Simon Cowell
News

We've seen ordinary kids rise to the top of the American Idol heap. Now the likes of Lucy Lawless, Alfonso Ribeiro, Cheech Marin, Lea Thompson, WWE champ Chris Jericho, Olympian Carly Patterson and other celebs will put their singing to the test on Celebrity Duets, which premieres August 29 on Fox.

They'll be paired with singers such as Clint Black, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, Patti LaBelle, Aaron Neville, Smokey Robinson and Dionne Warwick. Should be quite the spectacle. And who better to give fans the scoop on this latest experiment than Simon Cowell, who talked to TV Guide in an exclusive interview this week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TV Guide: You have to be over the moon about the talent you've gotten together for this show.

Simon Cowell: Yes, we are. I've got to be honest with you, I truthfully did not think we were ever going to make the show, and I'll tell you why. We basically said to the producers, "If you can find us 10 legendary names for this show, we're going to make it, and if you don't, we can't." I gave them a 10 percent chance of proceeding.

TV Guide: Because this doesn't work if the pros are chumps.
Cowell: Absolutely. We had to have literally the best singers in the world, we felt, and I think they've pretty much done that.

TV Guide: Will each week's performance night be taped, or broadcast live?
Cowell: That's a very good question. I think it's going to be shot as all live.

Continue Reading...

With Season 6 coming up before you know it, song selection is paramount to any contender's chances. This year's American Idol hopefuls should start boning up on the classics, if judge Simon Cowell's favorite songs are any indication.

The sometimes surly Brit shared his playlist of all-time favorites on BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs," revealing eight tracks that he couldn't live without if he were stranded in a remote area (which some fans undoubtedly wish here a reality). Only one, Daniel Bedingfield's "If You're Not the One," was released in the past 30 years.

Tops on Cowell's list is Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife," which he called "the best song ever made, ever produced, ever sung."

Herb Alpert's "This Guy's in Love With You" is his pick for "sexiest song ever," while he named Charles Aznavour's "She" among "the most beautiful songs of all time." Cowell also said, according to MTV, that if given the choice of one item to bring to a deserted island, he'd choose a mirror.

Why? "Because I'd miss me."

Simon Cowell unleashed yet another TV talent contest on viewers last night as his much-anticipated America's Got Talent debuted on NBC.

The American Idol judge is producing the show with the same company that puts on his FOX singfest. He's the behind-the-scenes presence this time around, though, as Regis Philbin hosts and a panel of stars (probably lower-level stars these days than Simon himself) serves as judges.

Cowell's contract with American Idol prohibits him from appearing on competing shows, but America's Got Talent follows the same formula as the wildly-successful Idol, with audition rounds conducted in four cities followed by public voting and eliminations beginning next month for a million-dollar prize.

NBC apparently has so much faith in Cowell and company that it's already booked Talen" for the winter, the same route that Idol took.

It will be featured in NBC's Sunday lineup after football season, meaning Cowell will have his fingers in the TV pie 4-5 nights a week when Idol comes back to Fox for a sixth season in January.

What kind of talent is Simon looking for on this NBC series? Singers, dancers, comedic performers, unique novelty acts... pretty much anything.

The Washington Post reported that in a phone conference interview, Cowell promised viewers would see a guy balance a 300-pound oven on his face... while frying eggs on it. Let's see Taylor Hicks do that!

Gimmicky as it sounds, the formula -- like Idol -- calls for the judges to ridicule people willing to embarrass themselves in the early rounds, before the serious contenders steal the show late in the season.

The judges are singer/actor Brandy, David Hasselhoff (really, right), and Piers Morgan, a former newspaper editor and British TV host. A Cowell stand-in?

There's certainly nothing new about talent shows, which can be traced to medieval street fairs, Star Search, and many other variations. But Simon and production company Fremantle Media, along with his ex-partner and Idol creator, Simon Fuller, have put a new spin on the old idea.

With stagy techniques, a PR blitz, a witty host, and judges that are as much a part of the show as the acts, it won't be surprising if the show takes off.