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!!