One year ago, I sat down to talk with Simon Cowell about the long process of bringing “The X Factor” to the United States and how excited he was to have viewers finally see his vision.
A year later, “The X Factor” is starting its second season, but it might as well be a new series. Judges and mentors Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul are gone, replaced by Britney Spears and Demi Lovato. Host Steve Jones is gone and he has yet to be replaced.
So this weekend, I interviewed Cowell about what is effectively being launched as a new show on Wednesday (September 12) night.
Always the consummate pitchman — Cowell is even putting his “X Factor” muscle behind a newly released set of Sony/Syco headphones, not coincidentally called X Headphones — the “American Idol” favorite is optimistic about the new energy contributed by Spears and Lovato, as well as the storytelling potential introduced by the absence of hosts for the first chunk of the season.
Watch the video to hear when Cowell knew “X Factor” would require a reboot, as well as his explanation for the host-less format.
And check back tonight for my live-blog of the season premiere.