Simon Says: American Idol Single Will Be a Hit

Are you a fan of Fox's summer hit American Idol? Are you dreading the moment when the show is over because you won't hear your favorite young up and coming pop stars? Well, according to the Baseline news service, you won't have to wait too long to hear the first single from whomever ends up winning the competition.

Simon Cowell, the judge you want to hate, has gone on record (no pun intended) as saying he will be producing the winner's single, and he will have the single in stores within three weeks of American Idol's September 4 finale.

How does Simon plan on doing this? Simple. He plans on having all three of the remaining finalists record the song, which Simon describes as "a big power ballad," ahead of time.

RCA Records has already committed to giving the Idol winner a million-dollar recording contract that covers both the winning single and a full length album. This should be in stores by Christmas, so Santa can have it under trees for all who want it.

Simon's label will also release a single from the runner-up, and plans are in the works for a compilation CD from the finalists to be released in October. (And sold on RealityNewsOnline, of course).

As for Simon, well, according to Baseline, he remains "cagey" when asked if he is returning for the show's second season early in 2003. That's right folks, Idol has been renewed! But will it be with Simon?

Simon Cowell, whose putdowns are as popular here in the states as they were across the pond earlier this year, recently signed with CAA for representation. Fox execs close to Idol are already expecting to be hit for a huge pay hike from Simon's people, though rumor has it from industry insiders that Fox and producer FremantleMedia may be willing to let Simon go if Simon's price is too high. But what will the show do without Simon to provide the much-needed bluntness - especially if they bring back all-too-bubbly Paula Abdul? Simon may not completely be the reason for American Idol's huge success, but he is certainly a large part of it. Fox would be wise to ante up any reasonable offer. They may well know this and might just be spreading word that Simon is replaceable to try to head off any huge demands at the pass. Time will tell.

All we know for sure is that we will be covering American Idol 2 when it airs. And that is no idle threat.

Susan currently wishes she was in air conditioning or somewhere cold like Alaska. Anywhere but the NYC area! When she is not working she is home with her cat trying to finally finish her novel. She can be reached, as always, at sschechter@earthlink.net.

For all our articles about this show, check out the American Idol page. For a look at Dana's columns, take a peek at the Reality From La-La Land page. Also drop by our sections on Bachelorettes in Alaska and Big Brother 3. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

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