Simon Cowell, Judge

[ibot2much]

Speaking of Simon and his search for the "attractive and current" Idol, I was watching AI REWIND last night and they were showing season 4 auditions in Las Vegas. Lots of attention was paid to Mikala Gorden who did make it to the top ten.

M. arrived with her inflated lips and boobs, at 16, and could not sing. She sucked in air and totally missed whole syllables. Simon adored her, telling her that she was proof why pageants for teens should be outlawed. ( I am guessing he was still smarting from Diana of season3 making it as runner-up. He always made negative comments about her being pageant-y) She said that M. was "cool".

My word, the girl was horrible and made it right into the show.

[Oceansands]

At one time I believed in Simon Cowell's talent shows AGT, AI, BGT, etc., However, after seeing what is happening with all of these shows I'm convinced it has nothing to do with talent. Simon Cowell controls who wins. Last year on AGT I noticed a disclaimer on RULES stating basically "the producer can count or not count the number of votes and has the right to change RULES without notice". That tells me if Simon's choice isn't showing up with the majority of votes he will just change them. Also, if a contestant is looking too popular with viewers he puts his dogs (the judges) to work degrading them. I've lost interest in the whole process. I want to see people with true talent not the same old same old screaming crap. Contestants that can't carry a tune. When they hit the high note can't handle it so they start screaming their lungs out. Screaming instead of singing don't do it for me. Can't understand a word they are signing sounds like they are saying the same word over and over. Hopefully someone like Susan Boyle will bring true voice control and talent back for listening pleasure. Sick of Simon's idea of true talent. He is getting filthy rich telling Americans what is great and what is not. The bad thing is Americans believe him and will do as he says.

[Veruka]

At one time I believed in Simon Cowell's talent shows AGT, AI, BGT, etc., However, after seeing what is happening with all of these shows I'm convinced it has nothing to do with talent. Simon Cowell controls who wins. Last year on AGT I noticed a disclaimer on RULES stating basically "the producer can count or not count the number of votes and has the right to change RULES without notice". That tells me if Simon's choice isn't showing up with the majority of votes he will just change them. Also, if a contestant is looking too popular with viewers he puts his dogs (the judges) to work degrading them. I've lost interest in the whole process. I want to see people with true talent not the same old same old screaming crap. Contestants that can't carry a tune. When they hit the high note can't handle it so they start screaming their lungs out. Screaming instead of singing don't do it for me. Can't understand a word they are signing sounds like they are saying the same word over and over. Hopefully someone like Susan Boyle will bring true voice control and talent back for listening pleasure. Sick of Simon's idea of true talent. He is getting filthy rich telling Americans what is great and what is not. The bad thing is Americans believe him and will do as he says.

I read somewhere that all talent contest/voting shows have the disclaimer about the producers altering the votes to protect them from any errors that are made in counting. Because the votes have to be processed and announced in a relatively short period of time, there is the possibility that due to some sort of malfunction, some votes would be cast which were not counted properly. By putting that disclaimer in there, if that happens and is discovered later, contestants don't have the recourse of saying they were ousted improperly. In other words, it's not in there so producers can say "Nah, we don't want him to win" but as a legal protection. I don't know for absolute certain that is the case, but it makese sense to me.

[pillbeam]

If Simon's choices were always the winners, then Taylor Hicks would never have won Season 5. While I'm a huge fan of Taylor, Simon certainly was not.

I do agree about Susan Boyle. Hopefully, her huge popularity will make singing with musical and lyrical precision popular again. I'm tired of the yelling by big-voiced singers.
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[Luvstruck]

Last year on AGT I noticed a disclaimer on RULES stating basically "the producer can count or not count the number of votes and has the right to change RULES without notice". That tells me if Simon's choice isn't showing up with the majority of votes he will just change them. Also, if a contestant is looking too popular with viewers he puts his dogs (the judges) to work degrading them.

Simon doesn't have the final say but "the producers" YES because whoever wins gets a recording contract and they want them to be successful!!!!! Some previous winners have been popular on the show but it has not translated to career success. Ruben & Clay come to mind. Ruben chose a gospel approach whereas Clay went pop so there was a bigger record buying audience for him. What happened to Fantasia, she's on broadway but you don't hear much about her or record sales? Look at Chris Daughtrey & Jennifer Hudson's sucess, I think the producers naturally want the person to win be the most "Marketable" so may determine the final results to whom they believe will represent IDOL best with their sucess.

[Blues Songstres]

That disclaimer has been on the credits since day 1 of the first season. It has nothing to do with the producers making a determination of who they want to win. It means that they will throw out any votes that they feel are questionable - power votes generated by computers, for instance. Somewhere a few years ago, I posted the actual wording. Will check to see if I can find it...

[AsIs]

Just a word about Susan Boyle. While she is a viral sensation right now. I don't think she will super successful. Yes, she has a great voice. But in all honesty, after the surprise wears off, she isn't the total package and I don't see her selling a lot after initial success.

And all the judges from the English show have said they initially thought she was a joke and have apologized to her.

Simon at his core is a business man. He wants a Idol that will be successful. He wants a show that is tops in the ratings. He wants to mold someone's career. His critiques are sometimes brutally honest. But the record business is not a reality show. Anyone who is successful will hear far worse in the music business. Sometimes I think he is tasteless, but most times he is spot on.

[TopCatDC]

Just a word about Susan Boyle. While she is a viral sensation right now. I don't think she will super successful. Yes, she has a great voice. But in all honesty, after the surprise wears off, she isn't the total package and I don't see her selling a lot after initial success.

And all the judges from the English show have said they initially thought she was a joke and have apologized to her.

Simon at his core is a business man. He wants a Idol that will be successful. He wants a show that is tops in the ratings. He wants to mold someone's career. His critiques are sometimes brutally honest. But the record business is not a reality show. Anyone who is successful will hear far worse in the music business. Sometimes I think he is tasteless, but most times he is spot on.

Yeah...but the Got Talent franchise is not about record sales. It's a bit more vaudeville-like with all sorts of acts. Which is precisely where a Susan Boyle can be brought out to the public.

True, Simon needs a new Il Divo. But he's not trying to find it on BGT, amoung the break dancers, child prodigys and belting hausfraus. Truth be told, someone like, say, David Cook wouldn't make much of an impression on that show.

[Arielflies]

And the goal of that show is to take the stage at the Royal Variety performance, not a recording contract. It is a place to pick up national interest, but being an ongoing moneymaking artist(s) doesn't seem to be the end product. Susan Boyle could achieve her goal of being a recording artist in the style of Eileen Page (sp) but not a top selling pop artist on the charts. That is all she wanted out of this, anyway.

AI is looking for a record selling pop artist. It is not the same set-up as the Talent shows. If you look over at Razorbacker's "Idol on the Charts" threads, you can guage how previous winners and others are doing in that respect. So Simon has to change hats when he darts back and forth from a Talent contest to a Singing contest. Apples and Oranges.

[TopCatDC]

And yet another shoe has dropped in the media buzz over Simon's plans regarding Idol. No less than the New York Times this morning turned it's reporter loose on the story with an interesting point of view and new quotes direct from Simon. You can read it here:

Will Simon Cowell Quit While He’s So Far Ahead?

Some tidbits:

• Simon: "When I signed the latest extension on ‘Idol’ through next season, it felt like that was going to be the right amount of time. It still feels right.”
• Simon: "It’s not negotiating. I have as good a relationship with the people from Fox as you possibly can have. They’ve become friends. I don’t bull them... I don’t want to get bored, and I don’t want the audience to get bored."
• At the moment Mr. Cowell appears on a hit television show virtually around the calendar: “X Factor” into “Idol” into “Britain’s Got Talent.” In May Mr. Cowell finishes “Idol” with a live show on a Wednesday night, then flies to London on Thursday to prepare to go on live the next night with “Got Talent.” Michael Davies, best known as a producer of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” who is also British, said, “In Britain, Simon is almost larger than the television business itself.”
• Mr. Cowell’s edge is owning two international hit shows. “Got Talent” is now in more than 40 countries, with “X Factor” in more than 20.
• “X Factor” is sitting in Mr. Cowell’s pocket with unrealized profit potential. He agreed in his most recent “Idol” contract that he would not sell that series in the United States. But if he does leave “Idol,” he said, he would be free to sell “X Factor” here — and appear on it.