"American Idol" and "X-Factor" diss "The Voice"

"American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe spoke with reporters and was asked how he felt about the ratings success of "The Voice"'s second season and whether or not it's contributing to "American Idol"'s ratings decline.

Lythgoe said: "My thoughts on "The Voice" at the moment are I think it's a fun format. It's very gimmicky, which is interesting at this moment and time. I particularly like the relationship between Blake [Shelton] and Adam [Levine]. Other than that, I think they need stronger talent. We'll see."

"Idol"'s numbers are down from last season, but Lythgoe isn't worried. He said: "After 11 years, I am thrilled with these ratings. We're constantly compared against ourselves and against our own ratings.

"Of course, there's going to be some kind of deterioration in the ratings. We've now got two major programs in "The Voice" and "The X Factor" against us. Whether people like them or dislike them, they're still feeding from the same talent and it's still going to dilute our audience."

Lythgoe was also asked about Ryan Seacrest's future as the host of "American Idol" and whether the show could survive without him. Nigel replied: "There can always be an Idol without anybody. I'm surprised that question's still being asked after Simon [Cowell] left us when everybody said there wouldn't be an Idol without Simon."

Though the show can go on without him, it doesn't mean Lythgoe wants it to. He says, "Seacrest is probably the best host in the business. Why he hasn't received an Emmy yet, I'm not sure. I hate to think of him leaving American Idol. I think he is the glue that sticks it all together and moves it along.

"I don't have anything bad to say about Ryan, apart from he's too good-looking and he's got too much money. I just hope he doesn't leave, to be frank with you. I think they should try and sort out a deal."

SINGING COMPETITION FEUD, TAKE 2: SIMON COWELL SLAMS 'THE VOICE', DENIES BEYONCE RUMORS

Simon Cowell spoke about the changes at his show "The X Factor".

Host Steve Jones, and both female judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger are not returning to the show.

Simon knew that the firings were coming "at the beginning of the year" and was "told it had to happen straight away".

Simon spoke with (ex-girlfriend) Terri Seymour in an interview with Extra airing today.

He added that he would have liked to keep Paula Abdul, and said: "She was very gracious... She understands it's business; it's never personal".

Simon added that he felt Nicole Sherzinger was "not mad. I think she's disappointed." The other judge who will be staying with the show, L.A. Reid, is essential to the show: "Because there is not a record executive out there that is as good as him for the job.".

According to Simon, "What impressed me about LA was that he was there 7 days a week. He was on it and I thought he was amazing."

As for who else will be joining him at the judges' table next season, Simon was quick to shoot down rumors of Beyonce. He said, "The budget for the show is $100 million. That would never ever happen. It's absolute nonsense. No one is going to pay $100 million for someone. I genuinely haven't had a conversation with her about it. Not at all".

And while he would love Mariah Carey to join the show, she's not on the list of candidates. Simon explained: " You have to work five days a week and all the travelling, so she will not be on the list.

 "I adore her, love her, but you can't expect someone who has just had two kids, has a record career to make the kind of commitment we would need on this show."

Extra also asked Simon if he feels threatened by his NBC competition, "The Voice", which has been pushing the fact that their judges (Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Cee-Lo Green and Adam Levine) are Grammy-winning artists.

Simon fired back: "I would ask how many records have they made, how many artists have they discovered?"

He also mentioned that he does not watch his competitor's shows. Simon adds, "That's where we have to be different on the judging panel. It's very important that you have people on the panel that have actually signed and made artists successful all over the world, not just have made hit records yourself."

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