Posted on 12/17/2009 9:17:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Simon Cowell could be leaving "American Idol" at the end of the season and starring in an American version of his British hit music show, "X Factor," starting in 2011, according to reports.
Cowell, whose "Idol" contract expires in May and who has been in talks with Fox since last summer, is preparing to announce the new arrangement with Fox early next year, the Times Of London reports.
The future of "Idol" would be thrown into serious doubt if the show's indisputable star leaves, it would appear.
Officials from Fox, "Idol" and Cowell's own company yesterday refused comment.
"X Factor" is produced by Cowell, who's also a judge on the show just like on "Idol."
Unlike "Idol," however, Cowell and two other judges help mentor the "X Factor" contestants.
Viewers vote on which singers stay or go -- but the aspect of judges competing against each other adds a new twist to the "Idol" formula.
Since its debut four years ago, "X Factor" is by far the most popular show in Britain. Last Saturday night, the finale episode of the latest season practically brought the country to a standstill.
It drew an audience of over 19 million people, in a nation where 10 million viewers is considered a runaway hit.
The report in yesterday's Times of London said Cowell is "considering" stepping down from "Idol" to do a US version of "X Factor" -- and that he told this to Fox entertainment chief Peter Rice at a meeting in London six weeks ago.
Fox apparently would broadcast "X Factor" here -- which means the network would either have to end "Idol" or broadcast both series at different times of the year.
"Among the judges, Simon is first among equals," says industry analyst John Rash.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Simon created idol. He was the only one who was blunt enough to say what we all felt inside. Everyone else was too concerned about hurting the contestant’s feelings.
I see Simon’s loss as the death of the series.
Given the addition of Ellen DeGeneres who stated she knew nothing about music.........was the end of my watching any episodes at all.
Yeah.....but......they’ve got Ellen now.
“starring in an American version of his British hit music show, “X Factor,”
Which is EXACTLY what he did in the UK when he left Pop Idol to create X Factor so he could own the show solely. I think Nigel Lithgow is realizing that American Idol is on the wane and caught up in So You Think You Can Dance and probably doesn’t care anymore.
I know I’m out of touch. My television viewing lately consists of Glen Beck and DVR recordings of Gunsmoke and The Rockford Files (I do love Burn Notice when it’s in season). I’ve never watched a single minute of American Idol...so will someone please tell me what “X-Factor is?
It would probably be educational to learn something about American popular culture, simply to understand the sort of entertainment people patronize these days.
But since you ask about what X-Factor is, here it is in a nutshell :
The X Factor is a TV show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol (the British precursor to American Idol and other similar shows worldwide).
The X-factor programs are produced by executive producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco TV (which will be merged into Greenwell Entertainment as a result of a recent partnership with Sir Philip Green).
The competitions, now held in various countries, pit talented contestants against each other. These contestants are talented aspiring pop singers and performers drawn from public auditions. The “X Factor” of the title refers to the undefinable “something” that makes for star quality. The prize is usually a recording contract (in addition to the publicity that appearance in the later stages of the show itself generates, not only for the winner but also for other highly ranked contestants).
The format creator is Simon Cowell who also judges and mentors on the UK series. The UK version is responsible for the launch of British pop stars, Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, JLS and recently, Joe McElderry.
Well this is odd. I've lived in Britain all my life and the first time I'd heard of this 'X-factor' was just now, reading this post.
Not saying the article is wrong. I'm saying that something can be a huge success while 2/3 of the population have never even heard of it.
I had already made the decision not to watch this year because of Ellen. I hated that other woman and I think in the case of Idol 4 was a crowd.
It will be interesting to see what happens with 19 Entertainment, on of the show sponsors and the agency that represents contestants and winners. They have been called out for planting contestants in the top 32 and even top 12. I believe one contestant dropped out due to publicity about her relationship with them. There was enough publicity surround this that the show is losing credibility with fans.
The best part of Idol are the first shows where Simon tells the delusional what their parents should have told them long ago. Especially the transgender divas.
I made the same decision for the same reason, although I forgot why until you reminded me (of Ellen). Besides, it can’t be equaled anymore without David Cook.
There was a guy a couple years ago who did the funniest rendition of “Let My People Go.” I laugh my head off when my son does a dead-on imitation of it.
Heck, for half the amount of money they pay him, I'll go on the show and crush peoples dreams and spirits :-)
I still think this is the funniest version:
"When Cameron was in Egypt land....Let my Cameron Go!"
Thank you!
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