New URL for the American Idol buzz blog!
Please go to the new American Idol Buzz blog at http://blogs.ajc.com/american-idol-blog/
Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2006 > May > 01
Monday, May 1, 2006
5/1/05: Book excerpt on Idol
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s an except from New York Times TV writer’s book “Desperate Networks” about American Idol.
Here’s the summary:
UPN in 2001 rejected “American Idol” before “Pop Idol” had even been aired in the U.K. Simon Fuller & Co. never got past a phone call with CBS. ABC passed, weary of past semi-failures “Pop Stars” on the WB and “Making the Band” on ABC. NBC rejected the show after one meeting
That left Fox. Reality TV exec there liked the whole audition aspect of it. Hollywood talent agency CAA helped pitch. Fox, seeking something fresh for the summer of 2002, was plumb out of cash so it said CAA had to line up sponsors so they could even air the show. Even as the show did well in the U.K., Fox wasn’t budging as the winter dragged on. They did get Atlanta’s Coke on board early. Fox’s head Rupert Murdoch’s daughter Liz, who ran BSkyB out of London, loved “Pop Idol” and was a key person in getting “Idol” going in America. With Rupert calling the top Fox execs, it became a done deal.
Sandy Grushow, head of entertainment at Fox, insisted that they import one person from the Pop Idol show; Simon Cowell. He at first said no since he had no track record in the U.S. But he changed his mind though he was not committed to contract and was paid a pittance for the entire season: just $25,000. We know that he’s being paid now $10 million plus.
Permalink | |
