Simon Talks About Paula Goodspeed...

In a conference call with reporters yesterday (as reported on USAToday.com), Simon Cowell addressed the death of Paula Goodspeed…

Simon said her death “hit us like an express train…We're talking about tragedy here. I really don't like referring to this person as a stalker. So let's refer to her as a fan.”

Simon said he takes producers “at their word” that they didn’t know Goodspeed was “as troubled as she was.”

As for whether or not Simon will tone down his remarks, the answer is no. “I have thought long and hard about this. I think we will continue in the way we've always done it. In the main, we've tried to have a sense of humor over the whole process…You assume everyone who enters ‘American Idol’ kind of knows the score. If you're not great, you're going to get criticism.”

Also during the call, Simon thanked everyone for their support and referred to the show as “the best eight years of my life”…