Could the reality be even worse? Simon Cowell wakes up in bed after nightmare reveals fears over X Factor USA in new promo

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:11 PM on 13th July 2011

Applauding and praising tuneless auditions, cosying up to an affectionate Paula Abdul, driving an environmentally-friendly car and wearing a pink jumper - is this really the Simon Cowell we know so well?

The X Factor USA promo would certainly make us believe that he has shed his Mr Nasty image once and for all.

But before all wannabe pop stars out there breathe a sigh of relief, the haze clears, reality kicks in and Simon wakes up in a old sweat before realising it was all just a dream.

Rude awakening: With his face in his hands, Simon Cowell wakes up in his luxurious bedroom after a nightmare about the X Factor USA

The promo opens with Simon sitting with his fellow X Factor judges Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger and L.A Reid, wearing a pink cable knit jumper.

A small girl then presents herself to them and starts to sing Tomorrow from Annie very badly.

Thank God for that! A look of relief on his face, Simon snaps back into reality

But rather than cut her off after a couple of notes, Simon patiently waits for her to finish, claps and says, 'That's what I've been waiting for.'

Abdul, to Simon's left, praises the plucky child's spirit, and as the camera pans to the dream-breaker, there's a sharp intake of breath.

No more Mr Nasty Guy? Simon Cowell wears pink and applauds contestant in the new preview for X Factor USA

Times a changing: The new cuddly Simon gets a kiss from Paula Abdul in the new promo

But woolly blush-sporting Simon says: 'I can't believe I'm going to say this, but that's exactly the word I was going to use, I love your spirit.'

A voiceover from Cowell goes on to say, against the backdrop of him meeting and greeting contestants: 'Let's face it, a year is a long time, we all change our attitudes and this is a different decade.'

New Look: The panel. including Simon, Nicole and L.A Reid appear to have gone soft

As he continues with, 'It's a new decade, it's not about me anymore, it's about them', the video cuts to a man murdering Celtic classic Danny Boy with Simon shouting to him: 'I love you!'

The voiceover continues with Simon saying, 'I wanna make people's dreams come true. I even think about the environment', before it cuts to him getting into a Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in, hybrid car.

Lucky girl: The awful rendition of Annie would usually have earned her a rejection

A New Decade: 'It's not about me, it's about them,' Simon insists

As he switches on the car radio, 'Tomorrow' blares out and a terrible cacophony of contestants singing engulfs him.

And in dream style fashion, the image wobbles before cutting to Cowell waking up in his penthouse apartment bedroom in a cold sweat.

He declares: 'Wow. What a horrible nightmare.'

What did you expect? Simon smirks as she drives away in one of his very expensive sports cars

Eat my dust: The back of Simon's Bugatti, with personalised number plate is seen whizzing past

The opening bars of Gun 'N' Roses's cover version of Wings' Live and Let Die then kicks in before Simon is seen speeding off in one of his ridiculously expensive sports cars as he smirks at the camera.

From then on in, it's all sharp tailoring, fast cars, helicopters and razor-sharp remarks.

We see our four judges emerge from a private jet looking like they mean business, and as the action scenes progress - a series of clips featuring Simon lambasting contestants and falling out with Abdul is interspersed.

Jet Set: The team mean business as they are seen strutting away from their private jet

Here come the girls: Paula and Nicole strut off the private jet

He then smiles at the camera from behind his steering wheel and says: 'Well, what else did you expect?'

Simon said tonight of the promo: 'I sort of ‘dreamt’ the promo – seriously I did. I woke up and I can't remember whether it was a nightmare or a dream but I remember laughing when I woke up and I quickly wrote it down.

Welsh boy done good: Host Steve Jones (far right) joins the team as they head into the studio

'I don’t know what’s been more fun, making the second half, the girls, the cars and the planes and all the excessive things, or faking the first part which was just so funny. Me sitting there in a pink sweater and LA in this weird pink shirt and we are sitting there trying to look enthusiastic about these singers - it was just one of the funniest days I’ve ever had in my life.

'The idea was what was the most inappropriate thing I could wear and it was either going to be pink or yellow - so we got all these sweaters and the pink one just stood out!

Primed and ready: The four judges will be ready to find a new pop star when the show air on September 21

'We wanted to make something which showed what the show ‘could’ have been, my nightmare basically, then transitioning into what we really are and I thought it would be fun to make that.
'I literally really imagined my worst nightmare, and I put myself into that place and it was that.. Me, loving this song, Paula and I holding hands and I’m now turning into Paula everything is just... awful!. I just suspended my disbelief!'

The X Factor has it's two-Night Series premiere Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 8/7c and Thursday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c on FOX.