Simon Cowell Movies
Known to millions as the surly British judge on American Idol, Simon Cowell started his career at EMI Music Publishing, where he worked his way up from the assistant to an A&R representative to a record producer, but in the early '80s, he left the company to create his own label, E&S Music. The company went bankrupt, and Cowell returned to EMI, but he tried to launch his own label again in 1985 with Fanfare Records, which enjoyed more success but was forced to fold when its parent company went under.Frustrated by his second major setback, Cowell began working as an A&R consultant for BMG, where he found major success with the bright idea to produce novelty records by stars from other areas of the entertainment industry who were already popular, such as professional wrestlers and kid's TV personalities. The music man also signed a number of successful bands to the label, and began working on other music-based projects like the British show Pop Idol, which would be reincarnated in America as American Idol. Cowell also tried starting up his own music company once again, Sysco Records, this time with the brilliant angle of releasing all the music from American Idol and Pop Idol winners on it. The entertainment mogul also came up with a number of other competitive reality series like America's Got Talent and American Inventor. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Another reality show from the Simon Cowell production factory, America's Got Talent drew that talent from all over the United States, with amateur variety performers ranging from children to grannies competed for a one-million-dollar cash prize. There were of course resemblances to Cowell's own starrer American Idol, including a three-person panel of judges: actor David Hasselhoff, singer Brandy, and the inevitable, British-born "Simon Cowell clone," the acerbic Piers Morgan (who was even more opinionated and obstreperous than his role model, if such a thing was possible). There were also echoes of the late, unlamented comedy talent contest The Gong Show, with silly sound effects accompanying the judges' scoring process, and several contestants who were obviously selected because they were either grotesquely untalented or just plain ridiculous. Hosted by Regis Philbin, America's Got Talent made its NBC debut on June 21, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Following the precedent established by the popular network game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, the Fox talent contest American Idol: The Search for a Superstar was afforded multiple weekly showings, telecast on both Tuesday and Wednesdays throughout it first season--and sweeping the ratings on both nights! Ryan Seacrest of course serves as host, sharing these duties during Season One with Brian Dunkelman. But as everyone knows, the real stars of the proceedings can be found on the three-person panel of judges: singer Paul Abdul, music producer Randy Jackson, and "Mr. Nasty" himself, the wickedly sardonic and brutally honest record executive Simon Cowell. The format is set up with admirable rapidity: dozens upon dozens of aspiring young pop singers, age 16 to 24, are audtioned throughout the nation in the opening episodes, with the best 30 aspirants remaining as "regulars" for the next three weeks; ultimately 10 semifinalists remain standing to strut their stuff for the balance of the season, as the viewers vote for their favorites via toll-free calls. The "judging" portion of takes place on the Tuesday telecast, with Wednesday given over to highlights and interviews and chats with the finalists--one of whom is eliminated at the end of each episode. And it isn't only their talent (or lack of same) that brings about the eliminations, as proven in the July 2002 episode wherein one of the semi-finalists is disqualified because he lied about his age (instead of 23, he was an old geezer of 29!) This, in fact, obliged the judges to bring forth a "wildcard" contestant from those who hadn't been selected by the viewers to bring to number up to ten again. From this point on, the contestants are judged according to their skills at interpreting different musical styles, ranging from Motown to middle-of-the-road. All of this is but prelude to the now-legendary Season One finale, originally telecast on September 4, 2002, in which the decision boils down to the two surviving semifinalists: Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Seacrest, Brian Dunkleman, (more)
- 2003
Having made an overnight star of aspiring pop singer [$Kelly Clarkson at the end of American Idol's first season, the producers return to perform the same magic on another unlucky unknown as the twice-weekly Fox talent show launches Season Two. And it's going to take quite a bit of doing to select the best of the best: Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of American Idol's maidedn season, no fewer than 50,000 hopefuls have shown up for the audition held all over the country. Ryan Seacrest is back as host, this time flying solo with the departure of cohost Brian Dunkelman. And of course, the contestants are still at the mercy of the three-person panel of judges: Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and the redoubtable Simon Cowell. New to the proceedings is Kristin Holt, a first-season contestant and former member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, now on hand as a "special correspondent" to offer behind-the-scenes glimpses of this season's aspirants. Other changes include the mode of selection for the final "wildcard" contestants, with each of the three judges choosing his or her favorite, with a fourth hopeful chosen via public call-ins. This means that during the season's final stretch there will be 12 rather than 10 finalists, with one contestant eliminated per week for the next twelve weeks, and with a different "celebrity" judge participating on each show. Also, for the first time Fox will offer a special "best of the worst" episode with highlights (or lowlights) from the most execrable and ear-shattering auditions. Along the way, there'll be a bit of controversy when semifinalist Corey Clark is removed from the running, not because of his singing but due to his off-screen misbehavior (it turns out that he'd once assaulted his own sister). Unfortunately, it will not be the last we'll hear from the contentious Mr. Clark. And in a slightly more amusing development (most of which was edited from the show), curmudgeonly Simon Cowell is senn preparing to lower the boom on a brace of "brothers" auditioning in Austin, Texas, when it is suddenly revealed that these two supposed no-talents are actually British comedians Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the original hosts of American Idol's British prototype Pop Idol, who are playing a practical joke on Mr. Cowell. The season ends in virtually a dead heat, with contestants Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken tying for the million-dollar grand prize--a tie ultimately broken by a margin of a mere 130,000 of the 24 million votes cast by the viewers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Seacrest, Kristin Holt, (more)
- 2005
In between seasons two and three of Fox's phenomenally popular talent contest American Idol, first-season winner Kelly Clarkson teamed with that same season's runnerup Justin Guarini to star in the theatrical feature From Justin to Kelly. Unfortunately (or, depending upon one's opinion of From Justin to Kelly, fortunately), second-season winner Ruben Studdard didn't have enough time to exploit his newfound celebrity in a similar manner. Beginning January 19, 2004, the series' third season gets under way with several weeks' worth of auditions held in New York, Atlanta, Houston, LA, San Francisco and Hawaii (this last episode would receive an inordinate amount of press coverage in that state when the Hawaiian semifinalist turned out not to be the favorite among American Idol viewers and voters). Once the wheat is separated from the chaff, the audience is treated to a special episode about the "lost" contestants--with emphasis on the reasons that they were not only lost, but would probably stay lost! There'll be a later special episode in a similar vein, focusing on notorious runner-up William Hung, who would unexpectedly become a recording sensation despite his stunning lack of singing ability (or even a sense of pitch!) Finally the 32 lucky contestants are chosen, from which will be gleaned the 12 semi-finalists. As the contest proceeds, there'll be return visits from such popular American Idol "losers" as Clay Aiken and Tamyra Gray, not as aspirants but as celebrities. Inevitably, the semifinalists are pared down to two: Fantasia Barrino an dDiana DeGarmo, who square off in the season's two-hour finale, which originally aired live. Without giving away the name of the winner, it can be noted that she will ultimately join previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Stoddard in a tuneful American Idol holiday special, telecast November 24, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Seacrest, Kristin Holt, (more)
- 2005
Now seen three times per week, Fox's amazingly popular talent contest American Idol launches its fourth big season on January 18, 2005. As in previous seasons, the festivities get under way with several episodes devoted to auditions in such locales as Washington DC, St. Louis, New Orleans and Las Vegas. During this elimination process, regular judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson are joined by a vast array of celebrity judges, including LL Cool J, Gene Simmons, Kenny Loggins and Brandy Norwood Finally the 200 regional winners are boiled down to 24--12 boys, 12 girls--in Hollywood, with a second round of auditions taking place over a span of four episodes. These 24 are whittled down to 20 and finally the Top 12, all of whom are given a chance to perform in an episode originally telecast March 15, 2005. Although it isn't evident on screen, the series' fifth season was briefly tainted by a scandal, when rejected second-season contestant Corey Clark, reportedly angling for a book deal, alleged that he had had an affair with series judge Paul Abdul. Although not backed up with any credible evidence, Clark's allegation very nearly got Abdul bounced from the show; fortunately, she was able to discredit the story and clear her name with the help of an independent counsel hired by Fox. Just before the final episode of the season, the network will offer up a special, American Idol Presents the World's Worst Auditions, featuring the "cream of the crop" from all over the world. Finally, it's down to the two last semifinalists: Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood (and for the benefit of all three of you who don't know who won, we'll keep you in suspense here!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Seacrest, Kristin Holt, (more)
- 2008
The battle of the Davids (hard-rockin' Cook vs. teen heartthrob Archuleta) was the highlight of a scandal-ridden Season 7. The contestants in 2008 spanned the usual array of styles. Among them: sweet, folksy Brooke White, country girl Kristy Lee Cook, tattooed Irish-born rocker Carly Smithson, soulful Australian Michael Johns, and laid-back, dreadlocked Jason Castro. But Cook and Archuleta stole the spotlight early on. In the first year contestants were allowed to play musical instruments, both men showcased their abilities, with Cook on guitar and Archuleta on piano. Cook stood out with his song choices and the renditions he chose on tunes such as "Billie Jean and "Eleanor Rigby". But the boyish grin and consistently strong vocals of 17-year-old Archuleta had his popularity skyrocketing, especially with younger viewers. In fact, neither performer ever landed in the dreaded "bottom three," which made for a nail-biting finale. Archuleta was the media favorite, but Cook garnered 12 million more votes from viewers. The theme weeks in Season 7 challenged the vocalists to perform songs from the 1980s, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, and the Lennon-McCartney catalog. But they tackled even bigger obstacles with the PR scandals that erupted: from one contestant's lap-dancer past to inappropriate Internet photos and videos, and a controlling stage dad, the "Idol" spin doctors stayed hard at work. Even the judges weren't safe, as questions swirled around Paula Abdul's scattered behavior and her critique of two songs performed by Castro after he only sang one. ~ Sue Tuttle, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell, (more)
- 2002
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The Fox talent search American Idol became the highest-rated new series of the year during the summer of 2002. Based on Britain's Pop Idol TV series, the program promised a recording contract for the one winner out of 10,000 contestants under the age of 24. Although the audience called in and voted for the final winner, the judges eliminated performers in each episode. While the talent of the young singers was often questionable, some of the show's entertainment value concerned judge and co-creator Simon Cowell assaulting the contestants with insults, while also engaging in fights with the other judges, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Seacrest, Brian Dunkleman, (more)
- 2006
If American Inventor came off as yet another variation of American Idol, it was hardly surprising: the weekly, hour-long ABC series was executive produced by Simon Cowell, who had gained fame (not to mention infamy) as the most abrasive and insulting member Idol's three-person team of judges. Debuting March 16, 2006, American Inventor likewise boasted a panel of judges, whose job it was to decide who among several contestants was the best and most creative inventor. Said contestants had previous been chosen in open auditions in several major U.S. cities, and were whittled down to a small group of finalists as the series progressed. Each finalist was then given 50,000 dollars advance money to bankroll their invention, which if deemed the winner would net the lucky entrepreneur one million dollars. Matt Gallant, formerly the emcee of The Planet's Funniest Animals, acted as host, while the American Inventor judges included British venture capitalist Peter Jones, female marketing specialist Mary Lou Quinlan, New York ad executive Ed Evangelista, and of course the traditional "Simon Cowell" clone, eccentric and outspoken professional inventor Doug Hall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Gallant, Doug Hall, (more)
- 2006
This Fox network talent contest was inspired by a brace of BBC series, Just the Two of Us and It Takes Two. In each episode, professional singers were teamed with celebrities from other fields (actors, athletes, etc.) and sang duets before a panel of high-profile judges. The viewers at home voted on their favorite "celebrity duets," with those receiving the lowest number of votes eliminated from the competition. At stake was a grand prize of 100,000 dollars, which the winning celebrity donated to his or her favorite charity. Wayne Brady hosted, with Marie Osmond, Little Richard, and David Foster as judges. Among the "real" singers appearing were Michael Bolton, Peter Frampton, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Clint Black, Michelle Williams, Kenny Loggins, and Wynonna Judd; their celebrity teammates included Lucy Lawless, Cheech Marin, Lea Thompson, Alfonso Ribiero, Jai Rodriguez, Hal Sparks, and Carly Patterson. Celebrity Duets launched its first limited run on August 30, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Concert for Diana captures a 2007 tribute to the deceased Diana Spencer, the former Princess of Wales. Among the many performers who appear on the bill are Nelly Furtado, Elton John, Duran Duran, Rod Stewart, and Kanye West. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Prince William, Prince Harry, (more)
- 2003
In this CBS reality series, the two best friends of 25-year-old bachelorette Lisa Shannon scoured the country to find the "perfect" mate for Lisa. The initial list of 100 eligible bachelors was cut down to ten during the first episode. In the weeks that followed, the home viewers were invited to vote on the men who seemed to be the best choices for our girl Lisa. If at the end of the series Lisa elected to marry the winner, or at least stay with him for a full year, the couple was given a one-million-dollar dowry. Simon Cowell, the acerbic talent judge of American Idol fame, served as the series' executive producer (but never appeared on camera, much to the disappointment of his fans). Cupid debuted on July 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Shannon
While star Anna Faris returns for the third film in the Scary Movie series, the power behind the camera has shifted from the Wayans brothers to one of the Zucker brothers. The Zucker in question is David Zucker, and he's brought along his partner in movie-parody crime, Leslie Nielsen. This time around, aim is taken at such horror blockbusters as Signs and The Ring, while films of other genres, including Independence Day, 8 Mile, and The Matrix, are also lampooned. The plot finds Cindy (Faris) trying to help the president (Nielsen) thwart an alien attack while also facing crop circles and a mysterious video tape. In the spirit of the two Matrix sequels, Scary Movie 3 was shot back-to-back with Scary Movie 4. Queen Latifah, Charlie Sheen, and Eddie Griffin also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Faris, Anthony Anderson, (more)
