MANILA, Philippines - Simon Cowell’s honesty on American Idol has made him a household name in America. His UK-based production company, SYCO, produces the BAFTA award-winning show, The X Factor, which has topped the charts in the UK. Simon continues to serve as executive producer and star of the show. He has served as executive producer in America’s Got Talent and produces and judges Britain’s Got Talent. Versions of both series are seen in more than 70 countries.
Simon is notorious for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticisms about contestants and their singing abilities. He is known for his work in TV and the movies and was most recently featured in the fifth series of The X Factor and the third series of Britain’s Got Talent.
In 2009, Cowell was named No. 1 in Hollywood Reporter’s Top 50 Most Powerful in Reality TV, one of People’s 25 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2004 and one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top Entertainers of the Year. A 20-year veteran of the music industry, Simon is an executive with Sony Records and has helped shape modern pop music. Over the last 15 years, his acts have sold more than 150 million albums, and he has had more than 100 No. 1 records.