Simon Cowell, often mean, but rarely wrong, is calling it quits from Fox's American Idol after this season, he told the Television Critics Association on Monday. Cowell says he plans to focus on developing a U.S. version of the U.K. program The X Factor, in which he has an ownership interest. Logistically, Cowell could not do both programs, according to OK, a British celebrity magazine.

Continue reading Simon Cowell to Quit as American Idol's Prince of Darkness

Simon Cowell to Quit as American Idol's Prince of Darkness originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:20:00.

Filed Under: Columns, People, Media

When we talk about entrepreneurs, we usually picture the stereotype -- a recent college graduate (or even a college drop-out) living off ramen noodles, sleeping in the office and hitting up a venture capitalist for start-up funds. We imagine individuals who have rarely worked for other companies or other people -- it's not in their blood. At least, that was what I believed, and it made sense, considering the endless parade of 20-something company founders who struck it rich in Silicon Valley.

Continue reading Anatomy of an Entrepreneur: He's Not Who You Think He Is

Anatomy of an Entrepreneur: He's Not Who You Think He Is originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:30:00.

Filed Under: Technology, Economy

Aluminum giant Alcoa (AA) on Monday posted a narrower fourth-quarter net loss, helped by costs cuts and higher aluminum prices, but its earnings fell short of Wall Street's forecast. For the three months ended Dec. 31, Pittsburgh-based Alcoa reported a net loss of $277 million, or 28 cents a share, versus a year-ago loss of $1.19 billion, or $1.49.

Continue reading Alcoa's Profit Disappoints, Knocking Down Its Shares

Alcoa's Profit Disappoints, Knocking Down Its Shares originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:10:00.

Filed Under: Company News, Investing, Earnings, Alcoa

What will Sarah Palin do now? That was the prevailing question among watchers of the former Vice Presidential candidate when she quit her job as Alaska governor in July. With her book, Going Rogue, finished, her prospects on the speaker's circuit dim. Yet the question remained open -- until Monday afternoon, when The New York Times uncovered one answer: She's becoming a contributor to Fox News.

Continue reading Sarah Palin Heads to Fox News

Sarah Palin Heads to Fox News originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:45:00.

Filed Under: People, Media, News Corp.

These days, as book publishers resort to cheering themselves up with homilies like "flat is the new up," here's yet another sign that pay-to-publish firms are booming: Lulu.com, a publishing company in Raleigh, N.C., that lets authors publish their own books and sell them directly to their audiences, is set to launch an initial public offering. The IPO is planned for Canada and is worth approximately $48.25 million. Helping take Lulu public are underwriters Genuity Capital Markets and CIBC World Markets, Dow Jones Newswire has reported.

Continue reading U.S. Book Publisher Considers an IPO in Canada

U.S. Book Publisher Considers an IPO in Canada originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:15:00.

Filed Under: Company News, Investing, Media

By some measures, the U.S. government has already made a tidy profit on a part of its TARP investment in the financial industry. Of a total of around $364 billion invested so far, the U.S. Treasury has made profits totaling $16 billion in dividends and the sale of warrants, among other things. Several large and small banks, including JP Morgan Chase (JPM) and Bank of America (BAC), have repaid the government in full for a total of $164 billion.

Continue reading Obama Administration Mulls New Bank Tax

Obama Administration Mulls New Bank Tax originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:15:00.

Filed Under: Economy, JP Morgan Chase, American International Group, INC., Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co.

Strong demand for some General Motors models is causing the Detroit auto maker to consider reopening some plants it closed in recent months as GM downsized its business. Plants that build the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX crossover vehicles and the Buick LaCrosse sedan are at capacity and can't meet demand, said Mark Reuss, GM's North America president (pictured), speaking to reporters at the Detroit auto show that got underway Monday.

Continue reading As Demand Ramps Up, GM Considers Reopening Closed Plants

As Demand Ramps Up, GM Considers Reopening Closed Plants originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:00:00.

Filed Under: Company News, Economy, General Motors

Let the backlash begin.

Nary a week after Google (GOOG) unveiled its new Nexus One smart-phone -- billed as the first real challenger to Apple's (AAPL) wildly popular iPhone -- complaints about shoddy service and weak developer support have begun pouring in. Customers are complaining about poor connectivity over current, third generation (3G) wireless networks, while developers bemoan the lack of tools for building new applications to run on the phone's Android 2.1 operating system.

Continue reading Google's Nexus One Backlash: Shoddy Service

Google's Nexus One Backlash: Shoddy Service originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:00:00.

Filed Under: Technology, Google , Apple, AT&T, Verizon

If you're looking for gift ideas on a budget this Valentines Day, here are 14 gifts to consider that don't include chocolate or flowers.

Is the hit single back? Consumers, propelled by the ease of buying digital songs piecemeal, have increasingly decided that the single unit of music is their unit of choice, noted music writer Tom Ewing in The Guardian last week -- just as hard-partying pop star Ke$ha broke the one-week record for digital downloads sold by a female artist. Ke$ha's ode to decadence, Tik Tok, now in its third week at Billboard Hot 100's No. 1, sold a whopping 610,000 copies for Sony (SNE) Music Entertainment's RCA imprint during the chart week ending Dec. 27. That's the second-highest single-week sales total for any one song, second only to Flo Rida's Right Round, which sold 636,000 copies last February.

Continue reading Hit Singles Are Selling, But Will Fans Commit Beyond One Song?

Hit Singles Are Selling, But Will Fans Commit Beyond One Song? originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:11:00.

Filed Under: Technology, Economy, Media, Sony, Apple