We Love TV!
This is just an unofficial fan page, we have no connection
to any shows or networks.
Please click here to vote for our site!
By
Suzanne

Interview with
Simon Cowell of "American Idol"
on FOX
I was invited to this conference call, and I was
present, but I did not get the chance to ask any questions. They only
gave us 20 minutes, and of course lots of people wanted to chat with
Simon! I do have to say that he seemed very charming and kind, not
at all like the persona he puts over on the show. I don't watch American
Idol regularly, for various reasons, but I did have some questions
ready. Well, maybe next time!
FBC PUBLICITY: American Idol Conference with Simon
Cowell
February 18, 2010/7:00 p.m. EST
PRESENTATION
Moderator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by and welcome to
the American Idol interview call with Simon Cowell. Due to the large
volume of callers we ask that you please limit yourself to one question
and please try to keep it brief. I’d also like to remind you that
today’s conference is being recorded. I’ll now turn the conference over
to Jill Hudson for opening remarks. Please go ahead.
J. Hudson Thank you. Thank you for participating in the Simon Cowell
American Idol conference call. Due to the limited time on the call, only
questions regarding American Idol will be permitted. There are to be no
personal questions asked. As a reminder, the top 24 contestants were
announced last night and the live performance shows will begin airing
next week on FOX. I will now turn the call over to Simon Cowell. You can
begin asking questions. Simon?
S. Cowell Hello.
Moderator Thank you. Our first question will come from Daniel Fienberg
with hitfix.com.
D. Fienberg Hello, Simon. Thanks so much for doing this.
S. Cowell My pleasure. How are you?
D. Fienberg Pretty good. When you look at the musical landscape of
contemporary music at this point, does it seem important to you that a
woman win this year?
S. Cowell It depends what she’s like. I kind of know where you’re going.
We’ve had a few years now of guys winning the show and I would say there
is definitely a better chance of a girl winning the show this year,
certainly than last year.
D. Fienberg What would be the right type of woman to win, do you think?
S. Cowell When you talk about the landscape, I think you’re absolutely
right; you want somebody who represents what is going on at the moment.
I’d love to find a Taylor Swift, somebody who’s relevant rather than
just a contest winner.
Moderator Thank you. We’ll go to Natalie Abrams at TVGuide.com.
N. Abrams Hello, Simon. How’s it going?
S. Cowell Good. How are you?
N. Abrams I’m good, thank you. So there were a few interesting decisions
in last night’s episode here it seemed like you might not have agreed.
How often are you overruled by the other judges?
S. Cowell Well, this was a difficult one because it all happened so
quickly. I think in hindsight it would have been much easier, but it
couldn’t happen this way, that we could have had maybe five or six days
to think about it and really review the performances. But we had limited
time and decisions were made relatively quickly on the day. Then when
you watch it back you think, “You know what? I could have made different
decisions here.”
N. Abrams Is that maybe why you’re moving to your own show?
S. Cowell No, it’s not. Look, this happens on the shows I do in other
countries. There’s always a moment when you look at something and think,
“I’ve made a decision,” but you just have to live with that. Luckily,
they can always re-audition the following year.
N. Abrams Thank you.
Moderator Thank you. We’ll go next to Erica Futterman with Rolling
Stone.
E. Futterman Hello, Simon. How are you?
S. Cowell I’m fine. How are you?
E. Futterman I’m doing well. … touched on you’re leaving Idol. Today’s …
video … your replacement. We’ve also heard Howard Stern and Perez Hilton
are people in the running, or think they’re in the running, as your
replacement. Who of those people would be your pick? What do you think
someone who would replace you would need to have?
S. Cowell Who was the first guy you said – Steve Lillywhite?
E. Futterman Yes.
S. Cowell The record producer?
E. Futterman Yes. He made a video this morning.
S. Cowell Okay. Is he handsome?
E. Futterman He’s fairly attractive.
S. Cowell Well, that’s not good enough, is it? You have to be good
looking. Secondly, I think you just have to know what you’re talking
about. I think more and more now I’m starting to realize with these
shows that we have to put people on the shows who actually know what
they’re talking about rather than guessing. They really have to have
experience so you don’t just criticize, but you can actually offer
constructive advice as well.
And Howard, I know Howard’s name has been in there for a while, but I’m
fairly certain that there hasn’t been an approach at any time for Howard
to do the show.
E. Futterman What about Perez?
S. Cowell Perez – Perez would be funny. You know, he has a good taste in
music, he’s a personality. I mean, that could work.
E. Futterman Great. Thanks.
S. Cowell Okay.
Moderator Thank you. We’ll go to Shirley Halperin with The Los Angeles
Times.
S. Halperin Hello, Simon. I just wanted to ask, could you address the
stories about you and Ellen not getting along? Can you also tell us what
you miss most about Paula?
S. Cowell I wouldn’t say that we didn’t get on well. I don’t know Ellen
that well. It was a difficult position for her because she started work
on the Hollywood Week, which is quite a difficult show to do. There was
one story I read that I turned up an hour late or something and that she
wanted to film. I mean, the truth was I think I turned up 15 or 20
minutes late because I did a press conference earlier in the day and
they did start filming, but that wasn’t a particular problem. But no,
there was no fallout. I was trying to guide her through the week and
that was about it, really.
S. Halperin What do you miss most about Paula?
S. Cowell Well, Paula’s my friend. I mean, amazingly, even though we
used to argue a lot, she was somebody I just got very close to over the
years. We’d hang out together after the show. She always made me laugh;
I always thought she was funny. It was just like not having your friend
on the show anymore. I do miss her.
S. Halperin Thank you, Simon.
S. Cowell No problem.
Moderator Thank you. We have Darla Atlas with The Dallas Morning News.
D. Atlas How are you doing?
S. Cowell I’m fine. How are you?
D. Atlas Good, thank you. We’re feeling pretty proud around here. We
have four of the top 12 guys from Dallas/Fort Worth.
S. Cowell Yes.
D. Atlas I’m wondering if you can kind of size up their chances – Casey,
Todrick, Tim Urban and Alex Lambert. Do you think any of them might be
frontrunners?
S. Cowell Yes. I think that guys are relatively equal. Tim was the last
audition, wasn’t he?
D. Atlas Yes.
S. Cowell I’m not sure any of them are going to win, so I’d put them all
in about an equal position at the moment. Four in and you’ve got a good
shot. It’s not a bad place to be.
D. Atlas Yes. Really quickly, what does it feel like for the whole
nation to kind of say, “This guy is pretty much irreplaceable on the
show? We don’t know who we would replace him with.”
S. Cowell It’s very, very flattering. I really do appreciate it. Like
I’ve said before, the show goes on. I’m going to feel sad when it all
ends, but look, it’s much nicer to be popular than unpopular, so I do
appreciate it.
D. Atlas Great. Thank you so much.
S. Cowell Thank you.
Moderator Thank you. Next we have John Jurgensen with The Wall Street
Journal.
J. Jurgensen Hello, Simon. You just made a comment earlier about the
qualifications that a judge should have, kind of knowing what they’re
talking about. This is something that Howard has been going on and on
about, about his qualifications. I’m wondering if you could be a little
more specific about how much music experience is really required for the
job.
S. Cowell Well, I think it’s really important. It’s interesting that
when we first started we had a record producer, an artist and an A&R
man, so you’ve covered pretty much everything you need to do. I would
say somebody who’s had managerial experience is always very helpful, but
in simplistic terms it’s not if you judge the ice skating at The
Olympics; you’re going to give a score. You genuinely need to know what
you’re talking about. I think over the years judges have been replaced
by personalities. That, in the long-term, will create problems because
you have to be able to spot a star. So whoever replaces me, my advice
has always been to find somebody who actually knows what they’re talking
about and has actually experienced success in the music business.
J. Jurgensen How does that apply to Howard?
S. Cowell As I was saying that I thought, “He doesn’t seem to fit any of
these criteria.” He’s played records. Maybe that’s a good qualification,
that he’s played records. He’s a DJ.
J. Jurgensen Got you.
S. Cowell But he obviously wants the job. Good luck to him.
J. Jurgensen Thanks.
Moderator Thank you. Next we have Brian Mansfield with USA Today.
B. Mansfield Simon, what can you tell us about what happened with Chris
Golightly? How did he do? What do you remember from him in Hollywood
Week?
S. Cowell I remember Chris’s first audition very well because Kara was
completely and utterly besotted with him. I wasn’t quite so keen on him
and then the second time we saw him – the second or third time, whatever
it was – in Hollywood week he wasn’t as strong as he was on his first
audition. I really honestly don’t have a clue why he’s been removed from
the competition. I’m guessing it’s some sort of technical reason. It’s a
shame for him. He needed this opportunity.
B. Mansfield Would you let him audition on X-Factor?
S. Cowell I have to find out what the reason is, first of all. It was
something like a technical reason, yes, of course he could.
B. Mansfield Thanks.
S. Cowell Yes. No problem.
Moderator Next we have Cary Aspinwall with Tulsa World.
C. Aspinwall Hello, Simon.
S. Cowell Hello.
C. Aspinwall Thank you for doing this.
S. Cowell Thank you very much.
C. Aspinwall Since this is your last year, I’m wondering what mentors
are you hoping to work with, if there’s anyone that you haven’t gotten
to work with yet or have on the show that you’re just dying to have on.
S. Cowell That’s a good question. Who comes to mind? We’ve had some
pretty good people haven’t we? I think we should have Lady GaGa because
she is the most relevant pop artist in the world at the moment. I think
she should be number one. I’ve met her and she’s very smart. I like her.
C. Aspinwall Thank you.
S. Cowell No problem.
Moderator Next is Joshua Maloni with Niagara Frontier Publications.
J. Maloni Hello, Simon. Thanks for your time.
S. Cowell Thank you very much.
J. Maloni Obviously, there are some really good singers this year. You
guys did a good job picking them, but obviously some have less than what
you would call Hollywood looks. So how do you balance what’s good for
the TV show with what’s good for the music industry?
S. Cowell Again, it’s a good question. I mean, the reason we put a
variety of people through is I think primarily on talent and interest in
them as people. I think if you just pick everybody because they look the
way you think they should look – it happened a few years ago. I remember
every blond girl in the competition looked identical; I couldn’t tell
one from the other. I think it’s important that you can recognize
talent, personalities, so I think it’s good that we have a mixed bag
this year.
J. Maloni The sob stories, do those have any impact on the judges?
S. Cowell Not really. Not on me. I’ve heard so many of them over the
years. It’s about remembering people. Part of the problem when you do
this show, from the auditions to the Hollywood round, is that most
people you can’t remember. If you can remember somebody, it’s a good
place to start.
J. Maloni Great. Thank you, Simon.
S. Cowell No problem.
Moderator Next we have Rodney Ho with The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
R. Ho Hello, Simon.
S. Cowell Hello.
R. Ho Atlanta is the home to General Larry “Pants on the Ground” …
S. Cowell Give him my regards.
R. Ho Yes. I wanted to get your take on the whole phenomenon. It just
sort of blew out into this worldwide thing.
S. Cowell You know, it’s an interesting thing because when he came on
the show, it’s one of the reasons why on X-Factor we didn’t put an age
cap on the show. I always found a lot of these older contestants really
funny, interesting, whether it’s him or somebody like Susan Boyle. So I
have to tell you, for him, I’m absolutely thrilled that all this has
happened for him because he needed the break. I’m glad it’s worked out
well.
R. Ho Thanks.
Moderator Thank you. We have Ed Wyatt with The New York Times.
E. Wyatt Simon, you’ve said a couple of times in talking about a
potential replacement that they need experience in the music business,
someone who actually knows what they’re talking about and who’s had
success in the music business. Are those comments directed at Ellen? Do
you feel that she –?
S. Cowell Funnily enough, I was thinking that as I was saying this that
people are going to misinterpret what I am saying. No. I’ll tell you why
I think Ellen was a good choice. She actually is very responsible for
people she has performing on her own show. I know that for a fact
because I’ve dealt with her as a record label. And she loves music and
she’s been an artist, so no, it wasn’t meant to diss her credentials; it
was specifically talking about my replacement because my roll on the
show was somebody who has run a successful record label. So it was
really specifically towards my replacement.
E. Wyatt Thanks.
S. Cowell Thank you for the question.
Moderator Next we have Tenley Woodman with The Boston Herald.
T. Woodman Hello. I’m curious what you think two Boston round
contestants – Ashley Rodriguez and Siobhan Magnus – need to do to stay
in the running on the show.
S. Cowell I think you have to be original. I remember David Cook. The
reason he did so well and suddenly came into the front when he competed
was that he managed to find interesting versions of well-known songs and
did them in his style. I remember the first time he performed a Lionel
Richie song, Hello, and turned it into a rock song. Or he found the
Chris Cornell version of Billie Jean. He was smart. I would say the same
thing to these two contestants: don’t always do the obvious; try to find
something which is more unique and interesting to you.
T. Woodman Good. Thank you.
S. Cowell And suck up to me. That always helps.
Moderator Thank you. Next is Sandra Gonzalez with Entertainment Weekly.
S. Gonzalez Hello, Simon.
S. Cowell Hello.
S. Gonzalez What we’ve seen so far has been a lot of editing and stuff,
but with the live show coming up I was just wondering if you’re going to
try to maybe take a driving instructor role this year and sort of just
take the wheel when needed or if you’re going to stay as visible as you
have been.
S. Cowell Look, it’s always frustrating, I suppose, on an edited show
because it’s an edited show. That’s why I prefer doing live TV. What I
always do when I do these live shows is not go in there with any sort of
preconceived idea of what it’s going to be like or what people are going
to be like. Be in the moment and always do what I’ve done in my career,
which is to hopefully make the right decisions. If that means
disagreeing with people, I don’t have a problem with that; I never have.
You are there to be honest, truthful and hopefully give constructive
advice. Most importantly, say what you think people at home are
thinking.
S. Gonzalez Even when we hear you sort of leaving, you’re still going to
stay as visible as you have been and not turn the reins over?
S. Cowell That would be impossible. No, I’ll keep to my seat. I’ll
hopefully be the last one to speak. It’s always easier to be the last
one rather than the first one. I want to go out on a high. I mean, I’ve
said this over and over again, that it’s my last season and I want it to
be successful. I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.
S. Gonzalez Thank you.
S. Cowell Thank you.
Moderator Thank you. Next is Brook Anderson with Showbiz Tonight at CNN.
B. Anderson Hello there, Simon. How are you?
S. Cowell. I’m good. How are you?
B. Anderson I’m doing well, thank you. Simon, there has been tremendous
speculation about who could possibly replace you on American Idol. My
question is has anybody contacted you personally about wanting the job?
And, if you could choose, if you had your pick, who would be your dream
replacement?
S. Cowell Well, you’re never going to pick anyone as good as you, are
you?
B. Anderson Of course not.
S. Cowell So that’s why I don’t think anybody really asks me that
question. I mean, I can give general advice, as I said before on this
conference call. I think the important thing is what I said earlier on -
and you’ve seen this on a lot of shows, you cover a lot of stuff – you
see people put in a role to play a certain role, which has become quite
tiresome, when people always describe that person as the mean judge or
whatever it is. You just have to find somebody who can actually make a
difference to the contestants, who’s not afraid to speak their mind,
who’s prepared to be honest and occasionally blunt, but not to be
gratuitously rude. I’m really getting tired of all of that now. But
look, there’ll be a lot of people, as you know, who want the job. I
think ironically, it’s going to help next season because I think there’s
going to be a lot of interest as to who replaces me.
B. Anderson Who could do it, in your mind?
S. Cowell Who could do it in my mind? If I really knew the answer to
that question I wouldn’t tell you.
B. Anderson Has anybody contacted you about wanting the job? I’m sure
you’re getting a lot of calls.
S. Cowell No, I haven’t actually. I’ve had a couple of calls, but they
were quite boring people and never stood a chance. No, they’ll be
contacting FOX, I think, if they really want this job. Or do what
Howard’s been doing – just basically talking about it on his show I
think is brilliant.
B. Anderson Thank you, Simon.
S. Cowell Thank you.
Moderator Thank you. Due to the time constraints, our final question
will come from Lynzie Parker with Yahoo!
L. Parker Hello, Simon. How are you?
S. Cowell Hello. How are you, Leslie?
L. Parker I’m wonderful. Leslie is actually my mom’s name; I’m Lynzie,
but I’ll tell her you said hello.
S. Cowell Let’s start again: how are you, Lynzie?
L. Parker I’m good. So I know you say that you don’t want to say who
would like to replace you, but I have one. I’m on a mission. I want to
see how you feel about this one. Noel Gallagher from Oasis. He’s crabby.
S. Cowell Noel Gallagher. Do you think people would understand him?
L. Parker If you subtitled him.
S. Cowell If you subtitled him. I know Noel quite well and I like him.
He’s very funny and he is a brilliant songwriter. It’s a possibility.
Look, the good news for them is there is no shortage of candidates.
There are a lot of people. The hardest thing, actually, about finding a
replacement is that when you hear people’s names like Madonna, it will
never happen because you have to give a massive, massive time
commitment. That’s always been the problem when you’re trying to find
people to do these shows. You have to find people who are prepared to
give up that much time.
L. Parker Don’t you feel it has to be a British person? It seems like
you set the trend that it has to be a British person, like a Piers
Morgan or someone like that.
S. Cowell Again, Piers works for me and does a great job on America’s
Got Talent. This person specifically has to have a lot of experience in
the music business. It is the most important thing. That’s what I think
will happen. I think they’ll find somebody who has that kind of
experience, whether it’s a manager, artist or … somebody like that, I’m
sure.
L. Parker We’ll miss you.
S. Cowell I’ll still be around, but thank you very much. I really do
appreciate that.
L. Parker No problem. Thanks for your time.
S. Cowell Look after yourself.
Moderator Thank you. Simon, do you have any closing remarks?
S. Cowell It was very short, but thank you, everybody. There were good
questions. I hope it cleared up a lot of the rumors. We’ll do this again
soon.
Moderator Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude our
conference for today. Thank you for your participation and for using
AT&T Executive Teleconference. You may now disconnect.
More American Idol info on our
Primetime Forum!
Back to the Main Articles
Page
Back to the Main Primetime TV Page
We need more episode guide recap writers, article
writers, MS FrontPage and Web Expression users, graphics designers, and more, so
please email us
if you can help out! More volunteers always
needed! Thanks!
Page updated 1/2/13
    
|