Simon Cowell Archives - The Dishmaster

Simon Cowell’s Company Responds to Gabrielle Union’s Firing

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT — Pictured: “America’s Got Talent” Key Art — (Photo by: NBCUniversal)

In response to the allegations that Gabrielle Union’s firing from America’s Got Talent was a retaliatory strike following her complaints about inappropriate, racist jokes, ill-directed critiques about her hair, and general, behind-the-scenes culture issues, Simon Cowell’s company, Syco Entertainment said, “We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture.” They furthered that they “are working with Ms. Union through her representatives to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps may be appropriate.”

X Factor’s Louis Walsh Sexually Harasses Mel B

The deranged entitlement of Louis Walsh makes me physically ill. In a newly resurfaced video, the former X Factor judge can be seen openly grabbing Mel B.’s ass during an interview, and when she openly confronts him, he smugly smiles followed by a joke from Simon Cowell about her safety. Though I generally try to steer clear of blaming bystanders, this is just too gross to ignore. Simon seems disturbed, but I’d like to know if Walsh was ever taken to task for sexual harassment. As for Mel B., I applaud her standing up for herself, and it’s too bad no one else joined.

Celebrities Dumped Via Text Message: He Said/She Said

Katy Perry & Russell Brand

She Said: “He’s a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him. Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.”

He Said: We did work it out, she’s happy, I’m happy. I was really, really in love with her, but it was difficult to see each other, it mostly didn’t work for practical reasons.

Perrie Edwards & Zayn Malik

She Said: “It was horrible, the worst time in my life. A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that. Even though things in my career were going really well, it was incredibly difficult for me.”

He Said: “I have more respect for Perrie than to end anything over text message. I love her a lot, and I always will, and I would never end our relationship over four years like that. She knows that, I know that, and the public should know that as well. I don’t want to explain why or what I did. I just want the public to know I didn’t do that.”

Kevin Federline & Britney Spears

His SOURCE said: “He had no idea it was coming. In fact, he had been looking into a possible divorce. She beat him to the punch.”

She said: ‘I think I married for the wrong reasons. Instead of following my heart and doing something that made me really happy, I just did it for the idea of everything.’

Terri Seymour & Simon Cowell

He said: Terri decided to dump me… [She] sent me a text.”

She said: “You’re with someone for six years and you end it with a text message? I don’t think so! No, it wasn’t ended over the phone and it wasn’t ended by text.

Taylor Swift & Joe Jonas

She said: “It’s all right – I’m cool. You know what, it’s like, when I find that person that is right for me, he’ll be wonderful When I look at that person, I’m not even going to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 27 seconds when I was 18.”

He said: “For those who have expressed concern over the ’27 second’ phone call, I called to discuss feelings with the other person. Those feelings were obviously not well received. I did not end the conversation. Someone else did. Phone calls can only last as long as the person on the other end of the line is willing to talk.”

Carrie Underwood & Chace Crawford

She said: “We broke up over text so… it’s like ‘peace out'”

His SOURCE said: “He flew to visit her, went on tour with her—he did everything he could for this girl. But in the end, Crawford “is the one who said, ‘Enough is enough.’ He was upset, but he also had to make the decision that it wasn’t meant to be anymore.”

Is Grace VanderWaal the “Next Taylor Swift”?

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Though ‘America’s Got Talent’ is painfully packed with trite platitudes about how “miracles can happen,” and the disturbing exploitation of our country’s youth, every so often — there’s a gem I can’t ignore. Grace VanderWaal was called “the next Taylor Swift” by Simon Cowell, and that’s probably an understatement. Her tone is exceptionally unique, and I think Ed Sheeran would represent a closer comparison. Watch below as she sings an original song. Try not to vomit when you hear Howie Mandel’s predictable schmaltz-fest.

Kelly Clarkson Sings “Piece by Piece” Through Tears on ‘American Idol’

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Kelly Clarkson proved her vocal prowess once again on the stage of American Idol where she was crowned the first champ as the surprise summer hit would eventually peak at 38 million viewers. Simon Cowell once told Howard Stern that Clarkson was by far the most self-assured, “ruthless” contestant in history, having fired the entire management team assigned by Idol almost immediately after her win. In fact, Clarkson often distanced herself from the show. But that all changed last night on the Idol stage when she sang “Piece by Piece” through tears. Though Clarkson often keeps her personal life close to the vest, the lyrics are telling, and the singer has said that as a child of divorce she “never had a man stick around and “whenever people said, ‘I’m in love,’ it didn’t really hold very much weight or gravity with [her].” Clarkson said the song is a “love letter celebrating and thanking [her] husband for being a man that knows how to love [her] and [their] children without expecting anything in return.” Clarkson is married to Brandon Blackstock who she met through Reba McEntire. Reba was married to Blackstock’s father for over two decades before calling it quits amidst the 2015 wave of celebrity divorces. Because Clarkson was pregnant with her first child while creating her album, she was unable to write most of the tracks, with the exception of “Piece by Piece” and a few others. Watch her very moving performance below. The song hit #1 shortly after her performance, further illustrating Clarkson’s ability to move a room.

Celine Dion Covers Adele’s “Hello”

Simon Cowell used to advise his ‘American Idol’ contestants to avoid covers of powerhouse performers because unless a singer is capable of contending with the original, he or she will always be compared. So what happens when one powerhouse performer with the right pipes actually covers another? Watch below to see Celine Dion cover Adele’s “Hello,” which will bring you the first shot at a serious singing match-up. While Dion obviously lacks Adele’s emotional attachment to the performance, it’s extremely interesting to compare the two.

Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of Links

Kate Winslet won’t get involved in the gender pay discussion. Stuff

Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick might reconcile. Radar Online

Is the star of ‘Blindspot‘ a big diva? Wet Paint

Ronda Rousey lost a fight. Just Jared

That creepy photographer Terry Richardson is expecting twins. Page Six

Simon Cowell knew Zayn Malik was leaving One Direction. Us Magazine

Patrick Dempsey and his wife might reconcile. People

Punky Brewster is popping out a 4th baby. Pop Sugar

‘Modern Family’s’ Ariel Winter won’t stand for body shamers. Jezebel

Heidi Klum and Seal have kissed and made up. TMZ

Lamar Odom might have serious brain damage. The Frisky

‘RHOC’s’ Brooks Ayers is a big fat liar. E! Online

Anthony Mackie had his third child. Bossip

Britney Spears shared a cut pic of her kid. Wonderwall

John Oliver had a baby. Vulture

Kendall Jenner thinks Kylie’s a bitch. JSYK

Adam Levine Bashes Record Labels Behind ‘The Voice’

Adam Levine visited Howard Stern and the Maroon 5 star slammed the record labels behind ‘The Voice,’ for their inability to produce an actual music star, unlike ‘American Idol,’ who has had massive success with Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and more. According to Levine, when the baton is passed post-Voice, the label flounders. He said that though he tries to help by using his own star power to promote his winners, the process is far too complicated to fix. Per the Washington Post, “Depending on their genre, winners go on to a variety of Universal labels, from Republic Records (Tessanne Chin, Sawyer Fredericks) to Nashville’s Big Machine (Danielle Bradbery, Cassadee Pope).” He also added that ‘American Idol’ released new singles during the finale, followed by a very quick turnout of their debut album. ‘The Voice’ does not.

What’s interesting about Levine’s stance is that Simon Cowell’s true motivation behind ‘American Idol’ was always to produce a music star, not a television show. Cowell felt the labels weren’t doing their job of finding the next sensation, so he’d do it for them. His planned worked, and he used ‘American Idol’ as a platform to push his find. ‘The Voice,’ is created by powerhouse reality producer Mark Burnett, whose musical expertise doesn’t hold a candle to Cowell. The man can make a show, but he can’t make a music star. Furthermore, the judging panel has zero A&R experience, and while it might be nice to see Gwen Stefani’s outfits atop a big red chair, she’s never found the next big thing. As for Adam Levine himself, my critique holds the same weight.

Hats off to Adam Levine for an honest Howard Stern interview. Hopefully the powers that be will attempt an intervention and take action. Otherwise, you’re just a bunch of big stars on big red chairs with big paychecks. It’s surely a pretty picture, but when the gloss begins to fade, so will the audience.

Quote of the Day: Howard Stern Bashes Simon Cowell

“It’s like your best friend tries to steal your girl, but the truth is you were trying to unload her anyway.” Howard Stern on Simon Cowell’s attempts to steal his judging spot on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ which were revealed via leaked documents during the Sony Hack. Stern was already exiting the show, paving an easy path for Simon’s return. Simon strongly denies any such attempts, but Stern doesn’t buy it.

Tabloid Gossip: Your Week of Links

‘The Good Wife’s’ Josh Charles is going to be a dad. E! Online

Zooey Deschanel has a new boyfriend. Us Magazine

Nina Dobrev is heating up Ibiza with her new man. Hollywood Life

Ciara and Future called off their engagement. VH1

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are separated. The Stir

Stacy Keibler gave birth to a baby girl. HUFFPO

Suge Knight was shot. USA Today

Simon Cowell is a doting dad. ICYDK

MTV’s Diem Brown is battling cancer for a third time. Wonderwall

Maria Shriver has a new man. Page Six

Katie Holmes moved to Los Angeles. What’s New

Pete Wentz had a son. ABC News