Editorial: Mr Nasty redeems himself

OPINION: British television talent show supremo Simon Cowell has built his celebrity status on being vain, cynical, rude, and arrogant.

He thrives on his Mr Nasty image which polarises viewers. People generally love him or loathe him, with the latter camp containing the larger demographic.

But even his most trenchant of critics would grudgingly admit that Mr Cowell is a talented musical impresario with a knack of manufacturing stars and hit songs.

Mr Cowell is about to redeem himself by putting together a charity song, with the proceeds going to the people of earthquake-stricken Haiti.

A better cause would be hard to find. The people of the island nation, one of the world's poorest, face a wretched future in the wake of the January 13 earthquake that killed thousands and left millions displaced.

Mr Cowell did not act without prompting. His power is such that when British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was casting about for ways to help the people of Haiti, he phoned Mr Cowell to ask him to help.

The idea came at a good time for Mr Cowell whose music star manufacturing business suffered a setback before Christmas.

Back then an internet campaign set out to derail his latest protege, X Factor winner Joe McElderry, from winning the Christmas single race.

Fans of anti-establishment rockers Rage Against the Machine organised a campaign to torpedo Mr McElderry's career by pushing sales of one of its old songs. It was a protest at the contrived music manufacturing machine that Mr Cowell had built.

The grassroots internet campaign tapped into anti-Cowell sentiment and proved a huge hit, showing that when people organise to flex their muscles even the mighty Mr Cowell can be cowed.

Mr Cowell's charity project deserves to succeed. As Sir Bob Geldof showed with Band Aid, getting a group of stars together to record a charity song can be a sales juggernaut for all the right reasons.

For consumers there's something compelling about seeing the stars of the moment – along with the odd has-been – all put together in one studio to knock out a hit.

When there's a good cause behind the project, buying the song becomes compelling.

The entertainment industry's most talented stars are already queuing up to perform and no doubt Mr Cowell's project will be a runaway success.

But if Mr Nasty really wants to redeem himself it would be nice to see him match whatever the single raises. With a personal fortune of $279 million, he can afford it.