He may be out of contention:

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/07/21...-simon-cowell/

The race for American Idol‘s 10th season prize is heating up — and not just because the show’s second set of cattle-call auditions kick off today in Milwaukee, Wis. Indeed, the search to find a replacement for exiting judge Simon Cowell is underway, too, with The Hollywood Reporter breaking the news that singer-actor Chris Isaak has met twice with Fox executives about the position. THR’s story also mentions Fox is still considering Harry Connick Jr., who has been buzzed about as a potential judge since he memorably mentored season 9 contestants on Frank Sinatra night; has nixed the idea of Bret Michaels, who has publicly lobbied for the job since dueting with contestant Casey James on the season 9 finale; and has been approached quietly by none other than Donald Trump about the judges’ table vacancy. Spokespersons for Fox and Fremantle Media declined to comment on this story; reps for Isaak and American Idol did not immediately respond to requests for comment.