You didn’t expect him to say otherwise, did you?

However, in a conference call this week with reporters, he says that three or four of this year’s contestants would have gotten recording contracts even without the hit show. Cowell went on to say that the talent is younger and more current than in years past.

This could mean one of two things. Either he is right, which is possibility No. 1 and would spell great things for Idol this year, or his interpretation of current is something more along the lines of Hannah Montana.

Not to knock Miley.

What I wonder here is whether or not Simon would say that last season’s winner, Jordin Sparks, is “current.” She’s young and pretty. Has a good voice, and she was probably incredibly popular among her peers at home.

But when I think of current, sorry, but I think of Kanye West and NeYo and Chris Brown on the male side of things and Amy Winehouse, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys and Rihanna on the female side. I think of FallOut Boy and Daughtry and Maroon 5 among the bands, although my personal tastes are a bit more eclectic.

Nevertheless, in terms of commercial music, today’s American popular music landscape, this is current. My concern is that if the talent is younger than it has been — 17, 18, etc. — then I fear it being closer to Miley than to Amy.

Simon also told reporters that this year’s bunch is more interesting. They’re more interesting people, and to those of us who love the show, I’m not sure that we care.

Bo Bice was interesting. Taylor Hicks was interesting. Fantasia was interesting. Heck, Clay Aiken was interesting (that’s not a diss, Claykens).

Problem is: Not a darn one of them was particularly current. Actually, I take that back. Most of Fantasia’s work was exceptionally current. It just never really took off.

So, there you have it, straight from Simon’s black t-shirt.

And, what do YOU think Simon means when he says the talent this season is more current?

Not a stunner although Studdard was a fairly decent seller for them early in his label stint. On the other hand, the Soul Patrol failed to ever give Hicks any momentum.

Posted today on monstersandcritics.com:

Winning or placing in the top reality show, “American Idol” is no guarantee the music buying public will continue to support the efforts of the chosen crooners.The dew is off the rose, as two past winners of “Idol” have lost their major label deals.

Just before Christmas, rumors began circulating that season 2’s Ruben Studdard, who released three albums for J Records since 2003 (the latest, 2006’s The Return, to modest sales), had been dropped.

However Studdard continues his management contract with 19 Entertainment.

Now the Hollywood Insider reports season 5 winner Taylor Hicks has also lost his J Records deal.

“Taylor is going to record his next album on his own,” said a label rep. “He is no longer on the J Records roster.”

What does this mean for the latest winner, Jordin Sparks?

More importantly, is it the beginning of the end for the profitable franchise heading into season 7 on January 15?

***

Fact is struggling artists are dropped all the time from record labels, and there’s no doubt that Hicks and Studdard had a hard go of it from the outset. However, both singers are pretty much back to the drawing board, and I’m not sure there is anything short of an inspiring record that will bring these guys back to the forefront.

The underlying message to Idol and its contestants should be bring it or go home. We’ve seen Carrie Underwood do it and Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. Those cats aren’t getting dropped anytime soon, even with Clarkson’s disappointing album last year.

And for Idol, it means judges simply must start looking beyond technique and find stars. They’re out there, and while the show isn’t desperate for a new one just yet, they can’t have many more flops.

No, I didn’t forget to pay the electric bill. The plains states were hit hard by an ice storm that rendered millions of us without electricity. Six days and nights with nothin’ but flashlights and sub-freezing temperatures.

I don’t recommend it as a lifestyle choice.

However, among the things I did as soon as the lights (and heat) came back on was check out the Billboard end-of-year charts to see where our Idols finished for 2007. What I discovered is that while Chris Daughtry outperformed all other Idols, his band actually outperformed everyone. Period.

His CD, “Daughtry,” finished the year as the No. 1 album of 2007.

Carrie Underwood was a strong finisher, placing two albums in the end-of-year Top 200 list, and Kelly Clarkson did better than what you might have expected.

Our boy Elliott ended the year with a Top 50 single, and these end-of-year charts proved once and for all that Fantasia is still a player in the music business even though she has been off doing Broadway for a bit.

Here’s a sample of what I found on the end-of-year charts:

Hot 100 singles for 2007:

No. 6 – “Before He Cheats” – Carrie Underwood

No. 17 – “It’s Not Over” – Daughtry

No. 25 – “Home” – Daughtry

No. 41 – “Wait For You” – Elliott Yamin

No. 70 – “Never Again” – Kelly Clarkson

Hot 100 female artists for 2007:

No. 3 – Carrie Underwood

Hot 100 duo/groups for 2007:

No. 1 – Daughtry

Hot 100 songwriters for 2007:

No. 7 – Chris Daughtry

Top digital album artists for 2007:

No. 2 – Daughtry

No. 9 – Carrie Underwood

Hot 100 overall artists for 2007:

No. 6 – Daughtry

No. 7 – Carrie Underwood

No. 44 – Elliott Yamin

No. 50 – Kelly Clarkson

No. 90 – Fantasia

And who was at No. 91 on this list? Hannah Montana. This is to give you a bit of perspective as to Fantasia’s 2007 Billboard ranking.

Top 200 albums for 2007:

No. 1 – “Daughtry” by Daughtry

No. 6 – “Some Hearts” by Carrie Underwood

No. 56 – “Carnival Ride” by Carrie Underwood

No. 66 – “My December” by Kelly Clarkson

No. 74 – “Taylor Hicks” by Taylor Hicks

No. 95 – “Small Town Girl” by Kellie Pickler

No. 105 – “Fantasia” by Fantasia

No. 114 – “Elliott Yamin” by Elliott Yamin

No. 159 – “Katherine McPhee” by Katherine McPhee

No. 187 – “Bucky Covington” by Bucky Covington

Daughtry’s wins included Favorite Breakthrough Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. According to this article on MTV.com, Season 5’s fourth-place finalist was totally pumped.

“Wow. I can’t believe we’re in the category with Justin Timberlake and Linkin Park. It’s pretty awesome,” Chris Daughtry said. “I want to make sure we thank the fans again because you guys made this all possible for us.”

Carrie won awards for top artist and best album in the country category, and she also took home a special text-in award, sponsored by T-Mobile.

After six seasons of AI, that its artists are scoring such big wins in the music industry underscores just how talented Idol finalists have been the past few years. While I’m not sure the show’s producers always find the best way to showcase these singers, it’s irrefutably clear that American Idol is chock-full of serious talent.

It’s fresh on my mind given Carrie Underwood’s pair of CMA wins this week and Kellie Pickler’s nomination. A recent look at the country charts showed Carrie, Kellie, Season 2’s Josh Gracin and Season 5’s Bucky Covington.

Yes, Bucky Covington.

To be perfectly honest, not that it would fit my musical leanings, perhaps it would be a good move for Idol producers to incorporate more potential country stars?

Look, at this rate, Carrie Underwood isn’t only going to be the most successful Idol of all time, she could be the biggest female country artist of her generation. It just seems as if country music is more willing to accept our Idols, and my gut marketing hunch is that the show should embrace it.