Though an initial edit of the story featured some misleading information about one of the selections (the changes have since been made), Deadline.com features comments from Simon Cowell that confirm that FOX’s US adaptation of “The X-Factor” will round out its judging panel in the most predictable of fashions.
Speaking to Deadline’s Nikki Finke, the “X-Factor” head and former “American Idol” judge apparently confirmed that Paula Abdul and Cheryl Cole, who had long been viewed as frontrunners for the positions, are slated to join Cowell and Antonio “LA” Reid on the show.
The story notes that neither Abdul nor Cole has finalized a deal with the FOX reality import but that Cowell has “made up his mind” to re-unite with his “American Idol” and UK “X-Factor” colleagues, respectively. So now it would just be about making the financial terms work.
Both had long been expected, making Reid the only somewhat-unpredictable selection for the “Factor” panel. Many had believed Cowell would go with at least one other big-time, mainstream celebrity for the “Idol” gig, but if this rumored Cowell-Reid-Cole-Abdul panel is indeed realized, he will instead be the only marquee name on the show.
And while Cole had been consistently-rumored for the part and considered a “lock” for months by insiders, many still felt the show would hesitate to pull the trigger on someone so unknown to US audiences.
Regarding Cole, who achieved big overseas success with Girls Aloud but has made virtually no dent with the American mainstream, Cowell told Deadline, “I never think about it as an American or British audience. I genuinely don’t. I think that’s what’s happened on a lot of these shows now is it’s almost like you’ve got to hire well known celebrities to be a judge…this girl is special. She’s just got a great ability to communicate. Shes a great judge. She’s smart. It’s just a hunch. If people take to her like the British public did, I think she’s going to do really well in America. And Fox was desperate to hire her.”
On Abdul, Cowell meanwhile said that he has “never found anyone better than her” as a co-judge and that he “missed her the second she left [“Idol”].”
Throughout the Deadline interview, Cowell denies that negotiations with rumored names like Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Cee-Lo and Gloria Estefan were ever in final stages. He does, however, admit that the show would have liked to involve Mariah Carey had her personal commitments (notably giving birth) not stood in the way of the “X-Factor” obligation.
