Simon Cowell on Katie Couric

Interviewee: Simon Cowell

Interviewer: Katie Couric

Date: 5 October 2006

Video Synopsis:

Simon Cowell on Katie Couric:”Simon Cowell, backstage at American Idol, doing an interview with Katie Couric for The Today Show”

Reality TV fans know Simon Cowell to be the acerbic judge in American Idol and similar shows like Pop Idol, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent. Because of his penchant for caustic comments, Cowell earned the tag “Judge Dread.”

People first saw him in his element on the show Pop Idol, a talent search created by music impresario Simon Fuller in 2001. It shortly became a must-see TV in Britain. In June 2002, Pop Idol was aired as American Idol on FOX TV in the US. With Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson as judges, it caught on rapidly and became a full-blown cultural institution, producing the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jordin Sparks.

Apart from judging aspiring performers, Cowell has also produced talent shows, including American Inventor and Celebrity Duets. His production company, Syco TV, helmed the UK talent show The X Factor, which promptly embroiled him in a lawsuit with Simon Fuller.

Behind the cameras, Simon Cowell is a full-fledged record mogul at Sony BMG. He has signed some of the most lucrative acts in history like Westlife, Il Divo, and 5ive, reciprocating him with 25 million in album sales. Westlife alone delivered 10 UK #1s.

According to his 2003 memoir, I Don’t Mean To Be Rude But… Simon started out working odd jobs, before making his way to the summit of the music industry. In 1985, he became the assistant of an A&R (artist & repertoire) man at EMI Music Publishing. Afterwards, Cowell established Fanfare Records, which did not last for long. BMG then employed Cowell as its A&R consultant in 1989.

Despite his musical acumen, Cowell is infamous for turning down phenomenal acts as the Spice Girls and Take That.

More on Simon Cowell:

Simon Cowell is most notably and infamously known for his commentary, during his judging on the show, “American Idol.” He also owns a music publishing and television publishing house. He does cross promotional work in television and music. He has promoted the music for a many different recording artists and actors/actresses. Simon Cowell was born in Brighton, England and raised in Elstree, England. He went to Dover College, but didn’t finish school. His father was an executive at EMI Music Publishing, and was able to get him a job in the mail room. He worked his way up and was promoted to a position in music publishing, leaving to form his own music publishing company. In the US, Simon Cowell continued his contract as a judge for American Idol, earning $40 million for each season, for an additional 5 years.

Additional Resources About Simon Cowell:

American Idol’s Simon Cowell is featured on Wikipedia.

Simon Cowell is featured on IMDB.

Simon Cowell is featured on TV.com