Randy Jackson balks at Simon Cowell rumors

Randy Jackson has a message for all "American Idol" fans: "don't believe everything you read or hear." That's what the popular judge recently told TMZ after being asked about the rumors that Simon Cowell could be leaving the show for the American version of "X Factor."

Fox to Order More "Idol" -- With or Without Cowell

Fox is near a deal to order more seasons of "American Idol" -- with or without its most popular judge, Simon Cowell.

Simon Cowell Will Leave "American Idol": Report

"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell has decided to quit the top-rated TV talent show when his contract ends in 2010, according to a report in British tabloid The Sun, which would deal a blow to the Fox network.
Cowell, 50, has been with the TV juggernaut since the start of "American Idol" in 2002 but his contract expires after the end of Season 9, which starts in January and ends in May 2010, and in the past he has hinted at being bored with his role.

Simon Cowell angered facebook users.....

At least half a million Facebookers are raging against Simon Cowell, trying to keep his British TV talent show "The X-Factor" from claiming the number-one spot on the British singles chart on Christmas Day.

They've vowed to download the Rage Against the Machine song "Killing in the Name" starting on Monday to make it the number-one single in the country on the Sunday before Christmas.

It might seem like a frivolous contest, but hundreds of thousands of pounds -- and a place in history -- are at stake.

A Christmas Number One enters the history books, exciting passion, disgust, joy and, yes, rage.

British music fans sometimes take the high road. They put the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at the top of the charts three times: First in 1984, then in 1989 and 2004 when anniversary editions came out.

Once upon a time, they got into the spirit of the season -- with "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Mary's Boy Child," and "When a Child is Born" all topping the charts on Christmas Day in days of yore.

And often they just buy the songs they like, paying no heed to the season's mistletoe and wine. The Beatles topped the Christmas Day chart four times. The Spice Girls claimed the title three times. Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Westlife all had Christmas number ones.

So did Pink Floyd, with "Another Brick in the Wall." (Merry Christmas, everyone!)

Most infamous of all are the songs that drive you around the bend.

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"Idol" without Simon could prove turnoff-poll finds

Fans of "American Idol" are as obsessed as ever after eight seasons of the TV talent show, but life without judge Simon Cowell could be a turn-off, according to a poll released on Monday.

New judge Kara DioGuardi gets a lukewarm rating in the AOL Television poll with 44 percent of the 233,795 votes cast judging her "awful" and 30 percent rating her "just ok."

And in a season that has seen speculation over the sexual orientation of finalist Adam Lambert, 59 percent of those polled said they would vote for an openly gay contestant.

Lambert, 27, a musical theater performer with a penchant for black nail polish, will face-off against guitar and piano playing college student Kris Allen, 23, on Tuesday in the race to be crowned "American Idol" and win a recording contract.

Lambert goes into the finale as the judges' clear favorite. But it's the votes of millions of viewers that will determine the winner and fans in the AOL poll had mixed feelings.

Lambert's performance of "Mad World" was rated the best this season. But 20 percent of those polled thought he was the most over-rated contestant this season, although the top votes in that category went to Lil Rounds.

Despite slipping audience ratings this year, "Idol" remains America's most-watched TV show with more than 26 million viewers on average per episode.

Some 70 percent of those polled said they found "Idol" as exciting as ever, with just 12 percent saying the show, which began in 2002, was getting old and 18 percent judging this season "boring".

But 49 percent said they would no longer watch if Cowell leaves the show, and 32 percent said it would depend who replaced him. The often scathing but influential British judge has recently expressed reservations about renewing his "Idol" contract when it ends in 2010.

"American Idol" has proved a successful launch pad for previous winners like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

But almost half of those questioned said winning barely mattered any more, pointing to the success of singers like Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson who did not make the final but went on to make platinum-selling albums and in the case of Hudson, a Grammy award and an Oscar.

The two-part finale of "American Idol" will be broadcast on Fox television on Tuesday and Wednesday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/mediaNews/idUSN1527892220090518

What Do People Have Against Danny Gokey?

They say you are the company you keep. And if that's the case, I hang out with total jerks. That's because everyone I know positively hates Danny Gokey.

On the surface, it's easy to see why so many people loathe the "American Idol" semifinalist: His glasses. The heart symbol he makes with his hands. The fact that he dresses like a cross between a figure skater and Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men." His demeanor — which seems to flit between humility and cockiness — doesn't do him many favors, either. When he's being humble, people call him a phony. When he's being cocky, they call him a jerk. Danny Gokey, it seems, cannot win.

Of course, this is all superficial, speculative stuff. It says nothing about his vocal ability (which is — even I will begrudgingly admit — pretty great, so long as he's not singing Aerosmith) or the fact that he's one of the final three contestants left on the show (so, you know, he must be doing something right). I don't know anyone who's actually hung out with Danny Gokey, or served him coffee, or interacted with him on any level in between. I have no first-hand accounts of him being a jerk. Yet, I — and pretty much everyone I know — seem to believe that he is. This probably isn't fair. But it is kind of true.

Because I have written plenty of nasty stuff about Gokey (check the last line of this column about Adam Lambert for proof) without ever meeting him and have been congratulated by my friends and co-workers for doing so. And this probably says more about me — and people like me — than any of us would care to admit.

Do we dislike Gokey for any tangible reason? Is he a bad tipper? Mean to the elderly? No, we hate him because he sometimes appears to be a jerk on a televised singing competition. And that apparently gives us license to say all sorts of nasty things about him, to accuse him of wearing his wedding ring or using the death of his wife to curry the favor of "Idol" voters. And that's crazy. And pretty mean.

Perhaps Danny Gokey is proof that we hate without reason. That we are given to jealousy. That we dislike those who are naturally gifted (and dare to acknowledge that fact). That we are all, on some level, elitists, and within us all lies a superiority complex, a bias against those in the so-called "red states" who somehow find Gokey's story, struggle, faith — and even his voice — inspiring and uplifting.

But maybe I'm just writing about myself now. After all, last year, I penned a column, in which I called David Cook "the reason we are obese and ignorant ... the reason the rest of the world hates us." (It was not, shall we say, one of my finer moments.) And I kind of feel the same way about Danny Gokey — only this time, I'm not going to allow myself to go down that path.

Do I want Gokey to win "American Idol"? No. Would I ever buy one of his albums? Probably not. But do I think he's a terrible person? Someone worthy of scorn or ridicule? Everything that's wrong with America? Most definitely not. Because he's taught me a little something about myself. He's exposed an ugly part of my subconscious that I really don't like. And so I'm working on it. I'm not going to hate on Danny Gokey anymore. It will make me a better person.

Because Danny Gokey is what's great about "American Idol." He is the opportunity to learn about ourselves, to grow and to come together as one. To cast aside age-old divides and forge a better tomorrow. He is unity and hope, in spectacles. He's already taught me a new way — and he can do the same thing for you. Embrace him, even if you don't want to. And even if he might be kind of a jerk. Or because he is.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1611245/20090512/story.jhtml

Simon Cowell: Adam Lambert will win 'Idol'

"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell says he thinks Adam Lambert will win this season of the popular singing competition show.

Cowell told Oprah Winfrey on Monday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that his money is on Lambert because the contestant is fearless, unique and "he's got swagger."

Winfrey also featured Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle, who is competing on "Britain's Got Talent." Boyle told Winfrey she's "loving every second" of her newfound fame.

The 47-year-old Boyle became famous after she shocked judges and the audience with her version of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables."

One of those judges was Cowell, who wished Boyle congratulations and wished her "best of luck" on the rest of the competition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PEOPLE_IDOL_COWELL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-05-11-22-51-46

Simon Cowell Says Kara DioGuardi Isn't Leaving 'American Idol'

Although Kara DioGuardi and Paula Abdul have said they aren't sure if they'll be back for another season of "American Idol," fellow judge Simon Cowell told Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show Tuesday (May 5) that the whole panel will be back for more when the show returns next year.

"Everyone's going to be back," he said. "Absolutely." He added that the advantages of keeping DioGuardi, whom he describes as "cute," outweigh the disadvantages now that he's gotten over how "awkward" it was when she initially came on.

One of his concerns was that an extra judge meant less time for the panel's critiques. "One week, literally, we couldn't talk, so 10 minutes before the show started, they said, 'Oh, by the way, you can't talk for half the show,' " Cowell recalled of the "two judges at a time" format. "It's rather like saying in a singing competition to the singers, 'Half of you can't sing.' It was just crazy."

Simon, who has spent a good portion of the last decade alongside Randy Jackson and Abdul, admits that all good things must come to an end. "It's been honestly the best eight, nine years of my life," he said. "But I just believe sometimes everything has to come to an end."

Until "Idol" has its final curtain call, Cowell is thinking that Adam Lambert has a great chance at winning this season's title. "If it was me, based on originality and worldwide appeal, I would say Adam. He's unique. I like the fact he's fearless," he said. "He's not playing it safe. A lot of the people that take part in these shows want to sing 'Wind Beneath My Wings' every week because it's a sappy song. He's got guts."

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610684/20090505/story.jhtml

Simon Cowell Calls Adam Cook an 'Incredible Guy'

In the American Idol world, the death of current champ David Cook's brother Adam was felt immediately.

Paula Abdul expressed her sympathy in an exclusive statement to PEOPLE: "Adam Cook was a part of our extended American Idol family who supported his brother wholeheartedly, even through his own fight. My heart goes out not only to David, but his family as well."

Adam Cook, 37, had battled cancer for more than a decade, including throughout Cook's bid for the American Idol crown last year. The Terre Haute, Ind., lawyer had even flown out to L.A. amid chemotherapy treatment to see his brother, 26, take the Idol stage.

It was a commitment that didn't go unnoticed by the judges. Simon Cowell, too, offered his condolences. "I was incredibly saddened to hear the news," he said in a statement to PEOPLE. "I met Adam Cook a few times at American Idol. He was an incredible guy, and right now my thoughts are with David and his family."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20276347,00.html

Simon Cowell to Susan Boyle: "Get yourself together"

Television's Simon Cowell said on Friday he was embarrassed at his initial reaction to British singing sensation Susan Boyle, but warned that just because she is a hit with fans, she is not a winner yet.

Cowell, the creator and a judge on "Britain's Got Talent," said he was fed up with stories about the hair, eyebrows and cats of the never-married 47-year-old Boyle, and he urged her to focus now on winning the television talent competition.

"She has got four weeks to prepare for the biggest night of her life, and she has got to sing better than she sang before with all those expectations on her. But it could all go horribly wrong for her because there are so many other distractions," Cowell told TV reporters in Los Angeles.

"Get yourself together sweetheart for the big one -- the semi-final. Shut the door, choose the right song and come back as who you are, not who you want to be," he said.

Boyle, a spinster who lives alone with her cat, became one of the world's hottest celebrities last week after surprising judges with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" on the popular talent show. Her performance has been watched over 50 million times on YouTube.

"We were all guilty on the panel of judging her before she sang, and we got it utterly wrong. You watch it back and it is embarrassing," said Cowell, who is well-known as the acid-tongued judge on TV talent contest "American Idol."

"Britain's Got Talent" is open to anyone regardless of age or performing skills. It has 40 versions worldwide and the fourth season of the U.S. version, "America's Got Talent," kicks off on NBC on June 23.

"I am seriously thinking now we should hold two more open auditions (of "America's Got Talent") off the back of Susan Boyle. You don't have to be a singer who is 47 and never been kissed, but just someone who says 'I think I am talented, and I don't think people are going to judge me because of the way I look'," he said.

Recording executive Cowell, who has an option to sign Boyle if she wins the British talent show, shuttles weekly between Los Angeles and London as the judge on "American Idol" and "Britain's Got Talent."

But he dismissed suggestions that his life was stressful. "It's only stress when it doesn't work," he said. "I don't feel under any stress whatsoever when something like the Susan Boyle thing emerges. It is honestly the best feeling in the world."

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE53O04720090425

Fox faces uncertainty over fate of "Idol" judges

Fox television this week faced an uncomfortable future when the two biggest stars on its No. 1-rated show "American Idol" openly discussed leaving, which experts said could send viewership plummeting in future seasons.

Paula Abdul, whose often quirky behavior has been a hot topic for years, told ABC News program "Nightline" that her contract ends after this season. And acid-tongued Simon Cowell, whom critics call the show's real star, gave several interviews in which he contemplated an exit when his deal ends next year.

"You take out one person like Paula or Simon, (and) you're affecting every other player in this grid," said Time magazine television critic James Poniewozik. "They're a family, a dysfunctional family, and it's tough to mess with that."

At risk for the Fox Broadcasting Co., which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., are millions of dollars in annual advertising revenue that would be lost if viewers tune out following a departure by Cowell or Abdul.

The pair are the most talked-about judges on the four-person panel that critiques performances of pop star wannabes competing to be the next "American Idol" and win a recording contract. They are joined by Randy Jackson and new judge Kara DioGuardi, as well as show host Ryan Seacrest.

This week, Cowell told the New York Times that when he agreed to his contract through next season, it felt like it would be his last, and he said in The Hollywood Reporter that if "Idol" dropped from No. 1, he would want to leave.

"I have had a great eight years. But inevitably you get to a point in life when you think maybe it's time for a change," he told reporters on Friday at an event in Los Angeles.

Cowell said he had not talked about his contract with Fox executives. "I have not even sat down with them yet. Maybe I'm being premature. Maybe they don't want me!," he said.

Leaving the show likely would be a big let-down for fans of the celebrity judge who earns an estimated $36 million a season by often heaping criticism on the program's pop star wannabes.

"He's the villain that people like to cheer against, and also I think people don't give him enough credit for this, he's actually also a really good critic," Poniewozik said.

IDOL THREAT?

Fortunately for Fox, the show has retained its lofty title as No. 1 on U.S. airwaves despite a slip in its audience size that could be tied to lower viewership for TV shows overall.

Now in its eighth season, "Idol" has seen its audience size decrease by about 8 percent compared to last year, and it is averaging about 26.3 million viewers per show, Fox said.

Still, it retains a 68 percent ratings lead among viewers 18 to 49 years-old, a key group that advertisers covet, over its nearest competitor, ABC sitcom "Desperate Housewives."

"'Idol' at the moment is the most dominant it has ever been," said Mike Darnell, president of alternative programing at Fox Broadcasting.

When asked about the show's prospects if Cowell or Abdul were to leave, Darnell said only that he hoped they would not.

"It is our hope and my personal wish that both of them stay for as long as the show is on," Darnell said.

Industry experts, however, are more forthcoming.

"Simon Cowell, if he left the show after next season, there would be a much bigger drop-off in terms of viewing; he's really the focal point," said Brad Adgate, a vice president at advertising agency Horizon Media.

The loss of Abdul would be a blow, too, as critics say she is crucial, if only for her often unpredictable behavior.

"Paula is a liability for any number of reasons people talk about, just the sort of crazy, scatterbrained responses she gives during the judges' criticism," Poniewozik said.

"But that's 'American Idol,' the things people complain about are a big chunk of the reason the audience watches."

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE53M0NB20090425?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

Cowell says he'd jump ship if "Idol" sinks

"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell says he will leave the most popular show on television if it ever slips from the top spot in the ratings.

"The idea that for the next five years, I'd be doing exactly what I've been doing for the past five years ... the thought is just too depressing," Cowell said in a recent interview in his trailer, awaiting a taping of "Idol" at CBS Television City. "I'd go nuts, bored out of my mind. You have to evolve, you have to change. I like the challenge of launching something new."

With Cowell's deal with Fox expiring at the end of next season, that something new could be a U.S. version of his U.K. singing competition series "The X Factor." Any doubts about Cowell's role in the success of "Idol" disappeared when he launched "Factor" three years ago. The similarly formatted show became a massive hit that has since supplanted "American Idol" predecessor "Pop Idol."

The "Factor" success was worrisome enough for Fox to forbid Cowell from launching the show in the U.S. while he's under his current "Idol" deal. But all that could soon change. Between the continuing popularity of "Idol" and Cowell's ownership of "Factor," he's armed with both a carrot and a stick.

Asked if he would want to stay on "Idol" if the series ever slips from No. 1 in the ratings, Cowell burst out laughing at the apparent obviousness of the answer.

"Absolutely not!" he said, looking horrified. "Being No. 1 is verging on an obsession with me. I don't like being No. 2. I don't mind when you start at No. 10 -- people don't always go on as No. 1 -- and you've got somewhere to go. But if you're at the point you've reached it, of course you want to stay there."

Though the "Idol" audience has declined over the past few seasons, the show remains far and away the ratings champ, with about 22 million viewers per episode. No other program approaches its popularity.

Unlike many in the TV business, Cowell rejects the claim that "Idol" ratings erosion is inevitable.

"I don't accept the argument of fragmentation or declining numbers," he said. "The Super Bowl goes up every year."

"Factor," he noted, also has increased its audience every year, which suggested to Cowell that the U.S. is ready for another music competition series.

"We have to bring in another music show," he said. "In the U.K., there is more than one type of music show running throughout the year. And I think the same thing could happen here, because for the fall, nothing really happens. It's something we've been thinking about ... I would definitely do it now."

"Maybe it'll be 'X Factor,'" he teased vaguely. "Maybe it'll be something new."

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE53L0NJ20090422

Simon Cowell hints he may leave 'American Idol': Suprised? Hardly

The Idolosphere has been all kerfuffled today over an interview that Simon Cowell gave London paper The Daily Mirror in which he hinted that he would leave American Idol after his contract is up this year. A record label exec with three performance competition shows on his docket -- two of them, London-based Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor, as a producer as well as a judge -- Simon wondered out loud whether he "can keep this schedule up." Turns out those Idol audition shows where Simon had to leave early because he "had to catch a plane" weren't a euphemism for "just sick of the bloody auditions" after all. "I am not sure we can sustain me doing three shows a year," he said. "They involve a lot of traveling." Then Simon dropped this bomb: "One may have to go. I don't know which one. That is the problem, I like all of them. I can't imagine not doing Britain's Got Talent and I can't 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."

The most shocking thing? I'm not shocked at all. I can't remember ever seeing Simon on Idol become as genuinely thrilled and just plain happy as he was during Susan Boyle's recent -- and now instant-classic -- Britain's Got Talent audition. That's actually not entirely Simon's fault. The Idol cameras never cut to the judges during the contestants' live performances, leaving all four judges to natter on with themselves instead -- to the contestants' continued vexation. But that's also part of the problem: Standing-Os for Adam Lambert aside, Simon seems disengaged from the Idol circus more than ever this season. It could be because his early favorite Lil Rounds has consistently disappointed in such a spectacularly boring way. It could be because new judge Kara DioGuardi is sucking up valuable screen time while never once saying "I agree with my dawg Simon" or pretending to be a coloring book. (Sorry, colouring book.) Or it could just be that after eight years of wading through an Olympic-sized cesspool of third-rate miasma to find a Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood (or, horrors, Taylor Hicks) on the other side, Simon is just kinda over it.

Sure, the Grey T-shirted One's approval still carries more weight than Paula, Kara, and Randy's words combined (faint praise, alas), but tell me, P-Dubs, would you really miss the guy if he was gone? Could the show survive without him? Or, if Bob Barker can leave The Price Is Right, will American Idol be just fine without Simon Cowell?

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/04/simon-cowell-id.html?iid=top25-Simon+Cowell+hints+he+may+leave+%27American+Idol%27%3A+Suprised%3F+Hardly

Just a joke: Cowell has no deep-freeze plan

A spokeswoman for Simon Cowell says reports that the "American Idol" judge wants to be frozen after death are greatly exaggerated. Cowell was making a tongue-in-cheek remark at a dinner in London two weeks ago with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other guests, spokeswoman Lisa Dallos said Tuesday.

But the cryogenics comment that Dallos said was meant as a joke was trumpeted in a number of news reports as a serious plan by Cowell, a music industry executive and TV producer ("America's Got Talent," Britain's "The X Factor").

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PEOPLE_SIMON_COWELL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME