Cowell's loose lips veering off-script

Back in January, when an American Idol press conference began 40 minutes late, most people on the scene assumed the delay was because of Paula Abdul. After all, she's the erratic one.

But when the session finally started and a TV critic asked what the problem had been, Abdul's fellow judge Simon Cowell stepped in to reply: "It was my fault. I flew in late from London, so I apologize."

Though many in the room presumed Cowell was gallantly attempting to cover for Abdul (during the delay, I heard a Fox staffer outside the conference room say: "Where's Paula? Where's Paula?"), the moment symbolizes a change in Idol's dynamic, a moment at which the two judges' personas overlapped. For whereas Abdul in the past was the one most likely to land the show in hot water, this year Cowell is giving her a run for her money.
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Furthermore, records of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration cast doubt on Cowell's story about the late flight from London.

The FAA says that out of 1,666 operations (takeoffs plus landings) at Los Angeles International Airport that day, only one experienced a delay, and in that case the hold-up lasted only 17 minutes. The FAA records do not specify which flight was late, nor whether it was arriving or departing. The chance that it was Cowell's is 0.06%.

The Fox network, which broadcasts Idol, replied tersely when the Post asked for an explanation of the apparent discrepancy. Network publicist Alexandra Gillespie said via e-mail: "Unfortunately, we are unable to help you with your request." She did not respond to subsequent telephone messages.

Cowell's sixth season of Idol was already off to a rough start by the time of the January press conference. During auditions in Seattle, he was very rude toward contestants. He told Kenneth Briggs, "You look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes. What are they called? Bush baby." He mocked chubby Jonathan Jayne, inquiring if he had borrowed his pants from Randy Jackson, the third Idol judge and also a large man. It later emerged that Briggs has Aarskog Syndrome, a rare disorder which stunts growth and causes facial deformities, while Jayne has competed in the Special Olympics.

Later, Cowell conceded that "there are times, trust me, when I watch it back and I just think, 'God, I wish I hadn't said that, and why do they put it in the show?' But it's something we all sign up to, for the good things and the bad things."

Last month, when a contestant from Virginia extended his sympathies to victims of the Virginia Tech massacre, Cowell was caught on camera rolling his eyes. The explanation for that one was that Cowell was not listening to the Virginian but was instead talking to Abdul about the young man's nasal rendition of Rascal Flatts' Mayberry.

Despite or because of its hosts' peccadilloes, Idol persists as a ratings colossus.

For the last week of April, its two episodes (performances on Tuesday, results on Wednesday) filled the top two slots in the Nielsen ratings for the United States. Their average audience of 27.7 million easily outpaced thirdplace finisher Grey's Anatomy at 21.2 million.