Spice daddy Fuller gets Hollywood star treatment
Simon Fuller, the British creator of hit TV show American Idol, has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, surrounded by some of the real-life stars he has helped to create.
"Whenever I see that star, I won't see my name, I'll see all names of the people I've worked with and all those amazing artists and people that have helped me achieve this stuff," Fuller said as his star was unveiled yesterday.
Over a 25-year career, Fuller has managed singers Annie Lennox, The Spice Girls and Amy Winehouse, English soccer player David Beckham, tennis player Andy Murray, racing driver Lewis Hamilton and a trio of American Idol champions, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and David Cook.
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, Idol judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, Underwood, Clarkson and the current American Idol finalists all joined Fuller for the ceremony.
He recalled that when he and entrepreneur Simon Cowell first tried to sell American Idol in the United States, "we had that show turned down by every single network" with the exception of Fox, on which the ratings juggernaut airs.
Created first in Britain as Pop Idol in 2001, the format has since been sold to more than 120 other countries and created a multi-billion-dollar global recording, TV and merchandising franchise.
hnews@herald.ie
