Comments on Crazy Days and Nights: $144M For Being A Judge On American Idol

According to some figures I heard this morning, th...

2009-07-01T06:59:01.779-07:00

According to some figures I heard this morning, this would be paying Simon Cowell over 15% of everything earned by American Idol a year. Sorry, but that is not only obscene on any moral and ethical level, it is flat out bad business.

AI's ratings went down last season, so Cowell deserves more? Once again this is just bad business. Cowell would make money from AI whether he appeared or not. So unfortunately he does have them over a barrel in that respect, but they should still call his bluff.

odocoileus- Do you really think people with that m...

2009-06-30T23:30:15.397-07:00

odocoileus- Do you really think people with that much money pay the same tax as 'normal' people? After a couple of million they become corporations and pay zero taxes. (No matter what country they are from).

Billy Hatcher Cheats said...Billions of British ex...

2009-06-30T20:16:49.306-07:00

Billy Hatcher Cheats said...Billions of British existed before Simon. And dozens of talent shows on US TV failed. That, in itself, proves anyone can not do what he does.

Seriously dude, put down the remote AND GO READ A BOOK!

It's people like you that are responsible for the trash that is "Jon & Kate Plus 8" - DIAF already!

Pookie said...but since it's not coming directly o...

2009-06-30T20:13:22.890-07:00

Pookie said...but since it's not coming directly out of my pocket, i'm not going to worry too much about it.

Ummm....correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't most of the money for the shows made from selling advertising time & the money those companies make is by raising the prices on the products you buy? Therefore, it DOES come directly out of your pocket.

$144m to be a PROFESSIONAL ASSHOLE? that's amazing...

2009-06-30T19:09:34.086-07:00

$144m to be a PROFESSIONAL ASSHOLE? that's amazing!

if fox can't afford him, i say give the money to charity, & i'll sit & act like an asshole on the show for free! just hook it up on the boxed wine ;)

Geez, Enty. You're a Hwd lawyer. You gotta be smar...

2009-06-30T17:29:15.151-07:00

Geez, Enty. You're a Hwd lawyer. You gotta be smarter than that.

If Cowell is grossing 144 mil, he's netting less than half that. Downstream, a small army of working people are getting paid. Managers, lawyers, agents, accountants and financial planners. Stylists, designers, hairdressers.

Real estate agents, car salesmen, autoworkers, carpenters, painters, plumbers, you name it when Simon decides to burn off some of his fortune by living large.

You may not like it, but I'm sure the British treasury is thrilled to be raking in over 50 mil in taxes.

The advertisers who pay Fox, who pays Cowell, are all big multinational corporations. They know what they want, and they usually get what they pay for. If they weren't spending it on Cowell, they'd be spending it on someone else.

That is a digustingly obscene amount of money for ...

2009-06-30T15:25:41.557-07:00

That is a digustingly obscene amount of money for that pretentious prick. If Fox is willing to pay it then that is their stupidity. I don't watch this anymore and haven't for a while. If you think he's not worth the $$$$ then don't watch the show. Fox will stop his gravy train then. I will say that anyone with enough snark could do his job as judge.

...and Sharon Osbourne. its a niche that he fills,...

2009-06-30T14:55:59.891-07:00

...and Sharon Osbourne. its a niche that he fills,but anyone with the same attitude and accent could pull that off in a heartbeat....as they have.

Billions of British existed before Simon. And doze...

2009-06-30T14:54:38.430-07:00

Billions of British existed before Simon. And dozens of talent shows on US TV failed. That, in itself, proves anyone can not do what he does.

ya ok...see Piers Morgan.

I just wish he'd float me his Bugatti Veyron. Yes,...

2009-06-30T13:44:20.276-07:00

I just wish he'd float me his Bugatti Veyron. Yes, I'm obsessed with that car.

It's kind of funny that he's asking for such a huge raise as the show's ratings are going down. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was a CEO.

I just wish Simon Cowell would float me a loan or ...

2009-06-30T13:34:23.557-07:00

I just wish Simon Cowell would float me a loan or somethin'....

Maybe he gives a lot to charity. I like him. His s...

2009-06-30T13:27:18.785-07:00

Maybe he gives a lot to charity. I like him. His salary is astronomical but that doesn't make me like him less.

"Anyone with an accent and an acid tongue can do i...

2009-06-30T13:16:48.565-07:00

"Anyone with an accent and an acid tongue can do it."

Billions of British existed before Simon. And dozens of talent shows on US TV failed. That, in itself, proves anyone can not do what he does.

this is commie talk...

2009-06-30T13:05:08.372-07:00

this is commie talk...

Who says Life is fair....

2009-06-30T12:34:26.570-07:00

Who says Life is fair....

I must have missed the memo: when did live become...

2009-06-30T12:23:46.220-07:00

I must have missed the memo: when did live become fair?

Simon is getting paid this ridiculous salary becau...

2009-06-30T12:17:49.332-07:00

Simon is getting paid this ridiculous salary because he's smart. Smart enough to convince people that he's indispensable.

People are suckered into believing they can't do without seeing him or the show.

It works therefore he can continue to name his price.

if we're going to compare, i think we need to do s...

2009-06-30T12:09:46.456-07:00

if we're going to compare, i think we need to do so on a level playing field, not within this apples-to-oranges scenario. that said, simon is obscenely overpaid, but since it's not coming directly out of my pocket, i'm not going to worry too much about it.

It's not what he's paid that matters, it's what he...

2009-06-30T12:03:13.015-07:00

It's not what he's paid that matters, it's what he's WORTH. I wouldn't watch AI if he wasn't on it, because the rest of the judges are morons. At least Simon adds a little humor to the show. Whether you get his brand of humor or not would surely have an effect on whether you enjoy watching it. Simon is well worth anything they pay him because he IS the show. This is all my humble opinion, of course.

Simon Cowell part owns the show, and all the other...

2009-06-30T12:03:05.607-07:00

Simon Cowell part owns the show, and all the others as well. Fox are paying him for one of the most successful formats of all time. I wouldn't give him an hour of my time, but if he can screw Fox for that much, good luck to him.

Actually, a good teacher, firefighter or short-ord...

2009-06-30T11:58:14.881-07:00

Actually, a good teacher, firefighter or short-order cook is unique. They just don't get paid any more than those who are mediocre.

Making more money doesn't necessarily mean being better or more talented or more unique. If that were true, people like Denise Richards would be living on the streets. Making more money just means someone knows how to network and negotiate.

Simon's "talents" are not unique. He gets paid what he does just because people know him. If there was someone else sitting there being an ass every week, the whole world would know them too.

well fuck that, let's just give all that money to ...

2009-06-30T11:56:22.104-07:00

well fuck that, let's just give all that money to the inventor of AutoTune, he's the hardest working mofo in the biz.

Sorry Dave, but what is unique about being a pretentious english dick who fell in the right job at the right time? Anyone with an accent and an acid tongue can do it. If his only unique talent is being famous for being a pretentious english prick....well sign Hugh Grant and Gordon Ramsay up!

I think it's worth 144 mill. to have Cowell NOT be...

2009-06-30T11:55:13.882-07:00

I think it's worth 144 mill. to have Cowell NOT be on the show.

Sorry, but that's just gross. Making the world a ...

2009-06-30T11:53:14.299-07:00

Sorry, but that's just gross. Making the world a better, safer place may not be a "unique" talent, but theamount of money in question here is just fuckin' obscene.
I'm married to a cop, so to me the fact that my husband puts his life on the line to help others, and this twat just runs his mouth over crazy wannabes' performances, it is just waaay twisted and hard to stomach.
Fuck it, I don't watch that crap anyway.

I'm with Billy Hatcher here. What's the issue? ...

2009-06-30T11:47:49.659-07:00

I'm with Billy Hatcher here. What's the issue?

If you knew that 300M Americans would collectively pay $400B to listen to you -- and only you -- reading the phone book... how much would you want to get paid for reading the phone book? And what would the salary of a schoolteacher in Dubuque have to do with that?

We can bitch and moan all we want about how little teachers and firefighters and short-order fry cooks are paid, but the reality is those talents ARE NOT UNIQUE. Cowell's contribution to "Idol" -- and the talents of Alex Rodriguez, or Madonna, or Burt Bachrach, or Mark Rothko -- ARE unique, and that uniqueness means they can command a much, much higher premium for their services than someone who does a job that virtually anyone could do would be able to command. That's economics.