Simon Cowell-related stories
Posted Jul 1st 2009 12:03PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Industry, American Idol, Celebrities, Judges
If Simon Cowell decides to stay in his judge's chair on
American Idol, he'll have to squeak along on a salary of more than $100 million.
The U.K. and U.S. tabloid press reports that
Cowell is negotiating for more than $140 million to return to
Idol. That's just a slight raise over the reported $36 million he made for sitting on his backside and ridiculing warbling wannabes last year.
Who knew being aggressively obnoxious and judgmental could pay off so well? (In fairness, his very successful work as a record executive might have played a little part in his success, too.)
Continue reading Cowell hunting a cash cow before returning to American Idol
Posted Jun 18th 2009 1:02PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities, British TV, America's Got Talent
Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle could jump from her runner-up appearance on
Britain's Got Talent to perform on the colonial remake,
America's Got Talent.
According to producers, they'd love
Boyle to sing in front of millions of U.S. viewers. There's no word if they'd consider changing the name of the show to
America's Got Talented, Frumpy 48 Year Old Scottish Women Who Had a Nervous Breakdown after Almost Winning the Overseas Show We're Ripping Off.
The self-confessed virgin had rarely stepped foot outside her village in Scotland before taking a shot at fame on ITV. But, her breakout performance made her an online sensation.
Continue reading Susan Boyle could appear on America's Got Talent
Posted Jun 9th 2009 6:07PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: American Idol, Celebrities, Contestants
American Idol runner-up
Adam Lambert is on the cover of the new Rolling Stone, and he reveals a lot of information. Eight things I learned:
1. He's gay.
2. He's "glamboyant." (To quote Liz Lemon, that's a thing now?)
3. He doesn't tuck.
4. He had a crush on Kris Allen.
5. He has only dressed in drag three or four times.
6. He's not a civil rights leader.
7. He had a "psychedelic experience" at Burning Man
8. Seriously, he's gay.
Posted Jun 5th 2009 2:03PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Music and Variety, Celebrities, British TV
In the never-ending soap opera bubbling around Susan Boyle, there are now multiple reports that an incorrect phone number issued on fan-produced YouTube promotional videos might have helped do in the Scottish singer on
Britain's Got Talent.
Producers denied the whole mess Thursday, but reports say YouTube clips made by Boyle's suddenly erupting fan base showed the voting
phone numbers for her rivals. If Boyle fans called those numbers, she didn't receive the votes -- creating the possibility that she fell into second place behind the dance group Diversity by user error.
So, those fans are screaming McFoul and calling for everything from an investigation to a new vote. None of the above will happen, as producers already indicated the final result will stand.
Continue reading Incorrect YouTube posts cast shadow over Boyle's defeat
Posted Jun 3rd 2009 1:27PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: American Idol, Judges, News and Gossip
Get on your craziest costume and ask your mom again if you really, really can sing because it's time to start the process of making an ass of yourself on national television all over again. Only this time, the crazies who go to the first round of auditions won't get the chance to sing in front of the judges until a callback sometime later this summer. That's because while they want to get the audition process under way,
American Idol doesn't know if they're bringing back Paula Abdul or Kara DioGuardi.
I wonder if this move will keep some of the crazies away. Now you're looking at two entirely separate trips just to look stupid on television. Will it still be worth it? Sure, the local crazies will still come out, but what about the travelers? It is interesting to note that
Idol is changing the process up this much due to contract questions. That must mean that they're really not sure about one or both of the women's return to the show. DioGuardi was on a one-year deal, while Abdul's multi-year contract ended this season.
Continue reading American Idol to hold auditions sans judges while mulling fates of Abdul, DioGuardi
Posted Jun 1st 2009 8:23PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities, British TV
It's fair to say plans to transform Susan Boyle's overnight celebrity into a performing and recording career are on hold now that the singer is reportedly hospitalized for exhaustion following her runner-up finish on
Britain's Got Talent.
According to multiple British news
reports, Boyle suffered a severe anxiety attack after
her internationally viewed defeat on the show. Police were called to Boyle's hotel this weekend and assessed the 48-year-old Scottish contestant under the U.K.'s Mental Health Act. She was taken to an area clinic for treatment.
At first glance, this looks like a simple instance of "too much, too soon" for an individual thrust into the spotlight before she was really ready for the attention. But, the case is getting serious now that British authorities are planning to investigate
Britain's Got Talent's producers for allowing Boyle to perform in the show's finale when they allegedly knew she wasn't coping well.
Continue reading Susan Boyle treated for exhaustion after Talent defeat
Posted May 31st 2009 9:41AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Music and Variety, Celebrities, British TV
She dreamed a dream, but Susan Boyle's rags to riches attempt to win the top prize on
Britain's Got Talent came up just short this weekend.
Diversity, a dance troupe, edged out the Scot on the season's climactic episode. Her seemingly tragic and unjust end seems almost poetically concocted as Boyle sang "I Dream a Dream" for her final number on the show (the same song that stunned audiences the night she appeared on the scene).
But, Boyle was gracious in defeat, offering a nod to the young performers who beat her out: "They're very entertaining. Lads, I wish you all the best."
Her defeat comes after a week of controversy as Boyle allegedly laid into multiple reported victims with
expletive laced tirades. Her behavior offered the British tabloid press the perfect opportunity to claim she was cracking under the pressure and was out of her depth as a performer. No one will ever know for sure if that bad press cost her the crown.
Continue reading Boyle's bubble burst as she comes up short on Britain's Got Talent
Posted May 23rd 2009 9:02AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities
Experts say one of every three adults experiences depression periodically in a lifetime. If a recent interview in the U.K.'s
Daily Mail is on the level, it looks like Simon Cowell could use a prescription or two.
According to the interview,
Cowell confesses he's "quite odd" and subject to "dark moods" that come on for no reason.
That could just be a celebrity waxing philosophical, but if you look up the basic
symptoms of clinical depression, it sounds like Cowell is ticking off a checklist. He admits that he avoids social contact for days on end and avoids pleasurable activities. It's almost as if he's calling for an intervention.
Continue reading Reality giant Simon Cowell confesses to 'black moods'
Posted May 22nd 2009 9:05AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: American Idol, Watercooler Talk, Ratings, Judges
The week before the
American Idol gigantic-mahunga-godzilla two-hour-plus finale aired, Simon Cowell predicted it would be a
"ding-dong finale." Of course, that brilliant prognostication was hype personified, but Simon did his job. The finale drew 28.8 million viewers. Ironically, the buzz in the biz when those figures were revealed skewed it as a bad thing.
It was the lowest-rated American Idol finale ever. But it still drew a tremendous amount of eyeballs, so why is it being characterized as a flop?
The answer is simply this:
American Idol is competing with itself. It's expected to exceed its highs year after year, and generally speaking in television, that just doesn't happen. Older shows decline, and yes, even superhits like American Idol can't stay on top forever. Look at
ER or
CSI.
Continue reading American Idol's finale was a flop?
Posted May 21st 2009 12:22AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Music and Variety, Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Alumni, Performances, Host
At long last, the season 8 finale of American Idol has arrived! It's been fun watching all of the Idols grow in their musical prowess (that's a Paula word), especially Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, the final two performers who couldn't be more different, but are both awesome in their own way.
Ryan started things off by introducing the judges, along with a funny video clip for each of them -- Randy Jackson saying "For Me" throughout the season; Kara DioGuardi saying "sweetie" and "honey" to people who didn't make it past the audition process; Paula's round-up of colorful adjectives (vocal prowess, masterful and effortless, palette, etc.); and Simon's issues with hearing what people say (as in, he could probably use a hearing aid!).
Continue reading American Idol: We have a winner!
Posted May 20th 2009 12:13AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: American Idol, Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Performances, Host
"Two are left standing, but only one can take it all." Seacrest breaks it down for us this evening, just in case there was anyone who didn't know what was going on. Each contestant is performing three songs tonight: a song that they've already performed on the show, one chosen by Idol producer Simon Fuller, and the winner's single, co-written by judge Kara DioGuardi.
And what a winner's single it is. Hoo boy. I had no idea a song could be that awful. It truly plumbs the depths and nearly ruins the entire night. Luckily, the guys have two previous performances that hopefully people will remember instead of the final one. Because, wow. Just, wow.
Continue reading American Idol: Finale part 1 - Adam and Kris perform
Posted May 18th 2009 7:06PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Music and Variety, Celebrities
This is either worldwide
Britain's Got Talent singing sensation Susan Boyle or Three Stooges star Larry Fine in a dress. Not sure which. An American woman is selling these
homemade doll replicas of Boyle. I wonder if she's going to start selling a post-makeover version?
Posted May 15th 2009 7:06PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: American Idol, Watercooler Talk, Contestants, Alumni
Attention, Rosie O'Donnell: Simon Cowell promised that next week's
American Idol will be a ding-dong finale. Break out the Drake's Cakes! Actually, Simon wasn't referring to Rosie's favorite chocolate cake treat, he was using perhaps the strangest euphemism he could come up with to hype the finale which he anticipates -- and rightfully so -- a great showdown between two singers who could both be deservedly crowned the winner of
American Idol.
Adam Lambert vs. Kris Allen might seem like a heavyweight versus a bantam weight, one guy who's already been splashed on magazine covers -- last week's Entertainment Weekly -- as the presumptive champ, while the other was nearly knocked on his butt by the judge's song choice that was so bad that Simon faulted Kara and Randy for setting him up to fail.
Continue reading Anticipating a ding dong American Idol finale
Posted May 14th 2009 12:22AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Music and Variety, Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Alumni, Performances, Host, Predictions and Trends, Episode Reviews
It's getting down to the wire, and all three of the remaining contestants are certainly talented enough to be crowned the next
American Idol. While I've been an Adam Lambert fan all along, I'd be fine with whomever wins this season.
Things start off tonight with the Ford commercial, kind of a fun little cartoon-oriented ad with Adam, Danny and Kris singing "Break My Stride." It must be really fun to see yourself as a cartoon/comic book character.
Continue reading American Idol: 1 of 3 goes home
Posted May 13th 2009 12:18AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: American Idol, Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Performances, Host
We open up with a shot of the three finalists: Danny, Adam and Kris. Doesn't it make you kind of sad? I don't want a finale with three dudes -- I want Allison back! She should be standing up there instead of Gokey, and she probably would be if the judges didn't have some weird fascination with him.
In any case, Ryan informs us it's the 300th episode and that we should stand up for the top 3. No thank you, sir. This is also the episode in which the finalists sing two songs, one of which is chosen by the judges. I already know what Gokey is singing, because
Paula Tweeted it earlier today. NOT THAT SHE'S BIASED OR ANYTHING. Hey Paula, what are the other guys singing? Huh? What was that? <crickets>.
Continue reading American Idol: Top 3 perform
Next Page >
Seven greatest hand cannons in TV history
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
