Idol Rich: Is Simon Cowell Worth $144 Million a Year?

Matt Mitovich — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:20:00 -0400

Simon Cowell could command a salary of $108 million to $144 million if he continues with American Idol beyond the coming season, according to a British newspaper.

Cowell, who serves as the most polarizing — and thus the most entertaining — judge on the Fox hit has been offered "three to four times" his current annual appearance fee of $36 million, a source close to Idol executive producer Simon Fuller tells the U.K.'s The Guardian.

Read how Ryan Seacrest keeps Idol pitch-perfect

A Fox spokesperson ...

Adam Lambert Speaks Out Against Pre-Idol Recordings

Adam Bryant — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:07:00 -0400

Before you download Adam Lambert's new single, "Want," on iTunes, there's something the American Idol runner-up would like you to know.

"Back in 2005, when I was a struggling artist, I was hired as a studio singer to lend my vocals to tracks written by someone else," Lambert said in a statement. "I was broke at the time and this was my chance to make a few bucks, so I jumped at the opportunity to record for my first time in a professional studio. The work I did back then in no way reflects the music I am currently in the studio working on."

"Want" — which leaked on the Internet last week — will be packaged with other old tracks and released as an album this summer titled On with the Show. The 11 tracks were recorded ...

Great American Idol Blog

Idol Rich: Is Simon Cowell Worth $144 Million a Year?

Adam Lambert Speaks Out Against Pre-Idol Recordings