The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated.

I've never bought a Dylan record. A singing poet? It just bores me to tears. I've got to tell you, if I had 10 Dylans in the final of 'American Idol,' we would not be getting 30 million viewers a week. I don't believe the Bob Dylans of this world would make 'American Idol 'a better show.

I'm a great believer in getting checked out because if you know you're OK, you actually feel better; your mind plays a big part of it.

I didn't realise how important stupid people are in your life, because you ask yourself, what made stupid people so stupid? What made them the way they are?

The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated. Kids turn up unrehearsed, wearing the wrong clothes, singing out of tune and you can either say, "Good job" and patronize them or tell them the truth, and sometimes the truth is perceived as mean.

It would hurt my feelings if I respected your opinions.

I want people to understand that from the minute Lady Gaga arrived, she created a new set of rules: being different is good; embrace it.