Now that [article id="1656275"]"American Idol" has kicked off its 10th season[/article] with a bright, shiny new group of judges, it's almost hard to remember that chaotic time over the summer when the fate of the panel was in limbo -- back when [article id="1644563"]Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake and Elton John[/article] were all rumored to be in consideration.

When MTV News caught up with Sir Elton recently as he promoted the upcoming animated film "Gnomeo & Juliet," for which John composed original songs, we asked if he'll be making any appearances on "Idol" this season.

"I don't know if you'll see me on this season," he said. "But you won't see me judging, obviously! But I don't know if I'm going to be on it. They've always been very, very generous to the AIDS Foundation," John said of the [article id="1644563"]"Idol Gives Back"[/article] charity show. "I'm very, very grateful. They've been helpful to us. I don't know if I'm going to be on or not. I can't answer that question."

With regard to fellow Brit and former "Idol" judge [article id="1629466"]Simon Cowell's "X Factor,"[/article] however, John brightened a bit when we asked what he thinks of it and how well it will do in the U.S.

" 'X Factor' is going to be a huge show," John said. "It's going to be huge, because you can have bands on there, and that's one thing I wanted to change, if I had been on 'American Idol,' " he revealed. "Get away from the solo stuff. Let's have bands, let's have writers, let's have songwriters, let's change the format a little, and that's why 'X Factor' is going to do so well, because it's a different lineup. You can have bands and groups. That's more interesting I think."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' [article id="1486475"]"American Idol" page[/article], where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.