After teasing a kindler, gentler version of himself, Simon Cowell lets his inner nastiness shine in a new extended promo for Fox’s highly anticipated singing competition, “The X Factor,” which premiered last night (July 12).
The clip opens with Cowell and the rest of the judges — Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and Antonio “L.A.” Reid — judging a young girl singing the “Annie” classic “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” a little too leniently, with a pink sweater-clad Cowell exclaiming, “I love your spirit!” A voiceover from Cowell continues the loveliest, proclaiming, “I want to make people’s dreams come true. I even think about the environment!”
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…And then Cowell wakes up in bed, rubs his face and says, “Wow, what a horrible nightmare!” Soon, the viewer is watching clips of Cowell calling contestants “absolute rubbish” and “deluded,” although Reid spouts the most unforgiving line: “I wanted to slit my wrists.”
“The X Factor” — along with its product placements for Pepsi and Chevy Volt — premieres Sept. 21 on Fox.