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Simon Cowell

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Simon Cowell
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Simon Cowell is a record producer, but became famous when he was selected to be one of the judges on American Idol and Pop Idol. Sardonic and very biting, he is known for his harsh criticism of would-be pop stars. He has also served as judge on The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, Cowell was born on October 7, 1959, in Holland Park, London, England.

Last updated: March 24, 2009.

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Simon Cowell

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Biography

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, American Inventor, and The X Factor. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
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Music producer, record company executive

Music executive Simon Cowell has been working in the entertainment business since 1977, and is the founder of S Records, a joint venture with BMG. He has also converted animated television shows, such as Teletubbies and The Power Rangers, into musical successes. However, he has achieved his most widespread notoriety as a judge of the television talent show American Idol. Cowell's acidic, blunt remarks about the performers's abilities are often true, but also often controversial.

Cowell grew up outside London, England, one of two sons of a dancer mother, Julie, and a music executive father, Eric. His family also included four half-siblings. Cowell was often bored in school, and as a result, he behaved badly, leading teachers to tell him he would never amount to anything. He moved from school to school, dropped out at age 17, and in 1977 began working in the mailroom of EMI, his father's music company. He then moved into the A&R field of this business.

When he was 22, Cowell and his business partner, Iain Burton, started a music publishing company, Fanfare, but the venture failed. A few years later, while working at a small record label, he met Pete Waterman, a successful music producer for BMG. Waterman told Cowell that his business tactics were "absolutely useless," according to People. Cowell was initially hurt by this cruelly accurate comment, but he accepted a position in A&R at BMG and followed Waterman around for the next three years, learning how the business really worked and building a list of pop stars. This venture took off, and between 1997 and 2002, Cowell's pop acts sold more than 25 million albums in the United Kingdom and had 17 number one singles. In 2001, Cowell created S Records, a joint venture with BMG. He also converted television shows, such as The Power Rangers and Teletubbies, into musical successes.

In 2001, Cowell and a partner decided to create a television show that would showcase amateur singers hoping for a break into the business. The show began as Pop Idol in the United Kingdom, and then crossed the Atlantic as American Idol—The Search for a Superstar, debuting in 2002. In the show, singers looking for fame and fortune compete and, one by one, are weeded out by judges. The first season's judges included singer Paula Abdul, music executive Randy Jackson, and Cowell.

The show's ratings increased steadily over the course of its first season, with as many as 15 million viewers watching the season finale on September 3 and 4, 2002. Over the course of the season, Cowell became known for his biting assessments of the singers. According to Daily Variety 's Phil Gallo, "Abdul tends to give out warm fuzzies; Jackson is hit-or-miss in giving a direct assessment but generally forgiving of minor slips; Cowell tells it like it is. And while what he says may be hurtful to the performer … his directness is immensely refreshing." Cowell's comments to performers included remarks that their singing was "rubbish," "pathetic," or that it sounded "like a train going off the rails," according to People. He told one contestant, "You will never, ever, ever have a career in singing." According to James Poniewozik in Time, he told another, "Who's your [singing] teacher? Get a lawyer and sue her."

Cowell's harsh assessments often rankled the more moderate Abdul, and led some contestants to speculate that Cowell was being particularly harsh because the controversy he created raised the show's ratings. Time 's Poniewozik noted that many viewers were entertained and even gratified by Cowell's devastating honesty: "You may wince at Cowell's barbs, but you also welcome them when Abdul or Jackson offers a wimpy 'Good job' to a singer who has scraped the fingernails of her ambition down the chalkboard of her limited ability."

In Daily Variety, Timothy M. Gray wrote, "The show has finally found its real star: judge Simon Cowell." As Gray noted, Cowell received more media attention than any of the singers on the show, "and in the process has become America's favorite new villain." Gray quoted Cowell, who explained his brutal honesty by saying, "I tell them the truth. I think I am being nice, because I'm saving them a lot of anguish in the future." Gray speculated that Cowell's image as a villain might be intensified by his posh English accent, and Cowell agreed: "Who the hell is this Englishman coming in and telling us what we're good at doing or not doing? If we [in the United Kingdom] had a loudmouth American telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing, we'd probably feel the same way." Some contestants were so angered by his remarks that after being rejected, they lurked outside the studio with baseball bats, forcing the show to hire more security guards.

For the show's second season, Cowell received $2 million (up from $250,000); with the larger salary, he purchased a mansion in Beverly Hills, California. In 2002, Cowell was named one of People 's sexiest men alive.

On May 19, 2003, Cowell began working with CBS on a new relationship reality show, called Cupid, scheduled for broadcast starting July 9, 2003. In the show, Cowell and a young woman named Lisa Shannon, an advertising executive from Detroit, Michigan, traveled the United States looking for "Mr. Right" for Shannon. Two of Shannon's best friends joined the entourage to judge young men, who "auditioned" for the part of Mr. Right. Each man had just 30 seconds to impress Shannon and her friends with his sense of humor or other characteristics. In the fourth episode, Shannon began going on dates with those who passed this initial screening; after eleven episodes, viewers would choose which of these suitors would propose marriage to Shannon. If she accepted, she and the man would split the $1 million "dowry." Cowell did not appear on the show, but was heavily involved in behind-the-scenes decisions.

In July of 2003, Cowell signed a three-year deal with Fox to remain on American Idol, as well as develop new projects for the network. According to CNN.com, he would earn about $150,000 per episode for the third edition of the show, which was scheduled for January of 2004. On July 15, 2003, Cowell's agent announced that he had signed a $2 million deal with Random House for a book about American Idol. The book, titled I Don't Mean to be Rude, But …, was published December 2, 2003, by Broadway Books, an imprint of the Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group under the Random House division of Bertelsmann AG. Co-authored by his older brother, Tony, the book provides an insider's view of the show and chronicle of Cowell's career.

Typical of Cowell's career, the 2004 launch of his new television program, X Factor, was marked by controversy. The show features a panel of three judges: Louis Walsh, Sharon Osbourne and Cowell, who provide criticism for aspiring vocal acts. The creator of Pop Idol, Simon Fuller, filed suit against Cowell's production company, Syco, claiming Cowell's X Factor television show copies his Pop Idol format. Cowell called the charges "utterly ridiculous." The suit failed, but controversy with the program continued, culminating in the season's grand finale involving a vicious verbal attack on the season's winner by Osbourne. It remains unclear as to whether or not she will be returning for the show's upcoming season. Considering that an Australian version of X Factor is scheduled to debut in early 2005, it seems safe to assume continued or additional controversy is unlikely to negatively affect Cowell's career.

Despite his reputation for having a sharp tongue, Cowell still has legions of fans. According to People, Cowell's friend Terri Seymour said, "Women are just desperate to get near him." The article noted that Cowell has a softer side: when he is not working, he volunteers at an animal shelter near his home in London, has lunch with his mother every Sunday, and takes bubble baths when he wants to relax. Another article in People told a story that revealed Cowell's sensitive side: One day Cowell was driving in London and saw a man kicking a dog. He promptly "screeched to a halt, leapt out of the car, and kicked the man," People quoted Cowell's friend Jackie St. Clair, who said this showed that, "Underneath it all, he's a big softy. He's a really sensitive, kind man."

Sensitive or not, Cowell warned People that he was not interested in settling down; in relationships, he enjoyed the chase, but quickly became bored once he had the object of his affection. In addition, in other areas of his life, he was driven by the need to make more money. His main aim in life, he told Sathnam Sanghera in the Financial Times, was to find a singer who would sell millions of records for his label: "If I wasn't selling records on the back of this, it would all be a waste of time."

Sources

Books
Debrett's People of Today, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 2002.

Periodicals
Daily Variety, August 20, 2002, p. 5; September 4, 2002, p. 19.
Entertainment Weekly, August 9, 2002, pp. 20-25.
Financial Times, September 24, 2002, p. 10.
Mediaweek, May 12, 2003, p. 5.
New York Post, May 9, 2003, p. 133.
People, July 8, 2002, p. 107; December 2, 2002, p. 117; May 26, 2003, p. 56.
PR Week, December 7, 2001, p. 28.
Time, July 1, 2002, p. 61.

Online
"Cowell signs for 3 more years of Idol," CNN.com, http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/08/television.cowell.reut/index.html (July 8, 2003).
"Idol judge lands $2 million book deal," CNN.com, http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/07/16/books.simon.reut/index.html (July 18, 2003).
—Kelly Winters
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Biography

Before the Pop Idol franchise made him one of the most recognizable faces on television, Simon Cowell enjoyed a lucrative career as an A&R executive, television producer, label owner, record producer, and -- in his first job ever -- a mailroom clerk at EMI Records. Born in 1959, he was raised in a well-to-do British household by his mother (a former dancer), his father (an industry exec at EMI), and a slew of nannies, none of whom were able to curb Cowell's penchant for underage drinking and smoking. Attending several notable boarding schools turned out to be fruitless, as Cowell was ejected from every one due to bad behavior. His father had powerful influence in the music industry, however, and was able to secure his son an entry-level job at EMI in the mid-'70s.

Cowell steadily worked his way up the corporate ladder. Before long, he had co-founded the subsidiary label Fanfare Records and signed his first artist, Sinitta, whom Cowell also dated. Sinitta's 1987 debut LP, Sinitta!, enjoyed strong sales, but Fanfare nevertheless plunged into bankruptcy the following year, causing Cowell to move back into his parents' house. Within months, he had refashioned himself as an A&R consultant and initiated a long relationship with BMG, for whom Cowell signed such acts as Westlife, Curiosity Killed the Cat, and Sonia Evans.

The good fortune continued in 2001, when Cowell became a judge on the introductory season of Pop Idol, a televised British talent competition. His blunt criticism and humorous (often scathing) commentary were highlights of the show, and Cowell soon joined the judging panel for the spinoff show American Idol. With his media presence now climbing into the stratosphere, he remained with American Idol through many successive seasons, manufacturing the opera-pop group Il Divo and launching/producing several additional TV shows (including The X Factor, America's Got Talent, Celebrity Duets, American Inventor, and Rock Rivals) along the way. ~ Andrew Leahey, Rovi
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This article is about the music executive. For the author and television presenter, see Simon Cowell (presenter).
Simon Cowell

Cowell at the National Television Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London, October 2006.
Background information
Birth name Simon Phillip Cowell
Born (1959-10-07) 7 October 1959 (age 52)
Lambeth, London, England
Origin Elstree, Hertfordshire, England
Occupations A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, television personality
Years active 1979–present
Labels EMI, E&S Music, Fanfare Records, BMG, S Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Syco
Associated acts Westlife, Sinitta, Leon Jackson, Jai McDowall, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia, Five, Robson & Jerome, Ultimate Kaos, WWF Wrestlers, Zig and Zag, Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Joe McElderry, Shayne Ward, Il Divo, Susan Boyle, Paul Potts, JLS, One Direction, Melanie Amaro

Simon Phillip Cowell (born 7 October 1959) is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol. He is also the owner of the television production and music publishing house Syco.

As a judge, Cowell is known for his blunt and often controversial criticisms, insults and wisecracks about contestants and their abilities. He is also known for combining activities in both the television and music industries, having promoted singles and records for various artists, including television personalities. He was most recently featured on the fifth series of Britain's Got Talent and the first season of The X Factor USA.

In 2010, the British magazine New Statesman listed Cowell at number 41 in a list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".[1]

Contents

Early life

Cowell was born in Lambeth, London[2] and brought up in Elstree, Hertfordshire.[3] His mother, Julie Brett (née Josie Dalglish), is a former ballet dancer and socialite, and his father, Eric Selig Phillip Cowell (1918–1999),[2] was an estate agent developer and music industry executive.[4] Cowell's father was from a mostly Jewish family, though he did not discuss his background with his children (Cowell's paternal grandmother had immigrated from Poland).[5] Cowell's mother was from a Christian background, and is of part Scottish descent.[5][6][7] He has one brother and three half-brothers and a half sister; younger brother Nicholas Cowell, half-brother John Cowell, half-brother Tony Cowell, half-brother Michael Cowell and half sister June Cowell.[8]

Cowell attended Radlett Preparatory School and the independent Dover College as did his brother, but left after taking GCE O levels. He passed in English Language and Literature and then attended Windsor Technical College where he gained another GCE in Sociology.[9] At the age of 17, he dated model Paula Hamilton.[10] Cowell took a few menial jobs—including, according to Tony, working as a runner on Stanley Kubrick's The Shining[11]—but did not get along well with colleagues and bosses, until his father who was executive at the recording giant EMI Music Publishing, managed to get him a job in the mail room.[12]

Career

Cowell's father's connections originally got him rehired as the assistant to an A&R man. From there onwards, Simon worked his way up and eventually got promoted to a music publishing[13] position but left during the early 1980s to form E&S Music with his boss at EMI, Ellis Rich (later Chairman of the Performing Right Society). The company had several hit records at one point with five singles in the UK top 40. The offices were in a converted gentleman's washroom in the NCP car park on Brewer Street in London's Soho district. Cowell left by mutual agreement a few years later. He worked for Iain Burton, manager of choreographer Arlene Phillips, co-founder of dance group Hot Gossip and of nascent independent record label Fanfare Records. Cowell worked with Burton for eight years at Fanfare where he achieved his first real success in the music industry, becoming a partner and building Fanfare into a highly successful 'indie' pop label. Fanfare had numerous top ten hits with various pop artists and particularly Sinitta, selling more than 500,000 copies of her debut single "So Macho", and more than 500,000 copies of her album Rondo Veneziano.[14] Next in 1984, Cowell and Burton met up with Pete Waterman for the first time.

Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman formed the songwriting and record producing trio known as Stock Aitken Waterman.[15] Stock Aitken Waterman helped Fanfare during the second half of the 1980s producing several hit singles for Sinitta and licensing The Hit Factory SAW Compilation Albums to Fanfare. Next in 1989, Fanfare's parent, Public Company, found itself in difficulties, forcing Fanfare into the hands of BMG. An in-debt Cowell was forced to move back in with his parents. Later that year, he became an A&R consultant for BMG. In 1990, he appeared as a contestant on the UK gameshow Sale of the Century.[16][17]

Subsequently, Cowell signed up a number of acts to S-Records that became successful, including Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia, Five, Westlife, Robson & Jerome, and Ultimate Kaos. He also released several novelty recordings featuring the likes of Teletubbies, wrestlers of WWE[18] Zig and Zag and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that were huge successes.[3] In 2002, Cowell set up another label, Syco Music, which later became part of Columbia Records and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Artists such as Leona Lewis, Il Divo and contestants from The X Factor and America's Got Talent are released on Syco. Cowell explained, "There has to come a point when I will step down from being on camera and remain behind the scenes because you can't keep doing this forever...I think by [the end of my contract] that the public will be sick to death of me anyway and it will be time to go."[19]

In 2006, Cowell signed to two more record-breaking deals. In the US, he agreed to remain as a judge on American Idol, earning £20 million (US$33 million) per season for another five years. He also has a deal with FOX which allows his production company to broadcast Got Talent and American Inventor on other networks, but he may not appear on them. In the UK, he signed a "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV, worth approximately £6.5 million a year for three years, which gave ITV rights to his talent show The X Factor, a British singing talent show, and Grease Is the Word, a musical talent show to find the stars of a Grease production in London's West End. In late 2005, he signed a new contract to remain working for Sony BMG.

In 2010, Cowell finalised a deal which secures the long-term business future of Syco with Sony Music Entertainment.[20] The deal will also see him launching a US version of X Factor on 21 September 2011.[21]

Idol franchise and Il Divo

Main article: Idol series

Cowell was given the role of judge on the first series of Pop Idol in the UK by then ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz[22] in 2001, he was then judge on the first season of American Idol in 2002. With his notoriously critical reputation, Cowell is likened to TV personalities such as Judith Sheindlin and Anne Robinson. Though comparable to Robinson, Cowell has expressed his dislike for her and has commented in an interview, "I hate her and I hate her show because it's just an act".[23] Cowell's prominence grew, fed by his signature phrase, "I don't mean to be rude, but ...", inevitably followed by an unsparingly blunt appraisal of the contestant's talents, personality, or even physical appearance. A lot of these one-liners were the product of coaching that Cowell received from noted publicist Max Clifford.[24] Cowell also appeared on the one-off World Idol programme in 2003, where it became clear that each country's version of the Idol had attempted to come up with its own "Simon Cowell" type personality. In 2003, Cowell placed No 33 on Channel 4's list of the all-time 100 Worst Britons. Cowell's S Records signed the top two finishers of the first season of Pop Idol, Will Young and Gareth Gates, both of whom went on to have No 1 UK hits. Efforts begun in 2001 materialised in 2004, when Cowell returned to his group manufacturing roots with his latest brainchild, the internationally successful operatic pop group Il Divo,[25][26] consisting of three opera singers and one pop singer of four different nationalities. Inspired by the success of Il Divo, Simon created a child version, Angelis, beating competition from many similar groups emerging at Christmas 2006.[27]

On 11 January 2010, Cowell's exit from American Idol was made official. The 2010 season was Cowell's last on the show. It was also announced that FOX had acquired the rights to The X Factor USA, an American version of Cowell's popular British show, The X Factor, which began in September 2011.[28][29]

The X Factor

See also: The X Factor

In 2004, with Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, Cowell was a judge on the first series of the British television music competition The X Factor, which he created using his production company, Syco. The X Factor was an instant success with the viewers and began its eighth series in 2011.

Leona Lewis, the winner of the third series of The X Factor, was signed to Cowell's label Syco and has had number one singles and album sales around the world.[30][31] Cowell returned for a fourth series on 18 August 2007 alongside Osbourne, Walsh and new judge, Dannii Minogue. Walsh had previously been sacked from the judging panel by Cowell for the fourth series, and was subsequently replaced by Brian Friedman, who was a judge on Grease Is the Word. Walsh was later brought back a week into the auditions by Cowell when he and Osbourne realised that they missed Walsh and that without him, there was no chemistry between the judges. Cowell returned for the fifth series in 2008, with Walsh, Minogue and new judge Cheryl Cole, as Osbourne decided to quit before the show began.[32][33] Cowell returned for series 6 and 7 as well, although series 7 was his to be his last, as he left in 2011 in order to launch The X Factor in America. After placing third in the seventh series of The X Factor in the UK, boyband One Direction signed to Cowell's label in 2011, and the group have gone on to top singles and album charts worldwide.[34][35]

The X Factor Australia launched in 2005, but was cancelled due to poor ratings. It returned to Australian television for its second season on 30 August 2010, with Kyle Sandilands, Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Imbruglia as judges.[36] Season 3 began on 29 August 2010 and ended on 22 November. It featured Ronan Keating, Mel B, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Bassingthwaighte as judges.

Cowell also launched The X Factor USA in September 2011 on American broadcaster Fox. It was originally announced that he would be a judge both on the UK and U.S. editions of the show, which air at similar times of the year,[20][21] but MTV officially reported on 17 April 2011 that this was not true; Cowell is no longer a judge in the UK version,[37] but instead will be an enormous presence backstage.[38] He currently is a judge on The X Factor USA alongside Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and formerly Cheryl Cole.

In October 2010, Cowell signed new three-year deals with ITV for both Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor, renewing both shows until 2013.[39]

Got Talent franchise

Main articles: America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, and Got Talent

Following the success of the Idol and X Factor franchises, Cowell, his company Syco, and its business partners developed a talent show format open to performers of any kind, not only singers, but also dancers, instrumentalists, magicians, comedians, novelty acts, and so on. The origins of the Got Talent format can be traced to the British show Opportunity Knocks, which began as a radio programme in the 1940s and later transferred to television, where it was an ITV staple for several decades. Looking further back, Opportunity Knocks had its roots in the variety show traditions of British music hall and American vaudeville.

Cowell is the executive producer of America's Got Talent,[40] which debuted in June 2006, along with Fremantle producers of the Idol series, but he does not appear on the show due to the terms of his contract with FOX. The show was a huge success for NBC, drawing around 12 million viewers a week, and beating So You Think You Can Dance on FOX (produced by rival and Idol creator Simon Fuller).

Britain's Got Talent[41] debuted on ITV in June 2007. Cowell appears as a judge alongside Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. The show was a ratings success and second and third seasons followed in 2008 and 2009. The third series featured a publicity coup when Susan Boyle[41][42][43] made a global media impact with her regional audition performance comparable to that of any previous talent show series winner.

American Inventor

On 16 March 2006, Simon Cowell's next competition show, American Inventor,[44][45] debuted on ABC. Fledgling entrepreneurs from across the United States competed to see who could come up with the best new product concept. The 2006 winner, Janusz Liberkowski,[46][47] received $1 million and the opportunity to develop his idea into a business. The show returned one more time in 2007 for a second season.

Celebrity Duets

In 2006, Cowell executive-produced Celebrity Duets,[48] which was described as "an Idol show for Hollywood superstars." The show was hosted by Wayne Brady, and its judges were Marie Osmond, Little Richard[49] and David Foster.

Grease Is the Word

Cowell was also the executive producer of Grease Is the Word for ITV. This show set out to find performers to play Danny and Sandy in the 2007 West End revival of Grease. It was hosted by Zoe Ball and judged by Britons David Ian and Sinitta and Americans David Gest and Brian Friedman. The musical theatre casting concept had already been introduced by the BBC with the ratings hit How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, but Cowell's show was not the hoped for success. He himself said, "It has been slaughtered by the critics – and rightly so. It is far too similar to our other formats."[50]

Rock Rivals

Cowell collaborated with UK production company Shed Media to produce 2008 ITV drama series Rock Rivals, which is based on an X Factor type show.[51]

Red or Black?

In 2011, Cowell also created his first game show, titled Red or Black? and hosted by Ant & Dec, for ITV.[52] Series 1 was broadcast over seven nights in one week (excluding Tuesday), from 3 September to 10 September. The show has been recomissioned by ITV for a second series in 2012, which will be aired weekly.[53]

Other activities

Cowell has been involved in charity work for many years.[54] He supports children from The Association Of Children's Hospices and invites them backstage to the screenings of The X Factor.[55] When he can, he stops by some of the hospices to visit the children.[55] He also supports animal rights and has appeared in a video for PETA in which he reminds drivers of the cruelty to animals that can occur when their pets are locked in cars in the summer.[56][57] In view of his charitable works, particularly the production of the charity single Everybody Hurts in aid of victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, as well as his services to the music industry, there was considerable media speculation as to whether Cowell would receive a knighthood in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours, a proposal allegedly put forward by former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.[58] Cowell stated that he believed his chances of receiving the honour were "zero" following what he described as being a "royal row";[59] ultimately Cowell did not receive an honour in the list.

In December 2003, Cowell published his autobiography titled I Don't Mean to be Rude, but.... In it, he told the whole story of his childhood, his years working in music and experiences on Pop Idol, Pop Stars Rivals, and American Idol, and finally, his tips for being successful as a pop star.

Cowell has appeared as a guest voice in an episode of The Simpsons ("Smart and Smarter"), in which he gets beaten up by Homer Simpson (while criticising Homer's punches).[60][61] His voice was also heard on an episode of Family Guy ("Lois Kills Stewie"), in which he told Stewie that his singing was so awful that he should be dead.[62][63][64] He made an MTV Movie Award-winning cameo appearance as himself in Scary Movie 3, where he sits in judgment during a battle rap (and subsequently gets killed by gunfire for criticising the rappers). He also appears in the DVD version of Shrek 2 as a judge in Far Far Away Idol, and also provided the voice.[65]

He appeared on an episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (the original British version) and Saturday Night Live in 2004. Cowell has also guest-starred (filling in for Regis Philbin) in the popular talk show Live with Regis and Kelly during American Idol's finalist week in early 2006. Cowell was once the fastest "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" on BBC's motoring show Top Gear, driving a Suzuki Liana around the show's test track in a time of 1:47.1. When Top Gear retired the Liana along with its rankings after the eighth series, Cowell was the eighth fastest overall and the third fastest non-professional driver. On 11 November 2007 Cowell yet again appeared on Top Gear, achieving a time of 1:45.9 thus putting him ahead of Gordon Ramsay and back at the top of the table.[66] Cowell introduced entertainer Dick Clark at the 2006 Primetime Emmy Awards. He was seen on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice where he donated £25,000 for a fun fair ticket. Cowell has also appeared on the MTV shows Cribs and Punk'd. On Punk'd, Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson set him up to believe his $400,000 Rolls Royce was stolen and had caused an accident by using a nearly identical car.[67]

Cowell was chosen as the first subject of the re-launched This Is Your Life in an episode broadcast on 2 June 2007. He was presented with the Red Book by Sir Trevor McDonald while presenting American Idol.[68]

On 1 July 2007 Cowell appeared alongside Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest as a speaker at the Concert For Diana, held at Wembley Stadium.[69]

Cowell was a partner in the Royal Ascot Racing Club, a thoroughbred horse racing syndicate which owned the 2005 Epsom Derby winner, Motivator.[70]

In May 2010, he portrayed himself again, in another episode of The Simpsons, "Judge Me Tender".[71]

In December 2010, he was added as a new entry to the latest edition of Who's Who.[72]

Personal life

Cowell became engaged to make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy in February 2010, however the couple separated in 2012.[73] They met on the set of American Idol.[74] Cowell is the godfather of pop singer Sinitta's adopted children.[75]

Upon his appearance on Top Gear, it was revealed that Cowell pays more than £21.7m per year in income tax, suggesting that his taxable income is over £54.25m per year with income tax at the time approximately 40%.[76][77] (NB: UK Income Tax 40% for earnings over £34,600). Cowell was estimated to have a fortune of £200 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2011, making him the sixth richest person in the British music industry.[78] Cowell splits his time between homes in London and Los Angeles.[79] He owns a £9million home in Holland Park, West London,[79] and has a £13.7million ($22 m), 11,550 sq ft (1,073 m²) home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.[80]

In April 2012 he said that he had an affair with fellow The X Factor judge Dannii Minogue during her time on the show.[73]

Political views

Cowell is a supporter of the Conservative Party. In 2010, Cowell endorsed David Cameron to be Prime Minister and claimed that he has the 'substance and the stomach to navigate us through difficult times'.[81] In the aftermath of the election, it was reported that he had fallen out with fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole (who had declared her support for Labour and Gordon Brown) in a telephone conversation about politics.[82]

References

  1. ^ "41. Simon Cowell – 50 People Who Matter 2010". http://www.newstatesman.com/broadcast/2010/09/judge-dread-simon-cowell. Retrieved 3 November 2010. 
  2. ^ a b Births and Deaths England and Wales 1837–2006
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  51. ^ X marks the spat in new drama The Sun. Retrieved 12 April 2012
  52. ^ Red or Black? has Simon Cowell's fingerprints all over it The Mirror. Retrieved 12 April 2012
  53. ^ Simon Cowell's Red Or Black recommissioned for a second series... with a new prize jackpot of £3.5MILLION Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2012
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  73. ^ a b Hope, Hannah (15 April 2012). "Simon Cowell confesses to affair with Dannii Minogue - 3am & Mirror Online". Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/simon-cowell-confesses-to-affair-with-dannii-795718. Retrieved 15 April 2012. 
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  77. ^ "UK Income Tax Rates". Hmrc.gov.uk. 6 April 1935. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/it.htm. Retrieved 14 August 2010. 
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  79. ^ a b Shaken Simon Cowell comes face-to-face with 'woman intruder who broke into his house armed with a brick and lay on his bed Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 April 2012
  80. ^ Catey Hill (2009 07 May). "Simon Cowell ready to move into his $22M Beverly Hills mansion". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2009/05/07/2009-05-07_american_idol_judge_simon_cowell_installs_tanning_bed_in_22m_beverly_hills_mansi.html. Retrieved 2009 07 May. 
  81. ^ "General Election 2010: Simon Cowell backs David Cameron for PM , Mail Online". The Daily Mail (UK). 5 May 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1272636/General-Election-2010-Simon-Cowell-backs-David-Cameron-PM.html. Retrieved 14 August 2010. 
  82. ^ Cheryl Cole furious with Simon Cowell’s Conservative politics Unrealitytv.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2012

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