The stakes are high, and network rivalry and tension are heating up this fall premiere season. And at the tip of the flame is Fox vs. NBC better yet, The Voice vs. The X Factor.

Two very popular singing competitions will be vying for ratings and your time for primetime. A spoiling tactic that Simon Cowell described as mean spirited and hopes it will backfire. Addressing the claim that The Voice executive producer, Mark Burnett said it did not enter his mind that the voice was going up against The X Factor. Simon believes it is tactical, and that they don’t want viewers to watch The X Factor.

“I think there is a gentleman‘s agreement, but you will have to rely that the viewers will make the right selection,” Simon says.

Both The Voice and The X Factor will be aired on the same night with The X Factor two nights premiere on September 12 and 13th at 8pm while The Voice upped the ante with a 3 nights premiere on September 10, 11, 12 at 8pm coinciding with the first night premier of The X Factor on the 12th.

Three nights of The Voice sounds like an over kill, which Simon agrees is too much and he is not happy about it. “I am pissed off,” he said in the interview with us.

Also fueling this flame are a number of factors, like the long time rivalry between Christina Aguilera the current judge on The Voice, and singing superstar and new judge on The X Factor, Britney Spears. Christina is already on the attack saying she does not know what Britney will be able to offer The X Factor which Simon fired back to Christina, “Watch the show, you might learn something.”

As you may recall, immediately after the finale of The X Factor season 1, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were dismissed from the show along with host Steve Jones. Season two will introduce newcomers Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and returning veterans, The X Factor creator, Simon Cowell and Epic Records chairman and CEO, Antonio “L.A.” Reid. There will be no hosts for the auditions. According to Simon, the contestants will tell the stories themselves which will expose the stress factor of this competition.

Although the season starts without an active host, The X Factor still has time to make a decision on who will host the rest of the season. During our interview, Simon revealed that he is currently screening hosts and actors for the position. In the end, he may select a boy and girl to share hosting duties. “My gut feeling is we’ll probably go with a boy and a girl who haven’t had any hosting experience, because I think that might make it more interesting.”

Simon added that there is just too much talking on the shows which can become boring at times. “I think you’ve got to mix it up a bit. You have to find people with good chemistry.”

Last season, Simon predicted the show would have the highest ratings and viewer ship but some how fell below its benchmark. The result was a bit disappointing to Cowell teaching him a valuable lesson; not to make predictions. This time around he has refrained from making comments on how well the show will do, but points out that there will be a lot of interest.

“I have learned from the past, not to make predictions,” Simon stated.

Simon is very forthright and does not sparse words when talking about his current panel of judges. To him, Britney is a fascinating person because you don’t know anything about her. “She is very unpredictable,” he continued. “You never know what is going to happen.” So far he has made a keen observation of her that sets her apart from previous judges. She has taken this job seriously; she is very mean and quite difficult to please. He has even compared her to a dog and charges that she is mean and fearless, more than he. He also thinks it makes for more interesting TV.

“If you buy a dog, you expect it to lick you and then it turns out to bite you.” Simon continued, “It was rather like that. It was a real surprise.”

His tone on Demi Lovato was a sharp and harsh as Britney’s claiming he has a way of attracting annoying people, and Demi has brought that in spades and in “bucket loads,” he said. When he first met Demi, years ago, he was impressed with her rebel like personality which he thought was very marketable. He also finds her a bit lippy. She is an asset to the show as she brings a youthful appeal to the panel and relates better with the younger contestants and audience. He is very comfortable with her which makes it easy for him to argue with her.

Overall, he finds both girls very talented but difficult to control. They both have a staggering effect on the audience which is definitely an element of The X Factor.

Of course, Simon would not be Simon if he did not inject a bit of ego, touting that he and Reid are the biggest hit makers in the world right now. He feels very secure with Reid and the competition continues with who can book the best talent for performance since Reid had Justin Bieber last season. However, he did confirm that One Direction will be his special guests this season.

Because of his overall success with talents like Leona Lewis, One Direction, IL Volo, Susan Boyle and others, Simon is first to point out that it takes time to develop a talent for international marketing. He emphasized that you have to take time making the record and that you can’t rush anything out.

In the case of The X Factor season 1 winner, Melanie Amaro, Simon continues to sing her praises. “She is a great artist, and I’ve heard some of the future cuts. They sound incredible,” he said. Using One Direction as an example, he explained that it is not just to have a hit record off the back of the show. It has always been his aim to launch an artist worldwide and to compete with everyone else out there.

“That is what we try to do every year when we make this show.” Simon stated.

He noted that the work does not stop when the show ends. Artists have to work hard, be marketable, prove to record producers and songwriters that they deserve to have the best material. “You have got to have that killer instinct,” he said. And he urges these contestants to use the show as a launch pad.

The primetime landscape is peppered with singing competitions, and like the name suggests, The X Factor has to bring it and be above the pack. Again Simon stresses that he had to make a different show instead of being blurred into one moment. So what’s new and different? There is a different skill set, different team joining with the existing team, no voice overs, and one key change; no host.

“This is different, otherwise they will all blur into one, and it is boring,” he said.

Some other headline include a lot of backstage surprises in the way the contestants interact with each other, the way they prepare for the auditions and the mentor aspect will be more off camera than before.

“There will be a lot more reality than we have ever seen before,” he said.

Last season on American Idol, there was an open invitation for the President Barack Obama to get on stage. Since this is a very close election and the two networks are fighting for ratings, we are not sure if the invitation is still open for candidates to use the stage as a political platform or an audition to a new career.

Also when asked to judge the candidates on their performances thus far, Simon deferred saying he is not an American, therefore he would leave the judging to the Americans.

“I am not an American, I’m going to pass on this one.” He continued, “They are both good speakers.”

In the end, Simon is a competitor and he is having fun and looking forward to the premiere of The X Factor season 2. He also hopes for a Demi/Britney duet. And one thing for sure, he is ready for primetime.

The pressure cooker is boiling—This is sure to be a burning season of passionate network feuds, let see who will emerge from the flames with the ratings crown.

Interviewed by Daedrian McNaughton | Premier Guide Media.