Cowell wants Vegas 'X Factor'
Simon Cowell wants to take ‘The X Factor’ to Las Vegas.
The music mogul and business partner Sir Philip Green are in talks to stage two shows a week with international contestants and believe it will attract millions of viewers from around the world.
Philip told GQ magazine: "The plan is to take it to Vegas, I'm not going to tell you with who, but the CEO of the venue is coming to see us next week.
"We'll have a permanent place, likely to be Caesar's Palace. The home of ‘X Factor - live from Las Vegas!’
"We'll have a store. And it'll all be online. You have 20, 30, 40 million people tuning in twice a week.
"You bring two or three hundred million viewers to a venue - off we go! It's taking it up a peg. The rest of the world is Part Two."
Under the terms of Simon’s ‘American Idol’ contract, he is currently banned from bringing the rival show to the US, but with his deal due to expire, a new one would likely allow him to move ‘The X Factor’ stateside’.
‘American Idol’ creator Simon Fuller launched legal action against ‘The X Factor’ in the UK in 2004, claiming it copied the format of programmes he devised, such as ‘Pop Idol’ and its US counterpart.
The matter which was later resolved out of court, with Fuller being was made a partner and executive producer in Simon’s show.
Nevertheless, Fuller said he is unhappy with the news of the International X Factor, but understands Simon’s motivation.
He said: “It would not have been my first choice to bring the ‘X Factor’ to America. But I understand Simon’s desire to appear in a second TV show, as he does in the UK. The financial reward for him is considerable and irresistible.”
