edited, you know. you have to give them credit. >> lee smith did a very good job on that. i love that you were so naive. >> that's me. >> rather extraordinary. rather extraordinary. joe, you're not going to live that down for a while. >> i've been hearing about this all day, buddy. >> you're a good sport about it. thanks very much. that's it for "360," thanks for watching. "larry king" starts now. see you tomorrow. >> larry: tonight, american idols ryan seacrest, simon cowell, ellen degeneres, randy jackson, and kara dioguardi. all together for "idol gives back." plus, we take you inside "idol"

with the latest. the quarrelling between ryan and simon, is it for real? next on "larry king live." we welcome back ryan seacrest, the host of "american idol" and judges, simon cowell, ellen degeneres, randy jackson and kara dioguardi. we're happy to have them all with us tonight. we're down to seven contestants on the show. here's a look at who's still standing. ♪ but i can't help falling in love with you ♪ ♪ all night long ♪ oh yes i do ♪ a little more spark one more time i say ♪ ♪ come on baby now satisfy me ♪ let's not let a good thing

die ♪ ♪ when you know i would never lie to you ♪ ♪ don't you step on my blue suede shoes ♪ ♪ this child needs a helping hand ♪ ♪ or he'll grow to be an angry young man ♪ ♪ i'll tell everybody i'm down in misery ♪ ♪ down in misery >> larry: this will be a test in hosting a program. >> come on. >> larry: our guests are ryan seacrest, the host of "american idol" simon cowell, ellen degeneres, randy jackson and kara dioguardi. all are here in this season nine of "american idol." >> are you guys serious? >> during the program simon

leaves the scene, he will be on the floor. we'll pick him up. >> he just told your stage manager to make sure he was taller than me in the seat. >> larry: we have a surprise announcement, simon will enter "dancing with the stars" next season. and of course, we're here to discuss the charities that receive money from "idol gives back." but first, just a couple of quick things, ryan. how is season nine going? >> season nine is going well, actually. there's been plenty of drama. now we're getting into the good part where we get down to the final few contestants. who do you think is a front-runner, simon? >> larry: are you happy with the way it's going? >> yeah, it's going fine. >> larry: why is that funny already? >> he's making me laugh. >> the fact that you put the two of us so close together. >> we're always joking on our show, right? so seconds before we're on the air, he reaches under my seat and pulls it so it drops to the floor. >> like he's in grade school.

>> larry: we know we have a problem when ellen degeneres represents normalcy. ellen, how is the show going? >> i still represent normalcy. i maintain. how is it going? this is my best season so far. >> larry: are you enjoying it? >> i am. it's -- you know, i've said this before. it's hard. it's easy to sit at home and have opinion, but when those kids are waiting for you to tell them how they sounded and, you know, sometimes i hear myself go, i liked it but inside i'm going, no, you didn't. it's hard. sometimes you want to boost them up and give them another shot. >> larry: it ain't hard for him, though. is it hard for you to say i don't like what you're doing? >> no, no. no, because, like ellen said, people are thinking the same thing at home. and i try and do that, actually what i say what i would be

saying if i were watching the show -- which i will be next year -- at home. that's the easiest way of doing it. >> larry: how's the year going, rand? >> i like that he says he will be watching from home next year. i'm going to have a phone on the desk and call and say simon, what did you really think of that? >> like a bat phone. >> i love that. >> larry: what are you doing next year? are you doing another show? >> i'm doing another show. >> yeah. >> larry: with you on it? >> of course. >> larry: what's the show? >> it's called the "x factor." >> larry: are you enjoying this? how did you become a part of this? >> i don't know. i'm trying to figure it out. writing songs for big artists, that's how i got on this full thing. i'm just happy it's not my first year because that was pretty rough. >> you didn't like last year?

>> i did but i was nervous. the rolling of the eyes. >> larry: why are ratings down? is that a natural attrition? >> you're asking me that question? why are they down a little bit? >> larry: well, everything is down a little bit. >> well, we're into our ninth season. all of television is down a little bit, there's more fragmentation, more choices than ever. but at this phase of the show, traditionally we take a little bit of a dip and then it usually heads back up. >> larry: why are you yawning? >> he sounds so pompous. >> can i ask you a question? >> yes. >> we're on international television and your shirt is open so far that it's embarrassing to the studio. >> is this inappropriate? >> no, it's okay. >> larry: he believes he's harry belafonte. >> carry on. the fragmentation. >> we've taken a little dip. what would you say? >> larry: is there any reason? you're the expert on television?

>> no, i'm not. it goes down, it goes up. how many years have we done this? nine years? we're doing fine. >> larry: no complaints? >> no complaints. >> larry: we have lots to talk about, there's some wonderful things this group does, the main reason they're here tonight. we'll talk about it when we come back. i want to go on a road trip. when i grow up, i'm going to go there. i'm going to work with kids. i want to fix up old houses. [ female announcer ] at aarp we believe you're never done growing. i want to fall in love again. [ female announcer ] together we can discover the best of what's next at aarp.org. [ slap! ]

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the money that's being contributed here in angola has gone to 300,000 bed nets. and those 300,000 bed nets have saved close to a million lives. for $10. you can actually make a huge difference. >> mosquito free. >> malaria no more. >> the future is right here. ♪ she's in the middle of a doorway ♪ >> larry: we're back with ryan, simon, ellen, randy and kara talking about "idol gives back."

wednesday night on fox, five charities and many people around the world are going to benefit. children's health funds, feeding america, malaria no more, save the children and the united nations foundation. you want more information? go to cnn.com/larryking. how did this idea start, ryan? >> i think it was simon fuller's idea who created "american idol." we've done this now, this is our third time now doing the show. it's raised over $140 million for different charities in the u.s. and around the world, which i believe is more than any other television event. >> larry: how does it work, randy? >> basically we all go out to different areas and the charities we support with the show. the last year, we didn't do one because we felt it wasn't really right with the economy being where it was. so this year we brought it back. i think we're happy we brought it back. >> larry: you go and visit the people you help? >> i went down to mississippi and you saw kara in africa. simon went to arizona. >> i went to monrovia to the

food bank to of feeding america. >> i went to seattle to talk with melinda and bill gates about what they're doing globally. and we went to kenya together. >> larry: let's break them down. children's health fund. what is that? >> children's health fund. is that the one that you went -- >> that's not the one i did. but it was singer/songwriter paul simon. he founded it. it helps for pediatric care. >> then you have malaria no more. >> larry: i thought we wiped out malaria. >> we eradicated it here, but not in other parts of the world. but it can be eradicated. i think that's what's amazing. bill and melinda are 100% behind the eradication of it. and have the resources to do it. >> larry: what's feeding america? >> feeding america is something i just learned about recently, and i went down this morning. david arquette is involved. i think he's the chairman. it was called second harvest, they renamed it feeding america.

in the last few years, it's amazing. you assume that the people that are hungry in our country are people who are homeless and that is not the case. with the recession, there are a lot of people -- i met a family, this guy is an eighth grade math teacher and his wife stays home and takes care of their three kids, all under the age of 5. amazing family. he's a teacher and can't afford to feed his family. so he has a roof over his head, but can't feed them. so he gets food from there. >> larry: is save the children the save the children we all know about? >> yeah, education and literacy. >> larry: send a small amount of money and they -- >> i went down to mississippi because one in five kids in america are poor. it's a great statistic. literacy is a big thing in this program that i did with morgan freeman down in mississippi and the surgeon general. these kids, it's really crazy, larry. we discovered years ago, even on our own show, "american idol." that literacy is still a problem in america. you would have thought one of the richest countries in the

world, literacy. i mean, we have all the diseases, but literacy, just learning how to read. we went and did that with save the children. >> i think when we first started talking about doing this simon, we all agreed it was important to have the funds benefit, obviously, all of the problems, and we have a lot of them in our own backyard, as well as abroad and around the country, around the globe. >> larry: was yours the united nations foundation? >> malaria. mine was kind of different because i went back to see what the funds had been actually doing. there was one orphanage that we built rooms for people to live in. >> larry: and what was in arizona, simon? >> it was a mobile health clinic. they travel -- they bring a mobile hospital down. they didn't have the hospital there. they would have to travel three or four hours. so i met the doctors, kids. >> larry: how do you raise the money? >> basically through the people who watch the show. they donate.

>> larry: the donations are done right through the program. >> we could have people watching the show a couple of weeks out from the special that's wednesday night donate themselves individually. and then, of course, throughout the telecast wednesday night, it's a two-hour broadcast, we'll have people who can call in or text donations. >> larry: now, there are performances wednesday night, right? >> oh, yeah. >> larry: but there's emphasis on the charities. >> oh, yeah. that's where a lot of money is raised. i hosted two years ago, i think. and there was a lot of money raised. >> larry: that's fantastic. wednesday night, one of the great things people who are successful should do, and "idol" does it in spades. "idol gives back." who's performing on the big show on wednesday? find out after the break. can be more confident in their ability to be ready with cialis for daily use. cialis for daily use is a clinically proven, low-dose tablet you take every day,

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mops can spread around. swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. ♪ lovely lady >> larry: we'll be discussing other aspects of one of the most successful shows in american television history, "american idol." a couple more things and we'll go to it later on the "idol" helps back. tell us about wednesday. >> it's a two-hour live event. we're going to do it from two locations, our set and also the pasadena civic center. i'll be hosting from our set, our stage and then queen latifah will be on the other stage. we have sir elton john performing, mary j. blige

performing, annie lennox is scheduled to perform. but she may be stuck in europe. she can't get here. >> she can't get out of europe. yeah. >> so it's an all-star list of acts. >> larry: is it all the contestants at the same time? >> interestingly enough, it's an elimination night on "american idol." while we're going through this and talking about very serious things and trying to raise money for wonderful organizations, we've also got to eliminate a contestant at the end of all of it, and that's tough. >> larry: that's hard. let's get into the specifics. first, ellen, what surprised you most about being on the show? >> how warm everyone is. >> larry: why do you like at simon when you say that? are they congenial, really? >> yeah, it's fun. i'm sad to see him go, i really am. what surprises me most is how hard it is. first of all, i think hollywood week, i started out more strict and just kind of no, no, no. then you start to get to know

them and it's harder. but i feel like you want to get a little more personality, you want to see that it factor, that kind of star quality when everybody is looking for. when you don't see it, it's frustrating. when they're singing there's nothing wrong with it. and finding a new way to say each time didn't like it or did like it. >> larry: simon, how is ellen doing? being a critic again. >> and she's right next to you. >> she's doing very well. >> larry: what makes a good judge? >> just saying -- don't overthink it and actually not being afraid to be in the minority. it's very easy to go along with everybody else. there was something that happened last week when you were completely on your own. and i thought it would be easier to take the opposite view. it's subjective. some people like it. potatoes, potatoes. >> banana, banana. >> tomatoes, tomatoes. >> larry: this is ellen's first

season as a judge. let's take a look at her in action. >> the first time i took a shot of tequila i didn't know if i would like it or not. then i took another, then i took another, then i took another and i really enjoyed it. this is a very horny song, a lot of horns in it. a lot of horns in it. a lot of horns in it. and you were smiling more. and i just felt so much more -- even when that guy got separated from his parade, it didn't even -- i don't know. i'm so sorry, sir, we'll help you. you didn't even get rattled by that guy showing up. >> larry: i take it she's also the panel's comedienne? >> oh, for sure. >> larry: how do you like judging? >> i like it a lot this year. >> larry: as opposed to last year?

>> i like it. i wasn't used to being on television and speaking in 30-second sound bites. this year i'm more concentrating on the kids and not worrying so much about what i'm doing. >> larry: you're an original. how do you rank this group? >> i think they're doing really, really well. i think ellen has found her spot. i like that she's able to put that comedy in there. she's been cracking me up. i think kara is doing great. i thought she did well the first season, too. but it's good. you've got to call it as you see it. simon hit it on the head. you can't be afraid. we get booed all during the contest. >> i've never been booed before. it's funny, actually. >> you boo yourself first. >> larry: this could relate to simon. a brilliant critique in yesterday's "new york times" the critic, mr. usherwood, writing about the show "lend me a tenor." what do you do when you hate a show. you don't think it's funny, you

don't like it at all and the audience is raving? what do you do? we'll ask simon what do you do? . how did you do it? simple stuff. eating right and i switched to whole grain. whole grain... [ female announcer ] people who eat more whole grain tend to have a healthier body weight. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 calories per serving. multigrain cheerios. try new chocolate cheerios with a touch of delicious chocolate taste in every bite. i just want fewer pills and relief that lasts all day. take 2 extra strength tylenol every 4 to 6 hours?!? taking 8 pills a day... and if i take it for 10 days -- that's 80 pills! just 2 aleve can last all day... perfect. choose aleve and you could be taking four times... fewer pills than extra strength tylenol. just 2 aleve have the strength to relieve arthritis pain all day.

i think the reason you got it right, and i don't want to take all the credit for this, is

that you were absolutely leaning in the direction which i hinted at very strongly, which is it's more country. >> what? >> no! not even close! not even close! >> that's what i could hear. ♪ let it be let it be >> yeah, kara. >> larry: all right, simon. is it a dilemma when you just don't think someone is very good and the audience is going berserk. >> oh, i don't care anymore. i'm so used to that. i'm hearing something completely different. >> larry: do you say to yourself, maybe i'm wrong? >> no. >> oh, larry, larry. >> definitely not. >> larry, larry. >> he doesn't know what those words mean. >> he's always right. >> somebody could go up there and whistle and the audience

would go mental. it's just one of those things. >> larry: have there been times when the audience has been kind of warm and you've loved them, the opposite? >> but then i'm also right. >> larry: so you're never wrong? >> no. >> larry: so you're a perfect critic. >> but it is fun to watch when any of them or simon gives the contestant the advice the week before and the next week they listen to that advice and then they really crush it, he loves to sit up in his chair. >> i told you to listen to me not kara. >> larry: you're america's afternoon now, is it tough to knock someone. >> am i america's afternoon? >> larry: i just gave you that title. >> wow. i want to be their entire day. no, you know, it's hard. they're on my show the next day, too, and i don't like hurting people's feelings. i know what it's like to stand on stage and be judged. it's hard, yeah. it's hard. >> larry: one thing that's got

fans buzzing is the back and forth between ryan and simon. it's become a regular. let's take a look. >> sometimes yes, sometimes no. >> that is a pathetic answer. >> if i would be allowed to continue, ryan. very boring. and there are a lot of people -- >> whoa! >> did i see ryan dancing in the background? that, by the way, was beautiful, that part. >> simon's confused as to what artist you want to be. >> is that okay? >> 100% i approve. and well said. >> this is between you two. i am out. and safe. >> larry: we got question posted to "larry king live" facebook page. is the attitude between ryan and simon for ratings or is there real tension there? >> ask ryan, he's under orders. >> larry: lay it out. >> i'm under orders to grovel and to bow and be in awe.

>> larry: is he the boss? >> he did this show in england before any of us did it. >> larry: it's his baby? >> it's his baby. >> larry: you, therefore, bow to him? >> i'm sorry. >> larry: bow to him. i don't mean bow. >> servant, grovel, bow, in awe. there's a great deal of sport in that. the two of us have fun -- >> larry: you like simon? >> absolutely. i have actually learned a lot from him. >> larry: would you call him a friend? >> i would. >> larry: simon, would you say the same? >> what? >> there we go. >> larry: would you call ryan a friend? >> 99% of the time. >> larry: what annoys you about him? >> that's something offcamera. >> one example. >> no, we get on fine. we get on fine. it's -- as ryan said, it's sport. >> larry: is it part of the schtick? you're hesitating. you never hesitate.

>> you didn't show the clip where i'm sitting there doing the show and suddenly, like ing a little wasp or something comes over and stings you. you're like where did that come from? and in the meantime, there's buzz, buzz, buzz sting. it's like what is your problem? i keep saying, what is your problem? >> larry: do you see a problem with the two of them? >> well, i see problems with them both but not together. >> larry: do they have a problem with each other? >> who is the one who instigates it, me or madam? >> madam? >> the first time i thought it was a joke. the first time i thought you were joking and then the second time i thought this isn't a joke. because they get into each other's space. they're like older brother-younger brother. >> larry: why did you call him madam? >> because he's like a madam. >> larry: what does that mean?

>> wait a second. who's the instigator. let's go back to that moment. >> larry: i heard him say madam. >> larry, you should just come join us on the show. you stir the pot. >> i want him to come on and do the vicious "american idol" at the top of the show. >> can you do it? >> i'll do it. >> right in three. >> larry: this is "american idol." >> done, sold. >> then you can spar with him the rest of the hour. >> larry: do you notice tension between him and him? >> it's not tension. they really are like brothers. i think that ryan likes to see what he can dopusimon likes to what he can do to push ryan's buttons. and they do it to each other. that's just the way they play. >> siblings. >> and to add to it, simon is the master at pressing everyone's buttons. kara, true or false, he constantly presses your buttons. >> he does press my button, but now i know his schtick. >> you've tickled her button

once. >> stop it, right now. >> i do not have a brother. >> larry: do you have brothers? do you take them on? >> no, they're much more respectful. >> larry: on that note, more on "idol gives back." you can even start donating now, right on this program. right on this program, you can start donating. and simon is getting married. how did love change him?

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your judges, randy jackson, ellen degeneres, kara dioguardi, and simon cowell. and your host, ryan seacrest. >> larry: we're back. and by the way, you can start contributing to "idol gives back" right now. just go to americanidol.com/idolgivesback. you can do it right now and start pitching in.

let's ask some individual questions. ellen, you did the appeal for feeding america in l.a. with david arquette. did you work with one family? >> no, i went to where they give the food out and the warehouse where the food comes in and learned about -- it's amazing. i mean, what i learned, which was scary, there's so many families and children that are malnourished. and that is, like, the most important time for us to be nourishing our brain. it changes the architecture of our brain if we're malnourished, even for a short time. it affects everything. if kids aren't fed, which is what feeding america is doing right now, it's impacting all of us. >> larry: were you surprised at what you saw? >> yes. also, there are volunteers. $10 gets 90 pounds of food. it's a small amount of money. we're not asking people to donate much, just a small amount

will help a lot of people. >> larry: do you divide the money between the charities? >> we divide it up domestically and internationally. we also felt it was important being "american idol." >> larry: simon, what was your experience with the children's health fund in arizona personally? >> when you actually meet the doctors, meet the kids, meet the family, you know, it's -- it's important because you actually see where the money has gone. and we actually meet real people. it makes a huge difference. and they were nice kids. >> larry: are you surprised this exists in this richest of countries? >> we said from day one, we would only do this if the money went to american charities as well. you can't do a show called "american idol" and send all the money overseas when you've got problems in your own country or in america. when you actually go around the country, and i've been new york, l.a., all sorts of places, arizona. big, big, big problems. and this has made a huge difference. >> larry: we'll be back.

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>> larry: we are back with ryan, simon, ellen, randy and kara, talking about "idol gives back" this wednesday on fox.

they're going to raise millions for five charities, save the children, the united nations fou foundations are this season's beneficiaries. for more information, go to cnn.com/larryking. all right, randy, you're auctioning off something? >> yeah. i did a save the children thing in mississippi with morgan freeman. kara and i are personally auctioning off various things. we're auctioning off singing lessons, vocal lesson to the highest bidder. >> larry: from randy and kara? >> me and kara, come on. >> randy, do you sing? >> yeah. >> and kara, you're teaching someone how to sing? >> yes, ryan. i am. and it won't be you. >> larry: why are you making fun? >> no, she has a beautiful

voice. >> how does it work? >> well, this is just another way to raise more money. randy and i are going to actually define pitchy in the vocal lessons. we're going to tell people what it is. >> larry: spell it. >> p-i-t-c-h-y. >> larry: is that your pitch? >> it means you're between keys. i'm not landing on the note. >> larry: sing a little something. i'm not landing on the note. >> i can do pitchy very well. ♪ somewhere over the rainbow >> i can do pitchy really well. >> i can bo bitchy. >> i can do bitchy, too. >> no, no, no, no. you said ryan did that. >> larry: ask why the idol people giving back concept is important to them and what they do personally.

>> i think it's important because we've got a television show that's viewed all these years by a lot of people. and i think when we can do something good at this level, you can create impact. at that scale you can create impact. and personally, we donate, i know we donate our paychecks that night for the episode. we do the series that night for free and donate each of our paychecks. some of which are different than others. >> larry: that's a terrific gesture. i imagine yours is the largest? >> you don't have to imagine. it's true. >> larry: ellen makes more than you? >> i make a whole lot more. i think that's what we do on that night. but in general, all of us donate to various charities. whenever you have a platform like this, my show, we've raised money for breast cancer awareness, hurricane katrina. when you have an opportunity to reach this many eyeballs and you

can point out situations reaching out to america and more. how does it work? can they pick anything they want? >> they have to. you want to give them your advice and you want to help them but you can't. they have to find their own vision for themselves. >> larry: but the work you do is wonderful. being in africa must have been wonderful for you. >> oh, incredible experience. that's what i love about this show. it's opened up my personal life up to so much and to think you can actually give back and make a difference. and i've seen what "idol" does. >> i think as much as this show and these people have given to us, it's the right thing to do, right? >> larry: everybody lucky enough to be in this business. >> to me, you must give back, it's what you have to do. >> you see a child, whether the

child is from florida or the child is from somewhere in kenya, and they're the same. they're kids. >> larry: simon, is it going to be, truthfully, hard to leave? >> no. no, it's not. >> larry: it's just not going to be hard to leave? >> no. genuinely, i've had the best time of my life. i'm very grateful, as you say, lucky. but you always know when it's the right time to go. and i'll look back and say we had a great time. and i always promised myself i wanted to leave and be able to say that and say, you know, that. >> larry: do you expect to miss it? >> this is getting good. >> oh, this is a good one, larry. >> larry: that's why i do this show. >> i'll probably miss it at times, yeah. but, you know, you can't keep doing the same thing year after year after year. you can't. >> no, larry, you know that. >> come on, larry.

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>> larry: we're back. what a night. "american idol" giving back. let's give it back to new york. anderson cooper will host "ac: 360" at the top of the hour. what's up tonight? >> besides the fact that ryan seacrest is tweeting while you're speaking, we have breaking news tonight on "360." worst kinds of news for hundreds of thousands of travelers. look at these pictures. a new ash cloud has been belching skyward. potentially posing a new threat to air travel. the latest from the ground in iceland and the latest on this where new cloud is moving. also tonight, the 15th anniversary of the oklahoma city bombing. the rise and rhetoric of groups on the political fringe that question whether 9/11 was a government conspiracy, even whether fema is setting up political internment camps.

also tonight, crime and punishment, a popular principal beloved by his students, committed to turning the school around, tonight he is dead, a victim of murder. who killed this inspirational leader and why? police hope new clues hold the answer. we'll take a look at that story. all of that is at the top of the hour about 11 minutes from now. >> larry: last season's "idol" runner-up adam lambert performed on the show last week and mentioned the contestants. here's a sample. >> the top nine took over the stage at viva elvis and adam joined them for a little more conversation about the king and his rock 'n' roll legacy. >> nice. how are you? >> every week keep it fresh and surprise people. >> it's one for the money ♪ ♪ two for the show >> grab it! ♪ three to get ready now go go go note note. >> smile a little bit.

playful, playful. i think that's vibe of the song. >> i've already been compared to you, which is a huge honor. ♪ don't give in aisle little let you down ♪ >> larry: a good idea what adam is doing? mentoring. >> he did it on the show. >> he was great, he was fantastic. >> he was really good. >> larry: in addition to the tv show "idol gives back" has an online auction going. highest bid so far is for a meet and greet with simon at the "idol" season finale. second highest bid for ellen degeneres show, vip package and autographed sneakers. who will make the most money for this auction? >> i did make that bid to meet and greet him backstage. so whoever would like to outbid me. >> it was me. >> larry: give me an example, what kind of bids are you getting? >> doesn't seem like we're getting any bids. >> meet me for the last ever opportunity on "american idol."

>> we don't feel so bad. >> you're giving away tickets for your show and sneakers. >> bid on them myself because they're good looking tennis shoes. >> larry: do you wear those new twisters where they build your height and -- shapeups. do you wear them? >> i don't. >> larry: what are you staring at? i asked if you wear the sneakers. hold on, something's happened to simon. >> he's a bit distracted. >> larry: he's gone human. >> this is a wild show today. >> larry: you just signed a new contract for the show. >> i did. >> larry: how long? >> this season plus two more seasons to host "american idol."

>> >> larry: how long are you committed? >> five years. >> larry: you have more than him? >> yes. i'm going to be the last one there. >> larry: how long are you in there for? >> i have a couple. >> larry: and you? >> i have a few. >> what's a few. >> larry: wait a minute, he's leaving, you have a few, you have a couple, you have five. >> i have two more. >> larry: you are the low man on the totem pole. >> you only have two? >> i signed three. we're in the midst of one. >> just to be clear, the only one with guaranteed five years out of all of you is ellen. >> larry: do you feel hanging by a thread? >> and she's the newest. >> larry: the newest gets the most. >> i don't know, everyone is leaving. >> now what's going to happen to us? i don't know.

>> larry: we are going to take a break and be back. >> no breaks, no breaks. >> larry: we have one more moment, one break more. donate now at americanidol.com idol gives back. more with your guests, our closing segment next. you know, when i grow up, i'm going to own my own restaurant.

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>> larry: elliott was a finalist in season five of "american idol." he went with kara to angola as part of "idol gives back."

there were a bunch of tweets to kings things from people who want to know if there's any chance paula abdul will come back to "idol" with him going. >> we should ask the boss. >> where is he? >> larry: are you still the boss, even after you leave? >> you have been doing this longer than any of us. >> larry: would she come back? >> no, i don't think she will. >> larry: because she wouldn't be asked or she wouldn't accept? >> i think she's moved on. you know, i know a few things paula's up to and you'll hear something fairly soon. >> how about now? >> it's not my business to say it. it's her business. >> larry: you never worked with paula, right? >> no, no. >> larry: when you watched the show, did you like her? >> yeah. i mean, i was a fan of the show and i watched and enjoyed -- i enjoyed her as much as everybody else.

>> larry: randy, do you miss her? >> yeah. i think she's mad cool. she's very interesting. she was great for the show, because she was so unpredictable. >> larry: kara? >> yeah. paula was a big part of my career early on. she gave me a break. >> larry: she sort of brought you in, right? >> yeah. >> larry: what about you? >> she's still around. she's still with us. >> of course i miss her. i used to play her ka-singles when i was a kid. >> larry: prediction from all of you. we'll start with the man leaving. how long is "american idol" going to remain a hit, do you think? >> a long time. i genuinely do believe that. i've always said that. >> larry: why? >> because it's so embedded now. and i think it will run 20, 30 years. >> larry: that long? >> how long have you been on air for? >> larry: 5 years june 1st. longest-running show in television history. same host.

that will be different. ellen, how long do you think this show has legs? >> i think there are people that give up on it and say i'm not watching it and then they watch the next season. so i think there's a constant audience and then there's an audience that goes in and out. it's a great show, a fun formula and you get sucked in. i think some years is better than others depend on the contestants. >> one of the great things about it, families can watch it together. so a dad who doesn't have anything in common with their daughters can sit down and have a conversation. >> you can watch with your pets. >> larry: it has everything you want. it has competition. >> something for everybody. >> and it's a family show. >> as long as there's talent, there's going to be "american idol." >> larry: how about its imitators? >> there are a lot of imitators but that's kind of flattery at this point, right? >> larry: it's nothing new. there's always been a talent

show. >> but i think "idol's" definitely got legs to go on for quite a while longer, i think. >> it's all about finding talent. as long as there's talent out there, there will be "american idol." >> larry: you brought it here. >> i was on the show in england. >> larry: did you know it would make it big? >> no. i genuinely didn't. when we first filmed it here, i thought we would last three or four weeks. i honestly thought that. and i think everybody else thought that as well. so, you know, to be here nine years later, i genuinely -- >> larry: do you have any money goal on "idol gives back" this year? >> to beat last year. >> two years ago. >> the total has been $140 million, so if we can keep on track with adding the right percentage to that would be fantastic. >> larry: we can do nothing but salute you all. it's an honor knowing you all and hosting tonight has been terrific. thank you all very much. >> thanks, larry. >> as always, we appreciate it. >> ryan seacrest, simon cowell, randy jackson,