Cruelty on 'American Idol'? Fox Plays Possum

Hung got cut right away but went on to sign a recording contract.

"Peter, the comments -- harsh comments from the judges on 'Idol' -- do you take these seriously?" one critic asked Liguori during his Q&A session.

"I think it's part of what makes 'American Idol' 'American Idol,' " Liguori said.

"Let's face it, this show's been on the air for six years and the judges have been critical for six years. Hundreds of thousands of auditions have occurred. People know what the show is about."

"You'd never tell the judges to back off?" another critic said, as if he meant it to sting.

"I think the judges know what makes the show tick," he said. "This season is just a continuation of what's been a very successful formula."

Speaking of successful formulas, Liguori got great results playing possum in response to all questions about that O.J. Simpson interview special Fox had scheduled to coincide with the release of Simpson's book, "If I Did It," in which he detailed how he would have whacked his ex-wife.

"I don't mean to frustrate you with this answer, but it's been published that there is pending and threatened litigation against the corporation, and our lawyers have asked me to not comment about O.J. I apologize for that. I understand where the question's coming from," Liguori said.

BTW, whenever a network suit says, "I don't mean to frustrate you with this answer," he means to frustrate you with his answer.

Anyway, it worked. Only one other critic, in a room of more than 100, took a halfhearted stab at O.J., asking Liguori if advertisers had embraced the TV special.

"Unfortunately, again, I do apologize. I can't answer any O.J. questions. I hope you appreciate the situation we all find ourselves in here," Liguori said.

Of course, the only way to handle a possum is to grab it by the tail and yank up sharply, but Liguori remained firmly planted in his chair throughout the Q&A.