Depeche Mode trashes X Factor and Simon Cowell

via glooce

Electronic rock legends Depeche Mode have hit out at The X Factor and it’s media mogul head Simon Cowell, launching a scathing attack on the programme and how it’s made today’s music business ‘pretty horrible’.

The band, who tour the world throughout the summer months of 2013, have made their thoughts on the talent contest show clear - claiming that they think Simon Cowell should be ‘shot’, an opinion many belonging to the rock scene share.

Speaking to Music Week, bandmember Martin Gore said: “I’m not advocating violence, but I think somebody should shoot Simon Cowell! His influence in the music industry over the last God knows how many years it’s been now... it’s just like, so many people think that that's what music is. What happened to bands getting together? They are very few and far between now and the ones that do probably can’t afford to get into a studio and make a record.”

His bandmate Dave Gahan added: “It’s a pretty horrible business today really, I’ve got to say. You have to be tough and you've got to be thick skinned because there are going to be things written about you that you’re not going to like. You’re going to get scrutinized, your work will not always be liked and if they do like something really a lot they’re probably not going to like the next thing and compare it to the last thing. It takes a time for a band to grow if they’re any good. We were lucky that we were taken under the wing of Daniel Miller who never once in the studio said, ‘Where’s the hit song?’”

The band also talked about the fact that they seem to be bigger outside of the UK than inside, despite being an English band.

“[Not being fully appreciated in the UK is] probably the bain in our side if we’re really honest,” Gahan confessed. “I mean we should get fucking OBEs because we’re still going and we really are a very English band. Forget all the Britpop which was just a rip-off of everything that came before – The Stones, The Beatles and stuff. We actually took music somewhere else and I think arguably in the beginning it was just not understood.”

Gore added: “We did really well in the early Eighties in the UK, but I think because we became so successful so quickly it was hard to maintain that momentum, and the English in general have the kind of mentality where they want to move on to the next thing much quicker than anybody else. There's a lot more longevity for bands in other countries because people don’t have that mentality.”

What do you think of the band’s comments - do you agree? Let us know in the comments section below.

Depeche Mode tour world stadiums, arenas, and festivals in the summer months of 2013 - check below to find tickets to their UK gigs through Stereoboard.

Depeche Mode UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:

Tue May 28th 2013 - O2 Arena, London
Wed May 29th 2013 - O2 Arena, London

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Simon Cowell says X Factor US 2012 won't have wild card or winner over 25

via glooce

 

On October 30, 2012, "The X Factor" executive producer Simon Cowell did a very revealing telephone-conference call with journalists about "The X Factor" U.S.'s second season. I'll have the entire interview posted here in the next day or two, but here are a few of the things that he talked about during the Q&A session: Cowell thinks that no one over the age 25 has a chance of winning on the show this year. He also said that this year, there won't be a "wild card" contestant who will be brought back on the show.

Predictably, Cowell said that he thinks judge Britney Spears and co-host Khloe Kardashian were the right hiring decisions for "The X Factor' U.S. (although the show's downward spiral in the Season 2 ratings prove otherwise), but Cowell brushed off any questions about how concerned he might be about the show's ratings. Cowell admitted that he doesn't know yet how Spears and Kardashian will do in the live episodes (which begin on October 31, 2012, at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time) but he hopes that they will prove the naysayers wrong.

But you probably don't want to hear about some of the repetitive PR lines that Cowell has been saying in other interviews over the past several months.

Let's get to to good stuff. I'll include Cowell's full quotes later when I have more time, but for now, I'm reporting a summary of what he said.

Most-Wanted Category by the Judges

Cowell said that he thinks the Teens category (mentored by Spears) is the one that all of the judges wanted, and it's the category that all of the judges think is the biggest threat to win over the other categories. Cowell expressed confidence in his Groups category, but he admitted it's been tough for groups to win on "The X Factor." He thinks the finalist groups on the show in 2012 are much better than the finalist groups that were on the show in 2011. As for the Young Adults category (mentored by judge Demi Lovato), Cowell said they have some good candidates (particularly Jennel Garcia), but he doesn't think anyone will win from that category. He was blunt in saying that he thinks the Over 25s category (mentored by judge L.A. Reid) has "no chance" of winning.

Wild Card, Jillian Jensen and Jeffrey Gutt

There will be no "wild card" for "The X Factor" U.S. this year because Cowell said there isn't an eliminated contestant he feels strongly about bringing back on the show, like he did with Melanie Amaro in 2011.

He admitted that he thinks the contestant elimination that was the show's biggest mistake in 2012 was 36-year-old Jeffrey Gutt, because Cowell thinks Gutt is a better singer than a few of the contestants in the Over 25s category. (Cowell didn't say which contestants he thinks are inferior to Gutt.)

Cowell said that even though he knows that 20-year-old Jillian Jensen's elimination was controversial, he doesn't want her back on the show. He said he respects Lovato's decision to eliminate Jensen, and he thinks Lovato made the decision because things with Jensen were getting too "gloomy" (Cowell's word), and he agrees with Lovato's decision to choose someone she thinks is more entertaining than Jensen is. He emphasized that Lovato genuinely liked Jensen, and that Jensen was a good singer, but there were concerns about Jensen's personality. Although Cowell didn't really come right out and say it, he pretty much implied that Jensen's bullying sob story and her tendency to cry a lot was too much of a downer, and that was one of the reasons why she was cut from the show.

Girl Group is a Bunch of Difficult Divas

Cowell said that one of this year's girl groups (which he would not name in the interview) is arrogant, difficult and doesn't want to do interviews, and he's concerned about their "likability." Given that Sister C is the only one of his girl groups who has been described this way by Cowell on the show, and Spears called Sister C "annoying" in one episode, it's a safe bet that Cowell was talking about Sister C.

The other girl group that he's mentoring this year is Lylas, and Cowell hinted that they are his favorite group in his mentor category because he thinks they have the most potential (compared the other groups he's mentoring this year) of having hits after they're on "The X Factor." No one asked Cowell about the rumor that Lylas will be changing their name because another girl group named Lylas (whose members are sisters of pop star Bruno Mars) claim to have the legal use of the name. We'll have to wait and see if Lylas from "The X Factor" do change their name, because it's looking increasingly likely that they have no other legal option but to change the name.

Live Episodes

Cowell said that the judges (not viewer voting) will eliminate several contestants on November 1, 2012. He declined to say how many of the contestants will be eliminated on November 1, but he did say that viewer voting would begin on November 7, 2012.

He also mentioned that the elimination format leading up to the season finale will be the same as it was in 2011: The contestants in the bottom two will do a "save me" sing-off, and the judges will vote on which contestant to eliminate. If the judges have a deadlocked vote, the contestant eliminated will be the one who got the lowest number of votes from the public.

As for co-hosts Kardashian and Mario Lopez, Cowell said he initially wants them on stage together as much possible in the live episodes, but he won't rule out the possibility that later in the season, one of the co-hosts (probably Kardashian) will be backstage with the contestants while the other co-host will be in front on stage and will be the main person interacting with the judges.

He also admitted that Fox was too nervous about his idea to have two co-hosts who had no experience as TV hosts, and that is one of the main reasons why Lopez was hired. (Kardashian has no previous experience as a TV host, while Lopez has years of experience.)

Toward the end of the interview, Cowell concluded by saying he's expecting for there to be meltdowns during the live episodes.

Fox has not yet announced when the show's two-part Season 2 finale is, but it's widely assumed to be on December 19 and December 20, 2012.

Here are some things that Cowell did not discuss in the interview but are worth speculating about nif the show will do the season finale like it was done in 2011:

Part 1 of the season finale (presumably on December 19) should have the Top 3 contestants performing for the last time for the public's votes. Then in Part 2 of the season finale (presumably on December 20), the third-place contestant is announced, and then the runner-up and winner are announced.

So if one contestant is eliminated every week and there are supposed to be the Top 3 left on December 19, that means on November 1, there will be nine (or possibly 10) of the 16 contestants left who will advance to the November 7 show. There could be more than one elimination in the same episode in late November, just like there was in 2011. We'll have to wait and see.

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Christina Aguilera Dismisses Tabloid 'Trash,' Calls Simon Cowell a 'Dick' at Industry Event

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Christina Aguilera's Keynote Q&A today (Oct. 25) at the Billboard/Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Conference was as colorful as her two-toned blonde/bright red hair: She dropped some f-bombs, spoke plainly about her career, and even belted out a bit of a classic tune.

"Now everyone is a critic," she said with a smile, on the subject of the tabloid press and online bloggers. "I don't read blogs. It's just God-knows-who in Buttf--- wherever writing hate sh--. You can't take it seriously. I'm sure you've all been hated on at some point by buttf--- people."

"It's real talk today," she said at one point to applause.

Bill Werde, Billboard's Editorial Director, joined the singer on a couch in front of a meeting room full of conference attendees at The W Hotel in Hollywood. "Ooh, cozy with Christina!" the singer joked as Werde moved closer to her on the couch, setting the lively and fun tone.

The five-time Grammy winner, whose Max Martin-produced "Your Body" is currently on Billboard's Hot 100, was reflective when answering questions about her nearly lifelong career in music, film and television.

"Sometimes you just know what you're placed on this earth to do," she said of her early days. "Through my childhood I had sort of a chaotic past and upbringing. Music came as a sort of release and escape. Inevitably, you're going to stray toward that path. I started out as a wedding singer singing at block parties at 6, 7 years old. Then came Star Search. That was my first big break at 7 years old. Ed McMahon couldn't say my name right."

She lost Star Search but ended up on The Mickey Mouse Club by age 12, the same program that of course helped launch Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Ryan Gosling. "Great casting agent," Aguilera said by way of understatement. "I think his name was Mike Casella." (She's correct).

She talked about auditioning for then-A&R man Ron Fair (now a special consultant at Front Line Management) in his office. The pair are still friends. "Our kids go to the same pre-school," she noted. "I walked into his office and he was like, 'Sing for me.' I whipped out Whitney Houston's Preacher's Wife gospel songs. That stayed in his mind."

Later, she said she taped herself in her bathroom singing Houston's "I Want to Run With You." She landed her first record deal and the "Mulan" soundtrack the same week.

She's still got the acting bug. She credited Cher with helping her hone her chops on 2010's Burlesque, though she admitted the film wasn't without its cliches. "Cher taught me about how, for your off-camera scenes, [you should] be just as good if not more of an actor [for] the person you're in the scene with. It's going to make the whole thing better -- to really be a giving actor. It makes for an amazing scene. You start to understand and appreciate the beauty of film and the passion, the love and the craft that goes into the whole process. It was a wonderful learning experience."

She and Cher had plenty to bond over, from the highs to the lows of careers in music and film.

"It's hard being such a powerful woman in the business. I'm known for not always being warm and fuzzy, because you'll just get bulldozed over. You learn to put up this little protective shield, but it's because of something. In my music, I come off as being very open about being insecure, vulnerable and sensitive sometimes. Then I'll go onstage and be this powerhouse force to be reckoned with." It's all about that balance, she added.

Part of the way she maintains that balance, she said, is by avoiding the tabloids. "I'm a mother. I'm a businesswoman. I have a zillion and one things going on in my head, on my plate, creatively. I put my son to bed then I go right into my backyard, which is my studio house. It's a lot. I really truly don't have time for the static noise. It's just not real. They're not real magazines. It's trash. It's rumors."

"If my son has a cute picture of him playing soccer one day, I'll be like, 'Oh, forward me that,' but my publicist will tell you, I don't want to hear the good or the bad," she added. "I don't want to believe my own hype. I want to stay hungry and stay eager and be the best that I can be."

Working on The Voice renewed her own hunger as a singer, she said. She credited the experience with her desire to get back out there with her new album, Lotus.

"These 6-year-olds weren't around when I had 'Genie in a Bottle' and 'Fighter,' " she said. "They are watching me in this big red chair giving advice. There's a lot of auto tune going on now and that's all great, it's an art form. But what's great about The Voice [is that] it's just raw, real talent."

Aguilera confessed she hasn't seen much of any of the singing competition shows -- including her own. "I've not actually seen a full episode of any of the other music shows. I saw the commercials early on of American Idol of Simon being a dick. I was like, 'Man, that's not what it's about!' I didn't want to treat people like that. I wanted to do The Voice to show that we can be positive. We don't have to knock people down." Which isn't to say she was knocking American Idol altogether.

"Jennifer Hudson came from American Idol and went on to do Dreamgirls and won an Oscar," she pointed out. "I know we all have different formats. I don't even watch my own show: I tape it, I'm out. Time to be mommy and time to work on my record and of course invest time in my team, picking songs. I juggle a lot."

Christina said she's formed a great friendship with all of her fellow judges. "We've got a chemistry like a family. Everyone knows me and Adam [Levine] can bicker and get on each other's case. Cee-Lo is just cool, he comes from a real artistic value place. Blake [Shelton] is just a good old time. He's become my big bro." Aguilera and Shelton duet on "Just a Fool," one of the new tracks from Lotus.

The album is full of songs with meaning, something she's consciously steered toward for some time now. "I'm a message girl at the end of the day. Songs like 'Beautiful,' songs like 'Fighter.' They're very introverted and can be very vulnerable but empowering. I was tired of singing about fluff and candy and Genie in a Bottle." She noted that she went to people like DJ Premier, Ladytron, Le Tigre and a pre-fame Nicki Minaj at different points in her career. She was also quick to "thank God" for "Genie in a Bottle" and similar songs, because "they gave me the creative freedom that I have now."

"Beautiful" of course remains a staple Aguilera track and she treated the audience to the song's first few lines while telling the story of its creation. "Linda Perry is raw, she's real and she intimidates a lot of grown men. She's amazing. I was having a really bad day. I came into her studio. It was at her house at the time. I was working with her on a bunch of stuff. She just kind of sat down at her piano in her dining room and started singing."

The audience applauded, then Christina went on to explain that Perry discouraged her from doing all of the showy vocal stuff." 'Don't do all that Mariah sh-' -- that was her, not me, I love that sh--!" Aguilera clarified. "But she was like 'don't be doing all that acrobatic sh--, just sing!'"

Perry is a colorful personality on Twitter -- Werde suggested Aguilera start following her. "I was really late to [Twitter]," she admitted. "To me it was presented as like, 'this is what I'm having for breakfast this morning.' I was like, 'Really? Who cares.'" But now she's gotten the hang of what it can be. "I said something the other day on Twitter and I was like, 'Oh, this is what you can use Twitter for!' I might have opened up a whole new can of worms and a new appreciation for it. I just didn't want to be generic. Some people use it in a frivolous way."

There's nothing frivolous about her approach to her new record, which she summarized thusly:

"It's embracing the woman that I've grown to be and embracing myself, full circle, as a pop star. Being on The Voice has made me realize it. And being face to face with my superstar little popstar team on The Voice has been inspiring and inspires me. It's made me come full circle and appreciate the journey of the last decade-plus. I chose Lotus because it represents the unbreakable flower that stands the test of time."

And even more to the point: "Sh-- happens, man. This is the business. It's not going to be all cute and pretty and tied up in a little bow."















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SIMON COWELL WANTS HARRY STYLES AND LOUIS TOMLINSON FOR X FACTOR JUDGING ROLE

Via Glooce

Simon Cowell has revealed that he thinks Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson would make great additions to The X Factor judging panel.

The One Direction lads appeared as guest mentors on the Australian version of the show in footage screened yesterday, prompting one journalist to ask Simon which member of the boyband he'd like to see as a permanant judge on The X Factor panel.

Speaking at the launch of The X Factor USA in Los Angeles, Uncle Si replied: "It would probably be between Louis and Harry," before turning to Demi Lovato and joking: "Demi, you would probably choose Niall."

We're sure Luigi and Hazman are well chuffed at Simon's choice - although personally we're not sure Louis Walsh could handle the Sass Pony, were he ever to join the UK panel.

The Niall-Demi joke did make us giggle though - it reminded us of the grilling Simon gave Demi over her friendship with Goldilocks - were he asked: 'Have you kissed him?'

We say put all five boys on a panel, and just watch the magic happen. Go on Si, DO IT.

Which member of 1D do you think would make the best judge? 


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Britney Spears and Simon Cowell (Access Hollywood - X Factor Interview)

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Forbes Top 20 Paid Celebrities List

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Forbes compiled a list of the Top 20 paid celebrities between May 2011 and May 2012.

20. Britney Spears - $58 million
Conspicuously absent from our 2011 list due to limited touring, Britney blasts back into the top 20 this year with over 75 shows in the past 12 months. She also earns millions from endorsements and a fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden. Her latest album, Femme Fatale, earned platinum certification in the U.S. The pop princess still attracts plenty of tabloid attention, especially in the wake of her December 2011 engagement.



19. Ryan Seacrest - $59 million
After signing on to host American Idol for at least two more years, Seacrest also recently inked a new deal with Comcast that extends his presence within the company from E! to NBC, where he'll cover news, sports and entertainment. Seacrest also produces TV shows like the Keeping up with the Kardashians franchise and his latest, Shahs of Sunset, about Iranian-Americans in Beverly Hills. Seacrest also endorses brands like Bing and Coca-Cola.

18. Donald Trump - $63 million
17. Dr. Phil - $64 million

16. Manny Pacquiao - $67 million
Pacquiao was on the wrong end of a wildly controversial split decision in his June bout against Tim Bradley, his first loss in seven years. Pacquiao has become a pay-per-view stud, with five fights each generating at least one million PPV buys during the past four years. Pacman has expanded his endorsement reach by signing deals with Monster Energy and Hennessy. His longtime partners include Nike and Hewlett-Packard.

15. Rush Limbaugh - $69 million
Think Limbaugh is mellowing after 40 years on the radio? Fat chance. The conservative host demonstrated both his impact on the culture and his intemperance with his attacks on a female law student and birth-control advocate. The resulting boycott by many advertisers didn't have much of an immediate financial impact on Limbaugh, but it may cut into his earnings if sponsors remain skittish. He's on Twitter now, by the way
.
14. Dick Wolf - $70 million
13. Tom Cruise - $75 million
12. Elton John - $80 million

11. Glenn Bleck - $80 million
Who needs Fox News? Beck is his own network now. GBTV, his Internet-only video channel, already has more than 300,000 subscribers, making it the biggest component of his fast-growing multimedia empire, Mercury Radio Arts. The conservative host and "rodeo clown" -- his words -- also has his own book imprint with Simon & Schuster, a news website called The Blaze, a live political comedy act and, of course, "The Glenn Beck Program," syndicated by Premiere Radio.

10. Simon Cowell - $90 million
Hits like American Idol don't grow on trees, as Simon Cowell discovered this year. The British music producer and TV impresario made headlines when he promised his new show, The X Factor, would at least match his old talent show in the ratings. It didn't, but the U.K. version of the show minted a breakout act, One Direction, for Cowell's label, Syco Records.

9. George Lucas - $90 million
8. James Patterson - $94 million

7. Howard Stern - $95 million
Dwelling in the walled garden of satellite radio has been good for Stern's bank account, and it's probably spared him some FCC fines, but you can tell he misses being part of the broader culture. A new role as a judge on America's Got Talent gives him some extra visibility, along with a reported $15 million a year. It also gives him something to do with the free time he gained after signing a new contract that pays him less money in exchange for fewer days on the radio. Stern's relationship with Sirius appears to be cooling, and his defeat in a lawsuit against his employer over unpaid bonuses won't help.


6. Tyler Perry - $105 million
Perry continues to be a busy, well-paid director/producer/writer/actor. His low-budget films, like the recent Good Deeds have built-in audiences and don't need to earn a ton of money to become profitable. Perry's most successful film was 2009's Madea Goes to Jail, which earned $90 million. He also has a successful TV empire that includes House of Payne, Meet the Browns and For Better or Worse.

5. Dr. Dre - $110 million
The ageless super-producer's latest hit isn't a song, but rather a line of headphones. In August handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in Beats by Dr. Dre, the headphone company he co-founded with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine in 2006. Each owned about a third of the company, pocketing about $100 million apiece, before taxes, from last summer's deal.

4. Jerry Bruckheimer - $115 million

3. Steven Spielberg - $130 million
Spielberg's DreamWorks moved into television in a big way this year with four new shows, including Terra Nova and Smash. On top of that, the prolific producer stepped back into directing with two movies that hit theaters last Christmas, The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. Both films were nominated for Oscars.

2. Michael Bay - $160 million
Bay nabs the title of top-earning director this year thanks to Transformers:Dark of the Moon. The 3-D film brought in $1.1 billion at the box office. Bay has a great deal on the films, taking a solid chunk of the profits. He also earns big from Transformer toys. Adding to Bay's coffers this year: a Transformers ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Bay has earned the right to finally do a small film. Pain & Gain has a budget well under $50 million.

1. Oprah Winfrey - $165 million

The media mogul's earnings fell by a staggering $125 million from last year. However, even with the drop, she remains the highest earner on the list, just inching out director Michael Bay. It's been a challenging year for Winfrey, who signed off from her 25-year syndicated show and immediately turned her attention to struggling cable network OWN. The bulk of the earnings dive comes from lost income on The Oprah Winfrey Show, but her diversified portfolio includes O: The Oprah Magazine, spin-off shows like The Dr. Oz Show and a radio deal with Sirius. She does not earn a salary at OWN, which has faced ratings disappointments and financial issues since it premiered in Jan. 2011. As chairman and CEO of the joint venture with Discovery Communications, she hopes a recent restructuring, new programming and a distribution deal with Comcast will turn the network around.

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