JEWEL - JEWEL DEFENDS IDOL JUDGES

Pop star JEWEL has defended the AMERICAN IDOL judges for poking fun at wannabe pop stars - because so many terrible talents really think they're good. The singer, who was a guest judge for auditions in Minnesota, admits she was stunned by how many awful hopefuls really thought they were pop star material - and applauds judges SIMON COWELL, PAULA ABDUL and RANDY JACKSON for their harsh comments. Jewel says, "I was shocked at the seriousness of them (wannabes). They really, really believed they were going to win." While Jewel felt awful about "shattering somebody's perception of themselves," she felt some hopefuls needed a dressing down and she left the audition process feeling sorry for the judges and the long hours they have to put in listening to terrible singers. Cowell, Jackson and Abdul came under fire last week (ends19JAN07) for picking on auditioning contestants in Seattle, Washington.