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Article: Like a contestant who immediately gets rejected, 'American Idol' had a rough start - but eight seasons later, it's a sprawling pop culture empire.(Daily Break)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- March 11, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Lynn Elber
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES
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 a 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 ...