Taking Names

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Simon: 'My bad'

An annoyed look from "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell as a contestant expressed sadness over the Virginia Tech shootings was drastically misinterpreted, Mr. Cowell and the show said yesterday.

Mr. Cowell rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows as contestant Chris Richardson of Chesapeake, Va., followed his performance on Tuesday's show with a comment about the 32 persons killed on the campus by a student.

"My heart and prayers go out to Virginia Tech. I have a lot of friends over there. ... Be strong," Mr. Richardson said onstage. The camera then caught Mr. Cowell's expression and showed him tapping his hand once, in apparent impatience, on the table in front of him and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. In contrast, Miss Abdul could be seen nodding in approval, Associated Press reports.

The show went into damage control yesterday, with Mr. Cowell -- known for his acerbic comments -- and a series producer denying that he had heard what Mr. Richardson had said. Instead, he was talking to Miss Abdul about Mr. Richardson's contention that he deliberately sang "Mayberry" in a nasal tone, Mr. Cowell told "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest on Mr. Seacrest's radio show yesterday.

Mr. Cowell, a British record company executive, said he supported Mr. Richardson's comments.

"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," Mr. Cowell said.

Although the Internet was abuzz, the network said it had received few complaints about Mr. Cowell. One Fox affiliate forwarded two e-mail complaints to the network, which declined to identify the station and its city.

However, the Fox station that serves Blacksburg, Va., where Virginia Tech is located, hadn't received any complaints as of yesterday, WFXR station manager Dave Bunnell said.

Lending his voice