“American Idol” has fallen so far that its former star doesn’t even watch it anymore.
“I haven’t seen it at all, so I wouldn’t have a clue as to what it looks like now,” Simon Cowell snidely told The Daily News on the eve of the Fox talent show’s final three episodes this week.
Cowell, who has joined NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” as a judge this season, believes that “Idol” went downhill after he and Paula Abdul left.She quit the show in 2009 after failing to negotiate a new contract and he left in 2010 to produce “The X Factor.”
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Cowell said he and Abdul were on “Idol” when it was at its most fun — and most successful and compared the judging panel he presided over to a healthy human body that suffered terribly after losing important appendages.
“Paula was the right leg and I was the left leg. And with both legs gone, it wasn’t the same show.”
He added, “To be honest I think it changed more significantly once Paula left. At least for me, the show was never the same because she and I had such a connection and such a shorthand together.”
Cowell said he is still close with the other co-stars, Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest. But “Idol” producers — whom Simon said he remains friendly with — have struggled to find a panel of judges to match the original chemistry and the panel has had many faces since he and Abdul departed.
Over the years other judges have included Ellen DeGeneres, Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, Angie Martinez and Kara DioGuardi.
Lurching into its finale, the panel now includes Harry Connick Jr., Lopez and Urban.
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But it was Cowell’s role as “the mean judge” that set him apart — and was something that never really sat well with him, he said.
“To be honest I found that to be embarrassing,” of his reputation. “In real auditions you can’t tell someone who is terrible that they’re good and promise them that they’re going to become a star. When we did the show, I would behave as I did in real life. I didn’t take it too seriously when they were bad so I found most situations quite funny.”
It got worse when others tried to imitate his style on other shows — especially on versions of “Idol” that aired in other countries.
“Suddenly — as it works in the TV industry, there were these ridiculous people being hired all over the world to come up with sound bites — half of them didn’t even work in the music industry.”
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Cowell added, “It’s sort of a compliment — but I found it excruciating.”
The ratings for “Idol” certainly speak to the show’s up and downs.
At its peak in 2006, “Idol” drew an average of 36 million viewers. This season it has averaged around 8 million.
The success of “Idol” spawned a slew of imitators, including NBC’s current hit, “The Voice.”
Other copycats have included, “Rock Star,” “Nashville Star,” “Rising Star,” “The Sing Off.” Its live panel judge format also heavily influenced “Dancing with the Stars,” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” – Daily News via Google
