Simon Cowell news stories on Newser

Britney Spears, Demi Lovato New Judges on X Factor

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:35:49 CDT

Britney Spears and—as TMZ put it—"some other girl" appeared in New York today to present themselves as new judges on Simon Cowell's X Factor . That "other girl" has 15 Billboard Hot 100 hits, by the way, and her name is Demi Lovato. A photo of the two singing...

Britney Spears Joins X Factor for $15M

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:16:04 CDT

And the new judge on The X Factor is ... Britney! The pop idol will join the talent show on Fox, reports RadarOnline , and will rake in $15 million a year. (The latter is a scoop from E! News .) Spears first had to meet with a real judge who oversees...

Could TV's Highest-Paid Star Be ... Beyonce?

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:24:05 CST

Who could possibly take the place of Paula Abdul on X Factor ? If Simon Cowell has his way, it will be Beyoncé—and he's offering her a cool $100 million per season (total contract: $500 million) to do it, according to Media Take Out . If she accepts the full-time...

Simon Fires Practically Everyone From X Factor

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:02:49 CST

It was a "bloodbath" at X Factor yesterday, Nikki Finke writes at Deadline , with host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul all getting the ax. Apparently Simon Cowell himself made the decision to clean house, according to the Hollywood Reporter . Cowell and LA Reid are the only...

Gwyneth, Snooki Top 'Bad Science' List

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:55:05 CST

If you’re getting your science education from celebrities, you may have a problem—but even so, the Sense About Science charity wants to set some things straight. The group has released a list of celebrities doling out “bad science” this year, the Telegraph reports. It includes: Simon Cowell : The onetime...

Barbara Walters Unveils Year's 'Most Fascinating'

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:36:27 CST

We could have picked a few other choice adjectives for the Kardashians, but for Barbara Walters, they're some of the most fascinating people of the year. Joining them for Walters' The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011 special: Modern Family stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet (aka Mitch and...

Cheryl Cole's Accent Kills Her X-Factor Gig

Fri, 27 May 2011 15:21:16 CDT

British sweetheart Cheryl Cole has reportedly been dumped from US television, and tabloids say she lost her big break in part over fears American audiences wouldn't understand her regional accent or the phrases unique to her corner of Britain. Cole’s rags-to-riches showbiz story has captivated her country—she had been...

Paula: Simon and I Are in 'Honeymoon Phase'

Fri, 27 May 2011 10:29:23 CDT

Paula Abdul says her reunion with Simon Cowell on his new talent show is "still in the honeymoon phase." The 48-year-old Abdul told reporters in Singapore today that Fox's The X Factor will probably be "ginormous" as the two former American Idol judges reunite to assess would-be singing stars. Abdul...

Paula Abdul Rejoining Simon Cowell on X Factor

John Johnson — Sat, 07 May 2011 16:16:04 CDT

It will be just like old times: Paula Abdul will join Simon Cowell as a judge on his new talent show, the X Factor , reports AP . The move had been rumored , but a source says Abdul will indeed be at the judges' table when the first taping takes place Sunday...