Dish Of Salt: Monday TV Dish (Febuary 22, 2010)

Tomorrow night the Top 12 girls of the Top 24 will take the stage on “American Idol.” This afternoon I was inside the show’s production office for a Q&A session with Executive Producer Ken Warwick about all things Idol – from Simon leaving, to Ellen joining, to what mentors we might be seeing. Plus, Ken reveals that some of the contestants may not be all they are cracked up to be.

DOS: It seems like in Hollywood Week [with Ellen DeGeneres] she really was taking on a role of being the one who was giving most of the kids the news and she seemed to almost have taken over from Simon?

KW: Not really. Those shows are edited and it invariably depends on, on the contestant… as to the way we edit it. Rarely do we edit it so the judge looks great. This is about the kids, not the not the judges. So, I can’t say that in reality that’s particularly true. The thing about Ellen is that she’s very kind. So, if there’s any bad news to come she has a lovely way of delivering it.

DOS: Any theme weeks you know about for the top 12?
KW: There are but I like to keep them to myself!

DOS: Will we have a mentor every week?
KW: Most weeks. I’ll tell you the first week is probably gonna be the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. But I’m not telling you who it’s gonna be.

DOS: Simon has said that he really wants Lady Gaga. How’s that going for you?
KW: There are no plans and she’s so busy, especially now. At this moment in time she won’t be on the show.

DOS: Do you have anybody who stands out [of the Top 24] who you think is gonna go far?
KW: Yeah, I do.

DOS: But you can’t tell me?
KW: No.

DOS: Because it will get you in trouble?
KW: Well, it’s not that so much. It’s that I know these kids personally. I’ve been with them since day one. I know their backgrounds and I really root for them and I want them to do well. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. And there are other kids the public thinks are wonderful…. and I know that they’re little nightmares. So my perspective on them is a little bit skewed.

DOS: Who’s a nightmare?
KW: Yeah.

DOS: Come on tell me!
KW: No. ((Laughs))

DOS: OK, let’s go for the tough questions here. Simon is now leaving. There has been a million possible people named who wanna do it who they’ve, they’re saying are in the running. What is the truth?
KW: The truth in the matter is that we will not settle on any new 4th judge until after we’ve seen how the dynamic of Ellen and the rest of the panel forms. That’s the first thing. Secondly… Idol gives back and our mentors — we’ve been after a lot of stars and we’ve contacted a lot of stars with regards to the show. Now no press agent worth their salt is gonna give up that opportunity without going to the press and saying, ‘Oh American Idol has just been in touch with so and so and they’re gonna, they’re thinking about it for 500 million dollars an hour.’”

DOS: So you’re saying that it’s the celebrities’ people that are releasing the information?
KW: Of course it is.

DOS: Not you guys for publicity?
KW: Of course (not).

DOS: But have you had any meetings with anybody, or is it still way too early?
KW: No, we’ve had no real meetings with anybody yet. We obviously have talked within the folds of this office about people who might be good. But no formal offers have been made yet.

DOS: OK, what do you think about the Howard Stern thing? Would you ever put Howard Stern on the show?
KW: I personally would because I think he’s got an opinion. I think he’s, he’s got a strong will. I think he’s entertaining and I think he knows about the music business. He was a disc jockey for goodness sakes. But you know, this is a collective decision with all parties. So the truth of the matter is that no offers have been made to him. I can understand America’s problem with having him live but you know, to me, that’s what reality is all about.

DOS: What will the show lose next season by losing Simon?
KW: Well obviously he, we owe him a lot because he’s one of the founding members and a lot of the success of the show is down to what he’s put into it. No one can take that away from him, but the truth of the matter is now it needs, the show needs a change as much as he needs a change.