Who is the ’we’ keeping Gareth and Will successful? Is it the public buying the music - or is it the industry putting in time to keep them at the top? Hmm - conspiracy theory’s abound!

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Pop Fiction - 09/10/03
Simon Cowell is developing a fictional Pop Idol reality TV Show for the U.S. Confused?

You soon will be. The fictional TV Show will run 14 one hour shows set in a fake LA drama school, that will end with a live edpisode where a ’winner’ of Pop Idol is chosen. Surely this is just Pop Idol revisited?

Simon has teamed up with Ted Harbert, a former NBC executive whose production company Ted Harbert Television has a deal with Fox, to make the show. "He’s just plain smart," Mr Tarbert told Variety magazine. " Part of what we do with the series is show the behind-the-scenes stuff that isn’t shown on American Idol."

Mr Mega Rich - 15/08/03
It seems wearing unfashionably high trews and dishing out put downs left, right and center can help to make you one of the richest men around.

Simon Cowell has now made it to be Britain’s highest earning celebrity media owner - he has topped Broadcast magazine’s chart with a £30m fortune. Let me just repeat that - ’thirty million’.

Of course it is not all from wearing high trousers and being equipped with a particularly dry sense of humour - Simon runs BMG records, has his own label S Records and also owns his own TV production company Simcow.

Just behind Simon is Chris Evans - still smiling with £25m despite losing £7m in his court battle with Sony and in third place is the surprising form of Jasper Carrott!

Simon’s Big Outburst - 01/08/03
Kensington resident Simon Cowell says that Big Brother is ’full of people seeking instant fame’. Does this bring to mind another reality TV Show at all?

Simon was speaking at the launch of the second series of Pop Idol, when he said, "Big Brother is not reality any more. You don’t get 10 normal people to do it. You get 10 crap actors in the house."

As opposed to a show that whittles its way through crap singers, as that would make compulsive viewing huh?

Simon’s new deal - 15/07/03 Courtesy of Heat Magazine
Simon Cowell is set to rake in even more money as he’s signed a deal to appear on American Idol for a further three years (at a reported $150.000 per episode).

Fox Television chairman Sasndy Grushow said, "There’s no question that Simon has and will continue to be its lynchpin for many years to come."

Simon Cowell faces £200m lawsuit - 20/05/03
Mr Nasty looks set to get even nastier after it was revealed that he is being sued £200million.

American Harry T Keane Jr, from Dallas claims he came up with the idea for American Idol. The show’s British producer, Simon Fuller, and Fox TV are also named in the lawsuit.

A spokesman for Fox called the legal action "ridiculous".