Simon Cowell continued to be in an apologetic mood the morning after American Idol’s live seventh-season finale — further explaining his desire to repent for why he felt his Tuesday night criticism of David Cook was “verging on disrespectful.”
“I was almost horrified when I went back home and watched [Tuesday night’s performance show]. It was literally like watching and listening to a whole new show. What you thought was good wasn’t very good and what you thought was bad actually was a lot better,” said Cowell as a guest on Thursday’s broadcast of Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS FM radio show.
“[Idol’s live finale] is the only opportunity I got to sort of say something publicly, because he’s quite a proud man, David. That felt like the right time to say it.”
Cowell’s apology to Cook came moments before Seacrest revealed home viewers had crowned the 25-year-old Tulsa, OK resident Idol’s seventh-season champ over 17-year-old David Archuleta.
“I didn’t know at that point who was going to win — but win or lose, it had to be said,” Cowell told Seacrest about the timing of his apology.
An Archuleta vs. Cook finale was both forecasted and anticipated by Cowell, who only predicted Cook as his favorite to take home the title during a Tuesday appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. However during that night’s live performance episode he awarded all three rounds to Archuleta and said the teenager scored a “knockout” over Cook.
Cowell told Seacrest he was only thinking of one word when Cook was revealed to be the champ — “justice.”
“I thought it was the right thing,” said Cowell. “You always think in a situation like this where someone who’s cute like David Archuleta, that it’s going to be carried by young girls or grandmothers or [whoever] vote for people like David Archuleta. But actually the person who I thought did the best performances over the 11 or 12 weeks actually deserved to win and he did win. It was good.”
In addition, Cowell said he was “actually quite emotional” after Cook was crowned, however he couldn’t tell if it was because the seventh-season’s resident rocker had won or because the latest installment of the Fox mega-hit had come to a close.
“A bit of both I think,” he said with a laugh. “As soon as the announcement [of the winner] comes in, you realize how long its been. It’s quite a relief when it’s over.”
Simon Cowell is never one to offer an apology, and he apparently thinks Paula Abdul doesn’t need to make one either.
During last Tuesday night’s American Idol performance episode, Abdul claimed she got confused and critiqued two Jason Castro performances after the seventh-season finalist had only performed once — basing her on-air comments on the contestant’s rehearsal of a song that he had yet to perform live.
“I don’t think [an apology] is necessary, to be honest with you. I think the whole thing has been blown out of proportion. It was a live show. She made a mistake,” Cowell told reporters while promoting America’s Got Talent at NBC’s summer season press day on Friday, Entertainment Weekly reported.
“[Castro’s] a grown-up. Look, it’s a high class problem. He’s singing in front of 25 million people. They’re all lucky to be on the show. You’ve got to put it in perspective. The year it becomes normal is the year I’ll probably leave. I genuinely like it when it’s a bit loopy.”
Cowell apparently doesn’t think Castro is much longer for the competition anyway and added the dreadlocked teenager wouldn’t have even made it as far as he has if it weren’t for his looks.
“If he looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, he still wouldn’t be in the competition, would he?” Cowell told reporters, Entertainment Tonight reported.
Cowell is sticking to his previous prediction that Idol’s seventh-season will be a battle between David Archuleta and David Cook, adding it could come down to the wire.
“It will be David versus David and you’re going to have a real scrap,” said Cowell, Entertainment Tonight reported. “The winner will really depend on what song they sing on the night.”
Cowell and fellow Idol judge Randy Jackson have both stated they think Archuleta is the “one to beat,” however Abdul recently said she feels she’s “already looking at the American Idol” when watching Cook perform. According to Cowell, both Archuleta and Cook have talent — however the former also has a dedicated fan base.
“David Cook has got the better voice and David Archuleta has got the teen and grandma appeal,” said Cowell, Entertainment Tonight reported.
As for the only remaining female seventh-season finalist — Syesha Mercado — Cowell thinks she’s a strong singer but has yet to deliver that single performance that would define her Idol journey.
“If I was a betting man, I wouldn’t put my money on her. She is a good singer. She is solid. She will be very happy with where she got,” he told reporters, Entertainment Tonight reported. “For me, I just haven’t had that incredible moment from her yet.”
Regardless of who makes it to Idol’s seventh-season finale, the Top 2 finalists will each have the opportunity to perform the tune chosen as the winner of this year’s songwriting contest — which Cowell wanted to make clear he isn’t involved with.
“I have nothing to do with it,” he told reporters, according to EW. “I’d like to bring in the best songwriters in the world.”
While Cowell joked that “you can guarantee either the word ‘proud’ or ‘moment’ will be in the song,” he also hinted that the format for this year’s songwriting contest could allow either of the Top 2 finalists to put their own spin on the winning track.
“I won’t give it away, but there’s a slight change to last year which is going to be an improvement,” he told reporters, according to EW.
In addition, Cowell addressed Idol’s overall 10% seventh-season ratings decline, with some of its recent broadcasts having recorded five-year lows for the Fox mega-hit.
“I think the themes are too old fashioned at the moment,” he told reporters, OK! Weekly reported. “I think you’ve got to make the themes more current and I think we haven’t got the right personalities at the moment. [The contestants are] not letting go enough. They’re very media savvy, saying the right things, not arguing with me. It’s too safe at the moment.”
As an example of what he meant by “very. very media savvy,” Cowell pointed to the 17-year-old Archuleta.
“They’ve watched the show over previous years. David Archuleta was performing in front of Kelly Clarkson six years ago — it’s on tape!” said Cowell, according to OK!. “It’s like he’s gone to the University of American Idol. Safe songs, safe message. I like people who just go a bit crazy sometimes. I’m dying for someone to scream at me one week and just say, ‘I hate your guts’ because I know they’re thinking it.”
Cowell also said he’d be in favor of some of the slight tweaks Fox and Idol producers have been hinting at for the show’s eighth edition next year.
“You have to revamp every show you make every year,” he told reporters, OK! reported. “I’ve got a few ideas.”
“To me, Botox is no more unusual than toothpaste,” said Cowell in the August issue of U.K.’s Glamour magazine, People reported Monday. “It works, you do it once a year — who cares?”
One thing Cowell does care about is money, however he told Glamour he turned down “about $2 million” to be a Viagra spokesman, and it wasn’t because of the product he’d be pitching.
“[It was] a f**king insult,” is how Cowell characterized the offer, according to Glamour.
The sharp-tongued British judge also apparently wishes he was a little bit taller — as he told Glamour he wears platform heels that are “an inch high, maybe” — which means he’d probably still tower over Ryan Seacrest without them.
While the 48-year-old admitted to Botox and wearing lifts, there’s one aspect of his aging body that is all Cowell.
“I’d never dye my hair, although I know everyone thinks I do,” he told Glamour.
Cowell has been dating Extra correspondent Terri Seymour off-and-on since 2003 — but he hears no wedding bells in their future, apparently afraid she’ll end up sharing similar sentiments with some of his detractors.
“I don’t want to marry anyone,” Cowell told Glamour. “Because whoever marries me will end up hating me.”
Simon Cowell, “American Idol’s” acerbic British judge, says the show’s upcoming season will be “much, much better than its last.”
“We’re completely and utterly reliant on who walks in the door in terms of the quality of the contestants,” Cowell said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “Most of our focus this year was to make sure we got a better top 12 and a more interesting top 12 than what we got last year, and I am pretty certain that we’ve got that this year.”
“Idol’s” seventh season begins Tuesday on Fox, with Cowell again joined by fellow judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
Many critics felt “Idol’s” sixth season was marred by finalists who did not meet the reality show’s previous standards. Winner Jordin Sparks’ self-titled album has made the worst showing of any “Idol” champ’s debut, while sales of runner-up Blake Lewis’ “A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)” have also been disappointing.
The X Factor and American Idol judge Simon Cowell is to make a movie set behind the scenes of a TV talent show.
The film, currently titled Star Struck, will tell the fictional story of 10 contestants in a singing contest.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the former Pop Idol judge said: “We want it to be the musical version of Rocky - an underdog story, a feelgood film.”
Cowell will help pick the lead characters from open auditions like those used on his talent shows.
Cowell, who will produce the film, said he wanted complete unknowns to be the stars.
‘Summer release’
“To enjoy the film, you’ve got to watch the actors and believe that they are contestants on a reality show,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.
“We always believed that a TV show like Idol would be successful. I have the same feeling about doing the movie.”
Cowell hopes the movie will be ready for release next summer, the magazine added.
Last month, he sat on the judging panel for ITV show Britain’s Got Talent, which was won by opera-singing mobile phone salesman Paul Potts.
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