Simon Cowell Bullish on 'Britain's Got Talent' Despite 'The Voice' Competition

LONDON -- Simon Cowell told reporters on Sunday that he is optimistic that ITV hit show Britain's Got Talent can bring in strong, and possibly even higher, ratings this year despite continued competition from the BBC's The Voice UK.

He also signaled that he wouldn't return to the U.K. version of The X Factor on ITV and said the future of that show in the U.K. and U.S. would be discussed in upcoming meetings. Syco Entertainment, Cowell's joint venture with Sony Music, is one of the producers of The X Factor and Got Talent formats.

STORY: Simon Cowell to Remain Judge on 'Britain's Got Talent' Next Year

"They will be very competitive," Cowell said about music competition show The Voice UK, which will kick off its second season this spring around the same time as Britain's Got Talent starts its seventh. "I don't take anything for granted. It will rest on how good the talent is" on both shows.

But Cowell added that he has told the BGT production team that he would start the new season with the belief that ratings could go up. He argued that this would require the show to be even better than last year when Ashleigh and dancing dog Pudsey won it.

Last spring, The Voice UK for several weeks beat BGT in the ratings as people tuned in for the early rounds of the then-new show featuring its signature spinning chairs. But the Cowell show later in the season regained the viewership lead.

Cowell made the comments Sunday afternoon ahead of an audition taping for BGT at the British capital's "home of variety entertainment," the London Palladium.

Asked if he could appear on America's Got Talent in the future, Cowell said he wasn't planning to. "I like doing this show," he said about BGT.

"The show's really become big around the world," and if the U.K. flagship version works well, all else also works, he suggested. "I like doing one show here and one [X Factor] in the U.S.," Cowell added.

In that context, he also said that it was unlikely that he would return to the X Factor U.K. edition, which has seen ratings decline, leading to suggestions that Cowell would return as a judge this year. "I would rule that out," he told reporters.

The X Factor's U.S. and U.K. future will be a near-term focus, Cowell signaled, saying there would be meetings in a couple of weeks with the shows' teams from both countries. He declined to comment on who the judges would be for the upcoming seasons, but signaled the topic would be among the issues of discussion.

With L.A. Reid’s and Britney Spears' exits from the X Factor's U.S. edition on Fox, two seats on the judges' table are unfilled for the third season. The U.K. could also see changes amid lower ratings for its recently ended ninth season.

Cowell attended the Sunday audition event along with BGT hosts and comedians Ant & Dec and fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.

Asked what factor most determines the success of BGT, Cowell said the appearance of unexpected acts that win over audience. "You have to be original," he said. "It has to be something that goes viral."

Cowell reportedly dismissed the first 10 acts who auditioned for BGT on the first day of auditions in Cardiff, Wales. "The first day in Cardiff, I was sitting there thinking this will be a disaster," he told reporters on Sunday. "The first day was pretty miserable," but the second day brought more exciting talent, he said.

Asked what act could win this year after last year's dancing dog sensation, he joked that he has never seen a dancing cat on stage. Some of the BGT judges and hosts on Sunday also expressed their optimism for the new season.

"We come on the back of a huge year for Britain," so there is excitement about showcasing British talent, suggested Dixon in a reference to the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the Queen's jubilee celebrations.

Cowell later agreed with that suggestion, saying that "if we can bring back that kind of fun spirit, being patriotic again ... that is a good place to start."

Dec, meanwhile, said: "The judges did so well last year," giving the show momentum for the new season, which will start airing on a date in spring that has yet to be announced. "Of course, it's all about the people who turn up at the audition," but the second audition day brought out promising acts following the weak first day mentioned by Cowell, he added.

STORY: 'X Factor' Exit a 'Very Difficult Decision,' Says Britney Spears

Comedian David Walliams, for example, mentioned that there was a "fantastic" ventriloquist at a Cardiff audition who the judges liked.

Asked about reports about disagreements between him and Cowell at the early auditions, Walliams said: "It's just banter [on the show]."

But he suggested that he feels worse than Cowell for performers who don't make the cut, because as an actor he knows the feeling of being turned down. "Simon's never been turned down - by anyone," Walliams said.

"All of us are having such a good time together," Dixon said, calling the decision to return to the show for another year "very easy."

Asked about her own music, she said she made the New Year's resolution to finish her album in 2012. "I am writing in between" show tapings, she told reporters. "I have been struggling to find time ... But I miss being on stage."

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai

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Cowell talks Cole's exit at 'X Factor' auditions (AP)

NEWARK, N.J. – At auditions filmed Thursday before a live audience for "The X Factor," Simon Cowell seemed to want people to move on from the shakeup on the show's judges panel replacing British pop singer Cheryl Cole with American counterpart Nicole Scherzinger.

"It wasn't really such a big deal as everybody thought. ... Truth is you've got to move on. It's about the contestants. They've got no interest in us bickering," Cowell said at the auditions in New Jersey.

Earlier in the week, Fox and producers announced Cole was out and Scherzinger, who originally was signed on to co-host the show, would slide over to the judges table alongside Cowell, Paula Abdul and LA Reid.

He said the show will not re-tape episodes already filmed that feature Cole.

"Show it. I mean it's reality TV. There's no point in lying about it," he said. "It is what it is."

Cowell said it was a no brainer to slide Scherzinger over to the judge's table when the position opened up.

"I've worked with Nicole before. I think she would have killed me if I had given the job to someone else. She's very good at this. You know, she knows what she's doing and so it was an easy transition."

Cowell left "American Idol" in May of 2010 after its ninth season. He said the absence from American TV has been good.

"I realized how much I missed working here in America. I really, really love making shows here," he said. But "the gap's been good for me because I appreciate it more now."

It seems as if distance has also been good for Cowell and Abdul's working relationship. Abdul sneaked up behind Cowell as he greeted fans at the Prudential Center and in turn he gave her a hug and a kiss.

"(The honeymoon period) is still going on which is really frightening," Abdul said. "It's kind of weird and awkward ... he's actually, kind of, shall I say nice?"

The U.S. version of "The X Factor" will premiere on Fox in September.

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Online:

http://www.fox.com/thexfactor/

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'I am NOT the bad guy' Simon Cowell insists it was a group decision to axe Cheryl

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:31 PM on 2nd June 2011
X Factor boss Simon Cowell defended himself following the controversy over the Girls Aloud star's unceremonious firing as a judge from the U.S. version.
The X Factor boss is upset at being made out to be the 'bad guy' and ib fact Cowell, 51, said he had 'moved heaven and earth' to get the Geordie singer back on the show.
However, clearly keen not to be made the fall guy, he insisted the decision to axe her was made by a group and not him alone.
No bad guy: Simon Cowell apparently 'moved heaven and earth' to get Cheryl Cole back on the X Factor
The latest development in the saga comes as new judges Take That singer songwriter Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and former Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland made their debut yesterday at the first X Factor UK auditions at Birmingham's LG Arena.
A show producer told the newspaper: 'He (Cowell) moved heaven and earth for that girl – effectively offering to double her salary to take up a role on the UK show.'
The unnamed source said the 27-year-old was 'never herself' on the U.S. show and it came across on camera but there was 'nothing anyone could do about it'.

He said the decision to ask her to leave was made by a group - not Cowell alone, adding: 'Simon won’t be losing sleep over someone who has just rejected a multi-million pound job offer.'
Sources close to the two stars believe they will get their friendship back on track.

Television Programme: The X Factor with Judges Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell.
Cheryl, who has not been seen in public since her dismissal, is believed to be refusing to answer calls from Simon or respond to texts.

Even Louis Walsh waded into the debate and apparently said there was no hope for the pair's friendship now.
But the 58-year-old said Cheryl is strong and will return to the spotlight soon 'even more fantastic than before'.
Yesterday Take That star Gary Barlow revealed Cheryl had 'turned a corner' and 'is going places'.
Barlow, 40, said he had spoken to the petite brunette - and revealed that she had wished him luck as he prepared to take over from Simon Cowell as a judge on the ITV talent hit.
The new crew: The official new line-up, Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos, Kelly Rowland and Louis Walsh, pose together for the first time
Cheryl's sacking has made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic all week and when Simon Cowell appeared on the Britain's Got Talent semi-final two days ago he was instantly teased by show hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly - hammering home the back lash he faced following the decision.
Cowell took to the stage just hours after it was confirmed that the Girls Aloud star would not be a judge on this year's UK X Factor after being sacked from the U.S. version.
And Dec couldn't resist having a pop at the show's head honcho over the treatment of fellow Geordie Cheryl, saying: 'Can you understand my accent Simon?' as he reclaimed his seat on the BGT judging panel alongside Michael McIntyre, Amanda Holden and David Hasselhoff.
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