TCA: Simon Cowell Rocks Fox; Plus More on Leno and "24" Returns - Ed Martin - MediaBizBloggers

The most exciting Winter Television Critics Association tour in years remained true to form yesterday with a surprise appearance by Simon Cowell during a press conference with Fox Broadcasting Company Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice and Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly Cowell was there to announce that the 9th season of American Idol which begins tonight would be his last and that an American version of his hit British series The XFactor on which he will serve as executive producer and judge would debut on Fox in fall 2011Further Cowell tantalized TCA members by floating the possibility that former Idol judge Paula Abdul might appear with him on the new show quotI adore Paulaquot he said quotWhatever happens I will be working with her in some capacityquotIt was obvious something was going to happen during Fox39 executive session simply because it had been scheduled for noon during the network39s day at TCA defying the longstanding tradition of broadcast networks serving up their top executives in the first or second morning slots on their tour schedules But it seemed the delay might have had something to do with the big story of this TCA the ongoing saga of NBC39s Jay Leno mess Instead it was all about Cowell who finalized his new arrangement with Fox yesterday morningOnce Cowell was on stage the TCA39s collective obsession with NBC39s disastrous Leno situation arguably the biggest blunder in the history of broadcast television was pushed to the back burner It was replaced with concerns about the impact Cowell39s departure would have on Idol the most successful show on television and the one that moved Fox into first place for several consecutive seasons among the all important 1849 demographic group There were also all kinds of questions about XFactorAsked if Idol can survive without him seeing as he39s its major star and all Cowell replied quotIt39s like having a good player in a good football team The two have to work together When the player retires the football team will continue to be successful Idol even though it39s not my show is still very close to me and we made sure when we did this that it was going to be protected I genuinely believe that this show could last ten twenty years So I39m confident that it will continue to be the No 1 show and everyone39s committed to keeping it that wayquotCowell was candid in his comments about starting a new version of XFactor like Idol a music competition series but one that includes both individuals and groups and has no upper age limit quotYou can literally be 100 years old so Paula could auditionquot Cowell laughedquotFor me it39s a little bit like when I first came over to America to do Idolquot he continued quotI genuinely didn39t know whether we were going to be here for six months or six days I actually thought that we would last a few weeks and then be thrown out So it39s lasted longer than I thought I loved that first year when I just didn39t know whether it was going to work or not and I have that feeling now about The XFactor I believe in the show but anything can happenquotAs for the Conan O39Brien situation Reilly indicated that as rumored Fox has looked into the possibility of luring the Tonight Show host over to Fox should O39Brien reject NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin39s plan to insert a halfhour version of The Jay Leno Show into NBC39s latenight schedule and bump Tonight to 1205 am where it will undoubtedly lose even more viewers than it has in recent monthsquotI love Conan personally and professionally but right now he39s got a decision to make about his future and until he makes that decision there really is no conversation to be had and we have not pursued itquot Reilly explained quotWe talked to his people who we are in business with on multiple fronts We talk to them all the time So we39ve had some informal conversations mostly commiserating about the situation Beyond that we39re not free to talk about any other business negotiation or business proposition and we haven39t So that39s really all we can tell you on that frontquotOf course Fox has its own legendary baggage in the latenight arena including costly past failures involving Joan Rivers and Chevy ChaseFox ended its day of press conferences with what many TCA members assumed was the lastever session here for 24 given all the talk that its eighth season which premieres next Sunday and Monday with the franchise39s usual twonight fourhour event will be its last But this session included yet another unexpected surprise Series star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland who has remained gracious and forthcoming with the TCA since 24 launched in 2001 revealed that Season 8 may not be the end If 24 performs well this season and if Fox accepts a proposed budget for a ninth then it may very well return in 2011 Sutherland without whom there would be no show seemed good to go

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TCA: Simon Cowell Rocks Fox; Plus More on Leno and "24" Returns - Ed Martin - MediaBizBloggers

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TCA: Simon Cowell Rocks Fox; Plus More on Leno and "24" Returns - Ed Martin - MediaBizBloggers

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