The third season of the X Factor premieres tonight on FOX at 8/7c pm. Make sure to join Sir Mac for his live blog! In the meantime, check out some of the best of Simon Cowell’s recent press interviews!
Lindsey Parker from Yahoo music got some interesting responses from Simon
So I saw a preview screener of the “X Factor” Season 3 premiere, and my first impression was that the emphasis is on the judges much less than it was last season, aka the Britney season. Was that a conscious decision?
Yes, it was. To be honest with you, not only am I bored of the focus on judges, but I think the public is bored of it now. Obviously the judges play a role, but people are tuning in, I think, to see contestants more than whatever the judges are doing. I think it’s right that we just show what we do as our job, but we don’t hog the airtime.
So, this is the way X Factor and American Idol will differentiate their shows from The Voice. Maybe the vast American viewing audience is sick of wannabe singers. Maybe they are just looking for a pretext to be entertained by millionair judges. Not me.
There’s this idea that women with strong personalities can’t get along on the same panel. That stereotype was perpetuated by the Mariah/Nicki drama on “Idol” this year. But I think it’s ridiculous to think if there are multiple female judges on one show, they’ll be at each other’s throats like Real Housewives.
I totally agree with you. And I’ve got to be honest with you: This idea that some poor contestant is standing there waiting for his or her big chance, and you’ve got a bunch of millionaire judges squawking at each other…I mean, it’s actually ridiculous, if you think about it. And that’s why if this season’s judges hadn’t gotten along well, I would’ve changed them. But they just happen to like each other.
I hate this trope SO much. And I think Simon has proven it wrong many times, as he’s often had two strong women together on his panel without problems. Mel B and Heidi Klum, for example, get along fine on America’s Got Talent. Although, Sharon Osbourne has admitted that she quit the X Factor UK because she hated Dannii Minogue.
Did the bad reception that the Mariah/Nicki “Idol” cast received affect your casting decisions for “The X Factor” at all? Like, did you want to make sure your show did not have that sort of negative, bickering vibe?
Yeah, I think it was quite clear that the [“Idol”] audience was just not enjoying it, and we all like to be conscious of that. Those days of squawking judges, I think they’re over. I think judges can disagree, but if it’s uncomfortable to watch, people just won’t watch it.
Simon has done plenty of squawking himself, especially on Idol. Remember Simon trolling Paula while a poor contestant stood in front of them?
What sort of winner are you looking for this time?
I’d love a group to win the show, because I love watching the groups. There is one group actually this season who I think have a real, real shot; there isn’t a group like them on the market, and they are very, very good. There’s also an older singer, her name is Lillie; I think she’s incredible, absolutely incredible, and she’s going to get better and better and better. She’s young at heart, and she is stunning, and she’s just got this aura about her where you think, “God, this girl really could be a big star.” It’s going to be a better competition, I think, this year.
Obviously, because he’s taken groups again this year. I think he’s talking about a country boy band group he put together. Lillie was featured in the preview, and she IS fabulous–at 54 years old!
I know you’ve made some major format changes this season. I’ve always thought Boot Camp and especially those famous Judges’ House rounds, with the singing by the swimming pool, were integral, iconic parts of “The X Factor” — but they’re both gone now!
Yes, there was something which we took from the Dutch version of the show. It’s called “The Four-Chair Challenge,” and it replaces the Boot Camp and Judges’ House rounds you mention. When we shot it, we had no idea if was going to work. We just shot it Sunday and Monday this week, and I thought it was spectacular television; it was really dramatic, very exciting, and you got to know the contestants better. I think the audience will like it, I really do.
Some top 200 contestants complained on social media: They said were flown to L.A. assuming they would be attending Boot Camp, only to find out after a few hours of sitting around that they were being dismissed. Their complaints made it seem like the decision to “cancel” Boot Camp had been a last-minute thing. What exactly happened there?
It wasn’t last-minute. Everyone was flown in because we deliberated while they were there. We went through all the tapes. It was similar to what we do over at “Britain’s Got Talent”; we’ve always done it that way, and it’s worked well for us. I get the fact that certain people probably felt disappointed that they couldn’t have a second chance, but then again, 40 people were selected, which is still quite a lot of people. I can understand why they’re pissed off, but I know we chose the right people.
Oy. I feel for those contestants. Especially the ones who felt they didn’t totally bring it to their auditions and looked forward to another chance. Unless a hopeful is tested in various ways, how do you know that one audition wasn’t a fluke?
Read more at Yahoo Music
Simon stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. Jimmy never pulls punches. The interview is hilarious.
Part 1
“I understand you got Paula Abdul Pregnant” Simon was brought up by nannies. “Two or three of them.” (That explains a lot).
Part 2
Simon dishes on The X Factor Musical. Simon’s lead song is titled “I’m Fabulous.” Simon said, “I get annihilated in this musical. Jimmy warns Simon that he can’t get his fellow judges pregnant.
Part 3
Simon talks X Factor. Jimmy reminds Simon that he told him hiring Khloe Kardashian would be “a disaster.” Jimmy and Simon have a very TMI conversation about his nipples.