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Article: Pop culture sings an `American Idol' tune
- Article from:
- AP Worldstream
- Article date:
- March 13, 2009
- Author:
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In 2001, Simon Cowell figured a singing contest snapped up by British TV would be an easy sell in America. Instead, network responses ranged from lukewarm to hostile.
"I was thrown out in one pitch meeting. After 30 seconds, the guy told me to get out," recalled Cowell, making the rounds with entertainment mogul Simon Fuller. "The main thing we were being told was music doesn't work on TV in prime-time. We tried to explain that there's lot more than music on the show."
So much for Hollywood acumen: The international "Idol" empire founded by Fuller has made a hit TV show seem an obvious, even puny ambition as Idolmania has swept across the pop ...