Apparently Simon's comments at the end of the show were not enough as "Idol" was forced to go into damage control mode today...
On Ryan Seacrest's radio show this morning, Simon said he was talking to Paula, asking her what Chris meant by singing nasally on purpose, so he didn't even hear what Chris had said about the tragedy. His eyes rolled "given what [he] was saying to Paula." Simon was clearly angry about the controversy, telling Ryan, "I did want to clear this one up because, you know, this is a very very sensitive subject. The irony is that we did want to try and set the right tone on the show. And then something like this happens, and it just starts fanning the flames," Cowell said. "And people need to understand, there are families involved. It's not right."
Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe also came to Simon's defense, saying "it is disheartening that a quick camera cutaway could have been misinterpreted."
FOX said it had received "few complaints" about Simon and the Blacksburg, VA (where Virginia Tech is located) affiliate had received no complaints...
By the way, the show's opening was Ryan's idea since he felt they needed to say something given how many people watch the show.
