March 16 in prime-time (http://abc.go.com/primetime/ americaninventor/).
Like most reality shows, it's not necessarily a new idea. And that means a lawsuit. Creators of a similar Minnesota-based show called ''Million Dollar Idea'' are suing ABC in federal court for copyright and trademark infringement (www.milliondollaridea.tv).
But beyond legal battles and bitter Internet postings from rejects -- see http:// geocities.com/american_inventor/ -- there lies the question of whether things like a bug-catching sticky strip -- www.spiderstick.com -- or a space-saving flip- up bed -- www.jimmybed.com -- can attract viewers. And if so, how should they be presented?
___
Here's how the show works, from the inventor perspective:
ABC put out a casting call and held auditions last fall around the country. Among hundreds who tried out in Washington, D.C. was a 40-year-old father of two named Dion Lamb. The Rehoboth Beach, Del., resident has created a product called Sand-Off -- a mitt coated with a blend of powders designed to easily remove sand caked to your body after a long day at the beach. (See it at www.sand-off.com.)
''I was very apprehensive about it. I'm not foolish enough to think that being on TV is free,'' Lamb said. ''But the show could've been a pretty healthy catalyst for us.''
Producers liked the idea and flew him to Los Angeles for the next round, in which he had to convince three out of four judges of its worth. In a waiting room, his hopes sank. He saw contestant after contestant describe their caustic rejection by all four.
''I found myself extremely uncomfortable in our waiting area. ... They definitely tattooed some of the people,'' he said. ''There was definitely a sense that they brought people out there to abuse.''
On a set that the hosts described as being in Washington -- but was actually in Los Angeles -- Lamb's idea was OK'd by two judges, but rejected by the other two. He went home, and says he's now in discussions with several distributors. A local drug store chain will be carrying the mitt next season.
He says things are going well, and he won't be pitching any more products to Hollywood. ''It's very difficult to trust anybody out there,'' he said. ''You never felt like anybody was giving you the straight story.''
Another contestant, 40-year-old Mary Ladd, was happier with the process.
She pitched her interchangeable guitar parts (www.chameleon-guitars) at the Los Angeles audition. While Ladd says producers and judges ''were definitely looking for good television'' more than useful inventions, she still enjoyed the trip for its networking opportunities. Her boyfriend, 35-year-old Robert Childress, was able to help one contestant draw up the design for her product.
''I would do it again,'' she said. ''It was like going to an inventors convention. A lot of people had some good ideas, good thoughts and information to help each other progress with things.''
Ladd says she doesn't mind if her TV time was abbreviated or her invention put down by judges. Ever the pragmatic inventor, she says: ''Television's exposure, and a product needs exposure.''
Sunday, February 26, 2006
| Mr Nasty Really Is Mr Nice |
February 23, 2006
By Staff Writers for The Irvine Herald
Plucky Lynn Haddow grabbed a chance to chat to Pop Idol judge Simon Cowall when she spied him at a party.
Publisher Lynn was trying to steal an interview with the star when she was writing for an airline magazine based in the Isle of Man.
Lynn, who runs Lynart Design at Ballot Road in Irvine with her dad Stuart, was editing a magazine for an airline based on the island when she spotted Mr Cowall.
“I was told not to approach him as he wasn’t doing any interviews but was introduced by a friend,” said Lynn, 28.
“He was charming and bought me a drink.
“I managed to have a chat with him and he was a very nice guy, very confident and very genuine.”
Lynn and dad Stuart have just brought out a bridal mazagine, Ayrshire Bride.
And Lynn has a special interest as she is getting hitched at Dalgarven House Hotel in October.
“We specialise in publishing and felt Ayrshire had a lot to offer couples who are planning their big day.
“I’m finding out handy hints for my own wedding this year and hopefully we will bring another issue out in six months time.”
| Check It Out: Feeding His 'Idol' Addiction |
February 26, 2006
By Steven Hyden for The Appleton Post Crescent
I admit it: I am hooked on "American Idol."
Yes, I'm on record calling the blockbuster reality show "the latest symptom of our country's sense of celebrity entitlement." And I once claimed no other television show has "encouraged mass delusion more than this one." And I still stand by both statements two years after I wrote them in this very newspaper.
It's just that "American Idol" is such an overwhelming force, like Beatlemania or the Black Plague, that after five seasons resistance is futile. It's just easier to revel in the reassuring show-bizzy cheese "Idol" has spread so smoothly across our nation.
Since I am in a confessional mood, here are three more revelations: (1) Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" is on my iPod, and I have played it three times in a row on occasion; (2) I interviewed Clay Aiken once and thought he was a cool guy; (3) I have a Ruben Studdard-sized man-crush on Simon Cowell.
Why do I like this show? "Idol" is no longer as fresh as it was at first, but neither is pop music, which sells precisely because it is familiar and comforting. In many ways, "American Idol" represents everything that's irritating about pop culture. And yet I'd be lying if I said my love of the show was 100 percent ironic. (It's more like 63 percent.)
So, how can I defend liking "Idol"? Well, there's Cowell, a true sociopath who splashes cold truth in the parched faces of the deluded with the best mean-spirited one-liners on television. My favorite was when he told that fetus-looking kid Wednesday that he would appeal only to people over the age of 90 with hearing problems. (It helps that Cowell is almost always right.)
"Idol" also is an absorbing sociological experiment. I'm fascinated by the idea that people without talent often don't know they are people without talent, because well-meaning friends and family have essentially tricked them into thinking they are good. It's like that Jim Carrey movie "The Truman Show," where a carefully constructed facade obscures a reality that is plain to the rest of the world. Only "Idol" contestants have their illusions shattered by a TV show, not in spite of one.
I used to watch "Idol" just to see the bad singers audition. But this season I'm getting sucked into the later rounds, and actually cheering for contestants. (My heart is with Taylor Hicks, the spastic gray-haired dude who sounds like Ray Charles.) This, I fear, will commit me to "Idol" until season's end. Since the show airs approximately 25 times a week, the commitment is not unlike joining the priesthood.
| Simon and Ryan Go Head to Head in Latest Feud |
February 23, 2006
By Staff Writers for Extra TV
Wednesday night in front of 30 million fans, Simon appeared less than happy after Ryan challenged him to do something other than criticize the contestants.
"I do this for a living," Cowell snapped. "I don't play at it like you."
Ryan and Simon's latest feud is a far cry from the good-natured ribbing we've seen in the past, like when Ryan sat down on the "Extra" set with Dayna Devon and talked about what he called Simon's "man breasts."
"Yes," Ryan admitted. "I believe he needs to go out and buy a bra."
So, what has changed? Could it be that after five seasons together the judges are starting to wear on each other's nerves? This season has been full of explosions, including Simon's breakdown at this year's Las Vegas auditions.
Neither Ryan nor Simon wanted to comment on their blowup, but you can watch the battle continue, every week on "American Idol."
| 'Idol' Brings Home the Gold |
February 25, 2006
By Paul J. Gough for The New York Daily News
Simon Cowell and his musical friends crushed the Winter Olympics again Wednesday, doubling the Turin Games in total viewers and nearly tripling them among adults 18-49.
The two-hour "American Idol" averaged 31.4 million viewers and a 13.4 rating/32 share in the 18-49 age demographic, according to data released by Nielsen Media Research.
The "Idol" audience grew, averaging 27.5 million at 8 p.m. and 32.9 million at 9 p.m. and concluding with 33.7 million between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
NBC's Winter Olympics coverage came in second, averaging 15.5 million viewers and a 4.5/11, according to Nielsen. Its strongest showing came between 9 and 10 p.m., when 16.9 million viewers watched.
CBS built its audience at 10 p.m. with a repeat of "CSI: New York," which averaged 12.3 million viewers and a 3.9/10.
ABC wasn't even in the game Wednesday, airing the year-and-a-half-old pilot of "Lost" to tepid ratings. It finished the night with 6.1 million viewers and a 2.4/6 demographic rating.
Friday, February 24, 2006
| Cowell Back for Celebrity X Factor Special |
February 24, 2006
By Staff Writers for The Daily Mail and UK Yahoo
ITV has commissioned a special celebrity version of the X Factor.
The one-off event will feature judges Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.
It will follow the same format as the X Factor with under 25s, over 25s and group categories.
But this time, show bosses will put different celebrities together to make up the groups.
The show, with Kate Thornton as host, will run on consecutive nights this spring.
ITV's Director of Entertainment and Comedy Paul Jackson said: "The X Factor was a runaway success and united the nation in debates over the rights and wrongs of who got voted each week.
"We are in discussions with celebrities right now but are keeping some of the elements of the show under wraps.
"The judges won't know who they are mentoring until the shows start - and then the gloves are off!
"It will be a huge treat for viewers to see the celebrities under pressure from Simon Cowell, who, as we know, is honest and direct - he certainly doesn't mince his words."
Celebrities from the worlds of sport to entertainment will be taking part, with ITV bosses saying that singing should not be their primary talent.
| "Idol" Crushes Olympics Competition Wednesday |
February 23, 2006
By Paul J. Gough for Reuters
Simon Cowell and his musical friends crushed the Winter Olympics again Wednesday, doubling the Turin games in total viewers and tripling them in adults 18-49.
The two-hour "American Idol" averaged 31.4 million viewers and a 13.4 rating/32 share in the adults 18-49 demographic on Wednesday night's network primetime, according to preliminary data released Thursday by Nielsen Media Research.
The "Idol" audience grew throughout, averaging 27.5 million at 8 p.m., 32.9 million at 9 p.m. and concluding with 33.7 million between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
NBC's Winter Olympics coverage came in second, but it was still an also-ran, averaging 15.5 million viewers and a 4.5/11 in the demographic, according to Nielsen data.
Its strongest showing came between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., when 16.9 million viewers watched. But most of them apparently weren't "Idol" viewers; NBC gained only about 1 million viewers during the hour.
CBS built its audience at 10 p.m. with a repeat of "CSI: New York," which averaged 12.3 million viewers and a 3.9/10. That was an improvement on its lead-in, a repeat of "Criminal Minds" that averaged 9.5 million viewers and a 2.8/6 in the demo.
ABC wasn't even in the game Wednesday, airing the year-and-a-half-old pilot of "Lost" to tepid ratings. It finished the night with 6.1 million viewers and a 2.4/6 demo rating.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
| Simon Cowell Strikes Back |
February 23, 2006
By Louise Compton for The Sun
Ever thought Simon Cowell’s witty one-liners sound slightly rehearsed?
Well, that’s because they are.
According to his big brother Tony, telly’s Mr Nasty has been using them for years - to pull women!
In fact, the high-trouser wearing pop svengali used one of his acerbic put-downs to snare his long-term love, model Teri Seymour.
Tony told us: “Simon has always used catty comments to woo women. For some reason girls have always found it terribly amusing when he insults their hair or clothes when he meets them.
“At first they’re a bit shocked but he always follows up with a bit of charm, which wins them over.
“He used one of his scathing appraisals on Teri when he met her and she found it hilarious.
“Girls love a man with a sense of humour. And Simon’s charm prevails every time.”
Women might see the funny side of his sarcasm but thousands of wannabe pop stars would argue otherwise.
And a new book written by his brother - The Simon Cowell Book Of Nasty Comments - compiles the best (or worst) of his cutting remarks from telly talent shows Pop Idol, The X Factor and American Idol.
He’s not called Mr Nasty for nothing!
ON HIS FELLOW JUDGES
On Sharon: "She’s like one of those fish at the bottom of the ocean that don’t do anything until you swim near them. And then they bite you from nowhere.”
On Louis: “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."
On Paula Abdul: “Paula is a pain in the ass. She’s just one of those irritating people. I keep my time with her to a minimum."
On Pete Waterman: “If this competition was all about looks, Pete Waterman wouldn’t have made it in TV as a judge.”
ON WANNABE SINGERS
“If you were singing like this 2,000 years ago, people would have stoned you.”
“You dress better than you sing and you look like you got dressed in the dark.”
“I think that performance was akin to a waiter in a ghastly Spanish nightclub."
“That was the equivalent of musical wallpaper. When you’re at a house you notice the wallpaper but you don’t remember it.”
“There was only one great part of your ghastly performance, and that way the end.”
“You look like Vicky Pollard and your friend looks like a stretched version of her.”
“Your performance was like an audition for One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”
To boy band G4: “You look like bankers.”
To chubby twins Maura and Sally who sung an Abba melody: “You’re not Abba, you’re Fl-abba!”
"I’d say that 90 per cent of the people who turned up on The X Factor were awful. The biggest moaners are always the fat people.”
ON CELEBRITIES
On Britney: "I don’t actually find her sexy. I think anyone who puts a snake around their neck and thinks they’re sexy has a funny idea of what guys actually like.”
On Madonna: “When I think of Madonna on stage now, it’s like looking at my mum dancing at a wedding. I haven’t liked any of her records in the last five years. My message to her is – give up.”
On Victoria Beckham: “Her last album was rubbish. She needs to re-think her career.”
On Kelly Osbourne: “If she auditioned for the show, she wouldn’t get through the first round.”
On Courtney Love: “I look at her and think she’s grubby.”
On Tony Blair: “He would make a great pop star because he’s one of the most ambitious people in the world.”
On Abi Titmuss: “She’s just an overweight girl with big tits who isn’t as attractive as Jordan.”
"People say that success has changed this artist or that one. But I find it rarely changed everyone. Rather it gives them the power to be what they always were - assholes."
I Hate To Be Rude But … The Simon Cowell Book Of Nasty Comments (John Blake Publishing) is out now priced £6.99.
Available at Amazon US for $8.99 and Amazon UK for £3.99.
| Simon Cowell Clarifies That He Knew 'Idol' Comments Were Being Taped |
February 20, 2006
By Steve Rogers for Reality TV World
American Idol judge Simon Cowell has clarified his previous statements in which he had suggested that the show's producers had recorded his controversial comments about some of the new season's auctioning contestants after he believed the show's cameras were no longer rolling.
According to Cowell's new comments, not only did he know that American Idol's cameras were still taping everything he said, but it was his idea to keep the cameras recording. And although it might have seemed remarkably like it to outside observers, he also wasn't "complaining" about the fact that the producers aired the comments.
"Well, I'm not complaining, I mean I was the one who initiated in the first place, so, I can't complain," the sharp-tongued Idol judge told Extra correspondent Terri Seymour (who conveniently also happens to be Cowell's real-life girlfriend) in a segment that the syndicated entertainment news program broadcast on Friday.
While he knew that the show's cameras were still rolling when he made his comments, Cowell says he did not intend for them to make it onto TV and was surprised to discover the show's producers had included them in the show's broadcast footage. "I didn't see the shows back until you guys saw them, and it's like 'hide under the covers,'" Cowell had explained to Dorothy Lucey, a co-host of Los Angeles' Good Day LA morning show, during an earlier interview.
Similar to his initial explanation about the comments, Cowell did not attempt to apologize for his behavior. Instead, he once again presented the comments as normal behavior that "we all do." "It's rather like you know, if we went out for dinner and somebody left the table to go somewhere and we all piled in and that person was able to then watch you back on tape -- I mean it.. it happens, I mean we all say things," Cowell told Seymour.
"I just got caught saying a few things that maybe I shouldn't have said, that's all."
| Only a California Girl Can Stop Cowell from Skating to Victory |
February 22, 2006
By Owen Slot for The Times of London
Rather than watch the best in the world at the Olympics, US viewers have gone for the half-decent wannabes of American Idol , writes Owen Slot
Simon Cowell and the death of the Olympics — discuss. And can a 21-year-old Californian nymph save the Olympic Movement? Discuss further. Indeed, join the debate across the Atlantic because the Olympics is choking and Cowell has it by the throat.
The facts are these: a television ratings war is being waged in the United States, Fox has scheduled Cowell’s American Idol aggressively against NBC’s Olympics coverage and has it on its knees.
Olympic television audiences are significantly down on previous Winter Games. Viewers have voted with their remote controls and rather than watch the best in the world at the Olympics, they have gone for the half-decent wannabes in the US instead.
The New York Times has taken it so seriously that it addressed charges of Olympic murder to Preston Blackman, Fox network’s scheduler in chief. “I swear on my family that nothing we did in any way was a result of facing the Olympics,” Blackman replied. “We’re not trying to kill anybody.”
Cowell was less diplomatic in the Hollywood Reporter newspaper. “The US and the UK are in the same boat this year,” he said. “We’re not interested in Swiss people winning things, genuine or not.”
Cowell is not strictly right about the UK, where audiences have been good, but the point is nevertheless a serious one. The Olympics’ most valuable audience is in the US and this is the one that is dwindling. Viewing figures are down 36 per cent from Salt Lake City four years ago — perhaps understandably because those were on home territory — but they are also down 17 per cent on Nagano , Japan, in 1998 and 44 per cent on Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994.
And disappointing NBC is not in the interests of the IOC. The network is a key Olympic paymaster, having coughed up $2.9 billion (about £1.65 billion) to take its coverage through to London 2012.
Of key interest, then, to the IOC and NBC is this: do these shrinking audiences tell us that the Games are losing their appeal in the new world of reality television, or are they simply saying that the US is having a shocking Olympics? It does not help that the failure in chief has been Bode Miller, a non- conformist who likes a drink, who was billed by the American media as its lead character. Miller would have made a magnificent Olympic hero, but he has now raced four times and won nothing apart from disapproval for being in the bar the night before the downhill. It does not help that he is not only denying NBC the wins they want to show, but he has taken to denying them a post-race interview, too.
Part of this is expectation management. The US are third in the medal table which, historically, is not a bad finish. But when the alpine skiing team declare that their goal is eight medals and they have only one — and have for their motto “Best in the world”, when they clearly are not — then expectations tend to be disappointed.
The point, at this stage of the Games, is that NBC has one last hope — the women’s figure skating, which started last night and finishes tomorrow. And yes, the battle is on. Tomorrow’s climax will be up against American Idol. Last night’s short programme went against a two-hour Idol special.
But if the Olympics does not win here, it never will. The women’s figure skating is the event for Americans. The US have won gold in three of the past four Games. Indeed, not far behind the “Who shot JR?” Dallas episode, in sixth place on the all- time most-watched US television shows, is the infamous Tonya Harding versus Nancy Kerrigan women’s skating from Lillehammer.
That explains why NBC could have done without Michelle Kwan pulling out injured. Kwan is by far the highest-profile American skater; her arrival followed a “will she, won’t she make it to Turin” soap opera and included a heaving press conference in which a reporter from Access Hollywood television show asked her for a Valentine’s date.
This does something to explain her level of celebrity, the kind that could match American Idol. But Kwan got injured, so Americans shifted their attention to Sasha Cohen, the aforementioned Californian, who was fourth in Salt Lake City. They like Cohen because at the opening ceremony in 2002 she was standing next to President Bush and handed him her phone so he could say “hi” to her mother. They also feel that they have been waiting a while for her success story to come to fruition.
Which is probably the reason why some of them elected to switch her on instead of Cowell last night. What they will have seen was her skating last and finishing first. She is three-hundredths of a point ahead of the favourite, Irena Slutskaya, of Russia, which is a good place to be. But, boy, what pressure. She not only has to see it through and win gold tomorrow, but she has to beat Simon Cowell in the process. That is victory for the US and for the Olympic Movement, too.
| Furious Paul quits Simon Cowell's New Show over Bust-up with ITV |
February, 23 2006
By Nicola Methven for The Mirror
Paul O'Grady has quit Simon Cowell's new ITV talent show over a row with the channel's bosses.
The Lily Savage star claims ITV has taken revenge over his decision to move his chat show to Channel 4 by banning him from using their studios to record its next series.
So he has hit back by scrapping all planned ITV appearances - including his place on the judges' panel of the Cowell show and his job hosting the Soap Awards. Paul, 46, said: "I'm not working for these petty tyrants anymore. The ban is pure spite.
"I've told them I won't be doing the Soap Awards or Simon's show. I will lose money but I would rather be sweeping the streets than working for ITV."
Paul wanted to continue recording his show at The London Studio because he liked the camera crew. He said: "It's ridiculous. Anyone can rent a studio there. They make BBC, Channel 4 and ITV shows. At first there was no problem, now they've changed their minds."
Paul, who last month announced he was moving to Channel 4 because he felt unloved and ignored, says ITV has also banned Coronation Street or Emmerdale stars from appearing on his show.
Cowell is remaking 80s US hit The Gong Show. An ITV source said: "We've no problem working with Paul but there was no studio space for him."
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
| Simon Cowell Drinks Coke, but Has No Ipod |
February 20, 2006
By Claire Atkinson for Ad Age
Simon Cowell, “American Idol’s” Mr. Nasty, is watching his Fox series steamroll everything in its path, including NBC’s Olympic Games. Mr. Cowell is hoping to find similar success with a couple of upcoming talent series he’s developing for other networks. “American Inventors” for ABC will have Mr. Cowell sitting in judgment on weird and wonderful business ideas. Also in the works with Fox is “Duets,” a show pairing celebrities and amateur singers in the “Dancing With the Stars” vein. And over at NBC, a broad-ranging talent show featuring everyone from vampers to ventriloquists is in the works. MediaWorks caught a few moments with the judge contestants love to fear.
MediaWorks: Were you surprised “American Idol” has beaten the Olympics?
Simon Cowell: I think we’re not really interested in watching Swiss people win. ... ["Idol"] is a better show this year. I called [Fox Entertainment President] Peter Liguori and [Fox Senior VP-Specials and Alternative Programming] Mike Darnell and said it will be the best auditions yet. It felt fresher than we’d seen in the past. Keeping the cameras rolling made it feel more like a documentary. If you look at the contestants on “Rock Star: INXS” on CBS, they’re forgettable. They were good singers but they were like background session singers.
MediaWorks: “Idol” begins an additional nightly run on Thursday later this season. How certain are you that “Idol” can take on CBS’ powerful Thursday night lineup?
Mr. Cowell: We will never take anything for granted. But I think “Joey” has been mortally wounded.
MediaWorks: Can you give us your verdict on TV advertising that’s out there? What’s bad? What’s brilliant?
Mr. Cowell: Bad: the one [for Cingular] with ["American Idol" host] Ryan Seacrest. The good: that Vanilla Coke ad. [Cowell appeared in that ad with Chazz Palminteri.]
MediaWorks: Are you going to do any other commercials?
Mr. Cowell: I don’t know. I don’t want to feel like I’m available for gigs, I don’t need the money. I turn down 95% of what I’m offered.
MediaWorks: Do you get a slice of the product integration for ‘Idol’?
Mr. Cowell: Yes
MediaWorks: "Idol" judge Paula Abdul offered one contestant "bubbly water" earlier this season. Do you actually drink Coke?
Mr. Cowell: All the time. ... I'm not sure what she had in her glass. I'm often wondering.
MediaWorks: Any sponsors attached to “American Inventors” on ABC yet?
Mr. Cowell: Amazon.
MediaWorks: What brands do you like?
Mr. Cowell: Rolls Royce to Mini, oh, and Giorgio Armani.
MediaWorks: What’s on your iPod?
Mr. Cowell: I don’t have one. The headphones are uncomfortable. It’s a bit like if you work in a fish and chips shop, you don’t want fish and chips for lunch. I don’t like listening to music all the time.
MediaWorks: Do you ever get threats from the rejected contestants?
Mr. Cowell: No, but a few of them mince into the dressing room to get things off their chest.
MediaWorks: Who’s your favorite "Idol" from this season?
Mr. Cowell: Kelly Pickler. As a human being, she is the one you want to do well. You feel like she deserves the shot.
MediaWorks: Who is your American idol?
Mr. Cowell: Frank Sinatra, he’s the ultimate American idol.
| Song for Simon |
February 22, 2006
By Sara Nathan for The Sun
Music boss Simon Cowell could be heading for the charts himself — after being immortalised in a song.
I Hate You Simon was written for the stage play Instant Celebrity: Just Add Water, which ridicules reality TV.
The song, a folk-style ballad written and sung by Nonnie Thompson, is available online and is proving a cult hit with internet fans.
The song is about a woman who cannot decide whether X Factor host Cowell is Mr Nasty or just misunderstood.
Nonnie said: “He is the man we love to love, and love to hate. Do we love him or hate him or are we just confused about our feelings?
“This song has struck a chord with Simon’s fans and has been gaining airtime both in the UK and in America from New York to Florida. We hope to release it as a single because it’s so popular.”
Instant Celebrity was a hit in London last year and will return next year for another stint in the West End. It will also be staged on Broadway.
Cowell’s publicist Max Clifford said: “In typical fashion, Simon says the song could have been better produced. But he says the subject matter is wonderful.”
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
| Simon Cowell Dishes about 'American Idol 5's Top 24 Semifinalists |
February 20, 2006
By Steve Rogers for Reality TV World
Now that the identities of American Idol 5's semifinalists have been revealed, judge Simon Cowell has begun weighing in with his own thoughts about the show's twenty-four fifth season semifinalist singers, as well ousted twins Derrell and Terrell Brittenum.
As he has stated in his previous comments about American Idol 5, Cowell reiterates that unlike previous seasons, he doesn't feel as though any of the fifth season's singers is a clear-cut favorite to win the competition.
"I'm more interested in this bunch than I've been the last three years because it's less predictable," Cowell told the New York Post in an interview published Friday. "At this time last year, I said there's a young girl named Carrie Underwood who is going to walk through this competition. I couldn't do that with this group this year."
"You're not going to find twelve amazing singers this year," Cowell added. "But you're going to get twelve characters, I'm sure of that," he said. "It's a real sort of chocolate box of talent -- or lack thereof."
Cowell elaborated further during a guest-hosting appearance on Friday's Live with Regis and Kelly. "It's more open this year... you know last year we all knew Carrie Underwood was going to win," the Idol judge explained. "It's a more open competition, it's more exciting. So ya, it's a better show this year."
Cowell also voiced in about some of the competitive infighting occurring between Idol's contestants -- behavior that he admits he helped stir up.
"What we did this year was before we used to go into the audition rooms we would sit with everybody like I'm talking to the audience today and say basically 'Look, you know the score, most of you are terrible, you're going to get a hard time, even though you don't think so -- and if you don't like what I've got to say, say it to my face.' You know, if I say 'You're horrible,' don't say 'Thank you' because you're going to regret it" Cowell explained to Live co-host Kelly Ripa. "So I think we stirred them up a bit. But we've just got a veryyy... angry bunch this year, which I quite like."
"I'm feel more comfortable with it. You know the ones who show it upfront, I'm more happy with that than the people who are nice in front of the camera and are complete monsters, you know, backstage."
By that measurement, Brenna Gethers, an outspoken 25-year-old from Mt. Vernon, NY, is among the semifinalists making Cowell the happiest. "There's a girl who we got... who got through, Brenna, who is a complete and utter nightmare, but I like her," the Idol judge explained. "Because I know where I stand with her, she's no pretend, she's not pretending to be nice."
Cowell also offered his opinion on the Brittenum twins who were "uninvited" from the show after reports of their legal troubles surfaced.
"I absolutely hated them... I did," Cowell told Ripa. "And I could have got rid of them early but I figured 'You know what, I'm going to keep you in for as long as possible because I want to slowly torture you,'" he explained. "It was my little flies and those were the legs and was slowly pulling them off."
However once reports of their legal troubles surfaced, Cowell was denied his chance to personally inform the twins that they wouldn't be advancing past American Idol 5's Hollywood round. "Unfortunately I couldn't tell them to their faces that they hadn't made it through to the Final 24 because we found out a few bits and pieces about them," Cowell lamented. "They were absolutely repulsive."
But despite his personal contempt for them, according to Cowell, it's contestants like the Brittenum twins who help keep the show interesting. "I like the controversy Kelly, I think if they were all squeaky clean it would be a boring show," Cowell remarked to Ripa.
"When we made the decisions about who was going through, we tried to mix it up as much as possible so that there would be people who the audience would genuinely be interested in," Cowell added in his Post interview. "It's a drama. When we first pitched the show, we said 'This is a soap opera with a music backdrop. It's much more about that thumbs-up or thumbs-down than the music.'"
Sunday, February 19, 2006
| Simon Says: Hello 'Regis and Kelly!' |
February 17, 2006
By Staff Writers for Extra! TV
Kelly Ripa had a new partner in crime Friday morning, and it was none other that Mr. Mean himself, Simon Cowell! Only "Extra" takes you backstage at "Live" as the brutal Brit subbed for Regis Philbin, where he promised, "I'm going to get in so much trouble here!"
Despite his mean reputation, Kelly and Simon made a match in hosting heaven! The twosome was all smiles until Kelly showcased her less- than-heavenly musical moments from the past five years.
"She is possibly the worst singer I've ever heard in my life," Simon said matter-of-factly.
But sour Simon didn't stop there. He then compared Jessica Simpson to the missing champion Whippet from the Westminster Dog Show. "He looks a little bit like that," Cowell said. "Except with a collar."
Simon's mouth certainly got him in trouble with "American Idol" contestant Mandisa. But since uttering snide remarks, the two have kissed and made up.
"We're sort of dating now," Simon revealed. Mandisa was quick to snap back, "You're not my type."
Backstage with Simon was "Extra's" special correspondent (and Cowell's girlfriend) Terri Seymour. And only Terri got Mr. Mean to talk about another alleged "Idol" conspiracy.
Judge Dread first claimed that the show's producers taped him without his knowledge, but Simon told "Extra:" "I was the one who initiated in the first place. So, I can't complain about that. I just got caught up in a few things that maybe I shouldn't have said."
One thing Simon can stick to doing is predicting the next "American Idol" winner. So, who does he believe will outshine the rest? "I have absolutely no idea who's going to win."
There you have it! Loose-lipped Simon is being more careful with what he says nowadays! Watch his next tongue-lashing when the next round of "Idol" returns, Tuesday on FOX.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
| Shaz Wants £500k Xtra |
February 18, 2006
By Staff Writers for The Sun
X Factor Queen Sharon Osbourne is demanding a £500,000 pay hike for the new series of the ITV1 hit.
Outspoken Sharon, 52, got £1million for the last series.
But she and Louis Walsh are pushing for more cash after fellow judge Simon Cowell signed for another two years for a whopping £3million.
A show insider said: “Sharon and Louis know they can hold out for a huge pay day.
“Sharon is asking for loads more cash — but it is a big commitment to do the series as it runs for seven months, from audition to crowning the winner. ITV have Simon tied up, so they are turning their attention to Sharon and Louis.
“They want to sign the pair up for the next two years.”
The X Factor is a joint production between Simon’s company Syco TV and TalkbackThames.
Simon, 46, told us recently both Sharon and Louis WILL return. He said: “I didn’t have to twist their arms.”
Last night, Sharon’s spokesman Gary Farrow told TV Biz: “We never comment on contractual negotiations. But we’re all expecting to be very happy at the end of the year.”
Friday, February 17, 2006
| Would American Idol Be Better Off Without Simon Cowell? |
February 16, 2006
By Corey Moss for MTV
Would "Idol" still be setting ratings records without the Simon in front of the cameras? While fans polled by MTV responded with an overwhelming yes, judge Randy Jackson and a handful of TV critics said the show wouldn't be the same -- Simon is show's central appeal..
A month into its fifth season, American Idol is averaging 3 million more viewers a night than a year ago, addicts are already committed to their favorites and there's been just the right amount of controversy to generate consistent headlines.
Somewhere Simon Fuller is breathing an enormous sigh of relief.
What has been a remarkable start is even more impressive considering just a few months ago, the Idol creator was not only still renegotiating a contract with Simon Cowell, he was caught in a potentially ugly lawsuit with the infamous, brutally honest judge.
All was settled just in time, but what if it hadn't been? Would American Idol still be setting ratings records without the Simon in front of the cameras?
"Definitely!" Cowell's friend and fellow judge Randy Jackson answered. "No, honestly, I think the show works with the cast of the three of us. It's funny, I don't know how they decided to put it together but it really, really works. It would not be the same show without either of us."
Nigel Lythgoe's, one of Idol's executive producers, agreed ... to an extent.
"I believe Simon Cowell is extremely important to the success of this show, however, 'Idol' is successful all over the world without Simon," he said. "I certainly don't want to lose him. I think the three [judges] together have a wonderful chemistry. Individualize them and we always are going to lose out. Australia just lost their judge and the show hasn't been as successful." (It's worth noting that the show has gone through only one talent change, and ratings only improved after original co-host Brian Dunkleman left to launch an acting career.)
Simon is American Idol, contends Jacob Clifton, who covers the show for TV show recap site Television Without Pity. "He's so connected with the roots and production of the show in the audience's minds, and such a huge part of the entire spectacle, it would leave a hole too big for anyone else to fill."
There are those who believe Cowell is too cruel and boycott the show because of that. But within the context of the show, he provides a necessary viewpoint, Clifton says.
"[He represents] the harsh reality of the marketplace, and the depressing reality of the fact that the majority of people are not salable as performers," Clifton said. "The audience would not accept those kinds of decrees from anyone else, because a lot of Simon's persona, history and credentials are about backing up those harsh judgments, and honest praise, that are the show's central appeal."
With Jackson and Paula Abdul so fond of their catchphrases and superlatives, Cowell is also the judge who most often offers constructive criticism. And let's face it: His one-liners are some of the funniest on television.
David Bloomberg, the editor of Reality News Online and Foxes on Idol, suggests that to understand Cowell's importance, one should look no further than the many Cowell-like figures on other reality shows.
"Since American Idol's success, we've seen other shows with judges that have tried to imitate Simon Cowell and they simply have not succeeded," he said. "So if Idol had tried the same thing, I suspect the results would have been similar. It would have always been somebody trying to be Simon, but never quite succeeding.
"It would have been an interesting experiment to see if the show did as well in the ratings," he continued. "Are people watching for the singing talent or the scathing remarks? I'd like to think it's the talent, but the popularity of bad auditions seems to indicate that a lot of people are watching for the remarks as well."
Perhaps surprisingly, according to an MTVNews.com poll, 68 percent of viewers said Idol would do just as well without Simon. Eighteen percent believed it would be worse and 14 percent thought it would actually be better.
The good news, at least according to Ken Warwick, another executive producer, is that Cowell has no intention of ever truly leaving Idol. Even when he abruptly walked out on the show during the auditions, he called a few hours later to apologize.
"I think underneath that black jumper, somewhere, there is a sense of conscience," Warwick said. "It's his job. I mean, he does enjoy it. He would be a fool not to enjoy it. Nobody in their right mind is going to walk out on the most popular television show in the country for whatever reason, no matter how much money they've got. It's not just money. He loves it and he's good at it. What else is he gonna do? I can't see him selling records in a record shop."
| Cowell Not Close With 'Idol' Winners |
February 17, 2006
By Derrik J. Lang for The Rapid City Journal
"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell usually has big bad words to describe the reality show's wannabe pop stars. But the biting Brit sums up his relationships with past "AI" winners with one little one: "tiny."
As for first "Idol" winner, recent Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson, "She would be like a stranger to me now," Cowell told The Associated Press Thursday.
In January, Cowell criticized Clarkson for not allowing the use of her songs by contestants on the fifth season of the high-rated show. She later changed her mind. Then, during Clarkson's Grammy acceptance speeches for best pop vocal album and female pop vocal performance, she never uttered the word "Idol."
"Look, she doesn't need to thank me and she doesn't need to thank 'American Idol,'" said Cowell. "She does need to thank the fans who voted for her on 'American Idol.' That's all."
On Wednesday's "Idol" episode, Cowell and fellow judges, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, chose the 24 semifinalists. Next week, the contestants will be divided by sex and the viewer-selected elimination process will begin.
Of the semifinalists, Cowell said only three "have got a chance in the music industry." When asked to comment on each semifinalist by name, Cowell couldn't recall most of them. However, he could remember what he thought of every "Idol" season except the first: "predictable."
"To me, it was absolutely crystal clear at this stage last year that Carrie Underwood would win the competition," said Cowell. "So it all felt a bit obvious. Whereas this year, I could argue the case for seven or eight of the contestants. I genuinely don't know who's gonna win. I've got a feeling who are gonna make the finals. But once you're in the finals, I think you're gonna have the most open competition you've ever seen, which for us and the viewers at home, that's a good thing."
In response to his much-ballyhooed below-the-belt barbs this season concerning auditioners' weight and sexuality. Cowell said: "If we censored the show and took out everything that's controversial, it would be quite a dull show, I think."
Thursday, February 16, 2006
| THREE ARTICLES ON AMERICAN IDOL BEATING THE OLYMPICS IN THE RATINGS: |
Wow! Simon does it again!
| Olympic Ratings Race Downhill |
February 16, 2006
By Alan Sepinwall for The New Jersey Star-Ledger
Things that Americans would rather watch than tape-delayed Winter Olympics coverage: semi-talented identity thief divas, a doctor giving himself a migraine to get revenge on an old med school classmate, and a doctor with her hand on a live artillery shell stuck inside the body of a patient.
Okay, so that last one -- the post-post-Super Bowl episode of "Grey's Anatomy" -- was exciting and ridiculous enough that it might have outrated even live figure skating, but less than halfway through the Turin/Torino Games, NBC Sports commandant Dick Ebersol has to be muttering, "We paid $613 million to get our tails waxed by the Brittenum twins?"
The Brittenum twins, for the small handful of you who chose to watch the plausibly live action from Italy/Italia, are a pair of ever-so-charming "American Idol" contestants who were arrested for identity theft the morning after their first TV appearance, and who threw dueling hissy fits on Tuesday night's "Idol" that eventually got them a time-out from stern papa Simon Cowell.
That Tuesday episode averaged 26.3 million viewers -- which was 10 million more than the people watching that hour of the Olympics. And if you just look at the ratings in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic -- which NBC executives have spent more than a decade insisting is the only ratings number they ever have cared about or will care about -- "Idol" nearly tripled the Olympics audience.
Once "Idol" went bye-bye for the night, NBC's numbers crept up just enough that the second hour edged Fox's "House" (featuring the good doctor dropping acid and hiring hookers) by about 800,000 viewers. But in the 18-49 demo -- which, again, NBC has promised for years is the only number they ever want to hear or discuss -- Fox still had a healthy lead.
Tuesday was the worst night of NBC's Olympic nightmare so far, but things should get even worse next week, when "Idol" enters its semi-finals and expands to five hours over three straight nights.
Now, the Olympics aren't alone in getting destroyed by "Idol." Last Wednesday, nearly 29 million viewers chose the "Idol" amateurs over the professionals on CBS' Grammys telecast, which only drew 17 million, the smallest Grammys audience ever.
But Ebersol insisted last month that the once-every-four-years nature of the Olympics (really once-every-two if you follow both the cold and warm weather versions) would make Turin/Torino "Idol"-proof. It hasn't even been bomb-proof; the "Grey's Anatomy" bomb episode drew 25.4 million viewers, more than 4 million more than were watching ice and snow at the time.
("Grey's" also, for the first time, outrated that night's episode of "Desperate Housewives," which could make for some interesting discussions when ABC suits convene to decide which one to move to a new night next season.)
Through five nights, primetime ratings for the Turin/Torino games are down about 36 percent compared to the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. In fairness, Salt Lake was an anomaly -- on American soil, less of a gap to allow people to find out results from the Web, and taking place only a few months after 9/11 -- but Torino/Turin is also down about 16 percent compared to CBS' coverage from Nagano (where the time zone problem was even greater) in 1998.
Now, NBC head honcho Bob Wright has said the network will turn a profit on these Games based on ad revenue raised before the torch got lit. But these numbers have to be making the Peacock's feathers shake just a little, what with its mega-dollar commitments to the next few Olympics: $894 million for Beijing in the summer of '08, $820 million for Vancouver in winter of '10, and a whopping $1.18 billion for London in 2012.
Wright, Ebersol and the rest of the gang can argue all they want that each of these Olympics will air under different circumstances, that "Idol" doesn't air in the summer and will probably be diminished by Vancouver, blah, blah, blah. But the Olympics used to be so powerful that the competition just rolled over and played dead. "Idol," "Grey's" and the rest (including, no doubt, in the coming days, "Lost," "Survivor" and "Dancing with the Stars") have shown that with the right programming, the Olympics are beatable. Don't think the other networks will have forgotten that lesson two years from now.
| Olympics No Match for Medal-Grinding 'Idol' |
February 16, 2006
By Lisa de Moraes for The Washington Post
"American Idol" continues its scorched-earth campaign to cleanse the television landscape of programming we hold sacred. On Tuesday night it made hash out of the Winter Olympics in their first face- off -- just six days after "Idol" reduced the Grammy Awards to ratings rubble.
Between 8 and 9 p.m., when the tape- delayed, mostly men's figure skating Games coverage was holding the interest of about 16 million viewers, "Idol" was amusing nearly 27 million by dashing the dreams of roomfuls of Ashlee and Usher wannabes.
Among the 18-to-49-year-olds that NBC targets, "Idol" more than doubled the ratings of the Games.
Hopefully, the bright young future stars of Fox's "Skating With the Celebrities" competing at the Games in You-Say-Torino-and-I-Say-Turin have not yet received word of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, lest it put them off their game.
NBC's migraine continued at 9 when the Games snagged only about 1.7 million more viewers than Fox's doc drama "House" -- during which, coincidentally, Dr. House learned LSD is a great way to stop that migraine cold. And "House" anesthetized the Games among those younger viewers.
Even though NBC's coverage featured the first U.S. gold medal victory in alpine skiing in a decade, the network was left with the least watched prime- time broadcast of a Winter Olympics since at least 1988 and possibly ever.
And despite NBC's ooh-Bode Miller- ing and golly-Shaun White-ing, the network had by Wednesday morning lost two of the past three nights among the 18-to-49-year-olds it targets -- and could very well have lost last night as well, what with Fox airing another hour of "American Idol" and ABC showing "Lost."
NBC noted yesterday that earlier Games, including Nagano, Albertville, Calgary, Barcelona and Seoul, had all been beaten by programming on competitors' prime-time lineups on several occasions.
Plus, the network added, its broadcast of the Salt Lake City Games had not faced a single Top 10 show on another network, and during the Nagano Games, the highest-ranked show that faced the Games was "Home Improvement" at No. 10. In Torino, however, six of the Top 10 shows face the Games with original episodes and they're all shows that are really on the rise, including both editions of "Idol," ABC's "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Dancing With the Stars."
Which, as near as we can tell, is NBC saying, "The other networks have good shows that they feel confident can take us on -- and they're right."
| Singing the Blues: American Idol Sends Olympic Coverage into Tailspin |
February 15, 2006
By David Bauder for CNN/Sports Illustrated
The winter Olympics proved no match for television's gold medal winner, American Idol.
Fox's phenomenally successful contest crushed the Olympics in head-to-head competition on Tuesday night, 27 million viewers to 16.1 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The Olympics recovered a bit after Idol went off the air, but its overall audience of 18.6 million was the least- watched winter Olympics telecast since Nagano's closing ceremonies in 1998, Nielsen said.
Since its opening on Friday, the Turin Games have been running well below the 2002 Salt Lake City games in viewership interest. Much of that was expected, but Tuesday's ratings was the first alarming sign for NBC that increased TV competition had taken a toll.
"The competition from Idol is heavier than the Olympics has ever seen," said NBC Sports spokeswoman Alana Russo.
It doesn't figure to get any easier, with Idol and ABC's Lost on the air Wednesday. CBS' Survivor and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation offer more competition on Thursday.
Even figure skating, the most popular winter Olympics sport for viewers, didn't help much on Tuesday. NBC filled about two-thirds of the hour during which it competed with American Idol with tape of the men's figure skating competition.
Through five nights of Olympics coverage, NBC's average prime-time rating is 12.7. NBC said before the games started that it had promised its advertisers a rating of between 12 and 14. If it slips below that, NBC will have to make it up to advertisers with free commercial time.
"American Idol is clearly a phenomenon," said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. "But we expected it and are tracking right where we planned to be at this point."
Between NBC and its affiliated cable networks, an estimated 65 percent of the nation's television homes have tuned in at least some of the games, Falco said.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
| Romancing the Stars: How Celebrities Celebrate Valentine's Day |
February 14, 2006
By Susan Young for Inside Bay Area
Ah, love is in the air.
Or it better be if you know what's good for you today.
Yes, it's Valentine's Day. A day when you express your love through tokens of affection. If
you believe the greeting card, florist and candy company ads, then you should be showing up on someone's doorstep with those tried and true items.
But why be a lemming? It's time to trot off the beaten path and do something really romantic. Here's a few suggestions from some TV celebrities as they look back on their best -- or in Stacy Keach's case, worst -- romantic gesture they ever gave or received.
Simon Cowell, "American Idol": "A picture of me."
Stacy Keach, "Prison Break": "I remember getting this huge, beautiful heart filled with candy, and the candy was the worst I'd ever tasted in my life. Don't risk bad chocolate."
Hugh Dancy, "Elizabeth I": "My girlfriend (Annie Morris) is an artist, so I took a 50-page newspaper and cut hearts out of all the heads in the photos. I presented it to her as a folded newspaper and when she opened it up, it was filled with hearts in place of heads. It was a labor of love and it was cheap."
Jenna Elfman, "Courting Alex": "My husband Bodhi is the most romantic person I've ever known. My favorite gift from him was the time when I was sleeping and woke up with dry ice around me. It was like I was sleeping in the clouds and he put rose petals all around. The second one I can think of is when he used red balloons and hung roses from them with fishing wire, so it looked like the roses were floating around the room."
James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos": "I'm not much of a holiday guy."
Robert Sean Leonard, "House": "My girlfriend likes cheap candy like Russell Stover, so I'll get her those chocolates."
[Ed.] -- FYI, According to Hallmark, the most popular card this year in every city was one that had this inside: "Each time I see you, hold you, think of you, here's what I do ... I fall deeply, madly, happily in love with you. Happy Valentine's Day."
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
| Judging the Judges |
February 14, 2006
By Lloyd Grove with Katherine Thomson for The New York Daily News
Randy Jackson probably won't be happy about "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe telling NPR's "Morning Edition" today: "I've been saying to Randy, 'For God's sake, get a dictionary and learn a few more words!'"
And Paula Abdul? "Paula, control your emotions a little bit and say more than just, 'Simon, shut up.'" adds the British Lythgoe. "And she has, I must say, this year I think, been very good with her critiques. And Randy has said a few more words."
As for Simon Cowell, "I think he felt last year that he'd softened -— and, I must say, I thought he had, too," Lythgoe confides. "He's becoming American and is enjoying being loved. And it's very tough when you enjoy being loved that people turn 'round to you and say, 'Oh, you were a bit tough. You were a bit harsh.' And I think maybe this season he's remembered what he was here for."
| Simon Upset with AI Producers: Claims He's Secretly Taped |
February 13, 2006
By Staff Writers for AOL
Simon Cowell feels betrayed by 'A.I.' producers. In a recent interview on 'Good Day LA,' Cowell claimed "They left the cameras rolling" after contestants left the room, never telling the judges what they were saying would be used on the air.
"That's what's getting me into trouble," complained Cowell. The crusty judge says when he hears some of his caustic comments on the air, "It's like, 'hide under the covers.'" Cowell told entertainment reporter Dorothy Lucey he never intended the caustic comments to see air. Cowell told Lucey it's like having a discussion during a commercial -- then finding out the world was watching.
Monday, February 13, 2006
| Cowell Signs with ITV through 2008 |
February 13 2006
By Neil Wilkes for Digital Spy
Simon Cowell has signed a new deal keeping him exclusively at ITV in the UK until spring 2008.
The deal mirrors one he recently signed with FOX in the US for American Idol and allows for another two series of The X Factor. Cowell has also developed a number of new formats for the broadcaster and is being tipped to appear in a celebrity version of Pop Idol this summer.
"ITV gave me my first break on television and I'm incredibly grateful," said Cowell. "We've had a fantastic relationship and I'm looking forward to another two successful years."
Cowell is the latest in a string of key names to be signed exclusively by ITV's director of television, Simon Shaps, following the shock defection of Paul O'Grady to Channel 4 last month.
"I'm delighted that we've persuaded Simon to stay at ITV," said Shaps. "He is a brilliant and unique talent and I look forward to continuing to work with him both on and off screen."
Sunday, February 12, 2006
| Celeb Fantasy Lovers Revealed |
February 11, 2006
By Louise Compton for The Sun
He might not be a typical heartthrob but funnyman Ricky Gervais has beaten Brad Pitt in poll to find the nation’s most desirable celebrity Valentine.
Amazingly Hollywood hunk Brad was deemed the TENTH most fanciable fella – trailing behind unlikely pin-ups such as Radio One DJ Chris Moyles and Top Gear’s Richard Hammond!
Others stars making the top 10 were Justin Timberlake (2nd) , Robbie Williams (4th) , David Beckham (5th), Shayne Ward and Mr Nasty Simon Cowell (3rd).
Topping the poll conducted by Flora was Ocean’s Eleven star George Clooney who scooped 20 per cent of the vote.
But sadly Flora's survey also revealed that Britain has lost that romantic feeling, and fallen out of love with Valentines Day. A massive 72.4% of those interviewed believe that the lovey-dovey day has lost its glow and is too commercial.
And take note fellas - an overwhelming 95% of women would prefer small gestures throughout the year than to a one-off gift, and just 8% said they enjoyed celebrating the special day. So you can cancel that romantic restaurant booking!
Worst of all, over one quarter of people interviewed admitted they hardly ever say 'I love you' and one in four people complain that they aren't shown enough love...
| NBC Takes a Chance on a New 'Idol' |
February 10, 2006
By Staff Writers for WJLA
With Fox's "American Idol" showing no sign of going flat, NBC announced it's planning a singing competition based on a 50-year-old European show that helped launch the careers of Celine Dion and ABBA. The U.S. version of "Eurovision Song Contest" will combine broadcast and online elements, NBC said Friday. As with "American Idol," which itself was patterned on the hit British series "Pop Idol," the winner will receive a recording contract.
"'Eurovision' is the granddaddy of all talent shows and the Super Bowl of singing," Ben Silverman, chairman of series producer Reveille, said in a statement.
As described by the network, the show will include an online competition to find singers from each state, with the winners advancing to the broadcast series to vie for the title. Voting will be in the hands of viewers.
Further details on the series, which will feature amateurs and professionals and solo act or group acts, are in development, NBC said.
"American Idol," which this week bested the Grammy Awards in head-to-head ratings competition, showcases nonprofessionals.
In 1974, ABBA won the "Eurovision" contest for Sweden with "Waterloo." Dion won for Switzerland in 1988 and Olivia Newton-John competed for the United Kingdom in 1974. In 1958, an Italian singer performed the show's most widely recorded song, "Volare," NBC said.
No air date for the NBC series was announced.
Friday, February 10, 2006
| Viewers Don’t Idolize Grammys |
February 10, 2006
By Inside Track for The Boston Herald
American Idol ratings soared past the Grammy Awards the other night with a more-than-decent 17.4 to the Grammys’ 12.3. Like the music industry needs yet another reminder that the old game plan ain’t workin’! Decked out in designer dresses and suits, Grammy-winners such as Kanye West, Mariah Carey and U2 couldn’t hold a candle to the 100 or so “Idol” wannabes. Could it be that the artists’ lengthy speeches were not as entertaining as ‘Idol’ judge Simon Cowell’s mouthy musings???? Perhaps next year the record execs should think about asking the caustic judge to present a category or two!
| 'American Idol' Crushes Grammys in Ratings |
February 9, 2006
By David Bauder for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Some humbling news for professional musicians like Madonna and U2: By a wide margin, TV viewers prefer the amateurs.
Nearly twice as many people -- 28.3 million -- watched "American Idol" than watched the Grammy Awards -- 15.1 million -- when the two music programs went head-to-head in prime time Wednesday, according to Nielsen Media Research.
In large part due to the "American Idol" competition, it was the least-watched Grammy Awards in Nielsen records dating back to the 1970s.
It certainly wasn't what CBS, Grammy producers or the struggling music industry anticipated after packing the show with star-studded performances. Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z and Christina Aguilera all performed, and the show also featured a colorful appearance by reclusive star Sly Stone.
During the 8 to 9 p.m. EST hour, when the Grammys competed directly with "American Idol," the awards show featured Madonna, John Legend, Coldplay and U2 - with the Irish rock band's duet with Mary J. Blige arguably the evening's most thrilling moment.
After "Idol" went off the air, the Grammys picked up a little steam. For its full three-and-a-half hours, the Grammy Awards' average viewership was 17 million people.
The least-watched Grammy telecast was in 1995 when the show was watched by 17.2 million people. Last year's show was seen by 18.8 million people, with 26.3 million viewers in 2004.
Former "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson won two Grammys, but didn't mention the Fox show in her tearful acceptance speeches.
The music pros can take a little comfort in at least slowing the "American Idol" momentum. It was the first time in seven telecasts this season that "Idol" was seen by fewer than 30 million people.
| Simon’s Plaque Honour |
February 9, 2006
By Paul Welsh for The Borehamwood Times
It should prove interesting organising the town council plaque unveiling, honouring local boy made good Simon Cowell later this year when he returns from American Pop Idol.
Simon was very flattered that the town council wanted to add him to their list of plaque recipients which in the past have ranged from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor.
Legendary record producer Pete Waterman has also agreed to attend the ceremony to help honour his friend and hopefully one or two pop stars might join in the fun.
Simon will be the first recipient to represent the world of music, although the town council is also continuing the policy of recognising film stars who have made a significant contribution to Elstree and Borehamwood's unique motion picture legacy...
| George Turned Down Pop Career |
February 9, 2006
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
Australian actress Melissa George turned down Simon Cowell's offer to turn her into a pop star, because she can't sing.
George was approached by the British music mogul while starring in Aussie soap Home and Away -- even though he knew she had no vocal talent.
A string of Australian soap stars, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Stefan Dennis, CraigMcLachlan, Natalie Imbruglia, Holly Valance, Dannii Minogue, and Bec Cartwright have launched music careers to varying degrees of success.
But George refused to succumb to the lure of chart fame.
The Amityville Horror beauty says, "I had my share of offers when (my character) Angel was at the peak of her popularity. I got an offer from RCA -- it's so funny -- because the guy who offered me the deal was Simon Cowell. He was begging me to be a pop star.
"He really didn't care what I sounded like, which is funny looking back, seeing as American Idol's supposed to be about finding this great singer.
"I've loved Kylie ever since I can remember and it was good her, but for me, the passion was when they called 'action' and 'cut'. I can't sing."
Thursday, February 09, 2006
| Cowell Wants to Sleep with Abdul |
February 8, 2006
By WENN for UK Yahoo
Simon Cowell is prepared to go to any length to alleviate the constant friction with his American Idol co-judge Paula Abdul, including sleeping with her.
Notoriously nasty judge Cowell -- who is dating ex-model Terri Seymour -- would sacrifice his relationship if it meant peaceful relations between himself and his castmate.
He says, "I'll sleep with Paula. If it gets rid of the tension -- I'll do it."
| Sandy Lane, Strictly for the Birds |
February 07, 2006
By Staff Writers for The Times of London
The Barbados hotel is the best known in the Caribbean. But it's full of overweight, loud men with wives who look like dogs' dinners, says Peter Austin
Sandy Lane is the most famous hotel in the Caribbean. It’s where Michael Winner hangs out with his celebrity friends. Wayne Rooney has stayed, so has Simon Cowell. It’s expensive: £1,700 a night for a standard room in high season.
The hotel is not without its critics. Some journalists have labelled it “chavtastic”, claiming it’s full of D- list celebs, lottery winners and surgically-enhanced Essex girls.
According to its own website, Sandy Lane is the “premier luxury resort in the world”, an oasis of “serene style in a gloriously exotic setting”.
They can’t both be right, can they? To find out, I checked in for a night last week.
The Sandy Lane experience starts as soon as you clear customs at Grantley Adams International Airport. You walk out of the terminal building to be met by an attractive uniformed young lady who holds a large sign that reads, in handsome swirling script, Sandy Lane.
The sign is not only for your benefit. As the young lady leads you to your waiting limo, she holds it aloft to indicate to your fellow passengers and the hordes of meeters and greeters that, despite your scruffy appearance, you are in fact a genuine VIP. Literally, the crowd parted.
On arrival at the hotel I was met by a phalanx of white-gloved door-openers and luggage haulers, and handed a glass of fruit punch. As I was escorted to my room I was surprised to see - at 4pm - quite a few guests strolling around in lounge suits and posh frocks. Had I come underdressed? Oh no, said the receptionist. “It’s a wedding party. They're American.”
I had expected the rooms to be over the top, but mine was discreetly plush. The furniture was well upholstered, the bed huge (and one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in) and the closets large enough to accommodate the contents of half a dozen suitcases.
The bathroom was huge, with marble floors, a powerful multi-headed shower and piles of fluffy white towels. Lovely, except for the toiletries, which were so pungently rose-scented that it was possible to smell which guests had used the hotel soap and which had brought their own.
To the beach. The odd thing about Barbados is that all the posh hotels are on the west coast, whereas the best beaches are on the south coast. Although Sandy Lane’s strip of sand is far more attractive than most of its rivals’, it’s not huge. Consequently, the sunloungers are a little close to each other. You can hear other peoples’ conversations. I got the impression that some guests didn’t mind this.
When you check in and first wander down to the beach you are allocated a sunlounger, which is yours throughout your stay. Because of the limited space and the shade created by the hotel buildings, some parts of the beach don’t get any serious sunshine until after 11am. This is the equivalent of social siberia.
It’s no surprise, then, to learn that one of the biggest causes of complaints amongst guests is their sunlounger position. Nor that beach attendants wield quite a bit of power. When I turned up at 5pm there were very few guests on the beach but the attendant seemed uncertain as to whether or not to give me a lounger. I had the distinct feeling he was angling for a tip.
So what are the guests like? I had hoped to spot some minor celebrities topping up their tans. Charlotte Church cavorting in the surf with a new boyfriend, maybe. Instead, I saw a lot of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-Englanders. These people are not stylish. The men are overweight and loud. They look like they’ve made their money in double glazing or rental property. Their smug wives have wasted countless hours in hairdressing salons, having expensive highlights, blowdrys and pedicures. They still look like dogs’ dinners.
The sort of conversation you might overhear at Sandy Lane: “Our third time, actually...can't fault the service...none of that foreign muck...trying to get the handicap down into single figures...sold the business for three million...we deserve to splash out a bit...more champagne, waiter...what did you say you do?...BMW 7 Series...satellite navigation, the works...corked you say?...tastes fine to me...Jeremy Clarkson, very funny...BA Club...God, yes, we couldn’t possibly fly cattle class...ha ha ha!”
Sandy Lane does not look like the kind of hotel where genuine A-list celebrities hang out. It’s simply not sufficiently private. I was not surprised to hear that Leonardo Dicaprio had stayed recently but found the rubber-necking so invasive that he cut short his visit and fled instead to an island resort in the Grenadines.
Leo might also have been annoyed by the birds. Not the Essex type, but the flying, pecking, poohing variety. One of the most attractive features of Sandy Lane is its collection of mature mahogany trees. Unfortunately, trees attract birds and at meal times when tables are laid out al fresco, the birds see their chance to swoop. The problem was particularly bad at breakfast: in the time it took me to pop inside for more orange juice, the little blighters had pecked apart my pain au chocolat.
Not that I blamed them: the breakfast was outstanding with a huge selection of fresh fruit and pastries, and expertly-made omelettes. Lunch at the beach bar was less impressive: when I pay £15 for a burger I do at least expect it to come with decent chips. Mine were too cold and too soggy.
I had dinner at L’Acajou, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant where new head chef Marcel Dressien -- a man with a couple of Michelin stars under his belt -- has recently redesigned the menu. As you might expect, L’Acajou is not cheap, with a three-course menu costing just north of £100, plus wine.
I was joined by resident manager Eric Mapp, a charming and erudite Barbadian, who persuaded me to try the seven-course tasting menu. Curiously, each course was prepared using a different type of local rum.
It was clever cooking, but too clever at times. The rock shrimp risotto with saffron curry jus was excellent. At least, the individual components were excellent. But melding them together, along with a red bell pepper confit infused with vanilla rum, plus leaks and zucchini crisps, was just too, too much.
No wonder many British guests order the cottage pie instead.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
| Cowell's Brother Launches Book |
February 8, 2006
By Staff Writers for This Is the West Country
He is the man that everyone loves to hate but TV's very own "Mr Nasty" Simon Cowell has met his comeuppance - in the form of his Falmouth-based elder brother.
Tony Cowell, who at 54 is the eldest of the Cowell trio of brothers, has lived in Falmouth for the past two years.
A celebrated journalist and author himself, Mr Cowell has written a follow-up to his co-authored 2003 book I Don't Mean to be Rude... -- a biography of brother Simon -- with The Simon Cowell Book of Nasty Comments, which is launched today.
Mr Cowell, who is due to meet Michael Barrymore today to discuss a possible book on his life, explained: "It is just a spin off really. I thought it would be a good idea to collate all the nasty comments he's ever said but also give the opportunity for the people he's bad mouthed, so to speak, to have a go back at him. Really it's him dissing them and them having the opportunity to have a comeback at him, but all in a humorous manner.
"People like to have an opinion of Simon. We spoke to Elton John because they're great fans of each other. Everybody has an opinion, whether they're the Queen or Madonna."
This has resulted in the book being split into three sections: examples of his put downs and responses by those affected -- including comments from Madonna and Elton John themselves -- stories from the brothers' childhood together and finally a section on "how to become Simon Cowell".
"It's very tongue-in-cheek. The third section of the book is very much two tongues in cheek, probably. `If you want to be rude too, here are some tips from the master.' It's like a pseudo self help book," added Mr Cowell.
The book is also a fascinating insight into the life of the young Simon Cowell, who as a child powdered his face white to avoid going to school and burnt a Father Christmas outfit because "he didn't believe in him".
"He was aged four or five when he was at his worst. He wouldn't eat what was on the table, he would just eat biscuits and apple pie or something.
"He was a bit of a sod then," laughed Mr Cowell.
The two are now extremely close and when putting together the first book Mr Cowell spent months travelling around the United States and Mexico with his brother.
But it is in Falmouth where Mr Cowell has found the peace to set up his home, after moving in with his partner Emma.
He is now settling into his new, exclusive waterfront home, which he only moved into two weeks ago.
"I've got a house in London as well but I prefer to live here. I just love being near the sea -- I like the harbour and stuff like that. I do like that cut off. I'm looking forward to the summer here," he said.
As for his famous brother, Mr Cowell could only hint about possible visits to his Falmouth home.
"There is a rumour that he's coming down in the spring to see me. When he finishes American Idol at the end of March he could very well come down," he added.
| These Days, Simon Cowell Is No One's Idol |
February 5, 2006
By Susan Young for Inside Bay Area
Back in the days when Simon Cowell was sorting mail at EMI and starting to climb up the music industry ladder, a friend of mine convinced me that at the ripe age of 16, we were good enough to audition for a musical.
Not just any high school musical, mind you.
Unlike Simon, who started at the bottom rung of the music industry and worked his way up, Becky Blakely and I decided that the fastest way to the top was to start at an equity audition in San Diego.
We were unsure as to what the qualifications were, but when Becky learned of a casting call for "Guys and Dolls," we figured they needed some teenage girls with no experience to fill out the chorus.
Who knew they wanted us to provide sheet music, sing actual songs and know some dance steps? And let's not even mention a little thing like a portfolio.
"What are you going to sing?" asked the producer, a then-well-known actor by the name of John Saxon, who actually let me take the stage.
"Um," I struggled. "Anything you want me to."
"Surprise me," he said with a bit of a chill in his voice.
I then whipped out several verses of Carole King's "Where You Lead," which has become the "Gilmore Girls" theme song — a coincidence for which I take no credit.
Saxon then inquired about my dancing skills. To which I replied, "Well, if you put some more people up here I could just follow what they do."
Apparently my theme that day was, "Where you lead, I will follow."
Saxon said, "Where were you when they were casting 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'?"
I took it as a compliment at the time, although now I think he may have been disparaging my talent. Still, Saxon showed plenty of class in not humiliating me completely. I left wiser but undaunted.
Which brings us, however how circuitously, to "American Idol."
When Simon mocked a young girl in an outfit even Frederick's of Hollywood wouldn't carry — although Not Too Naughty in Livermore might have it in stock — it was too much.
The girl revealed that she was being raised by a single mother who worked as a stripper and held lingerie parties. Mom apparently plucked the sleazy wear out of her stock.
She saw "American Idol" as a way out of her dismal life, Simon saw it as a way to make TV ratings.
Now, we can all say that these people prancing up on the "American Idol" audition stage are idiots and get what they deserve. After all, they've seen the public humiliation of those who have gone before them.
Certainly, it was hard to feel sorry for the sobbing Bakersfield guy who dressed up like a Rastafarian to gain a spot, then realized he'd made a horrific error by not just being himself.
(And make no mistake, he probably would have been cut at the first audition if not for the Rasta shtick.)
We know plenty of people enter the audition process just to get their 15 seconds of fame, and they know exactly what will happen to them. But other people, such as former Cal student William Hung, honestly thought he had the pipes to make it.
Of course, things turned out rather well for Mr. Hung, although that was due more to the silliness of the Internet than the power of three "American Idol" judges.
And there's just something disingenuous about someone like Paula Abdul, whose dance moves were always better than her singing voice, snickering at people who appear to believe they have talent.
After all, one contestant Paula felt compelled to taunt on Tuesday's show makes a living as a singing gondolier in Las Vegas. That might not translate to next "American Idol," but it at least should have excused him from the total loser reception he got from the judges.
Enough of the bitter judges.
Enough humiliating of the underpups.
Let's get on to the competition.
Of course, that's not going to happen for a while.
Beginning Wednesday, we'll see the Hollywood Round when the next cuts take place. And those people who thought they got the golden ticket will see how quickly those ducats become fool's gold.
Just when they thought they had moved past the sneers, those singers realize they have just made it to Phase 2 of the scoff-a-thon.
On Feb. 15, the Top 24 singers are revealed. Then we see the top men performing Feb. 21 and the top women performing Feb. 22 before the first live show airs Feb. 23. The Top 20 will be whittled down to a dozen, to be revealed March 9.
And the competition between the top 12 finalists?
That's not going to happen until March 14.
In other words, Fox will be milking this cash cow for as long as possible. In the words of Simon, I'm bored. And to be brutally honest with you, I'm tired of Paula and Randy tittering together and Simon looking off camera like he'd rather be anywhere else.
On second thought, maybe Simon has a point.
| Cowell Bans American Idol Songs |
February 7, 2006
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
Simon Cowell has banned American Idol contestants from singing certain songs, because he's sick of hearing the same ones over and over again.
The judge is bored of wannabes picking the same tracks and insists hopefuls should be more original if they aim to win his praise.
He says, "We've banned certain songs. Falling, Alicia Keys. I never want to hear that song again in my life. I cannot stand it. I'm allergic to it.
"And I Believe I Can Fly (R Kelly)."
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
| Simon Cowell Should Idle Sharp Tongue |
February 7, 2006
By Tom Dorsey for The Louisville Courier-Journal
The ugly auditions on "American Idol" are finally over, which means there will be fewer targets of opportunity for Simon Cowell to savage when the contest resumes at 8 tonight on Fox.
His potshots have become part of the show's trademark, but this season has some people wondering and worrying that his putdowns and humiliations are getting out of hand and setting a bad example for teenagers. He used to aim his slings and arrows at people's vocal talents, but lately it's beginning to get personal.
Cowell has been criticized for his remarks aimed at gays and those who are overweight. One young man was told to wear a dress. He also suggested a chubby singer might need a bigger stage to perform. This current session "has the stench of a mean season," said Associated Press writer Lynn Elber.
Of course, unless you're self-delusional you have no business coming on a show like "Idol" and not expecting to take your lumps from Cowell, particularly if you're as talentless as some of these contestants.
Obviously, some do it just to get on television. Others are beginning to look like drive-by victims.
Cowell's zingers may look spontaneous, but it's really a setup of sorts. The shows are taped months in advance. The producers could edit out offensive stuff, but they don't. Cowell's comments are the paprika that spices up the familiar formula after five seasons.
The cruelty you see is done with all due deliberation. Worse yet, it seems premeditated to enhance Cowell's reputation as the troll on the show.
So is this much ado over nothing? Maybe. After all, it's just a television show, not life. Or is it?
About 35 million people tune in every week to this monster hit, and teenagers make up the bulk of the viewers. If it's all right for Cowell to make fun of people on national television, then why isn't it OK for the young people to pick on kids at school who don't fit in?
There's a lot of evidence that children who get bullied are deeply hurt and angered at their treatment, which has sometimes led to tragic consequences. Nobody expects Cowell to be an altar boy, but he ought to bite his tongue more often.
| Simon Says -- and 'Idol' Soars |
February 8, 2006
By Verne Gay for Newsday
Whenever a really big hit becomes a really, really big hit, there's a natural human and journalistic tendency to explore where that other "really" came from. Something in the national mood? Some change in our social fabric? Maybe something in the national water supply? It's all usually just foolish tail-chasing because big hits -- like big hurricanes -- have a way of feeding off their own energy and gaseous vapors.
In other words, most of 'em get larger ("Gunsmoke," "Seinfeld," "CSI") before they get smaller.
Yet even this fails to fully answer this blunt question: What the heck is happening with "American Idol"? Going into tonight's Hollywood rounds, an average of 34.2 million viewers have tuned in to the Tuesday fifth-season audition rounds, which, for blunt perspective, is 8 million more than for "CSI" this season and about 3 million more than "Idol" to this point last year.
With this kind of heat, it's hard to avoid hyperbole, so bombs away: "Idol" is now the most important show on television and will help Fox handily win the 2005-06 season, while causing serious (though hardly irreparable) damage to the Winter Olympics starting Friday on NBC. Next Tuesday and Wednesday alone, "Idol" will strike right at the heart of two marquee events (men's/ women's alpine skiing) and then on Feb. 23, likely will overwhelm the ladies' free-skating event. ("Dancing With the Stars'" Feb. 23 competition finale should finish the job.)
Stuff like this doesn't usually happen by accident, and so here's one theory for "Idol V" mania: Some observers think the show may well be embracing a particularly clever and calculated gambit to pump its own audience levels, by boosting Simon Cowell's loathsomeness as well as the number of William Hung wannabes. In other words, you are not mistaken, dear reader: Simon is more repellent than ever, while many of the contestants are, too.
A paranoid delusion? Not when considering how things work in TV, or how "Idol" has been working so far this season. "It doesn't get any worse," quoth Simon to one contestant. "My advice to you? Shave off the beard and wear a dress. You'd be a great female impersonator." Or this to another: "You remind me of a wasp ... a little buggy, energetic thing.... You'd make a good rat." One contestant - an oval one - is as big as "France." Another plus-size wannabe prompts an observation that perhaps the Hollywood stage should be enlarged.
Comments like these sparked rebukes from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (yes, NAAFA does exist and has been around since 1969), which each generated countless mainline news stories on reputed "Idol" homophobia or Simon's issue with ... ummm ... fat people.
Andy Dehnart, an influential "Idol" watcher and MSNBC blogger (whose reality TV Web site, Reality Blurred, claims to "babysit" the mega-hit every day), wrote recently, "As these three weeks of auditions have shown us, 'American Idol' is no better than most of Fox's other reality offerings. ... 'The Littlest Groom,' 'Joe Millionaire' and 'My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance' [also] create situations where people are humiliated just to amuse the audience -- and to amass ratings that routinely destroy the competition."
Another TV industry observer, Shari Anne Brill, chief of programming for ad agency Carat, adds: "The producers who put [contestants] in front of are charged with that extra mandate to look for the weird people, and more so this season. Those auditions then become the equivalent of a sideshow, or the coliseum days when you throw people to the lions. It's very primal."
And very FOXian. The network pretty much recognized long ago that "Idol's" viewing patterns follow an inverted bell curve -- lots of viewers at the beginning and end of each season and a large, though hardly alarming, sag in the middle. Reason for this is that in the early rounds a huge number of young male viewers, in addition to the teen girl stalwarts, tune in to watch Cowell disembowel the sad sacks. But once the freak show portion of "Idol" ends, millions of these male viewers vanish.
How to keep some of those male viewers? Unleash the true beast in Simon. It's not pretty, but it has created a powerful and vaguely ridiculous feedback "loop," in which each presumed Cowell outrage (his brief walk-off late last month, as an example) sparks news stories which in turn prime the viewership.
Ken Warwick, one of the show's executive producers (along with Cowell), was asked -- surprise! -- during a recent conference call whether he or the show were "homophobic." A former choreographer and professional hoofer, Warwick laughed and said: "There ain't no homophobe in the world [who is] going to be a professional dancer."
And, naturally, he was asked about his ill-mannered and occasionally appalling partner: "Simon does go overboard on a regular occasion, [but] I'm not going to stop his opinion in any way. ... Of course the show wouldn't be the same without him. He's part and parcel of what makes it the success it is."
As if we didn't know.
The best, um, worst of Simon
‘It doesn’t get any worse.’
‘My advice to you? Shave off the beard and wear a dress. You’d be a great female impersonator.’
‘You remind me of a wasp . . . little buggy energetic thing . . . You’d make a good rat.’
Monday, February 06, 2006
| Fuller's American Idol Tops the Pop Talent Shows with 35 Million Viewers |
February 6, 2006
By Hugh Davies for The Telegraph
Simon Fuller, the music impresario with a £300 million fortune, startled the entertainment world with his amateur talent show, American Idol, opening its fifth year in the US with a record 35.5 million viewers.
The vast audience, the biggest for a light-entertainment show, is likely to disturb executives at ITV, who dumped the original UK format, Pop Idol, in favour of Simon Cowell's The X-Factor.
Simon Fuller owns the Pop Idol franchise
Fuller, 45, sued Cowell, 46, alleging that he stole the format. Two months ago, they settled a High Court suit, with Fuller reportedly winning 20 per cent of The X Factor, and his erstwhile friend getting a share of American Idol, for which he was already being paid £8 million a year as a judge.
Fuller said: "The network [ITV] in their wisdom, backed the talent [Cowell]. But if they had been smart, and worked out a way of keeping Simon and I together, with Pop Idol, it would have been to their advantage.
"What they have lost is a global franchise. Instead, they have a poor man's copy, with the rest of the world having the real deal. If all the parties were enlightened, Pop Idol would come back because it is a power-house.
"It has become definitive. Other shows like it have come and gone. All the challengers have fallen in our wake." Bill Carter, the New York Times TV critic, said the "mind- boggling" viewing figures echoed "the heyday" of The Cosby Show, which dominated Thursday evening viewing from 1984 to 1992.
The American Idol audience is one of the biggest for a non-sport programme in history, with sponsors, who pay £395,000 for a 30-second commercial spot, revelling in the fact that, with over 100 channels to choose from in most homes, half of the country's teenage girls who were watching television switched to the show for two hours.
Fuller recalled that when Pop Idol opened in Britain, "we started off with a similar phenomenon" with 10 million people tuning in.
Then, during the second series, "it was 20 per cent higher", but "there was tension". The show ran for only two series.
Fuller, who is working with the Elvis Presley estate to create a Las Vegas stage show about the singer, has said in the past that his business was "creating fame and celebrity, and I'm one of the best in the world".
He made his fortune launching the Spice Girls, managing acts such as Annie Lennox and representing David and Victoria Beckham.
Winners of American Idol have included Kelly Clarkson, whose Breakaway, with five million sales, was the third-biggest selling album in America in 2005.
This week, she is at No 16 in the Billboard singles chart with Because of You.
| Olympics Might Not Dominate Ratings Race |
February 6, 2006
By David Bauder for The Chicago Sun-Times
One of the most exciting television battles during the next few weeks might be between Paula Abdul and Michelle Kwan, or some other darling of the Turin Games.
The Winter Olympics, which open Friday from Turin, Italy, on NBC, traditionally flatten opponents of the network that spent millions on broadcast rights. But judging by its startling staying power, ''American Idol'' might steal the spotlight from the skiers and skaters.
''The Olympics aren't as daunting as people think they are,'' said Preston Beckman, Fox's executive vice president for strategic program planning and strategy.
Spoken like someone with Simon Cowell on his side.
Each of the six audition episodes of ''American Idol'' that have aired in the last three weeks has drawn more than 30 million viewers, and two hit the 35 million mark, according to Nielsen Media Research. Even Fox thought interest in ''Idol'' would start to wane in its fifth season, but it has picked up even more momentum.
Even before the Olympics, ''American Idol'' has an intriguing warmup match. Will the amateur singers of ''Idol'' outrate professionals like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Paul McCartney and John Legend on the Grammy Awards, competing head-to-head Wednesday?
The Olympics and ''American Idol'' will air against each other four times during the next few weeks.
''I think 'American Idol' wins, except during the finals of the figure skating, if the U.S. is doing well or if there's some major scandal,'' said Steve Sternberg, an analyst for the ad-buying firm Magna Global.
The Olympics are still going to be a major TV event, but Sternberg predicts its ratings will be between 15 to 20 percent below the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Those games were a big hit, and American audiences tend to be more interested in Olympic games on American soil, he said.
Rather than cannibalize each other's audiences, the Olympics and ''Idol'' are going to bring more people to television, or take viewers away from cable stations, he said.
That's partly what Fox was thinking in deciding to stick primarily with its regular schedule during the Olympics. It will air only a handful of reruns and specials, including four consecutive episodes of the soon-to-be-canceled ''Arrested Development'' on Friday...
Faced with a Wednesday night with both ''American Idol'' and the Olympics, ABC will air a rerun of the ''Lost'' pilot instead of a new episode of the popular drama.
''You know what?'' said Jeff Bader, head of scheduling for ABC, ''there are certain programming combinations that you don't want to go up against. We're better off saving an original [episode]...''
Sunday, February 05, 2006
| Cowell Never Wants Kids |
February 3, 2006
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
Pop mogul Simon Cowell will never have children, insisting his TV shows mean more to him than kids.
The 46-year-old has broken the news to partner Terry Seymour.
He says, "There are some things that you have to sacrifice. You can't have everything.
"If you're working long hours, sometimes until three or four in the morning, it's difficult to have a child. You can't come home and deal with a screaming baby.
"My shows, my work, are my babies. I put the same amount of care and attention into them as you would a child."
| Cowell: 'I'll Never Be a Pop Mogul Pensioner' |
February 5, 2006
By WENN for UK Yahoo
Image-conscious pop mogul Simon Cowell will quit hosting American Idol as soon as his five year contract runs out, because he doesn't want to grow old on television.
The outspoken 46-year-old can't bear the thought of his fans seeing him looking anything less than youthful.
He says, "I don't want to be a pensioner with a hearing aid and a walking stick, telling the person, 'Come closer, I can't hear you!'
"That wouldn't be great."
| Divorce Settlements: B.A.C.K.L.A.S.H. |
February 5, 2006
By Steve Bloomfield for The Independent
D.I.V.O.R.C.E. may never be the same after high-profile claims last week. Even top lawyers are confused.
The lawyer responsible for one of Britain's most influential divorce settlements has told The Independent on Sunday she "would not blame men" for deciding not to marry if a divorce settlement before the House of Lords is not overturned...
For some, even a pre-nup is not enough. "There is one big precaution a wealthy man can take," said Lisa Fabian Lustigman, a family lawyer at Withers LLP. "Don't get married. This is all so unromantic, but if you have serious wealth it is a serious consideration."
Simon Cowell and Terri Seymour
He is: 46-year-old multi-millionaire music mogul and creator of TV talent show The X Factor
She is: TV presenter Terri Seymour, 31, who has appeared on shows including Wheel of Fortune
He is worth: Estimated to be at least £45m from his record deals and shows.
He says: "Why would I get married when -- if it doesn't work out -- I am going to have to hand over 50 per cent of my money? That's verging on insanity"
She says: "If I had a pound for every woman Simon had kissed since we've been together I'd be very rich."
| Randy Jackson Feels "Idol" |
February 03, 2006
By Tracey Ford for Rolling Stone
From an Interview with Randy Jackson:
How grueling is it to sift through all that talent -- or lack thereof?
It's hard because the days are long -- but, I mean, how hard is it really? The days definitely get a little long in the tooth, and you see us dragging and we're like, "Where's the jump-off from this, dawg?" It gets a little old. You see the makeup, and you see us eventually looking beat down and tired.
Is that what fuels the tensions between you and the other judges [Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul]?
I think so. I think that's why Simon walked out [last Wednesday]. It was a tough day in San Francisco, and he just couldn't take it. The heat got a little too hot in the kitchen for the boy. Some would say that maybe it was the time of the month for the dude. Whatcha gonna do? C'mon, you gotta hang in there, son!
What are you a sucker for in a contestant?
I don't care what you look like -- if you're blowing and you're singing in tune and you're great. Yo, this is what this competition is about. With Simon, the look thing is very important. And, I mean, it's important to me too, but it's secondary to the talent. Because I know as a producer that if I find someone that can blow and I've got a good song, we're gonna get some love.
Friday, February 03, 2006
| Simon Cowell Brings New Variety Talent Competition Series To NBC |
February 03, 2006
Posted by Joe Reality for Reality TV Magazine
NBC has created its first partnership with international TV hit-makers Simon Cowell ("American Idol") and FremantleMedia ("American Idol") to bring the hottest amateur performers from across the country to TV audiences in a new variety talent competition series that allows viewers to determine who will headline a showcase Las Vegas act. The deal was announced by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.
"Simon has his finger on the pulse of pop culture," said Reilly. "This show will be a shot of adrenaline to the variety format with Simon's gift of discovering untapped talent, both great and uniquely not so great."
"This is a show I've always wanted to make," said Cowell. "This time we're looking for everything. Personally, I hope to find the next Siegfried and Roy! I promise this is going to be a fun ride."
Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO FremantleMedia North America said, "We are thrilled to bring this new format to NBC. It will bring a whole new level of excitement to the talent show genre."
The series, which is targeted to premiere this summer, will feature a colorful array of hopeful future stars from across the country -- who possess widely varying levels of talent -- as they compete for the top prize of headlining in Las Vegas. Singers, dancers, comedic performers and bizarre novelty acts -- including some wannabes who have no business even pretending to have talent -- will have a chance to strut and perform in front of a panel of celebrity judges who will determine which acts advance to the final rounds.
Cowell and FremantleMedia recently sold the series to ITV in the United Kingdom under the title "Got Talent." Cowell will executive-produce the series through his SYCO TV production company in a co- production with FremantleMedia.
Best known in America as the brutally honest, sharp- tongued judge on the U.S.' #1 television show "American Idol," Cowell became a household name in the U.K. as a judge on "American Idol" predecessor and U.K. smash hit "Pop Idol." He also created and starred on the #1 U.K. television show "The X- Factor." A 20-year veteran in the music industry and a Sony BMG Records executive, Cowell has helped shape the modern pop music industry with his artists selling more than 150 million singles and albums. His success led to the birth of his own label, S Records, which launched the international opera group "Il Divo," whose most recent album, "Ancora," just debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 100 chart. Cowell also runs SYCO Television and will serve as creator and executive producer on upcoming shows "Duets" on Fox and "American Inventor" on ABC. He also penned his own book, "I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But..." which details his life and career, in addition to providing tips on becoming a pop star.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
| Il Divo in US Album Chart Triumph |
February 1, 2006
By Staff Writers for The BBC
Operatic quartet Il Divo, who are backed by X Factor and American Idol judge Simon Cowell, have gone straight to the top of the US albums chart.
Their album Ancora sold more than 150,000 copies in its first week, knocking actor-turned- R&B singer Jamie Foxx off the top spot.
"This is a dream come true for all of us," said Cowell.
"I am especially delighted for the four boys, who, over the last 12 months, have worked incredibly hard for this."
Cowell formed the group in late 2003 after a two-year international talent search.
Their second album topped the charts in nine countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia, when it received its international release in November.
| Activists Lash out at Cowell's Cruelty |
February 1, 2006
By Staff Writers for The Washington Times
"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell's sharp tongue has gotten him in trouble with gay rights activists and now fat activists are joining the fray.
When "Idol" hopeful Anthony Andolino, 28, was dismissed by the judges after his audition that aired Tuesday night on Fox TV, Cowell remarked: "Just as well, we couldn't afford the food bill."
Sandy Schaffer of the National Association To Advance Fat Acceptance told "Access Hollywood" she found Cowell's remark "childish" and "stupid."
"The show seems to be saying you can't be gay, you can't be fat, you can't be anything different," Schaffer said. "It absolutely desensitizes the audience. It starts to make you feel this is OK."
Fellow judge Paula Abdul did not defend her colleague to "Access Hollywood."
"He's an ass. He's a pill," she said. "He says the dumbest things sometimes."
| Bet Your Lucky Stars: Internet Gaming Sites Take Wagers on Celebrity Doings |
February 02, 2006
By Carrie Stetler for New Jersey Star-Ledger
Her gamble against a 2005 Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes marriage won her $200. But when she bet on a baby boy for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, she wasn't so lucky.
They had a girl.
"I was wrong there," said Melissa Conner of Montclair. "I lost about $25."
Conner placed her bets on SportsInteraction.com, one of several Internet gambling sites where more players are wagering on celebrities' personal lives.
"I think it's a continuation of North American society becoming more celebrity- obsessed," said Calvin Ayres of Bodog.com, which also takes bets on celebs. "It's almost a method of becoming a participant in the celebrity's life."
On Bodog last month, gamblers could bet on whether "American Idol's" Simon Cowell and his wife Terri Seymour would break up (yes, bet an overwhelming majority) or whether promoter Brian Quintana would win his lawsuit against Paris Hilton (most of the gamblers bet no).
Betting on stars has been around almost as long as Internet gambling, which started a decade ago and is now a booming business, despite the fact that it's illegal to headquarter the sites in the U.S. (they are run from outside the country).
The growing popularity of celebrity betting can be explained by one thing, say those who run the sites: a banner year for A-list break-ups, such as the Nick Lachey/Jessica Simpson split and the Brad-Angelina-Vince-Jen quadrangle.
"You had a lot of high-profile stuff going on," says Anthony Munnelly, spokesman for Sportsinteraction.com, which is based in Canada.
Another reason might be that more women are gambling online. According Munnelly, since the site added poker and other casino games two years ago, more women began logging on, and they might be more inclined to bet on the celebrity "props" (or propositions) of the day, which are formulated by site employees...
Conner, who bets an average of $20 once a week, doesn't play other gambling games online. But the prospect of profiting from her addiction to celebrity gossip was too hard to resist.
"I'm always reading US Weekly and People," she says. "I figured it can transfer into some cash." So far, she's won a few hundred dollars from her habit.
In addition to betting on entertainment figures and awards shows, the site take bets on political events and business news.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
| Jackson Comes to Terms with Cowell Meltdown |
February 1, 2006
By Staff Writers for Contact Music
LATEST: American Idol judge Randy Jackson believes he knows the real reason for Simon Cowell storming out during recent auditions -- he was suffering from "manopause".
Jackson insists things were going fine during televised auditions in San Francisco, California but his fellow judge seemed a bit off-kilter.
Jackson says, "(I think) it might have been his time of the month. There's this new term called 'manopause.' We were having a good time, but he just couldn't get it together. I think he was having one of those weird days."
Jackson reveals his colleague became so furious that he refused to fly back to Los Angeles on the same plane with him and fellow judge Paula Abdul.
He adds, "He chartered his own plane back to LA."
| Cowell Loses out on Stars Duets |
February 1, 2006
By WENN for UK Yahoo
The X Factor star Simon Cowell has been forced to scrap plans for a new talent show named Stars Duets, because BBC1 already airs a similar programme.
The music mogul had planned to pair celebrities with professional singers and challenge them to duet on live television. But the BBC pipped the competitive star's collaboration with rival network ITV -- scheduling their show Just The Two Of Us to start on 23 February.
Despite the setback, American fans will still be able to enjoy Stars Duets, because Cowell has already sold the formula to US broadcasters Fox.
He says, "It was a bit galling when I first read about the BBC show as we'd worked on production on Star Duets for about a year.
"There is no way we could do the same show. You win some you lose some.
"But Stars Duets will be a big hit in America."
| 'Idol' Continues Amazing Run for Fox |
February 1, 2006
By David Bauder for The Altus Times
Viewers simply can't get enough of "American Idol." An estimated 35 million viewers -- the third-biggest audience ever for any "Idol" episode -- watched the tryouts perform for Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul for two hours last Tuesday, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The next night, 32.4 million tuned in for more auditions.
So far, the ratings for four editions of "American Idol" are up 15 percent over 2005, Nielsen said.
"I think we're relieved and a little shocked that it's showing such growth this year," said Preston Beckman, Fox's executive vice president for program planning and strategy. "For us, having maintained the ratings we had last year would have been a plus."
By their fifth season, most programs -- particularly reality-based shows -- exhibit audience erosion. But Beckman said Fox's decision to run only one "American Idol" competition each year has made it more of an event.
"I almost feel that it's not our show anymore," he said. "It sounds bizarre, but it's America's show. It's become an institution. It's a very broad show -- you can see it with your friends and family. As big as the ratings are, we know there are more people watching the show that we can't even measure."
It's made for happy days at Fox, which was also pleased with a strong showing by the thriller "24." The network's only sour note was the performance of the forensics drama "Bones," which had only 11.4 million viewers directly following "American Idol" last Wednesday -- meaning two-thirds of the "Idol" audience changed channels or turned off the TV.
Fox easily crushed the competition among the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-old audience, but broad-based CBS squeaked out a prime-time win last week among all viewers. CBS was heartened by a strong debut for Jenna Elfman's new comedy "Courting Alex..."
For the week of Jan. 23-29, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 34.96 million; "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 32.44 million; "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 25.86 million; "Without a Trace," CBS, 22.29 million; "CSI: Miami," CBS, 19.69 million; "Dancing With the Stars" (Thursday), ABC, 19.37 million; "Lost," ABC, 19.05 million; "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 18.43 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 17.07 million; "NCIS," CBS, 16.97 million.
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