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Guest judge Bayer Sager survives the 'Idol' cut

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Was it simply good editing or did American Idol guest judge Carole Bayer Sager re-record her comments for last night's New York audition show? The air-brushed Joan Collins lookalike fit right in on the judge's panel-- despite an earlier threat that she was such a corpse, she might be edited out of the show. In an Entertainment Weekly cover story a couple of weeks back, Simon Cowell complained about the lame guest judges he and his millionaire counterparts were saddled with.

And the one singled out as most excruciating was high society songwriter Bayer Sager:

According to (producer Ken) Warwick, things were so awkward that Bayer Sager, who was ''really quite subdued,'' could have most of her critiques edited out. (When reached for comment, Bayer Sager said she was ''very happy'' with the experience.) ''Lovely lady,'' Warwick says, ''but how can I put this nicely? She didn't add much.''

You wouldn't know it from last night's show.

Bayer Sager, who's 59 but could have been 80 under all that makeup and Liz Taylor wig, held her own on the panel, and was no less mediocre than any Idol guest judge or "mentor." In fact, she was kinda spunky in the segment in which Simon Cowell and his manboobs went missing. But with Idol's crackerjack editing, and performers and judges shot against their generic backdrops, it's often unclear whether the contestants are actually performing for the judges or whether the judges' comments or reaction shots are done in real time.

Even so, Bayer Sager was given a little help. Suddenly, in the middle of a montage segment, Bayer Sager was gone and grumpy, botoxed Grease: You're the One That I Want interview subject Olivia Newton-John popped in.

--Tabloid Baby

Comments (1)

IHeartTV [TypeKey Profile Page]:

I, for one, enjoyed CaBaSa. She's no Simon Cowell... but I liked whatever they did with her.

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