PASADENA, Calif. — “American Idol” judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul say they’re no crueler than usual this year, and that people who audition should know what they’re going to get.“If you don’t want to hear that, don’t show up,” Cowell told television writers at a news conference on Saturday.
The talent show returned with a storm this past week, with episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday attracting around 37 million viewers. The episodes featured auditions by the good, the bad and the awful from Minneapolis and Seattle.
Cowell, whose reputation for blunt, nasty put-downs was established at the series’ beginning, was in peak form, telling one contestant that his singing was horrendous and he looked like a “bush baby.” Jackson told one contestant his audition was awful and perhaps ruined his business.
