Celebrities Uncensored: Simon & Regis

LOS ANGELES (May 22, 2006) — For Simon Cowell, the fifth season of “American Idol” may be ending but he goes right back to work on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

Regis Philbin will host and Access found — during a little question-and-answer session we set up — that the pair makes a really nice couple.

“Do I have to go first?” Regis asked.

“Yes, you’re used to it,” Simon laughed.

“What’s the deal with Paula?” Regis asked.

“How long do I got?” Simon lauhged.

“She was fine when she started the ‘Idol’ show, now suddenly, she isn’t,” Regis said.

“No, she wasn’t, trust me,” Simon said.

“Was she crying as much?” Regis said.

“Yeah. True story. She cried within 10 minutes of filming the very, very first ‘Idol,’” Simon said. “She was in tears. And I said, ‘She’s gonna walk. This girl will walk off the show.’”

“But she stayed and cried,” Regis said.

“She stayed and cried,” Simon confirmed.

“How do you comfort her?” Regis wondered.

“I just laugh. I can’t comfort her,” Simon laughed. “Because she does it too many times. I’d have a very wet shoulder. If I beg and I’m prepared to, can I trade Paula for Kelly (Ripa)?”

“No, no, no, I gotta stick with my Kelly,” yelped Regis, as Simon laughed. “You know, I’ve trained her now for five years, and she’s never cried! Now let’s see, I think I know this. Who would win if we arm-wrestled?”

Regis answered the question himself.

“I give it to you,” he said to Simon. “If we thumb-wrestled, I’d give that one to you too.”

“But I like this (question), this is a good one,” Simon said. “Who would you rather be trapped on a desert island with? Kathie Lee (Gifford) or Kelly?”

“Oh! And you gotta narrow it down to those two, huh?” Regis laughed.

“Of course,” Simon teased. “Can I throw something else at you?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Regis said.

“They will only be wearing bikinis,” Simon said.

“Oh god, I get an arm wrestling question and he gets this!” Regis said. “Well, I’ll tell you what…”

“Oh, I’ll answer,” Simon laughed. “Kelly! There you go.”