Mr. Softy Simon Cowell: Oprah's big give inspires

By M&C Smallscreen Mar 18, 2008, 17:24 GMT

Simon Cowell - © Glenn Harris / Photorazzi

Simon Cowell’s girlfriend Terri Seymour sat down with "American Idol’s" Simon Cowell after his appearance on Oprah in which he surprised a family struggling to take care of their cancer stricken 3-year-old daughter by paying off their mortgage.

The Extra reporter asked her beau Cowell why he decided to help. 

“It was a very basic story of a normal family whose daughter got very ill and they had some financial problems which was relatively easy for me to sort out.”

Not only did Cowell help a family in need, he also introduced America to Leona Lewis, the winner of his hit British talent show, "The X Factor." 

When asked why it was important to have Lewis perform on Oprah, Cowell responded, “I think for any music artist right now, the most important show to debut on is the Oprah show…If she loves something, she loves it. She’s got very, very good taste. She knows what the public will like so when you get an endorsement from her, it’s fantastic.”

About the final eleven remaining finalists on "American Idol", Cowell declares, “I think we have a couple more weeks to get rid of what I call the deadwood.”

Cough, ahem...Kristy Lee Cook?

Admitting that he doesn’t remember the names of the contestants until “the following season,” Cowell does reveal his favorites saying, “Brooke [White], David Cook, the Australian guy [Michael Johns], the Irish girl [Amanda Overmyer], Jason [Castro]. They are all strong.”

As for David Archuletta’s fate since forgetting the lyrics to “We Can Work It Out” last week, Cowell declares, “I think he’s still incredibly popular because people remember his previous performances.”

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