Source: Donna Peerce, Examiner.com
Simon Cowell, the "tell it like it is," but “with a heart” judge on American Idol, is leaving after this season. He is bringing to Fox Television, The X Factor, a show he owns that is already a smash hit in England. Cowell signed his new X Factor contract in front of the press on January 11th. He’ll serve as a judge on the U.S. version when it premieres on Fox in the fall of 2011.
“We did talk about me staying on both shows,” Cowell told his buddy and host of Idol, Ryan Seacrest, in a radio interview. “But, it just was impossible.” He also teased Ryan that “too much TV exposure is a bad thing.” Cowell also said he wanted to leave Idol while it was still the No. 1 show. Based on the ratings for its first week – nearly 30 million viewers watched the season premiere on January 12, it is a sure bet to remain a No. 1 show.
Cowell’s decision is the biggest threat yet to what has been the country’s top-rated TV program for the past five years and a true cultural force. This season, original host Paula Abdul has been replaced by Ellen DeGeneres. But Cowell, with his caustic commentary, has long been seen as the big star of Idol which has launched such famous stars as Nashville’s own Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, along with Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. There’s also Jennifer Hudson, an Academy Award winner, Fantasia, and many more.
Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Rice expressed his commitment to Idol in the post-Cowell years ahead. “Simon is irreplaceable,” he says. “But it’s going to be incumbent upon us to make sure the show remains vital and entertaining and compelling.”
Cowell said he’ll soon announce the judges who will join him on The X Factor and hinted that a reunion with former Idol judge Paula Abdul is a possibility. He even jokingly welcomed her as a contestant. “There’s no upper age limit on the show,” Cowell says. “You can literally be 100 years old. So Paula could audition.”
Fox Network has announced that it is pleased with the addition of The X Factor. Executives have commented that they will now air The X Factor in the fall, American Idol in the winter, and So You Think You Can Dance in the summer – all reality TV shows produced, at least in part, by British producers and executives.
Currently shown in 17 countries across the world — from Australia to Morocco to Spain — X Factor is a reality competition that Cowell created. While it incorporates elements of Idol, it also differs in several key areas.
The British version of the show begins with an audition round, where contestants perform in front of judges and a live audience. As on Idol, there are actually several sets of auditions that singers must pass to secure a shot to perform in front of the judges; only the judges' audition is aired. Singers that make the cut are then sent on to a "boot camp" round. Unlike Idol, Factor allows groups as well as solo artists to compete. Though the categories have changed over the show's six seasons, current groups also include boys, girls and over-25s. Following another elimination during boot camp, the remaining singers are then assigned a judge who mentors them. Finally, 12 singers are sent through to the final round: live televised performances that have viewers vote for their favorites.
The British show's most notable winner is Leona Lewis, who triumphed during the third season. (She sings the theme song for the current sensational Avatar movie.)
The U.S. version will launch in fall 2011, with Cowell acting as both executive producer and judge.
Following is a comparison between American Idol and The X Factor
American Idol
Age Limit: No one over 28 is eligible to enter the competition.
Contestants: Only solo acts can apply.
Judges and Mentors: Celebrity mentors are brought in to guide contestants, while the judges critique the performances.
Voting: Despite judges’ expertise, their critiques (or praise) don’t count. Viewers vote for their favorite performers each week and the contestant with the fewest votes is sent home.
The X Factor
Age Limit: There is none.
Contestants: Musical groups, as well as individual singers, are welcome.
Judges and Mentors: The judges are the mentors. Contestants are divided into groups headed by a judge, who acts as an advocate on elimination nights.
Voting: Each week, the bottom two acts, determined by viewer votes, face off in a last-ditch attempt to win the judges’ favor and stay in the race. In the final weeks, viewers have the last word.
“We did talk about me staying on both shows,” Cowell told his buddy and host of Idol, Ryan Seacrest, in a radio interview. “But, it just was impossible.” He also teased Ryan that “too much TV exposure is a bad thing.” Cowell also said he wanted to leave Idol while it was still the No. 1 show. Based on the ratings for its first week – nearly 30 million viewers watched the season premiere on January 12, it is a sure bet to remain a No. 1 show.
Cowell’s decision is the biggest threat yet to what has been the country’s top-rated TV program for the past five years and a true cultural force. This season, original host Paula Abdul has been replaced by Ellen DeGeneres. But Cowell, with his caustic commentary, has long been seen as the big star of Idol which has launched such famous stars as Nashville’s own Carrie Underwood and Kellie Pickler, along with Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. There’s also Jennifer Hudson, an Academy Award winner, Fantasia, and many more.
Fox Entertainment chairman Peter Rice expressed his commitment to Idol in the post-Cowell years ahead. “Simon is irreplaceable,” he says. “But it’s going to be incumbent upon us to make sure the show remains vital and entertaining and compelling.”
Cowell said he’ll soon announce the judges who will join him on The X Factor and hinted that a reunion with former Idol judge Paula Abdul is a possibility. He even jokingly welcomed her as a contestant. “There’s no upper age limit on the show,” Cowell says. “You can literally be 100 years old. So Paula could audition.”
Fox Network has announced that it is pleased with the addition of The X Factor. Executives have commented that they will now air The X Factor in the fall, American Idol in the winter, and So You Think You Can Dance in the summer – all reality TV shows produced, at least in part, by British producers and executives.
Currently shown in 17 countries across the world — from Australia to Morocco to Spain — X Factor is a reality competition that Cowell created. While it incorporates elements of Idol, it also differs in several key areas.
The British version of the show begins with an audition round, where contestants perform in front of judges and a live audience. As on Idol, there are actually several sets of auditions that singers must pass to secure a shot to perform in front of the judges; only the judges' audition is aired. Singers that make the cut are then sent on to a "boot camp" round. Unlike Idol, Factor allows groups as well as solo artists to compete. Though the categories have changed over the show's six seasons, current groups also include boys, girls and over-25s. Following another elimination during boot camp, the remaining singers are then assigned a judge who mentors them. Finally, 12 singers are sent through to the final round: live televised performances that have viewers vote for their favorites.
The British show's most notable winner is Leona Lewis, who triumphed during the third season. (She sings the theme song for the current sensational Avatar movie.)
The U.S. version will launch in fall 2011, with Cowell acting as both executive producer and judge.
Following is a comparison between American Idol and The X Factor
American Idol
Age Limit: No one over 28 is eligible to enter the competition.
Contestants: Only solo acts can apply.
Judges and Mentors: Celebrity mentors are brought in to guide contestants, while the judges critique the performances.
Voting: Despite judges’ expertise, their critiques (or praise) don’t count. Viewers vote for their favorite performers each week and the contestant with the fewest votes is sent home.
The X Factor
Age Limit: There is none.
Contestants: Musical groups, as well as individual singers, are welcome.
Judges and Mentors: The judges are the mentors. Contestants are divided into groups headed by a judge, who acts as an advocate on elimination nights.
Voting: Each week, the bottom two acts, determined by viewer votes, face off in a last-ditch attempt to win the judges’ favor and stay in the race. In the final weeks, viewers have the last word.
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