Lythgoe Says American Idol More Diverse Without Simon Cowell

While JLo may have had her “Randy who?” moment. It’s American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe’s turn with “Simon who?”

Lythgoe told US that not only has Simon’s exit allowed for a more diverse crowd of American Idol hopefuls, but the emotional level of the show has been raised. Yikes. That’s pretty rough on ol’ Simon.

“We’ve had some incredible country voices — in truth, Simon would have gotten rid of them straight-away because he wasn’t a country fan,” Lythgoe told Us. “This season we have a 16-year-old kid with an incredible voice and a jazz kid who does this fabulous scat-singing. Again, we wouldn’t have had him on the show because Simon would have said, ‘He’s not an American Idol! Get rid of him!’ … What you are definitely going to get this season is an American voice and American music.”

With Cowell gone, “The energy in the audition rooms is totally different,” Lythgoe told Us. “You aren’t tired at the end of the day, even though we are seeing twice as many kids as we did in the past. We are enjoying it; we are laughing.”

Nigel goes on with more details on how each judge is handling their roles. He cites Steven Tyler for his kind way of letting down singers, Lopez is giving strong direction, but it’s Randy who’s really stepping up his game from past seasons. Maybe Jennifer will have a little competition for the lead after all.

Do you think American Idol can pull through without Simon Cowell?

Source: MSNBC

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Cowell may can Coke for Pepsi sponsorship

Simon Cowell might be sitting in front of a Pepsi cup next fall when Fox debuts his new talent contest, “X Factor.”

The beverage giant is in talks to become a sponsor of the show, fronted by Cowell, the former “American Idol” judge, sources tell The Post.

“American Idol,” is due back on air in January and is sponsored very visibly by Pepsi’s arch-rival, Coke, which has been an integral sponsor for years.

Whether Pepsi signs on with Cowell’s new venture is still open to question since the show, being imported from the UK, is still a year from its US debut. Cowell, who turned 51 last week, and his production company, SyCo, part-owned by Sony Corp., are not expected to begin filming until June.

Pepsi’s interest comes as Fox network is out pitching Madison Avenue on becoming the exclusive soda category advertiser of the show. While talks with Pepsi are said to be taking place and at early stages, Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper-Snapple may also be just as interested.

Coke could conceivably opt to sponsor both shows, but given the cost involved in supporting just one major talent show, that prospect seems unlikely. Sponsorship for “American Idol” cost upwards of $10 million, according to previous reports.

The more diversified PepsiCo, which has plenty of food and beverage brands in its stable, in addition to the flagship Pepsi label, doesn’t currently have an association with a big entertainment TV property — though it does have partnerships with MTV and NBC Universal, both of which help promote its non-profit giveaway contest, Pepsi Refresh.

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Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest Are Top-Earning Men in Primetime TV

It pays to be on American Idol. Just ask Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, who earned more money than any other celebrity in primetime television over a one-year span.

Cowell ranks first on Forbes magazine’s list of “Primetime TV’s Top-Earning Men,” having collected $80 million from June 1, 2009 to June 1 of this year. Cowell’s fortune comes not only from his work on American Idol, which he left earlier this year, but also from his involvement in other series, such as America’s Got Talent and Britain’s The X Factor.

Similarly, Seacrest was a busy man when he wasn’t hosting American Idol. The emcee, who places second on Forbes’ list with $51 million, also hosts a Los Angeles-based radio show and is a producer of such TV programs as E!’s reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Forbes notes that the 10 top-earning men in primetime TV collectively received $308 million over the one-year time period, while the 10 top-earning women only received $162 million.

Here are the top-earning men in primetime TV, according to Forbes, along with their earnings for the year ending June 1, 2010:

1. Simon Cowell, American Idol, $80 million
2. Ryan Seacrest, American Idol, $51 million
3. Donald Trump, The Apprentice, $50 million
4. Steve Carell, The Office, $34 million
5. Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men, $30 million
6. Kiefer Sutherland, 24, $20 million
7. Laurence Fishburne, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, $12 million
8. Patrick Dempsey, Grey’s Anatomy, $11 million
9. Hugh Laurie, House, $10 million
10. Chris Meloni, Law & Order: SVU, $9.5 million

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