Simon Cowell imports his British TV show, The X Factor, to America. / Ray Mickshaw/FOX
This week, all eyes are on the tell-it-like-it-is former American Idol judge Simon Cowell as he launches the stateside version of his U.K. hit, The X Factor (Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET, FOX). “It’s that special something,” says Cowell about what the “X” is that the show’s judges, who include himself and his old Idol pal Paula Abdul, are looking for. Cowell, 51, chatted with us recently about why he’s reuniting with Abdul, Amy Winehouse’s tragic death and just why he wears all those black shirts.
Seeking the wacky:
“I encourage it,” says Cowell about Abdul’s often-loopy behavior. “I surround myself with loopy people. I’m loopy, the show is loopy. I don’t like making shows which are too serious, too boring or too worthy.”
Reality TV done right:
“I am a big fan of Jersey Shore, that’s what I call a game changer. I like the fact that it causes so much controversy and it was sort of built on buzz and fans. I’m always a fan of that.”
Deadly warning:
“If there is some good to come out of [Amy Winehouse’s death] it’s that [people] realize that kind of stuff will eventually kill you, that all that stuff is going to bring you down,” says Cowell, who describes himself as a “massive, massive fan” of Winehouse, whom he “unfortunately” never got to meet.
No LOL or TMI:
“I’m not very good at abbreviating things,” says Cowell about why he’s only sent one Tweet. “I like talking to people rather than writing, I’ve almost got to a point now where I’ve banned e-mails.”
Wardrobe challenged:
“Funny enough, there’s not a particular make [of T-shirt he wears], There’s a sweater I buy from Prada, I probably got about fifty of them, cashmere. I am a really lazy, bad shopper [because] anything I like, I buy about fifty of them,” says Cowell, who says he has never used a stylist.
Morning ritual:
“I wake up, I hit the snooze button twice and then my housekeeper knocks on the door and I say ‘10 more minutes.’ Then she knocks again and brings in my breakfast which is hot water with lemon, followed by papaya juice with lime, [PG Tips] English Breakfast Tea, then oatmeal, then I have a bath and normally a workout and then I have my smoothies,” says Cowell, who sleeps late and starts work at 2 p.m. finishing at 5 a.m. because of his work with his native U.K., which is 8 hours ahead of the West Coast.
Guilty pleasure:
“I smoke, I’m trying to cut down, says Cowell, who's tried “everything” to quit. “I went to a hypnotist once and I think she realized I had bigger issues than smoking so we went off to another subject. The first thing I did when I got out of there was light up a cigarette.”
If TV hadn't worked out:
“If I had a choice it would have been breeding race horses. [A day at the races] is one of my favorite thing. l love the atmosphere....I don’t know if I’d be any good of it.”
The X Factor buzz:
“You know what it’s like on New Year’s Eve when everyone is really looking forward to it and then you go to the party and it’s the worst party in the world, you dread every moment of it. I’m kind of like that when people ask me how good is the show because if you say ‘It’s going to be great’ even if you think it, it’s always an anticlimax,” says Cowell, 51.
The X-factor:
“It’s a term we used to use years ago to describe somebody who was special,” says Cowell, “Obviously Elvis Presley had it, Frank Sinatra had it, Lady Gaga’s got it, even Susan Boyle’s got it. ...I think you’ve got to be smart. You’ve got to have a real ambition. Michael Jackson is a really good example of that, when he was once asked ‘What are the three things you need to be successful?’ He said, ‘Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.’ It’s more true today than any other time.”
What you see is what you get:
“When I first went on TV years ago, I had a record label and I was on this show where I was judging talent and I thought the idea that I’ve got to dress in a different costume because I’m now on TV when I’m actually doing my day job was sort of ridiculous,” says Cowell, who says he’s never used a stylist. “I’ve stuck to that. I feel more comfortable because that’s what I would be like in real life, I don’t have a TV persona or the real life persona, I like the two to be the same.”
Paula's back:
“It’s been a very happy reunion. I’ve genuinely have never seen her so happy in the ten years I’ve known her,” says Cowell of his old Idol colleague Paula Abdul, who joins him on The X Factor judging panel. “I think it’s been good for her because we’ve been all over the country and every time we do an audition we’re in front of 4 or 5,000 people, the reaction she gets when she walks into a room is unbelievable. Anybody is going to get a boost from that.”
Under pressure:
“There’s a massive amount of pressure,” says Cowell during a conversation about Amy Winehouse’s death..... “It’s all about perspective. I’ve seen people complain that the limousine arriving ten minutes late or the water isn’t cold enough, then you see how other people live their lives and they’re having troubles. You’ve got to stop feeling sorry for yourself because this is something you choose to do and if you do it, you’ve got to enjoy it.”
Not the Next Regis?
“Terribly, I overslept, I don’t think I ever watched it back,” says Cowell of how he did on his one-time gig guest hosting Live with Regis and Kelly. “[Kelly] is one of the nicest people I ever worked with. The decision should be hers. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hired her husband. He’s really, really good. Anytime I worked with her — and I was completely useless — she is fantastic to work with because she puts you so much at ease.”
Rupert Murdoch's phone hacking scandal:
“He’s been my boss for the last ten years and I have to say he’s been an incredible boss. So, it’s sad when things happen to people like that, particularly when they’ve been decent to you. I can only tell you from my own dealings that he was very fair, very honest, very honorable, very loyal. I don’t know enough to have an opinion [on the phone hacking].”
iTunes love:
“I’m a massive fan because it’s so easy; I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to the music business. All these people who are complaining about it, they need their brains tested. It’s so easy, it’s so accessible, it’s addictive. I mean you don’t go on to buy one record. I go on and once I bought one, I buy about twenty and it encourages you to find out new types of music.”
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