Barack Obama may have defeated John McCain, but Simon Cowell looks like a far more formidable opponent.
Fox’s “American Idol” won the popular vote on Tuesday with ABC’s coverage of the inaugural balls finishing a distant second.
Preliminary Nielsen numbers show that the first hour of “American Idol” brought in 22.4 million viewers. ABC’s “Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration” scored only 12.6 million viewers.
Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inauguration, the most watched in history, scored 41.8 million viewers.
The American Idol judges watched the attached video of Barack Obama singing. Simon, Randy and Kara said, “No.” Paula asked if she could be ambassador to Funkytown.
