SHOW THEM THE MONEY: Is Simon Fuller’s Sweetened TV Deal Richer Than Cowell’s?
American Idol creator Simon Fuller through his PR mouthpieces claims he’s set to not just match but pull even further ahead of Simon Cowell when it comes to how much money he’s going to make from new TV deals. As you know, Fuller has quit 19 Entertainment, the company he founded, to set up a new as-yet-unnamed company to executive produce Fox’s American Idol. Remember, five years ago, U.S. entertainment group CKX bought 19 Entertainment, his £92 million business with 200 employees, for nearly $200 million, already making Fuller a rich man. But his new executive producing deal means he will share for the first time in the profits of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Fuller will also continue to supply “general consulting services” to CKX, which owns the format for American Idol.
On the other hand, Cowell, unlike Fuller, owned the formats of the shows he makes, The X Factor and Got Talent, from the beginning. Sony then bought out the remaining 50% of X Factor. Between them, X Factor and Got Talent sell to 30 countries and Cowell makes money from them all. In addition, UK broadcaster ITV pays Cowell £6.5 million a year for hosting the British versions of X Factor and Got Talent, plus fees which go to his production company Syco. Cowell also shares in phone revenues, which generate around £1 million from viewers’ votes.
More Idol Headlines after the JUMP…
Simon Cowell banks on the Cheryl Cole factor in America … but Victoria Beckham’s chances look slim
Cheryl Cole is being lined up to star in the American version of The X Factor.
The 26-year-old singer, who has enjoyed a successful run on the British show, is lined up to appear alongside Paula Abdul – who left rival show American Idol last year – and rap star Jay Z.
Simon Cowell was offered £200million to judge American Idol for a decade – but turned it away to launch The X Factor in the States.
He is determined to have Cheryl, left, on the show and has already told his aides to start house-hunting for her in Los Angeles.
‘Simon has asked Cheryl to join him on the panel for the debut of American X Factor and she’s delighted, ’ says my source.
The decline of American Idol
With Simon Cowell’s days numbered and Paula Abdul already gone, this season is shaping up to be the end of an era for the most-popular show in the US, American Idol.
But really, when it comes to living up to its title and creating superstar acts that captured the imagination of millions, the power of Idol has been ebbing for years.
While it produced mutliplatinum sensations in its earlier days, starting with Kelly Clarkson and ending with Carrie Underwood, recent American Idol winners or runners-up have not had similar chart success.
Kris Allen, last year’s champion, has sold about 200, 000 copies of his debut album.
And while his runner-up, Adam Lambert, proved to be more popular and controversial, even his debut has not stayed at the top of the charts for long.
Kara DioGuardi discusses jingles, Hollywood week, ‘No Boundaries’ and Andrew Fenlon
Kara DioGuardi called recently to talk about a new jingle contest for Folger’s coffee that she’ll help judge. While I had her on the phone, I got her to talk about a few other things, too.
We started by talking about General Larry Platt (figuring a song as hooky as Pants on the Ground was a good way to get into a discussion about jingles). Kara says the producers told them very little about Platt before he auditioned for them in Atlanta. “He just kind of came in, ” she said. “The moment he came in, I thought, ‘I don’t know if he’s within the age restriction … ‘ He had a really light soul about him. He was joyous. … I love his message, though. I think grandparents should really look at it as a way of getting to their grandchildren.”
Whitney Houston, Diddy, & Queen Latifah Recognized at 2010 BET Honors
Jennifer Hudson and Whitney Houston
BET celebrated the achievements of Whitney Houston, Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Queen Latifah at the 3rd Annual BET Honors taped at Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on Saturday (Jan. 16). Among the evening’s highlights…
• Jennifer Hudson sang the praises of her idol Whitney Houston with her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” as Houston looked on.
DVD Review Round-Up: TV Show Collections
I Heart Jonas
Just before Valentine’s Day, the Jo-Bros are putting out this episode collection from their TV show that focuses on romantic or “love trouble” stories. Nick, Joe and Kevin picked seven episodes featuring matters of the heart including “Fashion Victim” in which Joe tries to mess up Stella’s (Chelsea Staub’s) date with another dude. You also see a wanna-be actress make a play for Joe.
Special Features: Just one but it’s cute. “You’ve Just Been Jo-Bro’d” features special guest Jordin Sparks who thinks she’s doing a radio interview with the guys but they end up calling in to confuse her. Just a cute “Punk’d-style” feature.
Enchanted Afternoon, Raucous Evening
And what both shows do share is expert execution. The ensemble cast of “Rock of Ages, ” as directed by Kristin Hanggi, performs with a wit and zest that’s impossible to resist. Constantine Maroulis, the “American Idol” competitor with lungs of steel, has proved himself to be a winning, sweet-spirited and completely natural actor in the lead role of Drew, negotiating the bridge between sincerity and spoof with breezy amiability. Mitchell Jarvis, playing the narrator, is outlandishly good, a dizzying cross between Shakespeare’s Puck and the gonzo comic Jack Black.
How about these folks as Cowell replacements?
Who should replace Simon Cowell on “American Idol”? With the brutally honest Brit set to leave the show next season and start “The X Factor, ” we propose these possible candidates for the judging hot seat.
It’s American Idol season again
If you are among those who believe that the winners of American Idol are big stars, then it is now time you change your mind. The discoveries may be big, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and others now sell Platinum albums but it is also a fact that American Idol, the TV show and its cast of judges
has become bigger than any of them.
