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

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The most exciting Winter Television Critics Associationtour in years remained true to form yesterday with a surprise appearance by Simon Cowellduring a press conference with Fox Broadcasting Company Entertainment Chairman Peter Riceand 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 X-Factor, on which he will serve as executive producer and judge, would debut on Fox in fall 2011.

Further, Cowell tantalized TCA members by floating the possibility that former Idol judge Paula Abdulmight appear with him on the new show. "I adore Paula," he said. "Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity."

It was obvious something was going to happen during Fox' executive session, simply because it had been scheduled for noon during the network's day at TCA, defying the long-standing 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 NBC's Jay Lenomess. Instead, it was all about Cowell, who finalized his new arrangement with Fox yesterday morning.

Once Cowell was on stage, the TCA's collective obsession with NBC's 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 Cowell's 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 18-49 demographic group. There were also all kinds of questions about X-Factor.

Asked if Idol can survive without him, seeing as he's its major star and all, Cowell replied, "It's 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 it's 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 I'm confident that it will continue to be the No. 1 show, and everyone's committed to keeping it that way."

Cowell was candid in his comments about starting a new version of X-Factor, like Idol a music competition series, but one that includes both individuals and groups and has no upper age limit. "You can literally be 100 years old, so Paula could audition," Cowell laughed.

"For me, it's a little bit like when I first came over to America to do Idol," he continued. "I genuinely didn't 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 it's lasted longer than I thought. I loved that first year when I just didn't know whether it was going to work or not, and I have that feeling now about The X-Factor. I believe in the show, but anything can happen."

As for the Conan O'Briensituation, Reilly indicated that, as rumored, Fox has looked into the possibility of luring the Tonight Show host over to Fox should O'Brien reject NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin'splan to insert a half-hour version of The Jay Leno Show into NBC's late-night schedule and bump Tonight to 12:05 a.m., where it will undoubtedly lose even more viewers than it has in recent months.

"I love Conan personally and professionally, but right now he's 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 it," Reilly explained. "We talked to his people, who we are in business with on multiple fronts. We talk to them all the time. So we've had some informal conversations, mostly commiserating about the situation. Beyond that, we're not free to talk about any other business negotiation or business proposition, and we haven't. So that's really all we can tell you on that front."

Of course, Fox has its own legendary baggage in the late-night arena, including costly past failures involving Joan Riversand Chevy Chase.

Fox ended its day of press conferences with what many TCA members assumed was the last-ever session here for 24, given all the talk that its eighth season, which premieres next Sunday and Monday with the franchise's usual two-night, four-hour 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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