Highlights from the Simon Cowell reporters conference call yesterday, courtesy of TV Line and Entertainment Weekly. Oh that Simon.
He’s all ready to conquer the US with his new little dog and pony show, The X Factor. Read what he had to say below…and discuss!
- If Idol wins the Reality Competition Emmy this Sunday? Guess who gets credit! ”I’d find it very amusing if after all these years, the year I wasn’t on, it would win the Emmy. I think that would make me laugh. So it probably will. If it does win this year, it’s for all the years we did before. So whatever happens, I’m gonna claim the victory, and replicate the Emmy and just put my name on it.”
- Songs Simon never wants to hear again. And that song we thought was his favorite? Don’t even go there: “‘I Believe I Can Fly’ is pretty up there. ‘At Last, ’ I’m kind of allergic to that song. Everybody seems to think ‘Unchained Melody’ is my favorite song of all time. It is not. Jason Mraz, that hit he had a few years ago — I cannot listen to that anymore. Also, ‘Ordinary People’ by John Legend. They always try to sing it like that version. It’s never good.”
- Simon compares Paula Abdul to an old dog. Isn’t that special: “Within five minutes of when we start filming, she’s not aware that the cameras are on anymore and she’ll fight with you over something — sometimes important, sometimes not. Kind of like getting an old dog back from the rescue pound.”
- Was that a big ole passive-aggressive swipe Simon just took at Randy Jackson? “Maybe we’ll just get him a couple of front row seats and he can just do his Dawg-barking thing. He’s happy on Idol. I think L.A. [Reid], who we brought in, has been genuinely a revelation, because he’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met in my life. It’s been a challenge for me.”
- Simon expects mentors to work out interesting arrangements with their charges. X Factor will NOT be a karaoke contest! ” “…within about three weeks into the show, you’re gonna start hearing contestants way outside their comfort zones, hearing versions of songs you haven’t heard before. Part of the reason we’re doing that is you don’t want it to be like a bad soundalike, and secondly we’re going to sell downloads on iTunes, so you’ve got to come up with unique versions.
- Cheryl Cole will NOT be edited out of the Los Angeles auditions. “She’s in episode 1. She’s in the first hour. So in terms of how we address it, we just tell it how it was. She was on the show and then she got replaced by Nicole. The first half it’s Cheryl, and in the second half it’s Nicole.”
- Can X Factor produce a mega star like Lady Gaga right out of the gate? Heck yeah! “100 percent yes.” And Simon is willing to put his VERY LIFE ON THE LINE to achieve his goals! “But can you find a different kind of artist who doesn’t only work within a competition show? Who can actually compete with big artists around the world? That’s what you hope is going to happen, and I will die trying to make it happen.”
- One word: Backstory! “Obviously No. 1 on the list is talent, but No. 2 is you’ve really, really got to be an interesting person and have a really good back story…different types of contestants than what you’ve seen before, and very, very different back stories– the types of stories I don’t think other shows would put on. It’s edgy, it’s raw, it’s real life.” OY
It’s raw. It’s edgy. IT’S KINDA SKEERY. Even if it X Factor turns out to not be very good, it’s at least going to offer up a ton of awesome snark material, methinks.
We should be getting some spoilers out of tonight’s special advance X Factor screening taking place at the Arclight in Hollywood.
More new X Factor promos for your viewing pleasure.
Q&A on the Fan Premiere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh0lbd7kFzk&feature=uploademail
Look Around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NTHHzG3ukY
The Wait is Over
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s05BmtMAX-c
The Vocal Groups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur2qnmPxXMo
Who Said This #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biRIq8S1u28
