Simon Offers Beyonce Half-Billion X Factor Post
It is a well-known fact that Simon Cowell is not afraid to use large sums of cash as an incentive on his reality shows, but it seems as though it is even more true when it comes to encouraging people to sit on a judging table with him.
Following the departures from X Factor USA of presenter Steve Jones, and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul (the latter of which was confirmed on Tuesday), Cowell is on the hunt for a number of replacements on the Fox singing competition, and while many thought that singer Mariah Carey would be his top priority, it is looking likely that former Destiny’s Child member Beyonce will be targeted, with reports claiming that she has been offered a jaw-dropping $100m per series.
A source said of Cowell’s efforts to sign a higher-profile celebrity to the show: “He wants a big name female star on the panel. Mariah is good, but she’s not that hot today. He wants Beyonce because that would immediately give him the bounce needed to beat American Idol.”
The deal being offered is said to be an incredible $500,000,000 5-year contract that would make Beyonce one of the highest-paid personalities in showbusiness. Perhaps Simon Cowell has been spending too much time around the exhaust pipes of Sir Richard Branson’s spacecraft, as it is hard to believe (even with marketing and promotional value) that anyone is really worth that much just to tell some singers if they were any good. Would this be seen as his most baffling piece of spending to-date?
Away from his efforts to attract new ‘employees’, Cowell took a moment to recognise the work of his old ones on X Factor USA, who he claims all left on good terms: “I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of The X Factor last year. We had a lot of fun making the show together and importantly, we found some real talent and stars. You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future. I’m sure all three are going to have massive success in what they do next, but now is the time to thank them all for everything they did last year.”
With so much money being thrown at potential replacements, though, might the recently-departed trio’s mood get a little more sour?
Related News:
- Simon Announces Cheryl For X Factor Role
- Simon Could Vote Himself Off UK X Factor
- Paula Abdul Completes X Factor Line-Up
- Cheryl Lost In Translation As X Factor Sacking Looms
- Ozzy, Cheryl And Simon Set For X Factor Switches
