The Simon Cowell Appreciation Thread (Part 2)

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  • mariannermarianner Posts: 11,043
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    Here is a link from the XF forum
    http://www.seeon.tv/view/19699/

    The 2nd show was so much better. Maybe there is hope after all. Simon was more himself here.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,070
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    marianner wrote: »
    Here is a link from the XF forum
    http://www.seeon.tv/view/19699/

    The 2nd show was so much better. Maybe there is hope after all. Simon was more himself here.

    Thanks Marianner and it's good to hear the second show was better, even though i enjoyed the first one anyway.

    Been speaking to a friend i have in TV production, and he can see no major faults with the show from his point of view. It's really just a case of spreading the word and still promoting the show as much as possible. Contestants are already getting a good amount of views on YouTube so that's a start.
  • dexydaldexydal Posts: 1,396
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    I thought it gelled better last night, the first night wasn't helped by having a change of judge halfway through, last night felt more the real thing. LA Reid was great again, he is making Simon look like a pussy cat!

    There were two or three stand out performances again, any problems with the viewing figures certainly aren't down to lack of talent. It will be interesting to see what they are for the second show.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 987
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    allie5 wrote: »
    Thats seriously disappointing :( And it worries me what it might inspire to be honest. He will be DESPERATE for this show to work and to be behind Modern Family and Criminal Minds is not good for the Premiere.

    As I said before, Modern Family DID have an amazing season opener - but Im still gobsmacked it beat XF with all the promo behind it. And the fact The Voice did better on its first show is an even bigger kick in the teeth. Ive not seen any actual figures yet - didnt The Voice premier at 12m (if memory serves)? If its less than that, then wow. Im gutted for Simon I really am :( .


    It also didn't have as much promotion as X Factor has had. The numbers are almost half of what Simon said he wanted so he won't be smiling over his cornflakes this morning. It also only got just over a million viewers on ITV2 last night. I know it's ITV2 but most households have the channel and the hype around it should have brought in more numbers than that.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 987
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    allie5 wrote: »
    I think it was a big mistake hiring Paula. This gives it an affinity to Idol that X Factor didnt need. And looking closely at last nights Twitterings, Facebookings and bloggings, no one was interested in Paula OR Saula really, apart from the usual hardcore contingent. Its worn thin already - probably before the show even aired. I still think he needed a NAME - a current, influential star on the panel. Nicole has had moderate success but she isnt THAT successful, popular or "relevant".

    I hate to say this, but Cheryl actual made the panel slightly more interesting from the American point of view. Simon, Cheryl, Nicole and LA would have been preferable to the brief flashbulb of interest Paula will give the show. It would have made it less "Idol" and maybe sparked more interest from their demographic.

    I cant see Simon making any more sweeping changes to the panel this season but he must have a contingency plan for poor ratings - I guess we will find out what it is soon.

    Nicole is the one getting the bad reviews not Paula. Her ''It's my birthday'' constantly was so juvenile that it was embarassing.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,070
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    Buster65 wrote: »
    It also didn't have as much promotion as X Factor has had. The numbers are almost half of what Simon said he wanted so he won't be smiling over his cornflakes this morning. It also only got just over a million viewers on ITV2 last night. I know it's ITV2 but most households have the channel and the hype around it should have brought in more numbers than that.

    I haven't seen the ITV2 figures yet, but 1m would be very good. Idol often gets around 400K and i never saw one advert for XFUSA. For all the people who don't follow the PR online, they may not have been aware it was on. Other people i have spoken to said they did not feel like watching more auditions, but will follow the latter stages.
  • dexydaldexydal Posts: 1,396
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    MICH78 wrote: »
    I haven't seen the ITV2 figures yet, but 1m would be very good. Idol often gets around 400K and i never saw one advert for XFUSA. For all the people who don't follow the PR online, they may not have been aware it was on. Other people i have spoken to said they did not feel like watching more auditions, but will follow the latter stages.

    I saw it advertised on ITV several times last week, but not on the main channel. 1m is good for ITV2.

    It was interesting watching the twitter feed last night while it was on ITV2, the UK was far more positive about the show and Simon in particular, then the US feed the night before.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,070
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    When the judges do the promo tours of chat shows, they should speak more about what the show actually entails. There was a lot of focus on working with Paula again and wanting to beat Idol etc, but i'm sure most Americans still do not know about Judges Houses and that each judge will eventually mentor a category. These are the points which will make people watch out of interest.
  • dexydaldexydal Posts: 1,396
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    MICH78 wrote: »
    When the judges do the promo tours of chat shows, they should speak more about what the show actually entails. There was a lot of focus on working with Paula again and wanting to beat Idol etc, but i'm sure most Americans still do not know about Judges Houses and that each judge will eventually mentor a category. These are the points which will make people watch out of interest.

    You're right. When I went over there for some auditions I was talking to people in the audience and queue and they have no idea about the judges houses and mentoring aspect. I suspect they might be holding back on that from a PR perspective, until the auditions are dealt with and more interviews are done just prior to the live shows and judges houses. It will give them something new to talk about and fresh media articles on it too. If the ratings drop further, I think they should 'leak' the judges helpers if they are big names.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,450
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    I really don't think the judges picking contestants in fancy houses with celeb mentors(and it's not like there haven't been celeb mentors on these shows before), or the fact the judges mentor contestants(see the Voice) is going to make a difference. This show has always been flawed by Simon's belief that people are turning in to see him and his Queen of the moment. Everything else is filler. If he can get out of that thinking, then it may improve.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,070
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    dexydal wrote: »
    You're right. When I went over there for some auditions I was talking to people in the audience and queue and they have no idea about the judges houses and mentoring aspect. I suspect they might be holding back on that from a PR perspective, until the auditions are dealt with and more interviews are done just prior to the live shows and judges houses. It will give them something new to talk about and fresh media articles on it too. If the ratings drop further, I think they should 'leak' the judges helpers if they are big names.

    That's true and will be a good excuse for another round of chat shows & local news reports. The show may have to build slowly like it did in the UK and i think Fox will give it time, providing ratings hold firm or improve by the end of the season. The only issue with that is the huge money at stake which demands immediate results. Perhaps without such prize money and big talk from Simon pre show, they could have won relative praise for 12m viewers as The Voice did.
  • mariannermarianner Posts: 11,043
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    jujubee wrote: »
    I really don't think the judges picking contestants in fancy houses with celeb mentors(and it's not like there haven't been celeb mentors on these shows before), or the fact the judges mentor contestants(see the Voice) is going to make a difference. This show has always been flawed by Simon's belief that people are turning in to see him and his Queen of the moment. Everything else is filler. If he can get out of that thinking, then it may improve.

    I sort of agree with you here. The 2nd show was a lot better than the first one but it's still not near fantastic.
    I think that The Voice damaged this launch a bit because its similar but while XF goes for dramas The Voice goes for the music.

    I think he will need to really think how he wants the live shows to be like, because he will need to pull out something really special to keep it going.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,070
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    marianner wrote: »
    I sort of agree with you here. The 2nd show was a lot better than the first one but it's still not near fantastic.

    I think that The Voice damaged this launch a bit because its similar but while XF goes for dramas The Voice goes for the music.

    I think he will need to really think how he wants the live shows to be like, because he will need to pull out something really special to keep it going.

    That's very true, but once the deal was signed with Fox, there was very little Simon could do about scheduling and the fact that The Voice stole his trump cards.

    I'm honestly not worried about the lives, because they are great entertainment, he just needs to hold viewers until then.

    Early reports show just a slight drop and most second night shows do suffer from that, including Idol. The positive point is that the people who tuned in for the premiere, largely enjoyed it enough to tune in again for the second show. Now it's all about building on that.
  • mariannermarianner Posts: 11,043
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    MICH78 wrote: »
    That's very true, but once the deal was signed with Fox, there was very little Simon could do about scheduling and the fact that The Voice stole his trump cards.

    I'm honestly not worried about the lives, because they are great entertainment, he just needs to hold viewers until then.

    Early reports show just a slight drop and most second night shows do suffer from that, including Idol. The positive point is that the people who tuned in for the premiere, largely enjoyed it enough to tune in again for the second show. Now it's all about building on that.

    A case of really bad luck. The timing couldn't have been worse.

    No comments from Simon himself yet? That's a bit unusual.
  • dexydaldexydal Posts: 1,396
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    MICH78 wrote: »
    That's very true, but once the deal was signed with Fox, there was very little Simon could do about scheduling and the fact that The Voice stole his trump cards.

    I'm honestly not worried about the lives, because they are great entertainment, he just needs to hold viewers until then.

    Early reports show just a slight drop and most second night shows do suffer from that, including Idol. The positive point is that the people who tuned in for the premiere, largely enjoyed it enough to tune in again for the second show. Now it's all about building on that.

    The voice also had Christina Aguilera and Idol Jennifer Lopez. I feel Simon made a big mistake not getting a big A list star onboard. Or perhaps as we said at the time, there wasn't anyone available. I have a feeling there will be one in place for next year.

    If as rumoured he has big names for the Judges House and they can really pimp that, rather then all this Paula/Simon reunion, then I think they can pick up much better figures from then on. They certainly have the talent in contestants, even after two shows they are much better then ours.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,070
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    It's a difficult one for Simon to comment on. I think he should keep quiet. Mike Darnell has said expectations were too high (thanks to Simon) and that the ratings are a good base. There's no point in Simon making the situation sound dire by addressing the ratings, because they are not disastrous and most importantly, have not nose-dived like Red Or Black did. Of course if they don't improve, he will be gutted, but he's got time to put things right with a good PR plan and providing each show has some decent talent along the way. So far i have found most of the contestants more interesting and varied than the type we get in the UK.

    We can't expect Americans to warm to it as quickly as we did, because we did not have any other show to compete with it. XF replaced Pop Idol rather than trying to succeed alongside AI and The Voice.
  • allie5allie5 Posts: 4,554
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    If the rumours are true about Stevie Wonder for Judges Houses thats another FAIL in my book. Yeah he is a "LEGEND" but he isnt cutting edge, he doesnt interest the younger viewers (which they NEED) and he isnt a big draw. Simon would be better with Bieber, Nicki Minaj or even Gaga. People that are headline grabbers. Simon paired with one of those WOULD be "cant miss telly".

    Im not sure I agree that Judges Houses and Bootcamp will be the draw they need - I really think from the apathy on the net, what is going to save it, is quality contestants. Fortunately, their pot looks pretty full of interesting characters and I see HEAPS of potential for the live shows.

    I cant believe how fast everyone got over the novelty of Paula being back with Simon - THAT grew old really fast - Simon really needed a quick witted, unpredictable character like Steven Tyler promised to be in those early Idol auditions (although he peaked too soon and ended up completely boring on the lives in my opinion). Simon is going to have to wake up and smell the coffee - he isnt the draw he once was, no-one is interested with the fake relationship with Paula and other shows have beaten him to the finish line with a lot of his ideas. The bar needs to be raised again - but Im sure he can do it.

    Its still a great show and although Idol holds the hearts of the American viewers right now, it would be a huge shame if XF cant sit alongside it. Although they are SO similar I worry whether the audiences are full the limit with these shows now.

    Early indications are it did slightly better last night up against Community (which I like but feel had a disappointing start) - it will be a good sign if its kept its 12m viewers as next week I believe there is no big clashes with the popular rival shows and may grow a little more.
  • allie5allie5 Posts: 4,554
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    Looks like Fox will be happy.... http://bit.ly/jn4IrY

    It could definitely be a grower this show :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 37
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    allie5 wrote: »
    If the rumours are true about Stevie Wonder for Judges Houses thats another FAIL in my book. Yeah he is a "LEGEND" but he isnt cutting edge, he doesnt interest the younger viewers (which they NEED) and he isnt a big draw. Simon would be better with Bieber, Nicki Minaj or even Gaga. People that are headline grabbers. Simon paired with one of those WOULD be "cant miss telly".

    Im not sure I agree that Judges Houses and Bootcamp will be the draw they need - I really think from the apathy on the net, what is going to save it, is quality contestants. Fortunately, their pot looks pretty full of interesting characters and I see HEAPS of potential for the live shows.

    I cant believe how fast everyone got over the novelty of Paula being back with Simon - THAT grew old really fast - Simon really needed a quick witted, unpredictable character like Steven Tyler promised to be in those early Idol auditions (although he peaked too soon and ended up completely boring on the lives in my opinion). Simon is going to have to wake up and smell the coffee - he isnt the draw he once was, no-one is interested with the fake relationship with Paula and other shows have beaten him to the finish line with a lot of his ideas. The bar needs to be raised again - but Im sure he can do it.

    Its still a great show and although Idol holds the hearts of the American viewers right now, it would be a huge shame if XF cant sit alongside it. Although they are SO similar I worry whether the audiences are full the limit with these shows now.

    Early indications are it did slightly better last night up against Community (which I like but feel had a disappointing start) - it will be a good sign if its kept its 12m viewers as next week I believe there is no big clashes with the popular rival shows and may grow a little more.

    How do you know Simon and Paula’s relationship is fake?? Believe or not. Their relationship is more than friend……
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,450
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    Of course it is, dear.
  • allie5allie5 Posts: 4,554
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    How do you know Simon and Paula’s relationship is fake?? Believe or not. Their relationship is more than friend……

    Ohhh dont get me drawn into a Saula argument purleeze :D You believe what you wish and I will do the same. End of :)

    Actually my comment wasnt referrring to Simon's personal relationship with Paula at all but their "fake" on screen hamming it up and spats. Followed the next minute by another session of "fake" love ups. Simon HIMSELF admitted they play to the cameras, Ive seen with my own eyes, the FACT that they have a crew member on staff to whip up the audiences into a "Saula" frenzy - they play it up. WHATEVER their personal relationship is, you cannot deny that their on screen one is completely manufactured on this show? And thats what I meant by "fake" in this instance. Hope that clarifies my point.

    And I should also add, I dont really MIND they are playing on it either - but I was pointing out, the reaction online is one of apathy and boredom with their games, thats all.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 37
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    allie5 wrote: »
    Ohhh dont get me drawn into a Saula argument purleeze :D You believe what you wish and I will do the same. End of :)

    Actually my comment wasnt referrring to Simon's personal relationship with Paula at all but their "fake" on screen hamming it up and spats. Followed the next minute by another session of "fake" love ups. Simon HIMSELF admitted they play to the cameras, Ive seen with my own eyes, the FACT that they have a crew member on staff to whip up the audiences into a "Saula" frenzy - they play it up. WHATEVER their personal relationship is, you cannot deny that their on screen one is completely manufactured on this show? And thats what I meant by "fake" in this instance. Hope that clarifies my point.

    And I should also add, I dont really MIND they are playing on it either - but I was pointing out, the reaction online is one of apathy and boredom with their games, thats all.

    Got it!
  • ~Jane~~Jane~ Posts: 2,338
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    I think the second episode was a lot better than the first.

    Zander Alexander was hilarious and should have got through to bootcamp. He'd have been fab in the lives.
  • DE53DE53 Posts: 2,641
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    ~Jane~ wrote: »
    I think the second episode was a lot better than the first.

    Zander Alexander was hilarious and should have got through to bootcamp. He'd have been fab in the lives.

    Looks like USA have their share of "fruit loops" to :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,450
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    I'm really not trying to be mean, but I just find it interesting(in terms of Americans vs Brits) that you all think the second show was much better, but most American commentors seemed to think it was far worse.
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