SimonCowell Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Would you go see a biopic based on Fantasia? Or Clay? Or Ruben? (Okay, you get the hint, and I'm sorry, but I only watched one season of Idol.) No? How about Paul Potts? Variety reports that the overnight success, who got his fame when he won Britain's Got Talent in 2007, is getting a feature film based on his story.

Paramount Pictures is developing the project, and not surprisingly, Simon Cowell (who created the show and judged Mr. Potts) has signed on as one of the film's producers. It will be the story of a tenor who sold cell phones, had bad teeth, and flipped a coin to go to a casting audition -- one that made the acidic Cowell state: "That particular day was one of the worst... I'll never forget how much the room changed when he began singing." (You can check out the moment above.)

He's certainly not a pop sensation, so this may not apply, but I can only hope that the poor guy finds the fame he is looking for, rather than end up anything like From Justin to Kelly.

Yes, I mean that Simon Cowell -- the one known for his biting feedback and agitation on American Idol. The guy wants to get into film, and is looking to do so with an, obviously, music-themed project that is currently titled: Star Struck. While it's said to be inspired by Fame, I think this is just inspired by Cowell's desire to milk the idea for all it's worth -- the film would be set behind the scenes of a television singing competition (really!?) like Idol, and will follow the 10 hopefuls trying to win.

Cowell says: "The story is told through the eyes of those 10 contestants. We want it to be the musical version of Rocky -- an underdog story, a feel-good film." That is, at least, better than one seen through the eyes of a Cowell-type figure. Could you imagine?! He continues: "Fame was all about young people wanting to be famous, and in order to do that, they enrolled in a drama school. The difference 25 years later is that everyone who wants to be famous today signs up for American Idol." Well, I wouldn't go quite that far. If that's the case, the future of music is doomed beyond pop singers. And, there are still drama schools out there producing talent. It just sounds like he's trying to make this look like something other than a television spin-off.

Just like Idol, the leads will be picked from nationwide auditions similar to the ones held for reality television. Cowell hopes to start the process early next year, picking unknowns for the lead parts. "To enjoy the film," Cowell says, "you've got to watch the actors and believe that they are contestants on a reality show." The guy will be at these auditions, of course, and I wonder just how pissy he'll be to all the hopefuls. There's no word on whether he'll co-star as one of the judges, but I wouldn't rule it out.