024 Cowell Factor

With Susan Boyle safety locked up in her new London mansion - with Pebbles the cat of course - Simon can now get on with his new project - the remake of Saturday Night Fever! LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST TO FIND OUT THE WHOLE SCOOP!

First up is my latest news on the X Factor. As Simon heads to Glasgow this week for the first auditions.

JLS - The boyband, who lost out to Alexandra Burke in last year's final, release their new single on July 13 and its called Beat Again - and I gottta tell you – it’s really HOT.

But….the big news this week is Simon is working on a deal with pop legend Michael Jackson which could see the singer take a mentoring role on this season’s X Factor.
Simon Says "Tony, it's all down to Michael now. If a deal can be struck, then we're in business.”

But the best is yet to come because I’m back down in the Fame Games talent bank - where I belong……to dig up some more hits of the future.

This week Stefani Scovolo from LA- really got me going with her song Where do I fit in. This girl really knows how to craft a great pop song - and deliver it. Where have you been all my life Stefani?????

Now you guys already know I’ve always championed Will Champlin - and for good reason - he just keeps getting better. I love the new song, Killing me with Twilight. And Will has proved he can write great songs. And, equally as important, he appears so determined to breakthrough in this business. And trust me - you will - Will.

Now Following last week’s X Factor competition - As promised I have to read you a few Snippets from other emails I received on the Adam Lambert/Kris Allen debate-
And…I finally found a fan of Kris Allen.

A girl called Emily wrote me saying: “…of course it's fair that Kris won! I have to admit I did my best to like Adam Lambert, but I don't think there was a single performance of his where I didn't have to turn down the TV volume. I thought he was screaming his way through the songs, which made them painful to listen to. Yes, he has an amazing stage presence and he looks like a genuine rock star, but I can't stand him. I would never, in a million years buy his CD.

I remember Simon said to a contestant on AI that she sounded "like a cat jumping off the Empire State building and the noise it would make before it hit the floor". That's what Adam's voice reminds me of.”

Now MaryHelen Cuellar, from Dallas, - emailed me - and I just so love this because it illustrates exactly how obsessed some Idol voters get.

Helen says: “I think The voting system skewed the Idol results. If there had been one vote per phone line, then it is my firm belief that Adam would have won. Some say Kris had younger girls interested in him and they texted more; I’m a grandmother and voted 340 times on a land line, but dialed the phone 1,000 times in four hours; but couldn't get through. I belong to a Adam Lambert fan group and we voted our hearts out. One woman was able to vote 1,000 times, so it is not for lack of effort that Adam didn't win."

So here’s the thing…I, like you, am so bored with the whole Susan Boyle thing. But what have we actually learned from this??? Yes, you can get famous overnight.

But yet I’m so fascinated - so transfixed as to how far can it really go. Meaning… fame is one thing - talent is another. Now all a sudden Susan is everywhere - but yet nowhere. In other words she has her fame - but nothing yet has been established. We have no substance - no product.

So what has reality TV taught us? Yea - we get five minutes of fame - but how do we really capitalize on that? You too must have thought - Jesus that was quick - everyone knows about Susan Boyle - but, actually what has she done - what has she actually achieved?

At the moment I’m writing a book about the 60’s music scène - About the Beatles, The Stones, David Bowie, Eric Clapton - all names that everyone knows. But why do they know them??? -

They wrote brilliant songs - they changed the face of the music business. They were there at the right time.

But their reason for fame is obvious - they knew instinctively how to perform on stage, they wrote classic songs. They emerged naturally, - and did as their managers told them and got on with their music business

In other words - their talent came first - and their fame came later.

Remember - do what you do well…first. And IF you have talent - your fame will follow.
If you wanna talk to me - email me at tony@famegamesradio.com

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!

023 Cowell Factor

I announce the winner for the X-Factor tickets, give you the latest on the X Factor and want to know your experiences from auditioning for shows like American Idol! Listen NOW!!

A record 19 million people watch the final of Britain’s Got Talent. Susan Boyle doesn’t win - but instead is admitted to The Priory suffering from exhaustion.Meanwhile…Dannii Minogue finally agrees to continue as a judge on the new series of the X Factor, and gets a million pounds for her trouble.

Just when you thought Idol was all over … SEASON NINE AUDITIONS kick off on JUNE 14th IN BOSTON. I know…It’s a mad showbiz world!

So…just like you - I followed the rags-to-riches story of Susan Boyle - the poor, plain Scottish woman who lived with her cat, who wowed the judges and the world and became a mega-star overnight via You Tube.

So….yet Another winner - becomes a loser - though not in quite the same way as Adam Lambert.

News from the X Factor is that Dannii Minogue has finally agreed to continue as a judge on the show. Danni had refused to commit to the new series, (until she was offered more money that is) and her friends claimed that she was stalling because she was unhappy about the way she was treated last year. Yea right…..

So here’s the thing. Who is responsible when reality TV contestants crack under the strain? It's easy to pick on the media or the shows' producers. But first off…Let me put you straight on the Susan Boyle situation. It was Susan’s decision to go into The Priory. And no, ITV are not coughing up the money. Nor is the BGT production company. Simon will pay the bill personally. Yea, you could, rather cynically say …well he can afford to. But trust me Susan is much safer with Simon - than many others in this business. Simon will genuinely look after her - and not because she potentially could earn him a fortune - but because that’s the way he is. He DOES actually have the capacity to care for people. The ones he likes anyway.

More interesting though…how is it possible, that Susan Boyle lost “Britain’s Got Talent” just days after Adam Lambert lost “American Idol“? Boyle and Lambert may have lost public contests because of their private lives.

Personally, I think the results of these contests reveal more about the prejudices of the voters than they do about the real talent of contestants. In Lambert’s case, he obviously had greater artistic ability than Kris Allen, just like Clay Aiken was so clearly superior to Ruben Studdard.

Believe me, both Adam and Susan will have more substantial careers than the rivals who beat them.

So listen - my message to you is don’t wait to get famous - put certain things in place NOW. Don’t be like Susan Boyle and wait till you’re famous before you take steps to protect yourself. Susan had no management. No lawyer. If you really believe you have the talent to be famous, there’s nothing to stop you putting certain things in place now to protect yourself in the future. Get a media lawyer. Sit down with him and get assurances from him that he will act for you - if for example you went on a talent show. Who’s looking after you if you win??? Or lose. It won’t cost you a fortune. But protect yourself NOW - not Later.

And…just when you thought Idol was all over - it isn’t - because it’s started all over already. This week Fox announces, “AMERICAN IDOL SEASON NINE AUDITIONS BEGIN SUNDAY, JUNE 14 IN BOSTON.”

So I couldn’t help but wonder …Would you ever audition for Idol, or The X Factor. Or have you already done it? If you have then I want to know from you exactly what the experience was like. How far did you get? Email me and….. tell me the truth. tony@famegamesradio.com

So……who has won a ticket to accompany me to see The X Factor …live? I’ve had tons of great emails from you - and I’ve had great fun reading them. The Adam/Kris debate rages on. The conspiracy theories continue - and I’m not surprised. So my winner is…Maggie Paz - all the way from Argentina. Here’s her email:
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Mr. Cowell,

My name is Maggie, I'm 25 years old and I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I recently found your blog and I think it's fantastic!

Yes I am very far away, but I would absolutely love to go to the X-Factor finale (or any of the live shows!) and meet Simon, so here are my thoughts on the Idol final:

I liked both Adam and Kris. I thought Adam had the better stage presence, and Kris the all around sweet look. Polar opposites, and apparently America still wants to stand by its tradicional, safe values. The thing with Adam is you either love him or hate him, and I think lots of people were voting more against Adam than for Kris. So he's a winner anyway, because he made the competition all about himself. And he's definitely the most memorable one of the two, whether it's because of his singing ability or his abusive use of black. I don't think he's destined to duet with Susan Boyle...But I am quite sure we will soon see him singing for a very different Queen ; )

Though if I'm being honest, the main reason why I think Adam should have won is because Simon wanted him to win. And that's a good enough reason for me. The thing is, Mr. Cowell, I really, really, really love Simon. I want to meet him so much that if I managed to get tickets to any of his shows, I would travel the 7.000 miles (and nearly 18 hours) from Buenos Aires to London on the next available plane just for that, even if it meant only getting a glimpse of him sitting at the judging table.

I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I swear I'm not! I'm very normal! I'm a Literature and Linguistics student who just happens to have a passion for entertainment. And I admire Simon in so many ways! He has accomplished so much in the music business and I think his TV shows (especially Britain's Got Talent) are sensational. I love his accent, I love his abnormally white teeth, his wrinkle free forehead and his strange haircut. And I would do anything to meet him. Maybe you've never wanted something this badly, but please, Mr. Cowell, please try to imagine what it is like for me. I can assure you, no one wants those tickets and that meet & greet with Simon as much as I do, and as much as I have wanted it for years.

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Well done and congrats Maggie. Next week I will be reading out some snippets from all your emails - AND some of you will be getting a personally signed photo of Simon - yuk…. I can’t believe I’ve just said that.

Listen to this podcast and find out whatelse I had to say about this week in showbiz!

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!

022 Cowell Factor

There's still time to send your emails and win X Factor tickets! Check out this blog and podcast for more details!!

As the storm clouds gather over the American Idol voting system - conspiracy theories abound. Was Adam Lambert short changed? And will we ever know? All I know is that Kris Allen won - and Adam Lambert is destined to be the biggest star Idol has ever produced.

But let’s leave the "mad world" of talent shows for a minute - as I head down to The Fame Games Talent Bank.

This week I’ve been digging deep to find two artists who I believe deserve a few more listens. My first pick is London based Richard O’ Brien. Your song Never Hear You Calling Me - caught my attention. But, as usual, I found other songs I liked. Notably You Make Me Happy. Richard, you clearly know how to write ballads - AND sing them. Your voice has a kinda Irish folk-rock thing going on. I’d like to hear more from you.

Now Ray Scott Pardue was born in Colombia. But lives in Germany - and I’m not sure why. But I found your song Black Widow which I love. I also like the song Die For You. You have a lot of angst in your voice - and you are very very addictive.

Now - back to American Idol. Now since I set you a little task last week to let me know what you thought about the Idol result - I’ve been bombarded with emails. And I’m delighted. I haven’t yet made a final decision on who’s gonna win tickets to The X Factor. Listen to this podcast to listen to a few of the emails I’ve received!

Listen here for the full version of this podcast or head to www.meermusic.com or www.famegamesradio.com

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In case you missed it out on last week’s podcast, here’s the question one last time:
Should Adam Lambert have won - or is he NOW merely destined to duet with Susan Boyle on her new album. I wanna know from you…. exactly what you think about the Idol result.

Was it fair that Kris won?

If not tell me why…AND…the best email could win you tickets to the final of this summers X Factor in London where the winner will join me and go backstage to meet Simon and the winners. Don’t forget to email me at tony@famegamesradio.com

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!

021 Cowell Factor

Check out this blog and podcast to find out how you can win tickets to the X Factor Final and meet Simon Cowell!!

What an upset! - THE UNDERDOG wins American idol. Kara strips down to her undies. Simon’s late for the show because he was having vitamin injections! Yes...this is a regular day in Hollywood!

So….the fresh-faced boy from Arkansas beats a theatrical guy who wears leather and eyeliner. But why…Is it because America’s not ready to crown a guy who looks like Liza Minnelli? Or is it that American Idol has become like American Airlines; in that nowadays you get far less for your money and it takes much longer to reach your destination.

So how did Idol end for you? Were you satisfied with the result? Or were you just like Simon - who couldn’t care less.

Oh come on…I know you all secretly couldn’t help yourself watch the final - even though what you SHOULD have being doing was what I’ve been telling you to do.
Write more songs
Keep in the zone
Focus
Believe in yourself.
Don’t be distracted.
Don’t be fazed by rejection.
And… keep on Gigging.
Remember what Simon said….build up your own fan base by playing live - then its so much harder for the record labels to ignore you.

So?…..have you done all that? - well have you?????

Listen to this podcast and hear my daily diary from this past week as I was behind the scenes at the American Idol Finale!

Next week I will be reporting from the final week of Britain’s Got Talent - and, as well as my exclusive interview with Simon, I’ll be talking to Susan Boyle. Why? Well……not for fashion advice that’s for sure.

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Cowell Factor EXCLUSIVE

So….back to Idol. And now I wanna know from YOU…should Adam Lambert have won -
or is he NOW merely destined to duet with Susan Boyle on her new album?

I wanna know from you...exactly what you think about the Idol result. Was it fair that Kris won?

If not tell me why...AND...the best email could win you tickets to the final of this summer's X Factor in London where the winner will join me and go backstage to meet Simon and the winners. So………………. No emails? No tickets. Send your emails to tony@famegamesradio.com

...To hear my full podcast, listen here or subscribe FREE through I-tunes. You can also go to http://www.meermusic.com/ and http://www.famegamesradio.com/ to listen to by podcast every week and to check out all the artists I name each week in the Cowell Factor!

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!

020 Cowell Factor

I may not be botox free - but at least Fame Games is karaoke free. Boy…does this Cowell need his indy fix!

I’ve finally escaped the madness of Hollywood - only to find London in the grip of Britain’s Got Talent fever. So I’d best not mention that The X Factor auditions have just kicked off had I?

But first …..As I left Simon in Hollywood to sort out an Idol winner by next Wednesday - I was seriously impressed that he managed to pick a U2 song for Adam to sing. At last he’s warming to rock after all those years in the cheesy pop wilderness.

Look, Idol is OK when you are there in the thick of a live show. You see it for what it really is - great TV - with last weeks show getting a titanic 88 million votes. Can you believe that? But you know what? - I have to take my hat off to this guy Adam Lambert - He’s the best all round entertainer this competition has ever seen. And if he wins (which he will) he’ll be the first male singer (or shall we say boy singer) capable of selling trillions of records.

But… so long Idol - its been great to see you. Now I wanna get back to real music - right here in the Fame Games talent bank………..And I’ve stepped outside the rock box this week because I think these guys deserve some credit. My first pick is classical pianist Corrado Rossi. Your track In a Whisper is superb and would make a brilliant film soundtrack

Next up is London folk band Clayton - who write great folksy pop songs. Lindsay - Your vocal on the track Two Days Out of Seven - is absolutely stunning.

So here’s the thing - Love him or loathe him American Idol finalist Adam Lambert has so much vocal talent -why have we not heard of him prior to Idol? Where has he been?

For me, Adam’s back story illustrates precisely how hard it really is to break-through in this business. Fame is a fickle mistress. And for those who wanna court her - you’d better be prepared to be patient.

The paradox is…. we live in a fame epidemic - it's like a disease. Everyone wants to be famous. But yet its still so hard to actually grasp fame - to get your hot little fingers round it.

The easiest way to handle this - is not to seek fame - but rather to seek success. To want to be famous is a little…well… crude. (Not even Simon wanted to be famous) It came organically through hard work.

...To hear my full podcast, listen here or subscribe FREE through I-tunes. You can also go to http://www.meermusic.com/ and http://www.famegamesradio.com/ to listen to by podcast every week and to check out all the artists I name each week in the Cowell Factor!

I’m off to Hollywood now for the finale of Idol where I’ll be reporting exclusively for Fame Games. Apparently I will get to see Lionel Richie, Carlos Santana, and Keith Urban perform. email me please at tomy@famegamesradio.com

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!

019 Cowell Factor

This week I’m coming to you live from Hollywood, as I go to check out American Idol live!

What a show it was…ROCK week. But the downside, Paula Abdul decides to make a pop comeback by lip-syncing!!

So finally American Idol decides to get serious and do rock week and did it work, because 64 million people voted…an all-time record.

But before I let to much California sunshine get to my head, let's find out what’s in this week’s Fame Games talent bank. ‘Cause let’s face it! This is the future of where rock lives.

Now while the staff are selecting their own top artists, I’m going to pick my top three!

Listen to this podcast to find out which Fame Games artists I pick as my top 3 as well as other behind-the-scenes news at American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and X Factor news about Leona Lewis!

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!

018 Cowell Factor

As Adam Lambert dreams of being buried in confetti at the Kodak Theatre - Idol gets ready to rock - as next week legendary Guns and Roses guitarist Slash gets to mentor the top 4. About time too!!

But first…..
Lets talk rock…while All Day Sucker maybe more my kind of music - Stella Blackrose a band from Denmark really hit me with their hypnotic catchy rock tunes. Have to Leave You is the standout track for me and I love the fact you have a brilliant female lead vocalist. I’m not surprised you attracted Zeppelin producer Stuart Epps to work with you!

Now I know I’ve mentioned Stars Go Dim before - but so what - I love them. And I’ve just heard a pre-release of their new song Love Gone Mad. I absolutely adore this song. You know what I’ve just realised who lead vocalist Chris Cleveland reminds me of. John Waite - You know - the guy who sang Missing You. And I used to be John’s publicist way back when. Stars Go Dim just got a whole lot brighter . I love you guys and you are definitely gonna make it big!

Now while that Susan Boyle woman continues to impress and annoy all at the same time. Simon has made his feelings quite clear. He Says that she needs to stop being distracted otherwise it could all go wrong. But you what? People are now saying ‘Enough already Boyle!! Yea, I’ve had enough too. I genuinely hope she doesn’t win the show. Get that ghastly leather jacket off - and be yourself girl.

So lets rock on. You know what? I’ve probably been around longer than Rolling Stone magazine - but thanks to botox I think I’m ageing better. Yet the magazine - still pulls in the star interviews but they’re kinda stuck with that whole sixties vibe. At the same time I was drawn to their list of Top 500 songs of all time. Which, as you would expect, is made up of Beatles, Dylan, Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin -The Clash. Songs you can't ignore - and some that genuinely stand the test of time. London Calling - and Nirvana’s Teen Spirit come quickly to mind.

But I couldn’t help but wonder…what that chart would look like in 20 years time. What songs of today will actually become classics? I guess we could expect some Snow Patrol, Keane or ColdPlay - and for good reason. But would there be a Beyonce song in there? Or a Lady Gaga? I don’t know.

But you know what? I genuinely believe there are artists close to home at Fame Games that definitely have the talent to write songs that will stand the test of time.

When YOU sit down to write a song - do you stop and think… I want to write a song that will live forever? It’s a hell of a challenge isn’t it. But look around at what is out there now.

What is that magic quality that makes a song a classic?

So Come on…..you’re the writers - you tell me.
Email me at Tony@famesgamesradio.com

Now I’m off to get another shot of Botox as next week I’ll be talking to you from LA. The hear what else I said, listen to this podcast!

The Cowell Factor

If you've only got ONE shot at FAME you might as well get it right!!