Cowell's 'American Inventor' hopes to become ratings idol

Simon Cowell

LOS ANGELES - Will America fall in love with wacky inventors as much as it has embraced wannabe pop stars?

Simon Cowell, TV producer and acerbic British judge of "American Idol" hopes his latest reality project - "American Inventor" - has the kind of warm-hearted craziness that will bring in television audiences and keep them watching.

Entries include a suit carrier in which one can urinate, a racetrack for cockroaches, and a portable fan for overheated dogs and a wand for warding off mountain lions.

The 10-week show starts in the US this week and is billed as the biggest search for the next great invention with wide consumer appeal. More than 10,000 people auditioned and the winner will be chosen eventually by viewers voting by phone.

"It's about giving normal people the opportunity, and all the lunacy that follows, so it's my kind of show," Cowell said.

Cowell, whose sharp put-downs have been key to the success of "American Idol" appears neither as judge nor presenter on the new show which is of three TV projects he is developing for US television.

Cowell made his name in the music business in Britain as the man behind British boy bands Westlife and Five before helping to pioneer the "Idol" format there.

The fifth season of "American Idol" is currently proving a ratings juggernaut and Cowell said TV companies in Britain and Australia had already expressed interest in buying the "Inventor" format.

Cowell said the United States is fertile territory for wacky shows. "It's the best place in the world. It's the land of the American Dream. You get the very good and the very bad but I love that because it's eccentric."

- REUTERS