Simon Fuller

All those would-be suitors of CKX Inc., parent of "American Idol" producer 19 Entertainment, better put their cash on the table or get ready to walk That was the word from CKX executives Monday morning during a conference call with......

Bob Mercer, a music industry executive who was managing director of EMI Music in Britain in the 1970s and most recently was chief executive of the "Now That's What I Call Music!" venture that releases a bestselling series of hit-single compilation albums,...

In what many are considering a surprise pick, comedian and television talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is replacing Paula Abdul as the fourth judge on American Idol. "DeGeneres will sit alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi and offer her...

Lee DeWyze, this year's "American Idol" winner, will release his major label debut album on Nov. 15, his management and RCA Records just announced. And Casey James, who finished third behind DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, has signed a recording contract...

After the coffee. Before fishing out the umbrella ... again! Ticketmaster and Live Nation get DOJ green light. The Justice Department approved the controversial merger of Ticketmaster and Live Nation, a marriage that brings together the biggest...

Tuesday night's "Idol" heads to Denver's Invesco Field for two-plus days of auditions crammed into a single one-hour episode (Fox, 8 p.m.). And for our guest judge? An encore appearance by Victoria Beckham, who at the time the callback episode was...

Last week, noted producer Steve Lillywhite made an impassioned video plea to be considered a potential replacement for "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, a job he's certainly qualified for, having worked on some 30 game-changing albums in just as many...

When it comes to landing the Simon Cowell gig, it seems everybody is making pitch videos these days. Last week, producer extraordinaire Steve Lillywhite took his plea to YouTube and on Tuesday, FunnyOrDie.com premiered "Perez for Idol," a tongue-in-...

And then there were 20... If you're feeling at all squeamish about tonight's episode of "American Idol" (Fox, 8 p.m.), take comfort in knowing you are not alone. Last week's disastrous debut -- on both sides of the gender divide -- has left many in "Idol"...

And now for your Adam Lambert hump day fix... He just made the TV rounds in Australia, and on Friday, March 12, American audiences will hear from the Season 8 runner-up when he appears on ABC's "Nightline" to talk about the music he grew up with and...

Talk about an offer you can't refuse! On Thursday, I got invited to tag along with David Cook and bandmates Andy Skib and Neal Tiemann as they visited the "If I Can Dream" house, ground zero for Simon Fuller's latest reality project, a cross between...

I won't kid you. Last night's "Idol" was dull. The judges looked bored, the contestants chose (mostly) boring, played-out songs, and the 7-year-old girl to my right couldn't even sit still for more than a minute as she desperately tried to claw her way...