Simon Cowell’s Super Bowl 2011 Debut

Simon Cowell debuted his first X-Factor promo during last night’s Super Bowl.

A Super Bowl ad featured Simon Cowell yesterday, whose 30-second advertisement cost millions to make and air. The 51-year-old singing judge, made famous by his snarky remarks on American Idol, left the show last year to pursue his own endeavours. Cowell’s ad was for the X-Factor, which will enjoy its premiere in the US in the Autumn of 2011. The ad featured cool graphics which reassembled a 3D image of Cowell, whose parts came together like shards of glass. The music was pretty epic, too.

The X-Factor has enjoyed popularity in the UK, but has never been previously aired in America. It’s a bit different than American Idol in that contestants perform in front a live audience, with thousands of people watching in real time.

American Idol also had strict age limits, but the X-Factor’s only restriction is that contestants must be at least 12 years old to perform. Simon Cowell has commented, saying, “I’ve never believed there should be a cut-off age for talent, and we are going to put our money where our mouths are with the $5 million recording contract.” That’s right, $5 million. It’s the largest guaranteed prize in television history, and if you think you have what it takes, auditions start on March 27 in Los Angeles.