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Simon Cowell: "We Live Now, Literally, in a Fame Epidemic"

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Music and television producer Simon Cowell is best known as the notorious judge who always spoke his mind on the televised singing competition American Idol. The show was a smash hit, and Oprah brought him onto The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005 to talk about his personal experience on the TV show that was captivating American audiences.

After the show, Oprah wanted to know whether Simon thought that American Idol was reinforcing a shallow ethos. "Do you think the whole idea of Idol, in any way, sends a message that fame is really the goal?"

In the video above, Simon—never one to sugarcoat his opinions—weighs in on the social forces at work around American Idol.