American Idol Judge Paula Abdul: "We Couldn't Let Matt Go"

Us Magazine - April 16, 2009 2:03 PM PDT
Story photo: American Idol Judge Paula Abdul: Us Magazine
American Idol judge Paula Abdul has no regrets about saving contestant Matt Giraud on Wednesday's shocking show.

When he sang an encore of Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," "Simon was pulling my dress to make me sit down," Abdul said on Ryan Seacrest 's KIIS-FM radio show Thursday. "I said, 'No way! What's your problem?'"

Abdul said Cowell had "trepidation" about using the judges one-time power to save Giraud from elimination after viewers voted him off.

"For a minute there, I thought we were going to have to duke it out," she said. "We couldn't let Matt go."

See the weight ups and downs of former Idol contestants

"It was so frustrating and nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time," she added.

When Cowell told Giraud he was safe, the 23-year-old piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich. cried in relief as the other contestants hugged him.

"Wasn't it amazing?" Abdul recalled of the moment. "The entire sound stage started clapping and changing 'Save, save!' It was almost like a finale, a sporting event. It was so exciting."

See which former Idol stars have gotten married or have had children

Despite the excitement, Cowell didn't seem to think Giraud should celebrate too much. "I don't see that you have really any chance of winning," he told him.

"That's such a great thing to say?" Abdul sarcastically quipped.

Asked if Cowell's remarks could actually help Giraud in the end (because viewers may feel sorry for him), Abdul said, "It can work either way."

See the worst Idol contestants of all time

During the interview, Abdul also revealed that Cowell recently made a request to have better lighting on him during the show.

"It's absolutely true," she said.

Check out Paula's worst outfits of all time

To show how vain Cowell can he, she then brought up Susan Boyle, the YouTube Scottish singing sensation from Britain's Got Talent TV show.

"He's not speaking about the woman," Abdul said. "He's saying, 'Didn't I look good in [the video]?'"

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  • elegirl97
    matt is ugly. but im till on paulas side! simon is a prison %@!*#... matts prison %@!*#...
    report abuseposted May 22, 2009 12:05 PM PDT
  • elegirl97
    matt is ugly. but im till on paulas side! simon is a prison %@!*#... matts prison %@!*#...
    report abuseposted May 22, 2009 12:05 PM PDT
  • sweetmichaelsweet
    i like paula and simon the best on the show
    report abuseposted April 21, 2009 5:25 AM PDT
  • krystyl c
    At this point the competition is so stiff to me. I think all the dead weight, sucky singers are gone and any of these 7 deserve it. I am rooting for Anoop and Matt though. I think Adam is talented but I'm kinda disapointed that he is clearly going to win. There is no anticipation unless his fans just get lazy and forget to call.
    report abuseposted April 19, 2009 11:36 AM PDT
  • Krsto
    I am happy
    report abuseposted April 19, 2009 7:54 AM PDT
  • CB
    All the idols are good right now but I feel some are not singing at their full potential. Adam of course has been my fav from the start. I would love for him to cover a Prince song, like Purple Rain at cinema week. He's talented and edgey enough to pull it off.
    report abuseposted April 18, 2009 9:40 AM PDT
  • June F
    Wow!!! Adam blows me away EVERY WEEK!!!! He puts such an interesting spin on well known songs. Ring of Fire was magical to me. Mad World still rings through my head. He has the makings of a legend. I hope to enjoy and follow him for many years to come.
    report abuseposted April 18, 2009 3:46 AM PDT
  • floridablanca
    i like matt, he's cute he has his own style, he looks better than justine t, Paula is right adam is a package but danny is amazing, allison is good but she has no personality
    report abuseposted April 18, 2009 1:17 AM PDT
  • normy
    Iam pulling for Danny, Adam and Allison for the top three. They are great
    report abuseposted April 17, 2009 6:36 PM PDT
  • Susan
    I'm not going to say Matt shouldn't have gotten saved, because I think it's the judges' decision to use the save however they see fit. That said, I think Simon had a good point; Matt has virtually no chance of winning AI. Remember, he'd gotten saved once before by the judges, as a wildcard! He and Anoop are probably bye-bye this coming week. Just remembe
    report abuseposted April 17, 2009 5:31 PM PDT
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