Song May Not Be Over for Singing Competition

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‘American Idol” might have ended, but its creator is already planning to bring the show back.

Simon Fuller feels it’s inevitable that the star-making series, which concluded a 15-season run on Fox last week, will return in a few years rested and refreshed – albeit in a different format.

“There’s a new chapter to begin and an opportunity to do things differently. It will be exciting to see what a revamped next-generation ‘American Idol’ will look like,” said Fuller, 55, who also assembled the Spice Girls and manages superstars such as David Beckham.

Fuller, who hails from the outskirts of London but lives in Beverly Hills for much of the year, said a key part of his business strategy is waiting patiently for the right time to have maximum impact.

“Life’s successes tend to be all about timing. You have to keep in the race until your moment comes to shine,” he said. “When it does, it is critical that you make the most of that moment and then create the opportunity for your next success to follow through.”

Fuller’s next success will come on April 27 when he receives the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the seventh annual Business Innovation Awards at Century City’s InterContinental Hotel.

The event celebrates innovators boosting trade links between Britain and California and is part of the business and entertainment festival BritWeek.

“Simon is the best possible recipient of our award because he is an icon of innovation who changes everything he touches – music, television, sport, and fashion,” said BritWeek Chairman Bob Peirce.

Positive Comments

Chris Hardwick is on a mission to clean up the internet.

As chief executive of Nerdist Industries, the digital division of Burbank’s Legendary Entertainment, the comedian and entrepreneur has taken a stand against trolling by introducing a new policy banning all negative comments from readers of the company’s web pages.

“This community can be a platform for politeness and respect,” said Hardwick, 44. “I’m already into my get-off-my-lawn years and have little tolerance for insults and negativity.”

Using a “Star Wars” reference sure to delight his geek fan base, Hardwick added, “I want to think of this as a social media Rebel Alliance.”

Hardwick, who has built Nerdist from a single podcast to a mini-empire in just four years, has tasked his staff with deleting all vitriolic posts.

Fonzie’s Quest

Henry Winkler won worldwide fame portraying the Fonz on “Happy Days,” but what makes Winkler happiest these days is his work as an author of children’s books.

He has written 32 of them in the last 13 years and said the prolific output is inspired by his desire to share the joy of reading with kids and give them happier childhoods than his own.

Winkler, who lives in Beverly Hills, is now 70 but hasn’t forgotten his miserable early years.

“My parents were so unsupportive they used to call me ‘dumb dog.’ They were not proud of me until I got on TV and at that point I didn’t care,” he said. “Every child has greatness in them and my novels carry that message. Writing them and meeting kids who have been moved by the books has been the most rewarding experience of my life.”

Financial Play

As Oscar-nominated “The Big Short” and acclaimed TV series “Billions” have shown, there’s a large audience willing to watch stories set in the financial world.

Now a West Hollywood production company is hoping the same proves to be true for theater.

Indie Chi Productions is staging a new play called “Dinner at Home Between Deaths” at West L.A.’s Odyssey Theatre about ethical dilemmas faced by a high-powered financier. The company and playwright, Andrea Lepico, would like to see the show grow into an international touring hit.

“Finance remains a world of mystery to many, but this play gets inside the minds and hearts of the ones with the money,” said Lepico, who used to work on Wall Street as a research analyst.

Horrific Attraction

While the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is making magical money for Universal Studios Hollywood, work is well underway on the next showbiz tie-in attraction at the theme park.

A maze based on hit AMC zombie series “The Walking Dead” will open this summer and creating it has proved to be the job of a lifetime for John Murdy, the venue’s creative director of entertainment.

“I’ve been hooked on horror since my mother made the mistake of letting me watch ‘Frankenstein’ as a small child. I love the ‘Walking Dead’ TV series and bringing it to life like this is a very exciting opportunity,” said Murdy, 48, who has worked at Universal in various capacities since starting out as a tram tour guide in 1989.

Managing editor Sandro Monetti can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 200.

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