by Saira Karim

Created on: June 19, 2008   Last Updated: June 20, 2008

How can Simon: "I look like a Tax Inspector Cowell ", be credited with some of the biggest ever tv ratings in US history? What did he do that was so earth shattering for America's prime time ?

The answer is simple. He used classic tv show formats and re- sold them to a willing and enthusiastic public. Before Cowell there was Vaudeville and this type of family entertainment show lasted decades. Later with the invention of television , the UK had : "Opportunity Knocks", a talent show with a Panel of Judges who rated the best performer. This trend for spotting talent continued with: "New Faces", and the genre quickly running out of steam was eventually consigned to the telvision archives until the birth of sassy female bands like The Spice Girls where auditions and group rehearsals were filmed live. One of the first girl groups who disbanded before ever hitting the big time were the "PYT's", also filmed live with nationally held auditions that took place up and down the country to see who would actually feature in the final line up. Audience involvement was a crucial factor, they enjoyed the participation and suspense of who would eventually make it through . The inclusion of elimination heats , regional finals and a National final was a well thought out strategy that created tension and build up for the shows' overwhelming success.

So what then accounts for the recent media backlash and negative press attention against Mr. Cowell? I can only offer a personal perspective. What I find particularly annoying is that Monsieur Cowell appears to have adopted a "Svenghali", like hold on anything that can be classified as "talent". It is as if he is the reigning authority on what constitutes talent and the first and the last word on the subject is through him.What Simon "says", "goes", or so it would seem. Sooner or later there will inevitably be a potent counterblast from the viewers and the industry on manufactured talent. You only have to look at the last 5 or 10 winners : big smiles, ample cleavage, deriguer tight abs all on show . It smacks of the same synthetic generic. As if all "wannabes", look the same kind of anodyne and free from blemish, free from ethnicity but also free from individuality. I don't however, think it's fair to judge the contestants for these shows too harshly as they are merely pawns in a much larger chess game. Still one has to question where the beauty is in a mass produced , mass marketed product with no outstanding flavour of its own. Most

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