Simon Cowell

Cowell is one of the judges on the talent show American Idol, a spin-off of the show he co-created in Britain, Pop Idol. The show has made him famous for his brutally frank criticism. Cowell has spent 25 years in the music industry, and is currently with BMG. His new book is Simon Cowell: I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But...

Ted Danson and James Spader join the casts of CSI and The Office this season — and Simon Cowell returns to TV with an Americanized version of his British hit The X-Factor. Critic David Bianculli says the three TV vets each bring something else to their roles: a likability factor.