in defense of simon cowell

I've never watched American Idol, but Radley Balko's defense of Mr. Cowell almost tempts me to do so:

Cowell's only a real bastard when it's clear to him that a would-be idol is auditioning just to be on television, knowing full-well they don't have a prayer. That is, they're wasting his time. With the others—the people who genuinely believe they can sing (when they can't), likely because their parents, their pastor, or grandma has always said so—Cowell's usually abrupt, but fair. He'll occasionally tell someone in no uncertain terms that they're dreadful, but but many times that's really the only way to hammer home that it's time to give up.

Read the whole thing.