X17 News

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Simon Cowell told X17online that he expects Ellen Degeneres to be a tougher judge than him when she joins Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara Dioguardi as the fourth judge on American Idol this season.

X17online caught up with the multi-millionaire leaving his mansion for a quick trip to London, and when we asked him if he thought Ellen make a tougher judge than him, he said "Yes!"

Now, we're sure that's just British sarcasm at work - anyone who caught Ellen's turn as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance last season knows she'll keep Paula's tradition of nurturing the contestants rather than breaking them down like Simon.

CLICK HERE to see the video of Simon Cowell speaking to X17online about Ellen

CLICK HERE to see X17online's photo gallery of Simon in the back of his Rolls Royce

LOS ANGELES, CA (X17online) - Is Simon Cowell getting softer? The American Idol, X Factor and Britain's Got Talent judge is looking back at some of the old episodes and saying that he has "gone too far" when it comes to his criticism.

In an interview that will air on ITV1 in the UK this weekend, the 50-year old tells fellow X Factor judge Piers Morgan: ''There's many, many times where I've watched the show back and I'm absolutely appalled."

More specifically, he points out Susan Boyle and her path to mega-success. Cowell wishes that he would have been more supportive of Boyle when she started feeling the overwhelming pressure of fame.

He adds: ''I don't think that for one second when I saw that (audition) tape that any of us suddenly went 'What are the repercussions for her?'. You actually assume, naively, that everything's going to work the way that she's wanted it to. And then in the middle of the live shows – and it was quite public – what happened is that she buckled under the pressure."

Cowell is currently gearing up to bring the X Factor to the United States. Reports claim that Paula Abdul is currently in negotiations to join the show as a judge.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (X17online) - American Idol judge Simon Cowell will be given the 2010 International Emmy Founders Award for his extensive work in the television industry.

Not only does Cowell serve as judge on AI, but he's also known for his work on America's Got Talent and X Factor. His shows are currently seen in some 70 countries worldwide.

The 50-year-old has said that he's "delighted" to receive the award and has been "very lucky to be able to make shows that I love."

Previous International Emmy Founders Award recepients have included Oprah Winfrey and Sir David Frost. The New York gala will take place on November 22.

LONDON, UK (X17online) - Simon Cowell will be receiving a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award in recognition of his contributions to entertainment.

The BAFTA Television Awards will take place on June 6 at the London Palladium.

BAFTA chair, John Willis, calls Cowell "one of the most brilliant entertainment producers of our time." In addition to launching the X-Factor later this year here in the US, the former American Idol judge also appears on Britain's Got Talent and the UK's X-Factor.

This November, Cowell, 50, will also receive an International Emmy award.

LONDON, UK (X17online) Former American Idol judge Simon Cowell was a double winner at the BAFTA awards, taking home the statue for Best Entertainment Program and a special award for Outstanding Contribution for his work in the entertainment industry.

In front of a packed house at the London Palladium, Cowell, 50, spoke out about receiving two British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. He said:

"This is a genuine honour. To put this into perspective, on a personal level, one of my happiest memories as a kid was my dad coming back with a TV set and watching the one programme in colour. So standing here tonight getting this award for making TV shows is the happiest feeling of my life."

In addition to launching the X-Factor later this year here in the US, the former AI judge also appears on Britain's Got Talent and the UK's X-Factor.

Below is the list of winners:

Fellowship:
Melvyn Bragg

Special award:
Simon Cowell

Leading actor:
Kenneth Branagh – Wallander

Leading actress:
Julie Walters – Mo

Supporting actor:
Matthew MacFadyen – Criminal Justice

Supporting actress:
Rebecca Hall – Red Riding 1974

Entertainment performance:
Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly – I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!

Female performance in a comedy role:
Rebecca Front – The Thick Of It

Male performance in a comedy role:
Peter Capaldi – The Thick Of It

Single drama:
The Unloved

Drama series:
Misfits

Entertainment program:
Britain's Got Talent

LONDON, UK (X17online) - Simon Cowell is paying a visit to fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole, who remains in intensive care after suffering from malaria.

Cole, 26, who is reportedly resting in a private clinic, has been told by Cowell to concentrate on her health ... and that filming for X Factor will fit around her schedule.

According to the Mirror, "All the judges have been really supportive of Cheryl, Simon in particular. He originally contacted her management team to inform them there was no hurry; her health was number one priority."

The source adds, "She obviously missed a few of the regional auditions and bootcamp is due to start on July 22. Simon had a meeting with X Factor and ITV1 execs yesterday to instruct them to push back bootcamp until Cheryl is ready."

Filling in as a guest judge ... Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - American Idol creator Simon Fuller has sued Fox over his rights to Simon Cowell's The X-Factor.

Fuller said Fox went back on their word to grant him an executive producer credit and subsequent fee for The X Factor, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The suit reads:

"Fox and Fremantle made hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the creative efforts of Fuller. Now, when it is time to finally perform on these unequivocal promises, Fox and Fremantle refuse to provide Fuller his executive producer credit for Defendants' new television show, The X Factor, and refuse to pay Fuller an executive producer fee 'commesurate with his duties and stature in the entertainment industry.'

It also added that if Fuller hadn't made the agreement to begin with, The X Factor would not even be able to air in the U.S.

Those original negotiations stem from a 2004 settlement when Fuller and Cowell fought a copyright-infringement battle after The X Factor launched in the U.K. According to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Fremantle North America, which produces both Idol and The X Factor, has reneged on the deal.

When the U.K. version of The X Factor premiered, Fuller claimed it was a blatant rip-off of Idol. Fox reached a settlement in 2005, allowing Cowell to stay on as an Idol judge for five seasons while giving him more power within the franchise as long as he didn't launch The X Factor in the U.S. until 2011. In exchange, Fuller pulled Pop Idol off the air in the U.K. and was to receive a fee when, and if, The X Factor premiered in America.

Cowell left Idol in 2010, and the U.S. version of The X Factor is currently set to air in September.

Fox responded to the lawsuit, stating:

"Mr. Fuller has not been hired, nor performed any duties, on the U.S. version of The X Factor. His suit seeks payment and credit as an executive producer despite his neither having been approved by the required parties, nor hired, as such. We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we expect to prevail."

Damages have not been specified.

LONDON, England (X17online) - Simon Cowell is asking Red or Black winner Nathan Hageman to return his million-dollar prize after reports surfaced that he once served jail time for assaulting a girlfriend.

Hageman won £1 million ($1.7 million) on the debut episode of Cowell’s British game show – the most expensive in television history – last week, but reports emerged shortly after that he had previously been sentenced to five years in prison for violently attacking his then-girlfriend.

"I'd like him to give the money back but I'm not in a position to force anybody to do anything. That's why he got the money," Cowell told reporters at a press conference in London Thursday.

Hageman reportedly disclosed his criminal background to the show’s producers, but told them that the victim was male.

Tyler Perry has topped Forbes Magazine’s newly released list of Entertainment’s Highest-Paid Men.

The writer/director/producer/actor earned an estimated $130 million from film and television projects between May 2010 and May 2011.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was the second highest earning man in Hollywood this past year, raking in $113 million from film and television projects, including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the CSI franchise.

Leonardo DiCaprio is the only dedicated actor on the list, having earned $77 million from blockbuster films Shutter Island and Inception.

Here is Forbes’s full list of Entertainment’s Highest-Paid Men:

1. Tyler Perry - $130 million
2. Jerry Bruckheimer - $113 million
3. Steven Spielberg - $107 million
4. Elton John - $100 million
5. Simon Cowell - $90 million
6. James Patterson - $84 million
7. Dr. Phil McGraw - $80 million
8. Leonardo DiCaprio - $77 million
9. Howard Stern - $76 million
10. Tiger Woods - $75 million

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Fox is bringing The X Factor back for a second season.

The reality competition has been a “monumental success," according to Fox’s president of alternative entertainment Mike Darnell, with an average of 13 million viewers per episode since its debut.

“It’s won every night it’s been on the air, the talent is phenomenal, the live shows are spectacular and picking it up is a complete no-brainer,” Darnell said. “Simon and his team have done an incredible job with the show.”

LONDON, UK (X17online) - Simon Cowell will return to Britain’s Got Talent.

In the most recent season of ITV’s reality competition, Cowell judged the show's live portion only, as he focused primarily on the launch of X Factor in the U.S. This time around, however, he’ll be back in full force.

“I miss Britain and I miss the British public and I miss judging them. I want to find the next generation of talent in 2012,” he said. “By coming back in 2012, it's the year of the Olympics, it's a big year for Britain, we are going to be in the world's spotlight and I want this show to be back in the world spotlight.”

The notoriously snarky judge has also announced that he’s adding £250,000 of his own money to the show’s £250,000 prize for a grand winning total of £500,000.

Live auditions for the next season of Britain’s Got Talent will begin on Jan. 22.

LOS ANGELES, California (x17online) - Simon Cowell's show Britain's Got Talent is set to broadcast at a later time to avoid overlapping with their rival show, The Voice UK.

Starting April 21, BGT will air a half hour later than usual, 10 minutes after The Voice UK ends.

The Voice UK's ratings have been on the rise recently, with data suggesting that the 20 minute overlapping period (The Voice, 7-8:20pm; BGT, 8-9:20pm) is the main cause for the spike. With the schedule change, the ITV talent show hopes to regain its top spot.

“At its peak, 11.9 million people watched Britain’s Got Talent this weekend; the highest recorded audience figure on any channel so far this month,” an ITV spokesperson said. “By moving to 20:30 BST, we are ensuring that as many people as possible have the opportunity to watch the show in full.”