X Factor UK is the brainchild of pop svengali Simon Cowell. Let's look into Simon's background:
SIMON COWELL: AN INTRO
Simon Cowell was born Simon Philip Cowell on the 7th October 1959, making him a Libra. (or a Boar if you're into Chinese Astrology). He's British and became famous judging the UK version of Pop Idol in 2001.
He is a television personality. He's been the judge on Pop Idol UK, American Idol, X Factor UK, Britain's Got Talent (where Susan Boyle was discovered) and soon-to-be judge on the upcoming X Factor US which should be hitting our screens in September 2011
He is a music executive. He owns
He is a TV producer. His production company Syco produces America's Got Talent and X Factor US, American Inventor, Grease Is The Word, Celebrity Duets and a failed dating show
He is an entrepreneur
He is a serial monogamist (read later for more on this)
He's a man so famous he apparently he hires someone just to wax his chest for him!
He is the owner of the most dated hair on primetime TV. Well, Donald Trump and David Hasselhoff might have something to say about that.
Check out a younger Simon Cowell on his first TV judging role: Pop Idol UK. (bytheway, the auditionee is Will Young who became the eventual winner...didn't realise how bad he is at dancing...horrible!!)
SIMON COWELL: WHO IS THIS COCKY FELLA?
He is a television personality. He's been the judge on Pop Idol UK, American Idol, X Factor UK, Britain's Got Talent (where Susan Boyle was discovered) and soon-to-be judge on the upcoming X Factor US which should be hitting our screens in September 2011
He is a music executive. He owns
He is a TV producer. His production company Syco produces America's Got Talent and X Factor US, American Inventor, Grease Is The Word, Celebrity Duets and a failed dating show
He is an entrepreneur
He is a serial monogamist (read later for more on this)
He's a man so famous he apparently he hires someone just to wax his chest for him!
He is the owner of the most dated hair on primetime TV. Well, Donald Trump and David Hasselhoff might have something to say about that.
Check out a younger Simon Cowell on his first TV judging role: Pop Idol UK. (bytheway, the auditionee is Will Young who became the eventual winner...didn't realise how bad he is at dancing...horrible!!)
| Here's another clip from Pop Idol UK with the classic Simon Cowell line "Ghastly, just ghastly" SIMON COWELL'S CHILDHOOD |
Cowell was born in Brighton, a pretty seaside town south of London. He grew up in Elstree , Hertfordshire which is a town famous for the Elstree Film Studios.
Classic movies such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Shining, Superman and many more have been partly filmed at Elstree and it's currently home to the UK TV shows Dancing on Ice and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
In fact, when Cowell was a teenager he worked on the film set of the movie The Shining.
Cowell's dad was an estate agent developer and a music industry executive. Cowell got his first break in the music industry when his dad scored him a modest job at the company he worked for: EMI Music Publishing, working in the mailroom.
Cowell's mum, Julie is a former ballet dancer.
He has one brother and two step-brothers.
Classic movies such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Shining, Superman and many more have been partly filmed at Elstree and it's currently home to the UK TV shows Dancing on Ice and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
In fact, when Cowell was a teenager he worked on the film set of the movie The Shining.
Cowell's dad was an estate agent developer and a music industry executive. Cowell got his first break in the music industry when his dad scored him a modest job at the company he worked for: EMI Music Publishing, working in the mailroom.
Cowell's mum, Julie is a former ballet dancer.
He has one brother and two step-brothers.
Career
Simon's dad Eric got him a job as the assistant to an A&R executive (artist and relations). Simon worked his way up but left to set up his own music company called S Music with his former boss, Ellis Rich.The company had a handful of hit records and even had five singles in the UK Top 40 all the same time at one point.
Simon left and worked for Iain Burton who was manager of Arlene Phillips a world famous choreographer and more recently the judge of UK's Dancing With The Stars (until allegedly she was sacked for being too old. A claim the BBC has always refuted)
Simon became a partner of Iain Burton's record label Fanfare which had a bunch of pop hits. One of them "So Macho" featured Simon's girlfriend at the time, former model Sinitta.
Simon was already a millionaire by this time and living a flash life. It all came crashing down, Fanfare ran into financial difficulties, Simon went into debt and had to move back in with his parents. He had to return to being an employee, becoming an A&R consultant for BMG. There he helped to sign up Curiosity Killed The Car, Five, Westlife, Robson and Jerome and lots of TV-related and novelty records such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teletubbies, Siz and Zag. Everyone laughed at him but we know who had the last laugh don't we.
It was like listening to a bad cruise ship act. Ghastly, simply ghastly.
In 2002, Simon Cowell was asked to be a judge on UK's Pop Idol which was originally a program format from New Zealand. His wit, honesty, attitude and funny putdowns were an almost instant success.
Pop Idol was brought to America a few years later and suddenly Simon Cowell was the most smug face in America.
$33 million a year and first dibs on the artists
In 2006, Cowell renewed his deal with Fox for a cool $33 million per season for five years. His deal with Fox includes his show America's Got Talent and American Inventor but he wasn't allowed to set up X Factor...a format which became so sucessful in the UK that it basically killed off the UK version of Pop Idol.
Not only that, but his music company Syco had rights to sign up the artists coming out of American Idol.
El Cheeso, sorry Il Divo and Leona Lewis
Because he's not busy enough, Simon Cowell also manages the classical music manband Il Divo and Leona Lewis winner of X Factor UK, among many others.
Simon Cowell trivia
He was once voted #33 on the Top 100 list of Worst Britons
Apparently he hires someone just to trim his chest hair. Yeuchh
He's engaged to make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy who did his make-up on American Idol.
He guested on The Simpsons and gets beaten up by Homer Simpson.
He has written an autobiography titled "I don't Mean To Be Rude, but". A cracking-good read as you would expect and it includes tips for how to become a pop star.
He uses botox regularly and is a big fan of teeth whitening.
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