Sun-Times TV critic Doug Elfman already interviewed Simon Cowell and "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, but in an Associated Press interview with Lythgoe released today he added something we find amusing — and telling of our lonely life amid the writers strike.

It's not as if "Idol" has ever had a problem generating staggering ratings, but Lythgoe is more confident than usual that this season's contest will score highly. ‘‘Everyone is sort of saying that there isn’t anything else on television to watch,’’ Lythgoe said.

As a result, of course, getting your ad on during the show ain't cheap. Thirty-second commercials for this "Idol" season went on the block at $750,000 per, but now are going for as much as $1 million. "You have the No. 1 program in television for the last four years, and now it's going up against even weaker competition," ad-buying firm executive Ray Dundas told The Los Angeles Times. "Idol is going to do very, very well."