Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato spoke with reporters today about Season 2 of X Factor, premiering on September 12. Simon is really really irked at NBC for scheduling The Voice against his premiere. He also snarked, “Give me a Break” when he was told how The Voice producer, Mark Burnett, reacted to Simon’s statements to TMZ.
The show this year will go even more “reality” than last year, with loads of behind-the-scenes clips. Simon says we’ll have an idea of how stressful the process is for the contestants by the end of the series. Simon also discussed casting the hosts and which cities will be featured in the premiere.
Read the entire Q&A below:
When will the audition shows will be aired? “Simon: I think for the first show it’s pretty much decided that it’s going to be 3 cities. Austin, San Francisco and Providence. The following day I think you’re going to see a bit more Providence. Providence was a really successful city for us. We loved it there. I loved the city, loved the people. It felt like the whole city had turned up to watch the auditions and it was a buzz. Demi: Providence was amazing and I really enjoyed seeing how many people showed up to support to their fellow townspeople.”
Is he ready to make an announcement about the hosts? “ Simon: No. We’ve screen tested a load of people, but the audition shows don’t have any hosts. We’ve got about 3 or 4 weeks. I think we’re going to make a decision in the next 7 days.”
Who is in the running for host? “Simon: Quite a few people. People who are hosts, People who are actors. My gut feeling is that we’ll probably go with a boy and a girl who haven’t had any hosting experience. That’ might make it more interesting.”
So, Simon is definitely going for two hosts. “It’s just too boring for one person, as Ryan [Seacrest] demonstrated…for one person to say everything. I think you’ve got to mix it up a little bit. You’ve got to find people with good chemistry as well. I kind of know what we’re looking for. But that’s why we’ve screen tested some people.”
X Factor vs The Voice. Why will Simon’s show clean up in the ratings? “Simon: I’ve seen the first show. I think it’s sensational. I think the girls do a great job. The contestants are great. The show is different than anything else we’ve ever made before. “
Then Simon Goes on To Eviscerate NBC for scheduling The Voice against the X Factor Premiere, “This is why NBC decided to put The Voice up against us. It’s a spoiling tactic. It’s very simple. They don’t want people to see this first episode. I think it’s mean spirited. I hope and I pray that it backfires on them. It’s one of the best shows we’ve ever made. I am pissed off about it. Because I think there’s a kind of “Gentleman’s Agreement”. You have to rely that the viewers will make the right selection. I think 3 nights in a row is too much. I think there’s a lot of interest, rightly so, in our show because of Britney, Demi—the way the show is going to look. So we’re going to see what happens. I’ve learned—don’t make any predictions.”
Mark Burnett said it didn’t enter his mind at all that The Voice would go up against X Factor – “Simon: Give me a break! Like I don’t know when my show is going out next week. Like I said. It’s tactical. It’s very important to get this message out. They don’t want you to watch this show. And I think it’s going to backfire. “
How has X Factor changed this year? “Simon: It’s difficult to describe on the telephone until you’ve actually seen it. Even when I watch the show myself—even though I filmed it—there was tons of stuff I wasn’t aware of happening backstage. I suppose the headlines are, is that we’ve allowed the audience to see even more of the audition process than what they’ve seen before. There’s a lot of stuff backstage. You’re definitely seeing way more of how the contestants interact with each. How they prepare for the auditions and in the case of the first audition, there’s an awful lot of bitchiness that happens behind the scenes which you don’t normally see. I found it fascinating to watch, because this is the first time—even though I’ve done this a long time—I genuinely believe I know what it’s like to be a contestant on this show. There’s a lot more reality than we’ve ever shown before. Maybe before we showed people 60 percent of the process. Now it feels like it’s one hundred percent. “
Can we expect any moments this season where the judges second guess themselves? “Simon: I think the answer to that question is probably yes. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but I think probably every judge is going to make a decision afterwards that they’ve made the wrong decision, or they’ve left somebody out. It’s particularly difficult when you’ve made the decision before you’ve seen the audition go out. It’s a problem. I don’t know what we’re going to do about it. But I think there have been a few mistakes this year, yes.”
How does he feel about last year’s contestants and how they’ve done compared to The Voice contestants? “Simon: I’ve learned over the years—whether it’s One Direction or Cher Lloyd or Susan Boyle or Leona Lewis—you’ve got to take your time making the record. You can’t rush anything out. Importantly, you’ve got to make a great album. That’s what we’re doing at the moment with Melanie. I think she’s a great artist and I’ve heard some of the future cuts. They sound incredible. It’s always our aim—as we’ve done with One Direction—it’s not just to have a hit record off the back of the show. It’s launching an artist worldwide and to compete with everybody else out there. That’s what we try and do every year when we make the show.”
Are we going to see more of the mentoring process? “Simon: Definitely. A lot of what we did was kind of off camera. But I think the mentoring process—how we actually work with the artists, how they interact with each other, where they’re staying—is an important part of this show. It’s easier to watch it than it is for me to explain it. You will see a marked difference to anything we’ve ever done before.”
What makes X Factor different from the other singing shows? “Simon: We brought in a different skill set in terms of the reality, a different team, and there’s no voice over on this show. There’s no hosts. The contestants tell the story themselves. And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be on one of these show. This show is a real glimpse of how stressful it is for the contestant. I do feel very proud of the first show that we’ve made. I think it’s a big leap compared to what I’ve seen before. And it HAS to be different from all these other shows, otherwise they’re all going to blur into one and it’s boring.”
Does Simon think he’s found a marketable star in auditions? “Simon: there’s a lot of good people who came on the show this year. When you offer 5 million dollars as a prize you get a lot of good people. Although they were weak last year, I think the groups are very strong this year. Particularly the 12-17 year old contestants. They’re like a whole new breed who actually who haven’t even been brought up on these talent shows before. They’ve been influenced by what they’ve seen on You Tube, social networking and stuff like that. They’ve brought something very interesting to the show. It’s very very competitive this year and right from the get go you’re going to see some amazing people in the first episode.”
What does Simon think an artist has to do to step out of that TV box and really become a legitimate artist in the eyes of the music buying public? “Simon: You’ve got to work hard. You’ve got have that killer instinct. You’ve got to be marketable. You’ve got to prove to record producers and songwriters that you deserve to have the best material. And you’ve got to use the show as a launchpad and acknowledge the show and the part that it played. What did you have to go through Demi? Demi: I think you have to go through so much to be able to make it to where you are. You have to make a lot of sacrifices. You have to be willing to not get a lot of sleep. And work very very very hard. I’m thankful for where I am today, but I think a part of this competition—we also have to make the artist in the competition realize that it’s not just about getting on stage and who has the best voice, or who has the best performance. It’s about making a pop star and ultimately finding someone who has what it takes.”
What were Demi and Simon’s first impressions of one another? “Simon: My first recollection was Demi saying to me ‘You’re much better looking in real life.’ Demi: ‘Of course, of course I totally said that!’ Simon: I thought she was very confident, very bright, then became quite annoying. But she knew what she was talking about.”
How had Demi avoided bullying the contestants, “I think bullying is totally different than criticism. Bullying is when somebody is harsh for no reason. When you’re giving criticism, you’re only trying to help somebody with their performance. There could be a fine line, for me I’m just having fun and trying to give them criticism.”
How did they react when Christina said that she doesn’t know what Britney will be able to offer X Factor, “Simon: Watch the show. She might learn something. Demi: I think the whole situation is a little unfair, and I don’t know why they would do that. It’s about finding a superstar and giving people a chance to win a huge prize of 5 million dollars. That’s all I really care about. I’m honored to be on the panel, let alone on a TV show, especially having a job in this economy. It’s amazing.”
What does Demi and Simon think of the other judges? “Demi: LA and Britney are so amazing. I feel like they are doing such a good job. Especially Britney. I feel like the world hasn’t really gotten a chance to see her personality over the past couple of years. This is a perfect opportunity for people to really see the light inside of her just shine. She’s very witty and funny and quirky and I just have such a good time working with her. LA is so much fun to work with. SO MUCH FUNNER THAN SIMON. Simon: “I don’t think so! I think Britney is a fascinating person because you don’t know anything about her. She’s very unpredictable. She has taken this very seriously. And she’s surprisingly quite mean. In the past we’ve had judges who never say no. She can’t say no quick enough on this show. She’s quite difficult to please. But she’s a fascinating person and I’ve got to like her a lot. LA is on the panel, because like me, we are two of the biggest hitmakers in the world right now. As important as it is to have artists on the panel, you’ve got to have people who are currently having hit records. Otherwise, it’s impossible to judge these shows. So I feel very secure with LA. But he’s annoyed at me this year, because last year he had Justin Bieber. This year I’ve got One Direction. There’s a lot of competition between the two of them. But It’s a very well balanced panel I think.”
On the rapport between Demi and Simon, “Simon: I have a habit of working with annoying people. Demi has definitely brought that again this year in spades. In bucketloads. But that’s kind of what I expected. When I saw Demi a couple of years ago I thought she’d be interesting to work with because of what she’s been through, coming through the whole Disney system. Being a bit of a rebel. Very marketable artist. People like that are always going to be what I call “lippy.” We have different views on the contestants. But I thought it was important since a lot of the contestants are young and we have a very young audience that we had to have somebody closer to that age group. If I’m comfortable with somebody then you can argue with them. So I’m obviously very comfortable with Demi. “
Describe the chemistry of the current judges’ panel: “Simon: Both of these two [Demi and Britney] they’re like having two race horses who are kind of like, very talented but difficult to control. We have no control over these two whatsoever. There is many many times where we disagree. But that’s probably what’s made it more interesting this year. They’re both unpredictable. Both have different views—strong views. And it made every day interesting. To be fair to them—the affect they had on the audience when they both walked in was just staggering. I’ve never seen anything like it. I think the contestants were excited by them. It’s been fun overall.”
Were there any surprises? “Demi: You have no idea what’s going to happen that day. You have no idea how people are going to react. It’s full of surprises.”
Demi dodges a question about how she would rate the presidential candidates by saying “They’re both really good speakers.” Simon said, “You just ducked that Demi Lovato!” Then Demi said, “Theyr’e both good speakers, they both got the X Factor, their nominated for a reason.” Demi adds that she’s learned not to discuss religion or politics in public.
Is Simon surprised by Britney’s “mean” side? “Simon: You know if you buy a dog you expect it to lick you and then it turns out to bite you. It was rather like that. It was a real surprise. She’s really really difficult to please. But in a way, it made it more interesting, because she just wouldn’t say yes for people to like her. When you do these auditions in front of 5 thousand people, they boo you. But she was kind of fearless. I remember the first time Demi said no and she got booed, I could see the look on her face ‘I don’t think I want to do this show anymore.’ It’s kind of difficult. She’s going to surprise a lot of people when you see her.
Is the judge’s job everything Demi expected it to be? “Demi: It’s everything I thought it would be and more because I always thought it would be so much fun, but at the same time you’re in a position—you’re mentoring people, you’re trying to give them the best advice possible so they can be groomed into this pop star. It’s a lot more challenging than I thought it would be. But I am very excited about putting everything that I have into it. It’s going to be a really great show.”
Will we be seeing any performances either as soloists or in duets with the contestants with Britney and Demi, “Simon: I want to see a Demi-Britney duet. Demi: I would LOVE that!”
