Simon Cowell Works His Nutz Off. Gets No Love. (More Simon vs Idol!)

By On 08/24/2011 · 34 Comments · In Nigel Lythgoe, Simon Cowell, Simon Fuller, X Factor

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Ahhhh. The bitch fight between Simon Cowell and Simon Fuller/Nigel Lythgoe continues. LOVES IT. In a new cover story for The Hollywood Reporter, Simon reveals how he feels about some of the goss thrown his way by Idol peeps *coughnigellythgoecough* and the pending lawsuit against Fox and Freemantle media by Simon Fuller for X Factor producer credit. (More on the lawsuit HERE.)

On Idol, ““The truth is, I was a big part of Idol being a success,” says Cowell. “I worked my nuts off. Then when you read catty comments that play down my role, that’s disrespectful.” In the end, Cowell says he didn’t see much personal or professional gain from the arrangement, other than the payday. “My attitude on Idol was, I didn’t have anything,” he elaborates. “I had a stupid three- or four-year license for the records, and that’s not what I wanted or expected.”

On Simon Fuller’s lawsuit: “You can’t give someone an executive producer’s title if they didn’t executive produce the show. It’s like me saying I want to be executive producer on The Voice or Project Runway,” said Cowell. “Genuinely, when it comes to this lawsuit, I haven’t got a clue. It’s not part of our settlement agreement, so I was as surprised as anyone.” A source contends that Fox and Fremantle entered into a separate contract giving Fuller a stake in X Factor should the show make it to air in the U.S. Cowell calls his relationship with Fuller “complicated,” but while he’s careful to point out that he’s not named in the suit, clearly Cowell is bothered. “It goes back to being a kid; if you shake hands with somebody, then it’s a deal, simple as that,” he says. “If someone breaks that trust, and they can’t admit it to you, it’s cowardly. I’d rather have a person look me in the eye and say, ‘I’m going to screw you.’”

Plus, More on the Cheryl Cole Fiasco, “Cowell revealed that two weeks before the show started taping, Cole wasn’t comfortable in the U.S.. and was expressing hesitation about going through with the deal. Through her representatives (Cole is co-managed by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and his business partner Seth Friedman), Cole began to inquire about a return to the U.K. version. “I came to the conclusion that she may not be as comfortable here because I was seeing a different person,” he says. “She was like Princess Diana when she would walk out in England, and I accepted the fact that people didn’t know her here, but I think it did have an effect on her.” Cole’s quiet demeanor on camera prompted a call from Cowell on Day 2 of filming. “I said: ‘Cheryl, you’ve got to raise your game a bit. This is America, it’s a much tougher market.’” Cowell explored the idea of having her return to the U.K. show and had even secured a substantial pay raise (more than $4 million, according to a source); 24 hours later, they were negotiating the offer. “We had gotten to the point where she wanted my dressing room,” Cowell continues. But Cowell says Cole then never responded to the final offer. They haven’t spoken since.”

Simon’s Ratings goals are 20m a week, “Cowell says that any less than 20 million would be “a disappointment.”  What else is the man with the Midas touch searching for with The X Factor? “Buzz. In England, you genuinely get the feeling the whole country is talking about the show. I hope for that.,” he says.”

This came out of nowhere, Nigel Lythgoe tweeted this morning, “I’m not sure why Simon Cowell is knocking our contestants on #SYTYCD saying they are not interesting. I hope he finds equally TALENTED ones.” Maybe Simon’s criticism is somewhere in the print edition version of the interview.

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  • Kylee

    But it’s fun! Something that AI hasn’t been for two season now

    Season 10 was a lot of fun.

  • Jewlmc

    Oh, please. Cue the violins. Poor Simon.

    Idol didn’t fold without you and they had the nerve to actually promote the show. What else were they going to say? “We can’t go on without Simon! It’s no USE!”???

    Yes, Nigel goes overboard, but I refuse to feel sorry for Simon at all. He LEFT. He needed to create his own show. HE is the one who was “bored”. The atmosphere of the show DID improve because there wasn’t his dark “I hate it here” cloud hanging over everyone’s head.

    You “Love it” MJ, but I wish everyone involved would grow the hell up. Including and especially Cowell.

  • BAPC

    Neither Cher or Warner have a number one record, yet. She did have a single that sold more than any other single for one week, and that’s nice, but William Hung was also able to sell more than 200K albums, so I don’t know if that addresses my point. Jedward have also been able to do fairly well for themselves, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that they are a novelty act.

    I just don’t think that Simon can openly tell someone every week on the US show that they can’t sing, but it’s okay, since they will still be a star. I don’t think that person would be taken seriously by anyone in the industry.

    A “Record” is not an album, it’s a single. So yes, Cher Lloyd has had a number 1 record. She is not the same as a novelty act like Wagner, Jedward, etc. She is a current teen pop singer. I don’t like her music personally, but she works in the current UK market and will probably do alright in the US, if they market her here.

    Most of the current pop chart stars can’t sing all that well but they are still taken seriously because they sell singles and albums with their image, performances and catchy songs. Kesha, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Taio Cruz, Beiber, etc etc None of them have great voices. It’s just the way it is now and I think the X Factor US will probably reflect that.

  • Hazehel

    A “Record” is not an album, it’s a single.

    Well, a record can be an album or a single. Strictly speaking, a record is a vinyl record (or wax cylinder in the very early days) which may be a single, an EP or LP, so a digital single is not really a record. But the term “record” has been in use for so long that people just use it to mean single or album, so a #1 record here is understood as #1 selling song. (The term “single” also used to mean only physical copy of recordings, but now it just means a song released on its own, physically or digitally.)

  • Falfor

    I have always liked Simon’s no nonsense approach to letting the contestants know where they really stood. He did not blow smoke up their butts, telling them they were good, when they were not. It was strictly business. No attachments. Guess that is why he has so many millions. He knows what he is doing. He has a huge ego, but it is more of a belief in himself and what he has accomplished. That money talks.

    While Nigel is a businessman, he takes an entirely different approach. He kills them with kindness, connives and manipulates to get what he wants. He has a massive ego telling him that he is way better than he really is. He changes his mind with the wind and is easily swayed by what the public says. He does not think for himself, but for the applause, trying to bolster his ego.

    I much prefer Simon’s approach. It is so much more real. I feel confident Simon will make X-Factor work.

  • Kylee

    I have always liked Simon’s no nonsense approach to letting the contestants know where they really stood. He did not blow smoke up their butts, telling them they were good, when they were not. It was strictly business. No attachments. Guess that is why he has so many millions. He knows what he is doing. He has a huge ego, but it is more of a belief in himself and what he has accomplished. That money talks.

    He still never gave constructive advise that would actually help the contestants-he just would trash their outfits or make personal attacks. Or simply say it was “terrible” or “a mess.” No advice from that.

  • windmills

    ituneit: I noticed that a lot of Idol fans have this misplaced snobbery about today’s pop music which I don’t understand. It could be a generational thing.

    I doubt it since based on what you’re saying I’m in your age group. I just don’t like most music the act couldn’t replicate live without the aid of technology because you may as well have dancing robots or Sims doing the performing then. That knocks out most of today’s pop. Gaga’s had her good moments though and deserves some credit.

    I also don’t care as much about the songwriting aspect but it’s nice when somebody can do it well and sing, perform, and interpret well too.

    Falfor: I have always liked Simon’s no nonsense approach to letting the contestants know where they really stood. He did not blow smoke up their butts, telling them they were good, when they were not.

    That’s a giant fallacy in the Myth Of Simon. He pimped “Key Of” Lee Dewyze all season long.

    Simon may have had his jump the shark moment when he overBotoxed his eyes or had whatever procedure he had done on them. That was the big sign he cared what people thought about him and that was the undoing of the Myth Of Simon IMO.

  • Hazehel

    I have always liked Simon’s no nonsense approach to letting the contestants know where they really stood.

    Don’t be fooled by that, it’s just an act. What he did on the show was pre-planned, done to create an impression.

    Simon may have had his jump the shark moment when he overBotoxed his eyes or had whatever procedure he had done on them.

    I’m not sure if he did anything on them. I noticed his eyes at least a couple of years before anyone commented on them, the hoods over his eyes (especially the left one) just seem to get slowly heavier over the years, and it got much worse the last couple of years. So it could just be an age thing (if it isn’t a sign of underlying medical issue), Cowell is just developing a cowl over his eyes.

  • fadetowhite

    Cher’s only just been released, so hard to say about her level of success.

    I was thinking more JLS, Alexandra Burke, Olly Murs (oh – and there was another girl, who’s name I’ve forgotten, who left about 6th and had good success with her album and single…).

    We’ll see how Matt and Cher do this year.

    As I said, it’s not necessarily my taste in music – though I have liked Olly’s singles enough to download them. It’s about the fact that these acts have had huge hits in the home market and in pop.

    Jedward – novelty act, absolutely and I can’t stand them, but Louis Walsh has turned them into millionaires on the basis that little kids love them.

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