‘Idol’ maker is top of the pops, at least this week

Shrieks of excitement interrupted the bustle in the offices of 19 Entertainment last week when the usually low-profile company won an apparently historic Hollywood trifecta -- the top-rated television show, the bestselling album and the chart-topping single, simultaneously.

It’s the kind of accomplishment that would elicit self-congratulatory news releases if it had been achieved by an industry giant such as Sony, Disney or AOL Time Warner.

But that’s not the style at 19 Entertainment. With a core staff of fewer than 100 employees working out of small, sparsely furnished offices and warehouses in the U.S. and Europe, the firm had time only for a quick celebration, then it was back to work. .

The production company is responsible for Fox’s ratings juggernaut “American Idol,” which was last week’s top-rated series. Along with RCA Records, it also is behind “Thankful,” the album by Kelly Clarkson, winner of the first “American Idol” competition, which debuted at No. 1 after selling 297,000 copies. “God Bless the USA,” the patriotic anthem sung by the current “American Idol” finalists, is on top of Billboard’s Hot 100 singles sales chart, outselling singles by Madonna.

A relative newcomer in the American TV industry, 19 Entertainment, with more established divisions in music and management, now finds itself at the tip of the double-edged sword aimed at those awarded the unofficial moniker of “flavor of the month.”

Although “American Idol” and its offshoots clearly have become a landmark for 19’s multi-platform strategy of music-related projects, its first non-”American Idol” American offering, ABC’s “All-American Girl,” has fallen flat.

Executives at 19 insist the blemish of “All American Girl” has not slowed the wave of intense wooing by studios and others eager to do business with them.

“This is clearly their moment,” NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said of 19 Entertainment. The network is developing 19’s update of “The Monkees,” a scripted series based on the ‘60s show that mixed comedy and music, which will be a departure from the company’s specialty of so-called reality shows. Gail Berman, entertainment president of Fox, which is home to 19’s next few projects, described Fuller and his associates as “visionaries.”

Said Nigel Lythgoe, co-executive producer of “American Idol”: “When people around town realize you work with ‘American Idol,’ they do tend to listen to you a bit more closely.”

“Yes, the phones have been ringing pretty steadily, and at the moment, there’s no company that hasn’t approached us,” said Simon Fuller, the low-key British music mogul who is the mastermind at 19 Entertainment. Fuller, who is not to be confused with his decidedly confrontational “Idol” judge Simon Cowell, is best known as the creative force behind the Spice Girls and the youth group S Club 7. He was just featured on a London Sunday Times survey of the richest entertainers in the United Kingdom, with an estimated worth of more than $140 million.

On Saturday, Fuller was in his suite at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas, his usual exuberance lowered just a notch as he fought a bit of jet lag after flying in from London the day before. He was in town for a concert by Annie Lennox, whom he manages. He is now in Los Angeles for Lennox’s appearance tonight at UCLA’s Royce Hall and is expected to drop by the “American Idol” set at CBS’ Television City in Los Angeles.

Fuller, who lives in Britain and oversees all of 19’s ventures in the U.S. and abroad, spoke excitedly about the seemingly unprecedented feat of three chart-toppers, barely pausing between sentences.

“This is a huge deal, really,” said Fuller. “The timing is right, and we’re clearly on a roll. Hollywood as well as advertisers are far more aware of us. We didn’t rush Kelly’s album, because we really wanted to get it right. In these uncertain times, I just was confident that people would want to go out and grab it.”

But he downplayed 19’s growing stature in Hollywood: “I don’t quite see it as now we’re a force to be reckoned with. Life has a way of kicking you in the teeth sometimes.” The memory of his highly publicized dismissal from the Spice Girls at the height of their popularity is still vivid, though he has since reconciled with group members.

“I’m just loving it that my first love -- music -- is now tied to television,” he said. “As far as being a global player or a multinational company, I don’t know how to do that. I do know how to do what I’m doing.”

And doing it means keeping it simple. The 19 Entertainment offices here and abroad have “no flash,” he says. “We’re the antithesis of the corporate world. The days of having a lot of stuff around are gone.”

The company he formed in 1985 and named after his first single as a manager -- Paul Hardcastle’s “19” -- is based in an old warehouse near the Chelsea section of London.

At the 19 Television offices at Television City next to the Farmers Market, executives and managers rush around cubicles and hallways, juggling several tasks: the weekly production of “American Idol”; today’s scheduled release of an “American Idol” compilation album by the top 10 finalists of this season; the summer release of “From Justin to Kelly: A Tale of Two Idols,” the June movie release starring Clarkson and her “Idol” runner-up Justin Guarini.

Even though the chart-topping streak eclipses the downfall of “All American Girl,” it is likely to be short-lived. Clarkson probably will be knocked off the album sales throne by Madonna and her new “American Life” CD.

And with the arrival of the May sweeps and the networks putting on more attention-grabbing fare to snare viewers, “American Idol” will face fierce competition for the top spot in the Nielsen ratings as it builds to its finale on May 21.

But Fuller, who developed “Pop Idol,” the British TV phenomenon that spawned “American Idol,” displays little concern, consumed by his onslaught of ideas for future television projects and music ventures.

“I don’t hang out, I don’t network, I don’t go to meetings,” he said. “I’m fairly elusive. I would rather think about things than just going to a meeting.”

This idea leads Fuller in another direction. “America has such a huge sense of skepticism, negative thinking and caution. All these research groups. No one ever made anything wonderful through a research group.”

And he is not interested in taking advantage of the new attention by biting off more than the company can chew: “It’s not like I’ve got 50 things I want to sell. I’ve got about seven projects, and most of them have homes.”

Among them are “American Juniors,” a younger version of “American Idol” coming this May, and “Second Chance,” where artists classified as “one-hit wonders” compete for another shot at stardom.” Both projects are headed for Fox.

He also has plans for a series called “My Special Guest,” to be hosted by an international movie star featuring his or her favorite bands and personalities.

One place Fuller and other 19 executives won’t be dining any time soon is in ABC’s network’s corporate dining room. The company’s combination beauty contest-talent show “All American Girl” continues to perform dismally on ABC, and the series is limping toward its finale.

Lythgoe, Fuller’s No. 2 man in the television division, blamed ABC for the series’ failure, particularly scheduling the series at 10 p.m. Wednesdays.

“It was never a 10 p.m. show -- that was never the right place,” he said. “It was a show that appeals to young girls. No one found it.”

An ABC spokesman said in response: “This show was placed at the absolute best time available on ABC -- 10 p.m. Wednesdays following ‘The Bachelor.’ It failed to perform.”

Lythgoe said he is far more focused on 19’s accomplishments, although he has little time to enjoy them.

“No, this doesn’t get me a better table at a restaurant or preferential treatment,” he said. “Not that we would have time for that anyway. We’re too busy working.”