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Simon Cowell convinces Mariah Carey to pull out of Strictly
By Rashid Razaq and Peter Dominiczak Last updated at 10:32am on 16.11.09He has already amassed a fortune of £120 million and dictates the weekend viewing habits of 18 million people.
Now Simon Cowell is celebrating a weekend of record-breaking viewing figures after being confirmed as the most powerful man in British television.
Simon says: Mariah Carey was told she could not sing on the X Factor if she appeared on the rival show
The 50-year-old was last night named best TV judge at the annual Variety Awards at the Grosvenor House hotel only hours after it emerged he had convinced singer Mariah Carey to appear exclusively on the X Factor.
Cowell is understood to have forced Carey to pull out of a planned performance on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night because it is a rival show.
In pictures: The Variety Club Showbiz Awards
The singer dropped out of the programme after Cowell told her representatives that he would not allow her to perform on next week's X Factor if she appeared on Strictly.
Sources at the corporation said BBC executives felt it was “completely unprofessional” for Carey to pull out of the provisional booking. Her place had to be filled by performers from West End show Jersey Boys.
It comes as Cowell was crowned best TV judge at the Variety Club's annual awards.
The prize cements his place as one of the leading figures in showbusiness with an estimated fortune of £120 million and rising.
As executive producer on the X Factor he signed a golden handcuffs deal worth £20 million with ITV in 2006 to make him the highest paid British TV star of all time.
But that is small fry compared with his earnings across the Atlantic where he brandishes his acerbic put-downs as a judge on the US prime-time talent show Americal Idol.
According to business magazine Forbes he was the highest paid man on American television last year, earning £45 million.
The reality double bill of X Factor and I'm a Celebrity last night is also expected to have given ITV its biggest ratings for more than five years.
About 18 million people are believed to have tuned in to last night's results show to see Jamie Archer voted off.
Analysts believed at least 10 million people would have stayed with ITV as it scheduled the first instalment of the new series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here immediately afterwards, delivering ITV1 its highest non-sporting viewing figures since 2003 when an episode of Coronation Street drew 17.6 million viewers.
Cowell collected his Variety Club award via videolink.
In pictures: The Variety Club Showbiz Awards
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Reader views (12)
I'm not sure Cowell knows anything about modern music. His favorite artist is Frank Sinatra who would be 95 next month. This is the man who is in charge of the charts. What has happened to our teenagers. they used to do the exact opposite to what they were told. Now they buy anything the Cowell tells them to. Come on guys, Get stroppy!
- Alex C, London
Many years ago, this would probably have been a coup.
- Charles, Kennington
I have my doubts as to whether Strictly or X Factor are actually live. The Jersey Boys were all on stage at the time they were singing on Strictly, and Mariah Carey recorded her appearance for X Factor yesterday to be screened next Sunday. Also Alan Dedicote announces the dancers on Strictly and then straight after calls out the numbers on the Lottery! While we are on the subject how could they vote Phil Tuffnell off when Jade Johnson pulled out for 1 week. Is this fair?
- Pamela Mckay, Dagenham Essex
Thank you Simon. Keeping this annoying diva off Strictly did us all a favour.
This also show how low the Variety awards have sunk if they have to scrape the barrel and give an award for the "best" TV judge.
Personally, my vote would have gone to Judge John Deed.
- Adam, Billericay
The Jersey Boys on Strictly were fab, as someone who isnt a fan of Mariah and her outrageous diva behaviour, I for one would like to thank Simon Cowell! Nice one.
- Mg, London
Showbusiness and television ( which used to be the same thing, but are no longer since cooks, chefs, interior desgners and amateur kareoke singers took over from the professionals) have reached an all-time low if The Variety Clun now gives an award for Best TV Judge.
It's madness.
What talent do you have to possess to win that category....be able to express an opinion?
Lew Grade, Bernard Delfont, David Bell and Bill Cotton must be sitting up there in Heaven laughing their wings off at such a ludicrously useless award.
- Jargonaut, South London
I would do just about anything NOT to see this man's annoying face ever again. I know many people will agree with me. There is something about him that gives me goose-pimples. Is it that he is totally in love with himself?
I am very happy he has amassed 120 million, but I would wager that this is one very unsatisfied, unfulfilled man.
- Sidney Marks, London, UK
I actually watched X factor for the first time last saturday following Sting's comments. I couldn't agree more, no talent whatsoever and loads of hype. I feel sorry for the contestents when they have to re-join the real world because they certainly don'r have enough talent to maintain a career.
- Dannyp, Egham
Strictly has a feeling of coming to an end - maybe a couple of more years before the end. X Factor is at its peak right now but, watching on Saturday night, I couldn't help thinking Sting is right that they are all young wannabe Karaoke singers! And of all of them the most entertaining were Jedward.
- Peter, London
The BBC started this by trying to take on Cowell in a ratings war by scheduling SCD at the same time as X Factor and lost. The BBC have brought this battle on themselves and should shop trying to destroy comercial tv.
Shame on you BBC, you have the licence fee but the comercial broadcasters have to rely on advertising.
- Bill, London
cowell is the pits. theres enough of carey to go around.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon
Simon's HOT! He could convince me to do anything.
- Anon, London
