Simon Cowell and Leona Lewis on the Oprah Winfrey Show – Video

To the contrary, Taylor is every bit as talented as little d. I still believe that the marketing genuises messed him up. They – meaning, Simon, Paula and Randy say, America always gets it right. I didn’t watch his interviews because his comments on Taylor from mjs posting, was a complete turnoff.

Oops, need to correct my English. It should say, his comments were a complete turnoff.

I still maintain that Simon is an unbelievably musically ignorant person…and as long as his standard of “excellence” is the Mariah type singers, then anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of these unrecognizable. pop pablum type singers will be all that AI turns out and AI eventually will crash and burn.

Jordan is as every bit as good as Leona…but simply is just not as “perfectly sized” as Leona….but both leave me cold.

Looks like Simon’s been watching the iTunes popularity bars just like the rest of us. :wink_wp:

Has the de-pimping of Michael Johns and Carly Smithson started already?

That little girl’s story was touching. Good for Simon.

I really enjoyed Leona’s performance.

Thanks for the vids, MJ and Lawrence!

The power of Simon and Oprah: Leona’s Bleeding Love is now #1 on iTunes.

At least Simon’s more aware of what’s going on in the show, unlike Randy and Paula who picked Archuleta, Carly, Michael, and Brooke. But then again, Simon made some predictions around this stage during Season 5 (about Taylor, Chris, and Kellie being the Top 3) and was 1 for 3.

With respect to:

he says, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“very very happyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with the competition.

From the 3/12 Headline thread:

He told The Sun: “To be honest with you I’m really not enjoying the current American Idol season. It actually reminds me of the last X Factor series we did. It’s just a bit dull.”

This guy changes his mind faster than … than.. well something that changes really f’n fast!

Well, sniff.

I gotta hand it to Simon. He wears his candor well. I never knew giving felt so good. doh. lol at Simon.

Didn’t bother to listen to Leona. Heard one, heard ‘em all.

Simon’s very happy they finally saw a ratings increase. And I’m sure the top 4 are the top 4 in iTunes sales as well. Simon really suffers from the “parents who love you only when you succeed” thing. If any of TCOs stop selling dls, he’ll have some new favorites pronto.

Simon the “talented guy” yes Daughtry was a better fit for “pop” music.. The guy who was the best singer was Elliott. He was just upset that his guys lost and he would say the same if someone else one instead..

I really like Leona. *ducks flying objects* Love “Bleeding Love” and from what I’ve heard of the UK version of her CD, “Take A Bow.” The rest of it kind of all blends together though. And, I still think Kelly and Carrie > her.

The power of Simon and Oprah: Leonaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Bleeding Love is now #1 on iTunes.

Haha, and if there was a number higher than 1, she’d probably hit it. I’ll be curious to see her download numbers next week!

I’m glad to hear Simon mentioning David Cook and Jason as frontrunners now, too.

Thanks MJ and Lawrence!

Interesting interview concerning AI. I’d have to say that I agree with Simon at this point.

I don’t get how Simon takes credit for Chris D considering he passed on him during the auditions. I think he said he didn’t see Chris as a standalone star and had no charisma. Simon is a freaking Bandwagon Betty.

Simon loved Chris once the show started airing. It’s too soon for even Simon to pick the winners. It’s still all about song choice and what’s up can fall and vice versa.

Remember, Simon also basks in the glow of a golden Oscar won by Jennifer Hudson — someone he was not particularly fond of when she was an actual contestant.

He very much falls into the tired old “what have you done for me lately” camp.

1. AI IS a popularity contest. Always. Every year. People like and dislike contestants for tons of reasons that have nothing to do with singing. The show is designed to pull the viewer in from every angle.

2. Simon seems to equate “talent” with “marketability in the current pop marketplace.” They aren’t the same thing.

Last week there was paparazzi video (TMZ maybe?) where when asked who his favorite was and Simon named Carly. I suspect he named the four he did today not necessarily because they’re actually his favorites, but more than likely are leading the pack in votes and iTunes sales.

Simon probably looked at the lates itunes chart before he went on Oprah..lol.. David A, Jason, Brooke and Cook are 1-4 in that order. And all 4 have 2 songs in the top 10 idol songs.

Actually I don’t know if Leona is edgy or trendy enough for the states, so I am not sure about her marketablity. I do think she has a good voice. Better than Kelly, debatable, not imho. More malleable than Kelly probably so. I just don’t see anything fresh with her.

Simon was right about Daughtry, he makes a better frontman for a band and might not have the same success as a solo artist. With the band it works. He also is allowed his preferences. Just because he didn’t truly get Taylor doesn’t mean that Taylor wasn’t talented. Even Simon admits that. I also hate the America got it wrong crap, because, they don’t get it wrong. Funny thing is if Simon has his way there would have been no DAUGHTRY, or Taylor. This talent search is really like finding a needle in the haystack anyway. You can never be 100 percent sure who will soar and who won’t.

Finally who my favorite is and who I think will win is not always the same. Taylor was my favorite in season 5, but I didn’t always think he would win. Once Daughtry was booted was when I began to believe it was possible.

Mj, you are indeed correct talent and marketability are not synonymous. Simon isn’t the only one to get that confused.

I didn’t enjoy Leona Lewis at all. That song was boring. Her voice had nothing unique about it. She sounds like anybody else who can do all those runs. Syesha has a more unique voice than she does.

I found it interesting that Simon watches the dress rehearsal on the tv in his trailer before the show, so he does have some idea of what they’re going to do when the competition starts.

He said this year has the most talented crew and last year’s was the least talented. Don’t remind me. I thought I was gonna die. He said they knew they had to step it up this year or Idol would lose its popularity.

Oh, btw, Simon might be an ass sometimes, but once again proves his heart is in the right place. That little girl and her family do need a guardian angel. It sucks that in this country you have to worry about keeping your house when your baby could be dying and that it takes a damn stranger to bail you out. I guess if their names were Bear Stearns they would have gotten the help they needed from their government.

mj Mar 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
…
2. Simon seems to equate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“marketability in the current pop marketplace.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  They arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the same thing.

You are exactly right.

Yep, remember when Peter Noone said something to that effect last year and Simon looked pissed? LOL.

I posted this in the daily news thread, but probably belongs here.

Hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the top 10 downloads at this moment (sorted by popularity bar):

1. Imagine – David A
2. Hallelujah- Jason
3. Hello – David C
4. Let it Be – Brooke
5. Eleanor Rigby- David C

fairly large gap

6. Love is a Battlefield – Brooke
7. Come Together – Carly
8. If I Fell – Jason
9. Another Day in Paradise – David A
10. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a Woman – Chikeze

Two top 10s for the four Simon mentioned (two top 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s for David C!) and one appearance by Carly and Chikeze respectively.

Michael Johns and Danny Noriega are the only others to break top 20.

I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s safe to say that unless something drastic happens (which is always possible), our top six will be David A, David C, Jason, Brooke, Carly, and Michael. Chikeze could potentially knock one of them out if he continues to bring it every week like he did last Tues, especially if one of them falters a couple weeks in a row.

Simon seems to equate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“marketability in the current pop marketplace.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  They arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the same thing.
Amen sister MJ. My hope is that the new swing of more earnest talent (not top 40) will have an effect on the current music scene and we’ll see more “original” music (too many artists to mention). I think that Season 7 has proven that people are looking for something a litte different, e.g. Brooke White, Jason Castro. I have to admit that I’m Hooked after thinking that AI5 was the be all and end all.

Oh drats your server timed out.
Oprah gained weight???

pj – Thanks for that. That’s a time-consuming project, I’m thinking. I’ve tried looking up the numbers, and it’s not easy.

Simon really has a big heart and he probably does more that we don’t hear about.

pj – Thanks for that. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a time-consuming project, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve tried looking up the numbers, and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not easy.

I did a search on American Idol Performance and all of the performances are listed. Then I clicked the popularity bar to sort them. Is that how you did it PJ?

I haven’t been paying enough attention to iTunes popularity. What Simon says about contestants is always interesting, because he does tend to pluck out the most popular when he name checks later in the competition.

In the past Dial Idol was a reliable indicator. But this little iTunes trick is better.

No problem, sciencefan, but these aren’t real numbers. Just a popularity bar on iTunes. Took 5 minutes, tops.

I did a search on American Idol Performance and all of the performances are listed. Then I clicked the popularity bar to sort them. Is that how you did it PJ?

Yes, that’s exactly how I did it, MJ. Fun little tool, isn’t it? Take that TPTB for not letting them chart. :tongue3_tb:

I’m sorry but comparing Jordin to Leona is like comparing night to day…the quality/tone of Leona is up there with the best..yes jordin’s voice is great, but lacks the presence Leona’s has. plus jordin’s fat.

Simon- duh, we know taylor sucks. but because he has, uh, “soul” and crazy voting fans he won. who cares. he will be a ruben by next year…actually he already is. he would be great for senior citizen idol imo….or maybe retro idol. i dunno, i just dont like the guy…especially how he based idol after he won. that pretty much put the nail in my coffin for him. (i always agree with simon.)

third- I thought just last week there was an article posted on here about how simon wasn’t happy with the talent this season, comparing it to last year’s boring X-factor??? huh…interesting….i personally get so excited this season that i spaz out about 5 min before the show airs.

BEETLES AGAIN!- they should let them sing any beetles song this time…i heard david h. picked let it be as a first choice but didnt get it…if they are stuck with another list of 25 songs and someone i like goes because of not getting the song they want, i’m gon be pissed.

*crosses fingers* go david a!- i still stick to my guns he sells huge after his V.

abbysee, you rock for making that comment. I have to say that the story of that little girl and her family really hit me hard. I cannot imagine what that family is going through. I was hit with breast cancer a second time and had a double mastectomy in December, but I’m one of the lucky ones who has fantastic health benefits and sick time. I don’t know how I would have gotten through that if I had to worry about how I was going to be pay for treatment, my mortgage and my bills. So good for Simon.

And what is going on with Simon and Carly? Last week he couldn’t remember her name and this week he doesn’t even mention her at all on OPRAH!! Hmmmmmmmmmm. Not that I”m upset about it. The sooner she goes, the happier I’ll be.

Leona. Zzzz.

mj Mar 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pm

Leona. Zzzz.

Virtual high five on THAT one.

I’m not a Simon hater but I’m sure not a fan as I feel he worships money and power. He is rude and crude to say the least. We are loosing our manners in this country and now we have someone on TV weekly that displays very bad manners on what is billed as a family show. Teenagers today need someone else as a role model IMO. A little snark and creative criticism is okay but rudeness does not make a nice person. I’m glad he helped someone who needed it but all people with money usually give to charity as it helps them on taxes. Besides the tax help doing it on Oprah sure gave AI( and Simon’s pocketbook) a boost. I must be in a bad mood today as Simon on Oprah was just too much. :sad_tb:

The power of Simon and Oprah: Leonaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Bleeding Love is now #1 on iTunes.

Simon and Leona managed that all on their own. She hit #1 on iTunes for the first time last night, lost it for a while, but regained it this morning.

Oprah will no doubt help it stay there even longer.

Blender recently speculated that it could take as much as $700K in “marketing” payments to even have a mid-sized hits. That’s a lot of iTunes songs you have to sell to recoup that. I wonder how much it costs for a HUGE hit.

Blender – 20 Biggest Record Company Screw-Ups of All Time

(BTW Carly ranks in at number 15)

(BTW Carly ranks in at number 15)

heh heh heh.

and WHY did I change my overall pick from Cook to MJ? DANG IT!

prime, I changed mine from David A to Carly. Still think she has a better shot than MJ, though. :tongue1_tb:

ETA: Thanks for the Blender link, Kirsten. I’m glad to see the “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” fiasco made the list, as I’m a big fan of Jeff Tweedy and the gang.

You know every time I read one of those articles about Carly’s failed record deals, I just feel sorrier for her. It must have taken a lot of guts to put herself out in the public eye after being proclaimed such a failure.

Also, please note: Clive’s “trip” to J Records and back was #16 on the list.

dukesterathlete, jordin sparks is not fat. that is ridiculous.

also, re: itunes ranking – if sorting by popularity gives you the ranking…then what’s the order they show up in when you search?

Vixen, I agree. Not a huge fan of her music, but I like Jordin alot and think she’s a lovely young woman.

Plus, it’s the Beatles, not Beetles. Sigh.

Did anyone else notice that it looked like Simon spent about 3 days in the Mystic tan and about 12 hours whitening his teeth?

ETA: Primeminister, I went back and forth like 30 minutes before the results show last week, trying to decide who to change my overall pick to. I’d had it on Michael Johns, but I was pretty much giving up on him and was trying to decide between the obvious (David A) and the dark horse (David C). I went with my personal fave, which might come back to bite me in the ass, as my fave has never won, but you never know. There’s a first time for everything.

The one I hope wins is the little girl..she and her parents are true American Idols.

It makes me sad that so many are talking about Taylor, jordan etc. When the most important thing about the show only a few have said anything. The one I hope wins is the little girl..she and her parents are true American Idols.

No chastising, or judging your fellow posters’ opinions.

This blog is about American Idol. Talk about Simon, Taylor, Jordin, Season 7 contestants etc. is COMPLETELY on topic in this thread, and should continue.

Thank you.

Sorry…tried to fix it.

Leona – way too dramatic for me. Female singers who keep running their fingers through their hair bug me. So how many dollar signs does Simon see when he looks at her? And, yes, he’s pretty damn tan.

I agree with Simon. Although each season is typically a popularity contest, Taylor’s record label/management failed him. If you package anything the right way, it’ll sell. Or maybe the label was just lazy and expected Taylor to fit a mold instead of creating one that would better suit him. Chris was basically what they were looking for. Taylor was more like a “project”. lol

And as for Leona, I’m really not that crazy for “Bleeding Love”. The first time I heard it was a really long time ago and I remember that I didn’t love it. But her song “Yesterday” on her album has become one of my favorite ballads. I LOVE. It has a tiny “We Belong Together” vibe (a.k.a. simple, smooth melody backing a huge, powerhouse voice).

Regarding Simon’s picks, those are practically no-brainers. Although Brooke & Jason are great singers, they seem to only be able to tackle one type of genre: folkie, mellow songs. They’re good, but they seem to have ZERO versatility. I think the term is “one-trick pony”.

Regarding Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s picks, those are practically no-brainers. Although Brooke & Jason are great singers, they seem to only be able to tackle one type of genre: folkie, mellow songs. Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re good, but they seem to have ZERO versatility. I think the term is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“one-trick ponyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

Eh, we have a lot of competition left for both of them to prove themselves. Besides, what’s wrong with having a musical identity? Seems to have worked out for Kellie Pickler who couldn’t handle theme nights.

Besides, Jason did a pretty good job with Andy Gibb. Of all the folksy songs from the seventies, I gotta believe he was thrown a curve with that one. Yet he managed to do it in his own style. He was a lot better than most of the kids on BeeGees (I know Andy is not Bee Gees, but still) night last season.

IMO-What does not make sence aabout Simons -Daughtry argument is this Chris came in 4th place not second..

The point is this Katherine and Elliott were also ahead of CD which means he would of leaped frogged them also in vote totals? Does that mean the public also got it wrong they also got thier because they were popular, not as talented ? I think the public would disagree..

Chris Daughtry has moved on unlike Simon and seems quite intent and seems allot more gracefull.

I think this is old news and wondered why Ophra braught it up it seems unlike her more a springer question. Then I do never liked Ophra;s show.

Forgot to add-

Lamens terms—people also voted for KAt and Elliott more than Chris D..Imo-thier voters would not of got it wrong either by the senario of them winning or more votes.
Chris D does not want to be even braught into this mess either probably.

IMO=I wish season 5 that thier would be a spell so fans and AI would forget this nonscence and just be happy…then Simon would have one less thing to snark about.

Blechhhh. Lip synching really picks my a**. She isn’t even an American Idol. Why do we care about her again?

Besides, Jason did a pretty good job with Andy Gibb.

I like everything Jason has done on the show so far, but it is his “I, I just wanna be your everything…” that I recently found myself humming the most often. Heh.

Skylight, I couldn’t have said it better! His comments were a turnoff. Before Season 6, Simon was OK by me. The auditions for that season made me dislike Simon very much, and it continues.

The point is this Katherine and Elliott were also ahead of CD which means he would of leaped frogged them also in vote totals? Does that mean the public also got it wrong they also got their because they were popular, not as talented ? I think the public would disagree..

Why does Simon keep forgetting about Kat and Elliott every time he talks about Chris D.? The American public got it right because WE are the ones who should be selecting the winner. I enjoyed Taylor. poporange is telling it like it is.

MJ, right on!

Does anyone find it coincidental that Simon appears on Oprah the day that “Dancing With the Stars” starts their NEW season? In my time zone, AI will be competing with DWTS for 1/2 hour on Tuesday! Not fair.

Well, it’s not like DWTS hasn’t gotten press in many, many other places over the weekend, and yesterday.

I didn’t even watch DWTS last night. I was out celebrating St Patty’s Day with my brother and SIL. But I will be watching AI tonight!!

I couldn’t even listen to Leona’s performance all the way thru. She looks like Simon’s girlfriend. I agree that Simon just hops on the bandwagon. If you recall his comments to Taylor season 5, there were PLENTY of performances he praised. Simon liked, for the most part, the slower songs: Something, You Are So Beautiful, Trouble, In the Ghetto. He did not like the faster ones. He even told him during the semi-finals that he had received more positive comments about Taylor than any of the others. I said back then that I had a feeling Taylor didn’t want to be a mega pop star, but just to be able to make money making music and having people come to see him play. I thought he’d be happy w/ an indy/smaller club/Ray LaMontaygne sort of career. Seems that just what he’s going for. He nailed that season – never in the bottom 3. Oh – and Jordin isn’t fat. She’s just not skeletal.

I watched the DWTS clips at rickey’s…that Christian dela Fuente is a charmer. Hee! Unfortunately, Cheryl Burke has got her work cut out for her.

All pies being thrown at me…Chris D am happy for his post Idol career which he worked hard .The simple reason do not blame the voters ,or the general non-fan public what if a contestsnt had just “A Bad Day”. Anything can happen thats life.

Simon Cowell(he is human) -I like him he is just business savy. Which means he finds the “act” that will best fit the market the point in time. He has fovorites and creates a stir to get the attention for the show .Simon -pet project right now is Leona and Paul.

The whole should of won thing or comments from peeps(not here on this blog)I just find confusing it the show is over..Thier on thier own and some will do better get the morea ttention attention . I may not agree but why thats life.

I finally got to watch the videos. Yay! That was nice of Simon to help. The little girl’s story got me all teary-eyed. I hope she gets better.

I initially didn’t care much for Leona’s Bleeding Love, but as I hear it repeatedly, I’m liking it more and more. I think Leona is very beautiful.

Poporange I feel Simon’s pet project has always been Simon. He IMO is a very self centered person. Business savvy and worships money and success. Said he’d never marry as he’s afraid someone might get some of his money. He buys lavish auto’s in fact Ryan said on his radio show that Simon called him and asked him to come over to a dealership and take pictures of him driving his new car of the lot. It was one of the most expensive auto’s made. It cost more than twice what that families home cost. I am really happy this family was helped but I don’t see Simon as much of a good samaritan. Sorry he just rubs me the wrong way always has,I’m sure he makes for good TV rating. I didn’t like it when Oprah said he just says what people think and don’t say. She is wrong IMO most people aren’t that rude even in their thoughts.

Often, it is after Simon’s cruel evaluations that the contestant feels the full effect. If anyone has been watching AI Rewind, we keep hearing how each contestant was moved or deflated by what Simon says. It saddens me that Simon can be like this.

Another thing, Simon needs some music history lessons. He should be familiar with EVERY single genre! At times, he appears very foolish – something Randy and Paula pick up quite easily. Could he be faking his lack of knowledge just for ratings sake?

DWTS did beat AI in the ratings with their Finale. There may be some surprises with the cool lineup DWTS has. I’ll be watching and taping AI. It is my favorite show! I have a smaller TV set to peek at the other show. lol.