Fuller to manage Idol winner

XIX WITH A BULLET: Simon Fuller is to personally manage the winner of this year’s American Idol, the first time he’s taken charge of an act from the show since Adam Lambert in 2009, MusicWeek reports. Fuller, who recently launched his own XIX Management company but continues to work closely on Idol, participated in the negotiations with Lucian Grainge that led to the UMG arrangement and the involvement of Jimmy Iovine in the re-engineering of the 10-year-old franchise. According to Grainge, the arrangement, which will also see Fuller manage the runner up, was “a win-win for everyone. The fact that he will be guiding the careers of the winner and runner up is a tremendous boost for American Idol’s talent and in many ways, it’s also part of the prize.” Added Iovine, “Simon Fuller is the rare breed who can affect popular culture both in America and in Europe. He has brought us a platform for music like nothing before it in American Idol. The opportunity for this year’s winner and runner up to be managed by someone of his caliber along with UMG’s commitment to these artists and show is incomparable.” (3/29a)