Latest news with #Cowell
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
X-Factor star Simon Cowell and the Pope are both secret Pokémon fans
It's been a bizarre month for pokémon trading card fans thanks to both Simon Cowell and the Pope becoming involved with the hobby. Even though Pokémon is a globally popular multimedia franchise, it always feels like a surprise when famous celebrities express any genuine interest in something that's primarily meant for kids. Off the top of our head, musicians Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry have shown fondness for the franchise, through their music collaborations, and actor Bill Nighy got hooked on the series while filming the live action Detective Pikachu movie. Now, we can potentially add X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell to the list, as word has spread that he was spotted in London searching for Pokémon cards. Recently, a trading card show was held at the Boxpark food court in Croydon, where people could gather to buy, sell, and trade all kinds of trading cards. One such trader, known as Onfire Trading Cards on Instagram, met with Cowell during the event, snapping a photo of the two together as proof. According to the trader, Cowell 'was picking up all sorts' while he was there, including a very rare Rayquaza VMAX card. While Onfire Trading Cards hasn't disclosed how much Cowell spent on it, IGN reports that the card's value is upwards of a$2,700 (about £2,000). Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Cowell's net worth, as of this year, is reportedly $600 million (about £444.5 million), which is honestly a lot less than we expected, but still enough to comfortably spend thousands on Pokémon cards. Judging by the comments, people are shocked to learn that Cowell is a Pokémon fan or likes collectingtrading cards, though it's possible he's actually buying the cards for a young relative, such as his 11-year-old son Eric. Some fans on the Pokémon TCG subreddit have expressed envy at Cowell having the money to spend on rare cards, since it has become an increasingly expensive hobby. Not to mention, Pokémon cards have become a popular target for scalpers, with particularly rare and unique cards, like the limited-edition ones made for the Van Gogh Museum from 2023, which were hoarded and sold to desperate collectors for upwards of £1,500. More Trending This isn't the only odd celebrity story involving Pokémon cards to make headlines lately. Just last week, a Redditor by the name of ReptileCake took one of his cards to the Vatican to be signed by Pope Leo XIV. The reason for this? Purely for the sake of a pun, since the signed card featured the pokémon Popplio; a gag the Pope apparently found at least a little funny. 'He laughed, probably as a courtesy, but he did know about Pokémon cards, he even showed it around to the guards around him. Then I asked him to sign a copy for me and he was happy to oblige,' said ReptileCake. They added that they have no intention of ever selling it: 'It's a personal artefact that I will cherish for eternity.' Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Pokémon cards saved this fan's life by blocking a gunshot MORE: Man opened £1,500 mystery container to uncover a Pokémon treasure trove MORE: Pokemon voice actor James Carter Cathcart dies aged 71
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Simon Cowell stops performance of 13-year-old 'America's Got Talent' singer called 'young Justin Bieber' by judges
Chase Varnes, a 13-year-old musician from Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia, had a scary encounter with judge Simon Cowell Tuesday on America's Got Talent. Varnes had just started singing and playing guitar when Cowell, the man who helped Nicole Scherzinger assemble One Direction on the U.K. version of The X Factor in 2010, stopped him abruptly. "I hate to do this," said Cowell, who has, in fact, stopped acts before. "I didn't love the song; however, I like you. Have you got another song?" Varnes broke into Ed Sheeran's "Life Goes On," and it was a hit with audiences and most of the judges. "You know, you remind me of a young Justin Bieber," judge Howie Mandel told Varnes, who lit up at the compliment. Like his fellow Canadian, Varnes has put in his time busking. Judge Sofia Vergara was also complimentary. "I know it's nerve-racking to be on this stage, but I thought it was better the second song," Vergara said. "Simon always knows how to stop it and make it better. I think the girls are gonna go crazy for you." The third judge, Mel B, was more cautious. "You were great," the former Spice Girl said. "You were a diamond in the rough with so much potential. But I can see your nervousness. You're not quite there yet for me." Then Mandel started the voting by giving him a "yes." While Vergara did the same, Mel B held out. "I think, give yourself another year, then come back when you're more confident,' she said. "I have to say no, I'm sorry." But Cowell saved the clear audience favorite, who only needed one more ally on the panel."Sometimes we have on people your age, and I'm like, 'Okay, I'll be sort of nicer because you're young," Cowell began. "You, I actually do believe, that you have something.... You've got everything going for you. The audience loved you, which is why you're gonna get three yeses." Later, the show's stage was overtaken with cats — or at least people dressed like them. A Baltimore artist who goes by Moshow and is known as "The Cat Rapper" rocked a hat that gave him cat ears and lyrics ("Meow, meow, meow") that did not make the judges purr. At Vergara gave him a "yes" vote, she was the only one. Cowell did, however, note that "the kids are gonna love that song." The very next act to walk onto the stage was also feline-oriented. And none of the members, who were all dressed as cats, would speak. It was too much for Mel B, who asked, "Is this some kind of joke?" But it was real. The group of a dozen or so people, called Loco Pop Familia, did a choreographed routine that left even Mel B impressed, just not enough to win her support. "You all can really dance," she said, "But. You're so annoying! The whole thing is annoying. The song is annoying. The way that you dressed as cats is not my thing." Cowell disagreed wholeheartedly and called the act "genius." He also gave them the third vote they needed to move forward. Upon hearing the good news, the contestants dropped to the floor and crawled off the stage. America's Got Talent airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT Tuesdays on NBC. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Watch: Boston Dynamics Robots dances at America's Got Talent, dies mid-performance onstage
Boston Dynamics' four legged Spot robots recently impressed everyone with their dance performance on 'America's Got Talent'. The robots managed to impress everyone with their synchronised dance steps on the iconic hit song ' Don't Stop Me Now'. However,an unexpected mishap during the performance made their dance video viral. All the five spot robots started dancing and all of a sudden one of the robot froze mid-performance. However, the remaining four robots continued with the dance performance and later earned a standing ovation and 'yes' vote from the judges of the show. Boston Dynamics' four legged Spot robots danced on America's Got Talent All the five Spot robots from Boston Dynamics took to the stage and started their dance performance. Both the judges and the audience of the reality show were in awe seeing their synchronised movements which included swaying, spinning, and precise shifts in formation. At one point, their gripper arms even mimicked Freddie Mercury's signature mic stand gestures. However, the audition witnessed an unplanned turn when during the performance one of the robots abruptly stopped dancing and remained motionless on stage. Despite the sudden shut down of the robot, the other four robots continued their performance without missing a single beat. Reaction of the audience and judges to the dance performance by Boston Dynamics' four legged Spot robots After the performance, both the judges and the audience gave a standing ovation to the robots. When a Boston Dynamics engineer appeared on stage and was asked if the downed robot could be fixed, he confidently replied, "Of course. At Boston Dynamics, we believe in building, breaking, and fixing." In a dramatic moment, the seemingly lifeless robot then whirred back to life, stood up, and rejoined its fellow performers, eliciting an even louder cheer from the crowd. Cowell even remarked on the unexpected malfunction, suggesting it "was weirdly better that one of them died... because it showed how difficult this was. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boston Dynamics robots dance to ‘Don't Stop Me Now' for ‘America's Got Talent' audition
A dance crew of four-legged robots from Boston Dynamics appeared on 'America's Got Talent' to perform a synchronized routine to Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now.' Their performance was impressive enough to earn four 'yes' votes from the judges — but one of the five robots experienced some stage fright, perhaps, and shut down in the middle of the routine. But the show must go on, so nevertheless, the four other robots persisted. 'Can I be honest with you?' judge Simon Cowell asked at the conclusion of their performance. 'I don't mean this in a cruel way. It was weirdly better that one of them died… because it showed how difficult this was.' Cowell has a point — we can understand the technology better when we see where and how it can fail. For many years, Boston Dynamics was tight-lipped about the mishaps of its robots, cultivating an image of these perfect, futuristic beings that can do no wrong. But a few years back, the company shared footage that shows how precisely engineered the robots need to be to create the kinds of videos that go viral. 'A natural consequence of pushing robots to their limit is that, sometimes, those limits are met,' Boston Dynamics wrote in a blog post at the time, recounting how its Atlas robots would often lose balance and fall while doing parkour. In a silver lining for Boston Dynamics, the robots' imperfect television performance might end up being more memorable than a perfectly executed (dare I say, robotic?) dance. Remember that deflated Pikachu? Sign in to access your portfolio
Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Simon Cowell admits he's ‘very worried' about giving his son this as he gets older
During an interview with ITV's This Morning, 'America's Got Talent' judge Simon Cowell opened up about being a parent to a now 11-year-old son. Cowell and his partner Lauren Silverman share son, Eric Cowell. And as his son continues to get older, Cowell admitted that he's getting more and more nervous about an upcoming milestone, giving Eric his first cell phone. For Cowell, getting Eric a phone means giving his son 'access to anything,' according to People. 'I'm very worried, Jeff, about how much kids can see at a certain age,' Cowell told Jeff Brazier with ITV, a British broadcast television network. 'I grew up ... learning things at the right time, the right age, etcetera, etcetera. I just would be petrified of him having access to anything that would really worry me.' In addition to worrying about giving Eric too much information too soon, Cowell opened up about one of the lessons his mom bestowed upon him that he will also bestow upon Eric. 'My mom used to say, manners make the man, and my dad was very good about respecting other people, and I'm trying to do the same thing with him,' Cowell continued. 'Don't make it overcomplicated, you know? Find your path, be happy, [and] be respectful to other people.' Cowell has often discussed his love of being a dad to Eric. He told Brazier that fatherhood is 'the best thing to ever happen' to him 'out of everything I've ever done in my life.' 'The very first time I saw his scan, I was literally obsessed,' Cowell recalled. 'When he was a baby, because they don't really do anything, I'm like, 'Well why doesn't he like me?' and Lauren was going, 'He's a baby' and I didn't understand that. Then, at about a year and a half, we started to communicate, that was magic.' But despite saying Eric is the reason for his 'softer' side, that doesn't mean Eric will get a free pass from his father's infamous judgment for talent. 'If Eric said to me, 'I want to be a singer' and he couldn't sing, I would be absolutely honest with him,' Cowell admitted, according to the Daily Star. 'If he couldn't, I would say, 'You know what, be a drummer'.' However, Cowell is confident he won't have to have that conversation because at just 11 years old, Eric is already proving he has musical talent. 'Eric actually can play the drums well but he's quite shy. I walk and I hear him, and he stops. I say, 'Why are you stopping?' and he says, 'Well, I'm a bit embarrassed' and I say, 'Well don't be, you're really good.''
