Archive for Simon Cowell

Is Beyonce Actually Being Offered $500 Million To Join The X Factor?

Beyonce, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer international pop star. According to MediaTakeout, Simon Cowell has allegedly begun courting Beyonce as a replacement judge for The X Factor; the exit of Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger has left two open chairs in the show’s panel (right next to L.A. Reid), and Simon desperately wants a big name to fill them. Don’t get us wrong. We can certainly believe that Simon would want Beyonce on the show. They could just train the camera on Bey for two hours and we’re pretty sure no one would complain. Or even miss the contestants.

No, the bigger question mark in our minds has to do with how much Simon is allegedly offering Beyonce to get her on board: $500 million, or $100 million per year for a five season commitment. You guys. That is all the money. That is literally all the money our brains can comprehend. The American financial system would revolve entirely around how gently Beyonce can let down a pitchy, blubbering teenager. No word on whether Bey will accept the offer, but, now that we think about it…that isn’t the worst idea we’ve heard for stimulating the economy.

[Photo: Splash News Online]

Who Should Be The X Factor Judges Now That Paula Abdul And Nicole Scherzinger Are Out?

Paula Abdul, we can barely remember a time when you weren’t gently crushing people’s dreams on TV somewhere. Don’t make us go back to those dark days! Unfortunately, it’s official: Paula, fellow judge Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones will not be returning for The X-Factor‘s second season, leaving Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid as the only returning castmembers. “Yes, it’s true; I won’t be returning to The X Factor next season. I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal considerations,” Abdul said as part of a statement this afternoon. Oh, how it hurts! Like they’re canceling Hey Paula all over again!

So who should take over for Paula and Nicole when it comes to dismissing mediocre 13-year-olds next fall? Luckily there were plenty of names thrown around last year as potential judges that we think would still be a perfect fit. All we need is the sweet, vaguely maternal judge (Mariah Carey, finally?), a judge who weeps uncontrollably (Jessica Simpson?) and an attractive if somewhat robotic British host (C-3PO?). While some of these options might seem like a pipe dreams (C-3P0 hasn’t worked in years), we wouldn’t be surprised if Simon managed to land some impressively big talent for the show. Who do you think should fill Paula and Nicole’s shoes on the show?

Pippa Middleton, Kardashians And Katy Make Barbara Walters’ Most Fascinating List

Ooooh, we can’t wait for these interviews! Barbara Walters announced nine of her 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011 today, and while we’ve certainly heard a lot from all of them, you just know there will be new, emotional dirt revealed when the special airs on December 14 on ABC.

Pippa Middleton, Katy Perry, the Kardashians and Simon Cowell seemed like pretty obvious choices. We kind of forgot about all that Donald Trump business earlier in the year, so thanks for reminding us, Babs. To some of us, the most fascinating thing Derek Jeter did this year was break up with Minka Kelly, but there are probably more sporty things he has to talk about. Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson also made the list, for reasons beyond just being adorable. And then the most fascinating person will be revealed during the show. (We’re confused by the numbers here — are the Kardashians all one person but Eric and Jesse are two people? Someone, please explain.)

Who do you think should be #1? Courtney Stodden? Jub Jub the St. Bernard? Coco? Write in your candidates in the comments below!

[Photo: Getty Images]

Denise Richards Denies Going On A Blind Date With Simon Cowell

What’s even sadder than knowing that Simon Cowell’s blind date with Denise Richards didn’t work out? Knowing that the whole thing probablynever actually happened. “She is gorgeous,” the X-Factor creator told Howard Stern about Richards while visiting Stern’s Sirius XM show earlier this week. “I liked her a lot, I think she’s cute, funny, a bit of a wacko…but I like that.” Cowell claims that the two met up for a blind date a few years ago, only to have Denise show up eight months pregnant and carrying a tiny dog in purse. That’s pretty much how all of our OKCupid dates start out, so….nothing seems amiss yet.

Unfortunately Denise Richards denied dating Simon Cowell, and not just because her morning sickness left her extremely sensitive to sight of his plunging v-necks. Instead, Denise says she didn’t realize they were trying to make a love connection in the first place. “I was at a group dinner 8mo pregnant not sure how thats considered a date,news to me! if I was being set up I didn’t know it!,” Richards tweeted last night. “s–t I wish I knew that it was a date!!! He’s a hot piece of ass!” Aw, Denise thinks he’s hot? Well, maybe it’s time to give this dating thing another try then. Only this time…they can both bring their dog purses.

Simon Cowell Stays Healthy By Freezing His Arm And Shooting Up Vitamins

We know that celebrities all eat flax seed and dried seaweed and breezes blowing only from the west, but eventually they, too, need to step off their whole grain high horse and eat something that isn’t measured in pellets. If Simon Cowell‘s vitamin injection story in GQ is any indication, however, he is not one of those health nuts who are in any way aware of how cray-cray they sound. As The X-Factor creator explains to the magazine, one a week he freezes his arm in ice…some of you are going to want to stop reading this right now.

We told you to stop! Cowell is then treated to a half-hour session with “an intravenous drip with B12, magnesium, vitamin C, and, he says, ‘something for your liver,’” which is the most terrifyingly vague answer imaginable. Explains Cowell, “When you have it done, it’s an incredibly warm feeling. You feel all the vitamins going through you. It’s indescribable but very calming, and then it gives you energy for a good few days afterwards.” Okay…well, we guess not every hippie-dippie-sounding treatment is all bad and oh no, we spoke too soon: “It sounds odd, but when you have it, it is fantastic,” Simon tells GQ, “One girl came down and actually had two orgasms during the treatment.” Either Cowell is straight-up out of his mind, or he is about to make 100 billion dollars on the open market. You’re right; it’s probably both.

[Photo: WENN]

Simon Cowell Says He Was “Protecting” Cheryl Cole By Kicking Her Off X-Factor

It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that Simon Cowell‘s public apology after firing Cheryl Cole from the American X Factor is more than a little condescending. Turns out he was “protecting” the Girls Aloud singer by ejecting her from the judges’ table weeks into her first big stateside gig, after three years of judging on the British show. “I’m sorry. I hope we’re still close friends,” he told The Sun. “She’s still a star. The hardest thing to accept is that everyone has painted me as a monster because I embarrassed her. But the truth was I was protecting her. I just want people to be in the best place at the right time.” Apparently, that place was not America, and not anywhere near Paula Abdul.

While he admits Cole told him she was upset, Cowell appears to be showing his usual brusque manner over the slight. “‘This was never personal or saying you were terrible’. It wasn’t that she was terrible—she was good. I just thought she’d be happier in the UK. We noticed she was quieter than normal. The feeling was that she was slightly out of her comfort zone in America. The intention was to do it quietly and say to her she had an option to rejoin the UK show. At the end of the day we were saying, ‘Move to another show for even more money’. There was an offer of around £2.5million on the table including bonuses. How is that sacking someone?” With Cole’s friends claiming she only tried the American show as a favor to Cowell in the first place, it seems unlikely his claims of concern will dismiss the bad buzz following her exit. Will America be turned off by the firing of a celebrity they never really knew in the first place?

[Photo: Getty Images]

Cheryl Cole Still Getting Her $1.5 Million After Leaving X-Factor

Cheryl Cole‘s sudden exit from the American X Factor may have been embarrassing for the UK singer—crossing over stateside without the platform will take some work—but it’s not like the cloud doesn’t have a silver lining. The Hollywood Reporter claims Cole will still get her $1.5 million paycheck in full, despite the fact she probably won’t appear in a single episode. That’s one hell of a severance package…and she doesn’t have to pretend she gets along with Paula Abdul!

Though it was rumored that Simon Cowell fired Cheryl from the UK show as well, it now sounds like the producers would like to keep her on the British program and that her anger at Cowell over the American slight that’s keeping her from returning. But, assuming she’s been paid off, Fox can let folks overseas worry about that, and focus on the bigger problem: turning X Factor into a hit stateside while competing with NBC’s The Voice and their own network’s American Idol for the title of Most Important Singing Competiton On TV.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Cheryl Cole Out Of The X-Factor For Good

As it turns out, Cheryl Cole won’t be part of The X-Factor, period. Neither the U.S version or the U.K show! After last week’s embarrassing ordeal of being dropped from The X-Factor, U.S, Cheryl seemed to be headed across the pond to continue judging on Simon Cowell‘s (he’s executive producer) show’s original panel. She was ignominiously dropped right after the show’s first auditions in America and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. Reports suggested that Paula Abdul and Cheryl weren’t exactly getting along as well.

News has now surfaced that Simon’s booted her from the U.K panel as well. He announced the judge’s line-up for the new season and while it includes Kelly Rowland, Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and N-Dubz member Tulisa Contostavious, there’s no mention of Ms. Cole. What did she do it piss off the boss? More reports have popped up that Cheryl wasn’t cooperating at all and felt that the whole mess was a massive snub on Simon’s part. A source revealed, “Simon offered her an olive branch to come back but she didn’t take it. Now it is business as usual as far as he is concerned. He hopes that in six months it could be ‘Cheryl who?’ and people will be talking about the new judges instead…” The Cowell has spoken. And he’s normally right!

[Photo: Getty Images]

The X-Factor Shake-Up: Cheryl Cole Out, Nicole Scherzinger In!

Things work quickly (read: ruthlessly) in showbiz. Just two weeks ago Cheryl Cole was at The X-Factor‘s first auditions along with fellow judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and L.A Reid. Steve Jones and Nicole Scherzinger were roped in as the hosts of the American adaptation of the hit show. Everything was in place and it looked like the formula for a hit series.

All of a sudden, Nicole’s replaced Cheryl as a judge! Just like that. Cheryl’s back on a plane to England! TMZ reports that it’s because Cheryl’s English accent is too indecipherable for American audiences and also because—and this is the damning one—of her “lack of chemistry” with Paula. It pays to go kissy-kissy with Simon in moments like these because there was no way anyone was getting rid of her. Apparently, Cheryl has been asked to go back to the original U.K show, but sources are saying that the singer’s so cheesed off with the whole mess that she wants out of the whole thing! No one’s heard from Simon about all of this yet and we’re waiting to hear what he has to say. All we know is that Nicole should steer clear from Cheryl for a while. Scratch that, the whole lot of them should watch out!

[Photos: Getty Images]

Paul Abdul And Simon Cowell, Reunited, And It Feels So Good

Make-out sesh! Unfortunately this isn’t Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell getting together, as we have always hoped for them. This very staged photo was taken at the reception for the first round of auditions of the U.S. version of The X-Factor, which Paula has signed on for. And since the show is Cowell’s baby, that means Paula and Simon are back together bay-bee! Reunited! This also means that Paula is going to be a judge again. Feel absolutely free to insert your own joke here. Paula, as expected, had a bit of an embarrassing moment with her skirt and a gust of wind while walking in, but you’re going to have to look through our gallery for that one!

Simon confirmed the news (in a very sweet statement) saying, “This show would never have been the same without Paula and I can’t believe I am saying this, [but] I have missed her a lot, and I am thrilled she’s on the show.” Forget Paula… we’ve missed you, Simon! Paula returned the favor stating, “…I’m also delighted and grateful to be sitting next to Simon again…but you might want to check back with me in a week or two!” So there you have it, the judges panel of the U.S. version of The X-Factor is now complete with Paula and Simon rounding off L.A. Reid and Cheryl Cole with Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones co-hosting. As planned, Paula and Simon sat next to each other during the auditions, and all was right with the universe again.

[Photos: Getty Images]