After a few days of semi-frenzied press speculation over Simon Cowell’s admission to a reporter from the UK’s Daily Mirror that he’s thinking of leaving American Idol after his contract ends next year, he tells the Associated Press, he is “considering all options for the future and has come to no decision about how he might trim his workload.”
What started a bit of a media frenzy yesterday was two paragraphs tacked on to the end of the Daily Mirror story, almost like an afterthought (I guess the Brits don’t care)
…But there is a point where I am not sure we can keep this schedule up. It takes longer and longer to make these shows because you have to put more into them, and I am not sure we can sustain me doing three shows a year, with the record label and the TV production company.
…Most people do one show a year and I do three and they involve a lot of travelling. One may have to go. I dont know which one. That is the problem, I like all of them. I cant imagine not doing Britain Got Talent and I cant imagine not doing X Factor. But I guess America is more likely to go because I have got one year under contract. Maybe that will be the end.
I wondered what the fuss was about–Simon has talked to the press on several occasions about leaving Idol at the end of his current contract. It’s just more of the usual from Simon. I’m with the folks who think Simon is sending out signals to Idol producers as he gets ready to renegotiate his contract.
I’ll be surprised if he walks away from the biggest show on television.
But, maybe the lure of 47 year old cat ladies who can sing is just too big for Simon to resist.
(Sorry if I can’t join the chorus of those waxing poetic over Ms. Boyle. I find the whole setup completely contrived, including that little girl in the audience who was rolling her eyes.)
