Lillywhite seeking Cowell`s ‘Idol’ seat

Detroit: Steve Lillywhite wants to "help America find the next Elvis Presley." And that`s why the Grammy Award-winning producer -- whose resume includes work with U2, the Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz, Morrissey, the Rolling Stones, Phish and scores of others -- wants to be ‘American Idol`s’ next Simon Cowell.The British-born, New York-based Lillywhite has mounted a full-scale campaign to be considered for the job Cowell will be vacating after this season of the hit show to helm the US rollout of his British TV series ‘The X Factor.’ Lillywhite has hired an agent and publicist. He also has posted a short clip on YouTube extolling his bona-fides, and he recently filmed "a slightly more professional" video that will be out soon.

"I think I have the right credentials," Lillywhite told Billboard.com. "I`m quite effervescent. I`m quite opinionated. I`m funny. I can do this job. If people say, `Oh, you`re just a rock producer,` I`m not. I`m a pop producer, because pop music is popular music. I`d like to think a lot of the things I do are popular. Rob Thomas, Jason Mraz, Chris Cornell, Amy Lee, Morrissey -- none of those are rock singers. Bono is a crooner ... Frank Sinatra with electric guitars. I would like to feel I can present the public with 24 contestants that they can really help go on this journey." Lillywhite also promised that he can "commit 100 percent" to ‘Idol`s’ six-month annual tenure. "I don`t run a business or anything like that," he said, "so when I`m not in the studio I`m not doing anything. It`s not like `Idol` would be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for me and then on Friday I do a day in the office to run my business. I would be perfect for just putting everything aside for six months. I would really scour the country and find some great nuggets." Lillywhite said he`s an avid ‘Idol’ watcher and, not surprisingly, said that "of all the judges I tend to agree with Simon the most. But I think the difference between me and Simon is my view of what the star could be is slightly broader than his. I see the possibility of a star in wider strokes." Lillywhite met Cowell in the early `80s, and he used judge Randy Jackson as a bassist on Aretha Franklin`s 1986 remake of the Rolling Stones` "Jumpin` Jack Flash" for the film of the same name. Lillywhite, who`s producing the next Evanescence album in New York, said he hasn`t heard anything from ‘Idol’ production company 19 Entertainment or Fox Television since he started the campaign for Cowell`s job. Bureau Report