I've never liked the idea you have to be a certain age to be a pop star. I like the idea that anybody can enter, anybody can compete.

I've had Botox, but then again pretty much everyone I know has. To me, Botox is no more unusual than toothpaste. It works. You do it once a year - who cares?

Sincerity is romantic. I don't think you need gestures.

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.

You have to be original. The people creating a buzz on YouTube are taking risks, and they're doing something different. I like it when 15 year-olds come on and tell me what to do rather than the other way around.

Holding auditions in front of an audience is testing.

I was slightly cynical of the American mentality before I came over here, but now I preach it. Here, no one's going to tear you down if you buy yourself a $300,000 car. They're likely to say: "Well, you probably worked hard for it. Good luck to you."