Simon Cowell is pissed that Jennifer Hudson called American Idol a “stepping stone” to her fabulous career. He thinks she’s downplaying the role of his show in making her famous, and that without Idol she’d be nothing. He also thinks Taylor Hicks sucks and says he doesn’t have what it takes to sell records despite winning last season.
Cowell did all this trash-talking at a discussion panel for the Museum of Radio and Television:
“Jennifer Hudson said American Idol was a ‘stepping stone’ for her. Stepping stone? It was her big opportunity to become noticed and she got noticed and she got Dreamgirls,” Cowell said, noting that other past contestants “deliberately turn against the show that made them successful. The reason (people) come on the show is because all the doors had been slammed in their face.”
As for Taylor Hicks, who won season 5’s competition, “They (Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson) loved him. I couldn’t stand him. I didn’t get it,” Cowell snapped, adding that “at the end of the day you have to find a bona fide recording artist. Just because you win the show doesn’t mean you will sell a lot of records. Chris (Daughtry) is the one who sold the albums, not Taylor.”
This isn’t surprising coming from Cowell as he always talks smack. Hudson should have called American Idol her big break, but maybe she mischaracterized it or wants to downplay it as she moves on to other things.
It doesn’t seem like it matters how far finalists get in the competition as long as they’re given other opportunities. People has a nice gallery of Idol runners up on their website. Diana Degarmo, who was runner-up in Season Three to Fantasia Barrino, is performing on Broadway but until I read about it I had completely forgotten her. I found her rather annoying on Idol and although she could belt out the tunes and did a wide range of numbers I was surprised she made it so far.
Hudson finished Season Three in seventh place, and it was a shocker when she was voted off so early. Elton John called the voting “incredibly racist” after he noticed Hudson’s talent and she was voted off. It looks like it really didn’t matter and she was spared a lot of stress in the finals as she moved on to better things. Since she was voted off the show realitively early, maybe that’s why she’s calling it a stepping stone instead of a milestone.
Here are pictures of Jennifer Hudson when she was on American Idol from AmericanIdolJenniferHudson.com.
Apparently SCowell (that works well)doesn’t know what “stepping stone” means.
J.Hud WAS acknowledging AI as the start of her career. Perhaps she didn’t sob and squee gratefully all over Simon, but she was not dissing AI either.
AI was the beginning, and then more good things occurred, building to her current success.
Besides, she need hardly rave about AI when she was booted so early.
Sigh. That guy is just a sad little wanker.
Jennifer does seem a little pompous in recent interviews and Taylor Hicks isn’t worth 150,000 just to show up.
But I think Jennifer might have landed where she is with out Idol acting isn’t singing.
I dont think her being voted off had anything to do with race, it was more likely her weight. America hates fat performers.
Simon didn’t like Taylor Hicks from the beginning, he said no at the audition phase. I voted for him, I liked him ok, but mainly I can’t stand Katherine McFee. Girl just rubs me the wrong way.
Carol… America hates fat FEMALE performers. Men don’t seem to be held to the same standard.
I agree with Loob and Diva. I think her acknowlegement is totally appropriate for someone who got voted off so early and so unjustly. Simon may not have personally voted her off, but he knows how much his comments influence the voting (lets face it, no one really listens to Randy or Paula, even when she’s sober), and he doomed her with his comments. Her chubbiness and the double standard against that didn’t help.
The only reason that T.H. won is because a lot of people felt the way Carol does. Something about Katherine McPhee ain’t right; something coldly reptilian. Clearly, aversion for Taylor’s competition doesn’t translate into high record sales.
I remember Jennifer Hudson from AI (and I only watched the show very briefly). I remember thinking it wasn’t worth watching if such talented people were voted off. She was amazing on the show, and I even remember checking out her website a few months later. Simon’s comments mark doomsday for many. He has a lot of power.
Anyhow, I do think chubbie women just don’t kick it in America.
I think lots of the performers have talent and possibility on Idol, but the only winners are the ones with “staying power”. With that said, Kelly Clarkson probably is the only one with staying power. I did watch the evening Carrie Underwood sang during this current season and frankly I think she has lost a lot of her charm…loads of snobbish body language and little enthusiasm.