From Girl Power to Star Power: What’s Next for ‘Idol’ Maker?

Only a few moments after a live broadcast of Fox’s “American Idol” had gone off the air and the cameras had gone dark on the Hollywood sound stage where the series is taped, the already giddy level of the contestants vying for fame and fortune went into overdrive as they made a beeline for Simon.

“How do you think we really sounded?” asked one “Idol” hopeful of the smiling British show-business mogul. “Does Madonna watch the show?” inquired another. Simon good-naturedly fielded the questions as the throng surrounded him as if he were a teen idol.

This Simon is not Simon Cowell, the sharp-tongued judge whose scathing criticisms of the wannabe idol has been a key factor behind the success of the unscripted series, in which young performers compete for a recording contract.

This is the kinder, gentler Simon--Simon Fuller, the creator of “American Idol” who is better known as the creative and marketing guru behind the Spice Girls and the internationally popular youth group S Club 7. Fuller, who lives in Britain, was making his first visit to the set (CBS’ Television City, next to the Farmers Market).

An unassuming multimillionaire who seems as comfortable with crew members as he is around British pop stars and royalty, he runs his production company, 19 Entertainment, with a roster of top artists, producers and songwriters. Despite the pronouncements of Howard Stern, it’s Fuller who might have the rightful claim to the title of King of All Media.

Under Fuller’s guidance, the Spice Girls sold more than 38 million albums, starred in a movie, were endorsed by Pepsi and were featured on numerous pieces of merchandising. Fuller also manages the solo career of former Eurythmics member Annie Lennox.

However, it’s the breakthrough of “American Idol,” combined with the popularity of its British predecessor, “Pop Idol,” that has made Fuller a force to be reckoned with in American TV circles. As he did in Europe, he hopes to conquer Hollywood with his brand of trendy music-flavored projects.

“I’ve always had lots of ideas,” Fuller said of his flurry of meetings with TV and movie studios during the last few months. “I’m finding that there are more doors opening now thanks to ‘American Idol.’ ”

He has new ventures set up with NBC and ABC, and the sequel to “American Idol” for next summer is already being mapped out for Fox. And no wonder Fox wants more. “Idol” is the second-highest-rated original show of the summer (after NBC’s “Dog Eat Dog”), averaging more than 10 million viewers each Tuesday and Wednesday it airs. Even that number is somewhat misleading, because the show’s ratings are growing each week as it approaches its finale.

Mike Darnell, Fox’s executive vice president for specials and alternative programming, called Fuller a “terrifically creative” insider who works “with a gleam in his eye. He seems to have a pulse on what’s really going to work. And when it comes to the marriage of music and television, he’s the master. He told us in detail what would happen with ‘American Idol,’ how the whole country would be watching. And that’s exactly what’s happened.”

Fuller’s specialty is spotting trends and expanding on them: “I’m always looking for them, looking for ways to expand them.” Part of the inspiration for the Spice Girls was the film “Clueless,” in which Fuller saw young girls “being sassy and funny. I thought that was a concept that could be expanded on.”

Like the musical and marketing strategies that made the Spice Girls omnipresent during their late ‘90s heyday, Fuller’s visions are not unlike synergistic building blocks constructed into a multimedia whole. The marketing and commercial potentials are critical components of the concepts.

“Everyone talks about synergy, but no one really does it,” he says. “I like to cover all the bases. We can cross over into all kinds of genres with the same idea. A good idea can work on many levels.”

Even though Fuller is making a valiant effort to relax in the living room of a West Hollywood hotel suite during a recent interview, his enthusiasm seems to put him in constant motion. He is surrounded by music: A tape machine and several CDs are within arm’s reach.

And though he is encouraged by his growing status in Hollywood, don’t expect to see him popping up in the tabloids or on “Entertainment Tonight.” Fuller is determined to stay behind the scenes. Pictures of him, even from the Spice Girls heyday, are rare. His shyness is offset by a personable, disarming confidence.

Said Nigel Lythgoe, chief executive of 19 Television, a division of 19 Entertainment: “Simon likes to be the Charlie in ‘Charlie’s Angels.’ He’s not one for the spotlight. He feels there’ll be a certain longevity to your career if you don’t get the spotlight. People don’t get tired of you or discard you. He’s just really focused on building his ideas.”

Taking top priority now with Fuller are the few remaining installments of “American Idol,” which is also produced by FremantleMedia, and its Sept. 3 and 4 finale at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood in front of thousands of screaming fans. The winner--chosen from 10 finalists--will be selected in a national telephone poll and will get a recording contract.

Under Fuller’s supervision, the finale of “American Idol” will really be just the beginning. The winner will release a single in October, followed a few weeks later by a single from the runner-up. All 10 finalists will be featured on an “American Idol” compilation album, and the first few dates of a possible nationwide tour by the 10 finalists, which went on sale last weekend, have sold well.

The two “American Idol” finalists will also star in a film musical that will be released next summer, just in time to hype the beginning of “American Idol 2.”

“My brother Kim [who wrote “Spice World,” the Spice Girls movie] is writing the script now,” Fuller said. “It will be a very cute story. The timing will be perfect.”

Other “Idol”-type series are underway or planned for Poland, South Africa, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries. Fuller is looking forward to a “World Idol” showdown in which the finalists from all the “Idol” shows face off for the ultimate “Idol” crown.

Fuller hopes “American Idol” has the same impact that “Pop Idol” has had in Britain, where it finished its first competition early this year.

Not only did the competition’s winner, Will Young, have a chart-topping hit there, but so have both runner-up Gareth Gates and Darius Danesh, who had been voted off earlier in the contest.

NBC has already signed on for Fuller’s update of “The Monkees,” about a male musical group “that will also be very heavy on comedy. They will be great-looking guys. Every other guy in the world will want to be them.”

He is also developing a series for ABC, tentatively called “Supergirl,” on which young women will compete to “become the ultimate American dream girl.” “Each show will be about a different discipline,” he said. “One show will be about singing, one about acting, one about intelligence. It won’t be all about singing and dancing.”

Fuller predicts his other projects will be at least as successful as “American Idol.” He says he is not surprised that the series, which combines the flavor of a talent show with the edge of “Survivor,” has caught on.

“It really worked in Britain, and it’s a great format,” he said. He maintains that he is often surprised by the show’s outcome, saying he was caught off guard when provocatively dressed 19-year-old Ryan Starr was voted off by viewers a few weeks ago.

“That’s what makes it a great show,” he says. “Maybe the world is looking for more than just looks. It really is anyone’s race. And the show just keeps getting better and better.”

Public and industry response to his projects has more than made up for his disappointment at being dismissed by the Spice Girls at the peak of their popularity. The group has since broken up.

“I was disappointed because my vision for them had not reached completion,” he said. He had planned more albums and solo ventures for the singers that would have built on their massive popularity.

He is managing Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton. As for a possible Spice Girls reunion, he smiled, saying, “Who know what the future holds?”

Despite the mountain of projects, he said he is not stressed or tired: “I really do love what I do, no kidding. When it’s like that, there is no such thing as getting fatigued.”