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I've never believed that 'Idol' as a franchise is beholden to any individual because everybody said it would die the minute Simon Cowell left, and it hasn't.

If you don't have any ties to the music industry, you just love 'American Idol,' you can sit there and do exactly what you do in your living room, which is stare at them and judge them.

In all honesty, I'm not able to talk about contracts. It's nothing with 'American Idol' in particular, it's just things I really need to take care of in my life.

The people that go on 'American Idol' do want some recognition and fame.

An American Idol is someone who knows how to change people's lives through music.

An American Idol is someone that has all the qualities that America thinks is positive, attractive and alluring.

The world is so caught up in the 'American Idol' idealistic sort of tendency in regards to just thinking that this whole thing is what everybody wants, but it doesn't help you make a better record.

Idolatry is really not good for anyone. Not even the idols.

I get paid to lie to people as an actor. Country music is the one area that I don't lie. I tell the truth.

But I think it is more difficult to do a career as a lieder singer, and there have been less lieder singers.