Simon Cowell on Ellen Degeneres. Oh Wait…

This doesn’t surprise me. Simon doesn’t want anybody but Simon to get any credit/press for AI. He’s always been and always will be only about Simon.

Ooo. This could be interesting. I’m anxiously awaiting Simon’s first statement. I bet his nose is out of place, and he also knows that Ellen isn’t going to take his dismissiveness the way Paula did.

Best comment: David C.

I am continually amazed/impressed with how he always manages to strike the right tone and yet still say something of substance. Guy should be a diplomat, he’s a natural.

I think Simon is pretty loyal to Paula. It makes sense to me to wait a few days before endorsing someone who has taken your friends place. I also think he might actually enjoy the challenge of mixing it up with Ellen. It won’t be boring for him this season I have a feeling.

When I saw Simon on Ellen’s show, I really got the sense that they liked each other a lot. She would laughingly call him out whenever he was a bit too “mean”. I think she definitely would be able to soften Simon’s critiques. She’s got a quick wit and would keep Simon on his toes. I certainly agree she would never be Simon Cowell’s dupe.

I would cringe when I saw how easily Simon could throw off Paula’s concentration, making her look like a fool most of the time. I know many thought Paula was on her game this past season, but I found her to be annoying from Top 13 on. She seemed very scripted this year to me. I think she exasperated Simon on several occassions, telling Danny over and over: “see you in the finals.” She seemed more agenda-driven season 9, harder-edged. I didn’t like it. Even with her goof last year with Jason Castro, I felt she was much sweeter, kinder then.

Perhaps the joking at the judges’ table won’t be so childish or have that “inside” joke feel about it. Maybe the viewing audience, the people that count, might finally be entertained as well, rather than wondering what the hell is going on with those idiots.

Simon being silent doesn’t surprise me. He probably isn’t happy with his “buddy/pet/schoolmate” being replaced.

Seems like Paula might go with Simon to the UK and help with the X-Factor. Hmmm. http://www.popcrunch.com/paula-abdul-joining-the-x-factor/

During David’s concert Thursday night he said some really nice words too. Really talked up how much he loves her and encouraged people to support her. Class act right there.

I think Simon is pretty loyal to Paula. It makes sense to me to wait a few days before endorsing someone who has taken your friends place.

ITA. I actually think Simon has always liked Ellen but this current situation is a whole different ballgame. As much as a lot of joking around went on during the show I think he’s still sad to see Paula gone.

The Victoria Beckham comment made me think of Alison8701′s joke the other night in the Bridgeport thread. (didn’t want to anyway, *hands in pockets* *kicks rock*)

Every time I think of that whole Victoria Beckham possibility, I am profoundly grateful for Ellen. Sorry. VB just bugs me.

Whatever.Simon still rocks.I wish we had paula but if I had to choose anyone I would choose ellen…

I really dislike Simon. I don’t care if he said that David Cook was one of the most sincere, honest contestants ever. I knew that without Simon’s affirmation. That he came out and said it only made me laugh at his ineptitude because it was obvious for weeks that there was not one thing fake about David Cook. I just don’t ever need Simon to affirm anything I already know. I lol heartily at his entitlement. I think Simon believes he’s entitled to the only opinion..makes me lmao actually.

I dunno. I can’t see them leaving Simon out of the discussions of this. I also think Simon and Ellen are friends. My guess is that it’s more like someone else said… Simon is waiting a few days out of respect for Pauler. But who knows?

I heard some speculation that it was Simon who suggested Ellen as a possible replacement for Paula as a result of his being on Ellen’s show. Can’t remember exactly where I saw it, but I do recall it was supposedly from an “inside” source. Anyway, it was reported the idea was 100% on AI’s end and that they approached her “out of the blue.”

It took Simon a few days before we heard anything from him after Paula’s tweet about leaving Idol, and that was just a quick soundbite from Denver, so it doesn’t surprise me yet that we haven’t publicly heard from him. All signs point to him getting along well with Ellen outside of Idol…so don’t at this time think it will be like the reception that Kara got.

I think Simon is pretty loyal to Paula. It makes sense to me to wait a few days before endorsing someone who has taken your friends place

This makes sense. Booo! I want drama. I want Simon all pouty and rude!

From USA Today:

The caring part of DeGeneres’ personality thrills MJ Santilli of Idol staple MJ’s Big Blog. “She can fulfill the role of (a judge) who connects with contestants,” she says. “But other than offering platitudes and a joke or two, I’m not sure she can bring anything really substantive.”

Hey MJ it says you are “thrilled” with Ellen! Thrilled!!!

I think someone has to ask Simon in order for him to have a comment. When have we known Simon to be shy about anything. If he was unhappy he’d make some cryptic comment about carrots being turned into carrot cake. So, I think it is more likely that no one has caught up with him since the announcement to get a comment.

That’s an interesting description of our blogmistresses’ assessment in USA Today. I would hardly call that quote the words of someone who is “thrilled.” Did they bother to read the quote before they insterted it?

Heh heh. Cookie said “nor.”

I heard some speculation that it was Simon who suggested Ellen as a possible replacement for Paula as a result of his being on Ellen’s show.

Yes, it said in one of the articles (don’t recall which one, there have been so many) that this plan actually began brewing months ago when Simon made the suggestion that Ellen be considered if Paula didn’t return. I think if Paula read and believed that she would consider it a real slap in the face, since negotiations were still ongoing at that point.

Hey M.J. it says you are ‘thrilled’  with Ellen! Thrilled!!!

Very odd! That’s not exactly the impression I got from what MJ has said in the blog.

Yeah, like a poster above said, at the David Cook concert in San Diego on Thursday he said Ellen was one of the nicest people he has ever met, and that he wants us all to really support her in her role as the new 4th judge….

…I love David Cook, but that may be asking for a *bit* much.. hehe

wow, mj … you REALLY don’t like Ellen do you? How many more “headlines” are we gonna see on this? whatevs …

I can’t see Simon being caring about Paula’s feelings…I just don’t see any concern in him other than for himself. I can, however, see him holding off responding if it was his idea in the first place. He’d want to feel everything out and then portray himself in the best light. Yep, that’s the only thing I can see him doing.

I don’t know about MJ’s feelings about Ellen. I do believe she’s concerned about AI judges is all. I’d be happier if they’d all gtfo. I’m unconcerned actually who they are.

Well, as I said in a discussion that has fallen much further down the page:

I suppose if Oprah can pick the next President, then Ellen can pick the next American Idol.

My guess is Simon loves Ellen as a person, but not as a judge. He doesn’t want to hurt Ellen’s feelings. If he lies and approves of it, then he can hurt Paula.

To me, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but y’all are generally more intuitive about this stuff than I am. Like when the concert started late- I thought y’all were overreacting.

Maybe Simon thinks Ellen’ll be a party pooper. Like, chide him for being too rude. Paula kind of did, but Ellen might be a bit stern about it.

I’m becoming a bit bored with the Ellen thing. It’s becoming more about the judges than the contestants.

Well….we can finally say goodbye to all the gay jokes, thank god. I was sick to death of Simon and Ryan’s homophobic exchanges. It was SO 7th grade. Simon’ll have to grow up now – no more drawing on faces with crayon, or ‘pulling the girls braids in school’. It will be interesting to see where Ellen gets seated ‘“ don’t you think? Does Kara move to Paula’s seat so Simon will have someone to play with? ‘Cause Ellen will smack him down hard the minute he steps over the line. She’s gentle – but firm as hell when confronted. Simon will look like a right fool if he takes her on the way he so often did Paula. Ellen’s not one to be bullied.

AI definitely got my attention with this one. Shocked the hell out of me too. Great way to shake up the franchise.

Just wondering out loud…Ellen will certainly bring her own demographic into the show. What exactly is that demographic? And I wonder if that new demographic would end up affecting the outcome of the vote?

Meaning Ellen brings in a new crop of viewers, these viewers have certain tastes, and will end up voting for that contestant that suits their tastes.

Just things that make you go Hmmmm…

you REALLY don’t like Ellen do you? How many more ‘headlines’  are we gonna see on this? whatevs ‘ ¦

Not to speak for her, but I don’t think mj hates Ellen personally. I think mj loves this cheesy show (as per the title of this blog) and resents things that muck it up. And she’s been quite clear, and I agree 110% that the four judges format bugs her, that it takes away time that should be used for the contestants, ya know, singing. Which ya know, should be the point of the show. That the show last year was too much about the judges and their crap and not enough about the singing, and that with keeping four judges, whomever they would be, is going to continue this crappy trend.

The fourth judge being Ellen who sucked, in her (and mine as well, for the record) as a judge on SYTYCD and being a celebrity judge who will probably make it even more about her, isn’t something she’s a fan of. Not to mention that Ellen having absolutely ZERO musical experience and credibility, also lessens the show, which isn’t personal or disliking Ellen. It’s, again, liking this cheesy show and not being fond of fuckery that can take it off the rails. It’s nothing personal to Ellen or hating her.

Again, this is just my take on mj from what I’ve observed, which I could be all wrong with, because I’m not mj.

As for my view on this? Yeah, Simon’s probably not too thrilled about the choice and if he wasn’t let in on it? he’s probably even less thrilled. I forsee even more disengagment from him this season, than last. I think he’s more interested in his British shows and bringing XFactor to America.

I don’t think Simon is all that invested in Idol to care too much. I don’t think it is just talk that he’s leaving in 2 years. Simon is already spread too thin and the shows where he is making his real money demand much more of his attention than something where he’s just a employee. But Simon is the big name on Idol. He’s the draw. If Fox wanted to maintain that, they wouldn’t have brought in a well-known celebrity like Ellen. So I still think that Kara was to be Paula’s replacement and Ellen is Simon’s replacement. They’ll probably replace Randy with a lesser known meanie and then, if the show survives, we’ll be back to three judges. Everyone and his brother knows the 4-judge format is not working. There is no reason for Idol to continue it unless it is serving some other purpose, as a method to transition new judges into old judge’s spots.

I don’t know. I think Cowell and Fuller are rivals. I could see Fuller keeping some secrets from him. Also, Simon might have been lobbying on behalf of somebody else for the slot–no offence to Ellen because he likes her personally.

Cowell and Fuller are rivals. I could see Fuller keeping some secrets from him

Yeah, I always wonder about that. Both Simons have made such enormous piles of money off the singing contest boom and (more so in Fuller’s case) the management of top acts launched by the show. On the one hand, they like making more money, but on the other hand, they don’t actually need it. Screwing with each other, struggling for control, may start taking priority.

Like the whole X-Factor/America’s Got Talent thing. Since oversaturating the singing contest genre is good for no one–it’s likely to lead more quickly to the passing of Idol’s heyday, as happened with the oversaturation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and its rivals–Cowell shouldn’t be in such a hurry to push his rival franchises in the US. Why not sit back and continue to draw his huge Idol paycheck instead of trying to undermine its ratings?

But I think he loves to yank at Fuller. As for Ellen, he may not be so thrilled at not being the biggest celebrity at the table. Also, I wonder if it will be Kara who becomes the object of the Cowellian ire and sarcasm. Ellen won’t easily fall into the role of foil, I think–as a big time talk show host, she’s too used to dealing with egos and personalities. Hmmmm…

I think Simon genuinely cares for Paula. He said in an interview that he hated her the first year but loved her now. When he said Paula would be ok, after her leaving AI, I’m betting when he brings XFactor to USA, Paula will be a judge.

TylerWV: … I’m betting when he brings XFactor to USA, Paula will be a judge.

I agree. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paula as a judge on XFactor America. Fox needs to do something to sure up there sagging ratings and declining ad revenues. I think that they will play Idol out as a cash cow, and try to build a new singing competition franchise out of XFactor.

Putting Ellen on Idol gives me the strong impression that they were most concerned about retaining Idol’s core older female audience AND not trying to regain younger viewers. I doubt they could have gotten younger viewers to come back to Idol anyway.

But Fox can create a new franchise with X-Factor and target the 18-49 year old audience that advertisers really want. They can put X-Factor on in the late summer/Fall so it is over before Idol starts. The whole SuBo thing built awareness of X Factor in the US to its highest level ever. Now add in a few familiar things (like Paula as a judge) and you have an “instant” hit.

I bet if Simon Cowell will sign XF over to NBC not FOX especially since Fuller is with the FOX network.

The whole SuBo thing built awareness of X Factor in the US to its highest level ever. Now add in a few familiar things (like Paula as a judge) and you have an ‘instant’  hit.

SuBo was on Britain’s Got Talent.

Cowell shouldn’t be in such a hurry to push his rival franchises in the US. Why not sit back and continue to draw his huge Idol paycheck instead of trying to undermine its ratings?

I think because the $36 or $48 mil/yr that has been talked about for Cowell’s salary is peanuts compared to what Fuller brings in each year off of Idol. (Remember Cowell’s deal is a development deal, so his bank account is not growing by this amount each year.) Fuller has ownership rights in Idol and that’s what Cowell has in X-Factor. Idol is a billion dollar franchise and a significant percentage of that found its way into Fuller’s bank account. Cowell doesn’t need a calculator to know he is a significant factor in Idol’s success but all the profits are going to his rival Fuller. Cowell probably is never going to rest until he rectifies that situation in favor of his bank account.

lostinidol: yeah, I agree, that sounds like Cowell’s motivation. BUT I think in the US, Idol will always be perceived as the Real Deal, and the Talent & X-Factor shows as the cheap-ass, off brand sneakers. Because Idol has, almost in spite of itself, produced three Grammy winners, an Oscar winner, and a dozen platinum artists . . . and nobody off any of its imitators has gotten anywhere in the US market. So I think Cowell is engaged in a bit of goose-chokage re the future golden eggs.

Interesting that the Ellen hiring may be perceived as giving the Idol franchise at least a shred of a chance should Cowell find a way out of his contract.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paula as a judge on XFactor America. Fox needs to do something to sure up there sagging ratings and declining ad revenues. I think that they will play Idol out as a cash cow, and try to build a new singing competition franchise out of XFactor

I agree with most of this. Fox has to be playing the odds here. Most every show has a natural arc of success. Idol has far exceeded that arc. They have been on top much longer than the average TV show and the decline has been much slower. Still, Idol is in decline.

The other aspect is that the audience now expects more from the contestants. Fresh faced, virgin talent, which just needs a little polishing, is no longer enough. The audience wants every performance to be great. X Factor has a better chance of delivering these performances because the contestants are mentored and not left to their own devices in choosing a song plus there is a category for older singers, who have the experience to produce more polished performances.

As for Paula being on X Factor, not a chance if X Factor is on Fox. The bridge between Fox and Paula has been burned. And only the tiniest of chances if X Factor is on another network. X Factor in the US would be Simon’s big score. He can talk about loving Paula until the end of time. There’s love and then there’s your bank account. Love has little chance and with all Paula’s problems, maybe no chance.

Because Idol has, almost in spite of itself, produced three Grammy winners, an Oscar winner, and a dozen platinum artists . . . and nobody off any of its imitators has gotten anywhere in the US market. So I think Cowell is engaged in a bit of goose-chokage re the future golden eggs.

Yeah, on first glance, I agree. X Factor did produce Leona Lewis who has made a limited breakthrough in the US. But then again, none of the Idols has really enjoyed a lot of European success either. I think we are talking about two different markets. The UK seems much more invested in one-hit wonders. They never stopped buying singles. And certainly X Factor has catered to and been overwhelmingly successful for that market. Alexandra Burke’s single last X Factor was massively successful. I don’t think it is the nature of the show that produces that kind of talent, I think it is the interests of the audience.

I think the real issue will be America’s tolerance for a show that is much more heavily edited than Idol. BGT scores huge by manipulating the audience. And that has even picked up here in the US with Susan Boyle. X Factor is now employing some of those same tactics. Hard to know how the America audience is going to react to those differences. My guess would be that if they got drunk on Survivor all these years, a wine-cooler version of Idol like X Factor is going to go down just fine.

Meaning Ellen brings in a new crop of viewers, these viewers have certain tastes, and will end up voting for that contestant that suits their tastes.

I am also wondering if Ellen is going to comment about the contestants on her show. One favorable or one negative comment could influence her viewers to vote that way.

I think MJ’s concerned about the amount of time the contestants actually get to sing. There has been way too much focus on the judges. Could it get worse with a top star like Ellen being the center of attention?

I don’t see Ellen’s viewers voting her way at all. Anyone that takes the time to vote is doing it because they really like someone imo.

Simon will make his opinion known at some point. He never seems to hold back even when it’s not pc to do so.

I seriously doubt anything gets by Simon with regards to A.I., I am sure Simon would have liked to have Paula back but that didn’t happen. Business is business. I am sure he has no problem at all with Ellen being a judge & he might have even suggested it. If only they could drop Kara though. A.I. is not likely to forget her fiasco for that coronation song for one thing. Four judges takes too long & I don’t like to see the judges “take” turns either. Ellen will no doubt comment on the show during her own show because she’s a fan first & has been. I doubt Ellen will be the center or attention because there simply isn’t enough time & Simon already has that honor because it’s always about Simon. I think Ellen is a very smart choice & it probably will create interest for people watching the show again with viewership going down each year.