Bret Michaels is emerging as a frontrunner to fill the American Idol judging spot left vacant by Simon Cowell – according to Bret Michaels anyway.

The Poison frontman told Parade.com he is in talks with AI bosses about possibly replacing Cowell.

Michaels had previously given a live performance on the show’s finale – his first since suffering a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, followed by a mild stroke –  and he later told the crowd during a Biloxi Miss. Concert “I can’t say this is true yet, cause I don’t know. Next year they asked me to possibly be the judge on American Idol.”

Now he tells Parade, “We have a meeting in L.A. in a couple weeks and we’re going to sit down and talk. They did a poll and I think it was Madonna, P. Diddy, Howard Stern and myself, and I took 50 per cent or 60 per cent of the vote and that’s tremendous. I would love to be a judge on American Idol. I think I would bring a lot to the table.

“I’m not built exactly like Simon Cowell, but, at the same time, I respect what he did. I would have to bring my own personality. I think if they have someone in there to try to imitate Simon, it would be a mistake; he’s an original.”

Meanwhile, AI judge Kara DioGuardi may have chosen Harry Connick Jr. as her favourite. The crooner was a mentor last season and DioGuardi reportedly told ABC’s Nightline she thinks he would make a good Cowell replacement. She said, “The way that he worked with the contestants, he really cared about them. I thought he was really, really great.”

(Photo by PR Photos)

Story provided by the Dish Information Corporation