At the Museum of Television & Radio late last week, Simon said, "At the end of the day, you’ve got to find a bona fide recording artist, because without that success, the competition doesn’t mean anything. That’s where we have to be careful that this doesn’t turn into a popularity contest, because if it’s a popularity contest, it’s like winning Big Brother, and nothing’s gonna happen. That’s what happened with Chris [Daughtry] and Taylor [Hicks, from season five]. Chris is the one who sold the albums. Taylor hasn’t," E! Online’s Kristin reports. Simon was particularly irritated by Jennifer Hudson's Oscar speech, because it showed her to be one of those contestants who "deliberately turn against the show that made them successful." People reports that he said, "Jennifer Hudson said American Idol was a 'stepping stone' for her. Stepping stone? It was her big opportunity to become noticed and she got noticed and she got Dreamgirls. … The reason (people) come on the show is because all the doors had been slammed in their face."
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