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‘X-Factor’ Upheaval: Simon Said?by Sting7 -- 03/28/2007
View Printable version of this article It’s no secret to Idol fans that Simon Cowell is far more than just a judge on American Idol. He has parlayed that fame into television projects of his own, in the UK and in the United States. One of those projects is a show called X-Factor, where the judges aren’t just judges, they are mentors. The three judges, Cowell, Sharon Osborne, and Louis Walsh, make the initial evaluations of the auditioners (just like on Idol), but beyond that, the advancing talent is split among age ranges and groups. Judges are given a segment to mentor and ultimately choose four acts to represent them at the live shows, where viewers vote for their favorites. The judges then cast a vote to eliminate the act they feel has not measured up. This judges’ vote has led to bitter bickering unlike anything we’ve seen on Idol. Louis and Simon took shots at each other like scabs that won’t heal, and one famous episode had Sharon throwing her full glass of water at Louis when he voted to eliminate one of her acts. It was an incident that led to Louis quitting… for a few days anyway. 
This kind of drama, along with acts that the public fiercely embraced, made X-Factor popular – fast. Last season’s numbers were the highest ever for X-Factor, but apparently, that was not enough to keep changes from coming to "freshen things up"… and those changes proved to be controversial. Popular hostess Kate Thornton and judge Louis Walsh were fired. And Louis sees Simon’s hand on the trigger: “It was (British television network) ITV not Simon who told me. I was over with him in L.A. and I knew he'd called a meeting so I knew that there would be changes to the show. I thought it was about the presenter (host) and a fourth judge,” Walsh told The Evening Standard, continuing “I was very shocked when I heard. He has sidelined me.” That’s not all Louis had to say. As outspoken as is his way, Walsh let loose a torrent of allegations about Cowell, both professionally and personally: “He is outdated in his musical tastes and the things he likes.” Walsh opined, “He likes big ballads which are very outdated… but he has good people around him and they are responsible for directing his musical decisions.” And what did Walsh have to say about his friend of over 20 years personally? “It's all me, me, me – that's the way he is on and off the show… sometimes I think that he is so arrogant and pompous. He is so argumentative, but he doesn't have any musical integrity.” “Sharon and I tend to get attached to contestants, Simon never did. We wanted to help them achieve their dreams, but Simon just wants to win and he wants to be number one… We all get competitive. We all have egos, especially Simon. He gets very competitive.” Ironically, it had been Walsh who had been most often accused of mishandling his artists. Many note that his failure to push season one winner Shayne Ward (an issue Cowell has had plenty to say about) has been disastrous to Ward’s viability as an artist. The iron is no longer hot. The UK press has been relentless in its willingness to print the words of every disgruntled artist Walsh has managed. So it’s no surprise that Walsh is quite anxious to get back behind the scenes. “You will see my bands, but you won't be seeing me for a while, which I think is a good thing. I will have a much better quality of life.” “I am genuinely relieved. When I heard, I thought, ‘I don't want to do TV.’” Walsh concludes that he and Cowell will be able to work together again – they have to; Walsh manages Westlife, the most lucrative act on Cowell’s SYCO label. But the friendship of 20 years is definitely over. But this is a fact that bothers Simon, who said, “He has every reason to believe he's been stabbed in the back.” “Louis is, or was, a good friend. The only thing I regret now is I should have called him myself.” Despite that, Cowell asserts that the decision did not rest with him, “Everyone thinks it was my decision. But that's disrespectful to the producers. If it had been my decision I would have told them directly. That's the way I am. I am frustrated and wish sometimes I could just show a tape of the meeting so people could know the truth.” Sharon Osborne doesn’t buy that, “We all know who we work for! For Simon to pretend he didn’t know or it wasn’t his decision is just insulting,” Sharon told the London Sun, concluding that Cowell handled the firings of Walsh and hostess Kate Thornton like “a coward.” Recently, rumors have circulated that Sharon has been making efforts to negotiate her release after the next season of X-Factor – Osborne has also been talking about the possibility of replacing Brandy on the second season of America’s Got Talent. Brandy is facing vehicular manslaughter charges and it is not clear whether she will be able to devote the necessary attention to participate in the show. Meanwhile, Simon wishes things were handled better, but thinks he would have taken the news better than Walsh: “It will happen to me one day. Someone will say, 'It's time for you to move on to another show,' and I'll go, 'Fine,'” Cowell told the London Sun. “I wouldn't point fingers at anybody – these things happen.” “Richard Holloway, the executive producer, said, 'I've known Louis for longer than you actually – 20 years – and if I'm going to call Kate I'm going to have to tell Louis,'” said Cowell. “If it had been my decision I would have told them directly. That's the way I am.” But while Cowell has regrets, he maintains that the decision to replace Walsh and Thornton was not his, in fact, quite the opposite, “What Louis doesn't know is that he had one defender in that room of seven or eight people and that was me. The only one who defended keeping him on.” 
Cowell says he is simply tired of apologizing: “When Louis wants to get over this and call me and actually find out what happened, I'll tell him... I think he wants to believe there was this horrible conspiracy, that I was wielding the axe. It wasn't like that. Louis was told about 12 hours after I was told. All this stuff saying we knew for weeks is complete and utter rubbish.” Perhaps there is a reason for Walsh's paranoia. The list of names to replace Walsh had been as lofty as Jessica Simpson, Madonna, or Danii Minogue. Then, one name seemed to shine brighter – bright enough that some outlets were calling it a done deal. Paula Abdul. Abdul had guested on season two of X-Factor and her appearance was very well received. It made perfect sense. But, just days ago, another name surfaced – one that will continue to cause discomfort for Louis Walsh. Randy Jackson. Randy is not denying that there have been talks: “I’d love to do it. I can’t wait to come to London. It would be a fantastic opportunity,” Jackson told The Sun. He did stay short of saying he has the job, but he clearly wants it. “I love working with Simon. We’re great friends.” As for the hosting chores, the names tossed around include Elizabeth Hurley, Kelly Osborne (both of whom have hosted Project Catwalk, UK’s version of Project Runway), So You Think You Can Dance’s Cat Deely, Grease: You’re the One that I Want!’s Denise Van Outten, Danii Minogue, and yes, Ryan Seacrest. Former hostess Kate Thornton has not issued any statement about her release from X-Factor, and Simon Cowell has his phone calls to her have not been returned. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol and RealityNewsOnline:
Sting7 has been a respected published writer for many years, as a music editor, entertainment critic, columnist, and interviewer. He also has a curious love for pro-wrestling! You can email Stinger at stingseven@yahoo.com. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! For all of our articles, check out our sections on American Idol, American Juniors, Nashville Star, and Canadian Idol. Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot: The X-Factor, Celebrity Spider: Simon Cowell and Reality TV Fever! View Printable version of this article
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