Is Simon Cowell afraid to go head-to-head with "The Voice"? The outspoken reality talent show mogul is not happy that NBC decided to stretch the premiere of "The Voice" to a third night, Wednesday at 8 p.m., the same timeslot as the premiere of "The X Factor."
Cowell had harsh words for the move in an interview with TMZ, alleging that NBC had violated a "gentleman's agreement" not to air the shows on the same night. "This is a cynical, cold-hearted, unprofessional way of doing business," he railed.
Adding an extra dose of drama, Cowell added that new "X Factor" judge Britney Spears will be crushed by the news. "She's going to be devastated because she's put her heart and soul into this ... Britney's not going to appreciate the fact that Christina -- who has been a bit of a rival -- isn't allowing Britney to have a night of her own."
"The Voice's" expansion, which Cowell characterized as "dirty tricks," opens another front of a ratings war that raged this spring in the UK, where another one of Cowell's shows, "Britain's Got Talent," went up against the inaugural season of "The Voice UK." "Britain's Got Talent" came out narrowly ahead of that battle, but now "The Voice" is coming back for round two.
