0:43LOS ANGELES – I was just about to ask Lionel Richie to reveal his true feelings about dancing on the ceiling when we were interrupted by a tap on the pop legend's shoulder: Katy Perry wanted to sing.
A few minutes later, the two singers huddled around a hotel-lobby piano with country star Luke Bryan for a very loose version of the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There."
"You're welcome, ABC!" Perry boomed after the impromptu performance for roughly 100 cocktail party guests in January.
The network has shown its gratitude by forking over a reported $25 million for the "Roar" hitmaker to headline the reboot of "American Idol" that premieres Sunday and will go up against "The Voice" the following night.
That massive investment may pay off. Perry brings a playful, perky attitude to the judges' table that's been missing since Steven Tyler mistook the show — once a ratings juggernaut for the Fox network — for a speed-dating mixer. In the first episode, Perry calms the nerves of a teenage contestant by granting him his first kiss. And I think she liked it.
"I'm inspired by their raw dreams, their raw ambition, their hope," said one of the most successful female recording artists of all time. "I'm watching and thinking, 'Oh, my gosh, I was there 10 years ago.'
"I had two cars repossessed. I had three labels drop me. I was couch-surfing. I was eating Trader Joe's frozen chicken nuggets every day of the week. I know exactly where you are. And we have this ability to give them this incredible journey."
Richie, who took a break from the 27-city audition tour to be feted during the Kennedy Center Honors, admits that he hesitated before joining the show, but eventually realized the series was the best way to share his wisdom with the next generation.
