The Quotable Simon Cowell: Season 6 Semi-Finals Week 1

To Paul Kim: "I would suggest that you put your shoes on next week."

Unfortunately, he won't have a chance to either follow or ignore that advice, because he went home Thursday.

To Sanjaya Malakar: "I tell you what; they'll like your hair."

On Chris Sligh's performance: "I kind of felt I was at some weird student gig."

I'm confused. Which is weird, Si, the gig or the student? (Actually, in Sligh's case, it's definitely the student.)

To Ryan Seacrest, responding to the charge that he was too "negative": "Unlike you, I actually respect the audience at home and I don't believe in lieing to them."

About Amy Krebs: "When you sing, you have the personality of a candle."

To Ryan, concerning Alaina Alexander: "Are you trying to date this girl?"
After Lakisha Jones sang: "I am very tempted to say to 23 people, 'Book your plane tickets home.'"

To Ryan, about Lakisha: "The lady standing next to you now basically has thrown down the gauntlet."