Although The X Factor has already produced an international sensation in singer Leona Lewis — whose debut album Spirit received three Grammy nominations –Sting doesn’t think the world’s next musical superstars can be found on British television.

And he has no problem telling Simon so.

“I am sorry but none of those kids are going to go anywhere, and I say that sadly. They are humiliated when they get sent off,” the rocker ranted. “How appalling for a young person to feel that rejection. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. In fact, it has put music back decades. Television is very cynical,” Sting continued.

“I tried to keep an open mind, but basically I was looking at televised karaoke where they conform to stereotypes. They are either Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston or [Irish boy band] Boyzone and are not encouraged to create any real unique signature or fingerprint. That cannot come from TV,” he said. “The ‘X Factor’ is a preposterous show and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling.”

Cowell has defended his program, which is rumored to be heading stateside in the coming years.

“Talking about these contestants being a bunch of karaoke no-hopers … I thought it was pompous,” he told PEOPLE, before inviting Sting to come on the show as a mentor.

She also added that Susan appears to have been hit with a “fucking ugly stick.” For the record, this is what Sharon looked like before she dropped a few G’s on gastric bypass and plastic surgery…

Pot, kettle, black?

Simon Cowell, for one, is not surprised by Sharon’s attack on the Britain’s Got Talent star.
According to The Daily Mail, Simon — who signed Susan to his SyCo Record Label earlier this year –thinks that the incident was not out of character for the TV personality, who he worked with on the UK series The X-Factor.

A source close to the music mogul blabs: “This is so typical of Sharon. She never knows when to keep her mouth shut.”

Last week, the notorious Mr. Nasty penned a check for $160,000 for cancer treatment for Sophie Atay, an 18-month old girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of the disease called neuroblastoma earlier this year.

Doctors say immediate treatment could raise Sophie’s chances of survival from just 20 to 90 percent and Sophie’s mom has been campaigning tirelessly for weeks to raise the more than $800,000 needed for experimental treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan. Luckily for the Atays, X-Factor star Alexandra Burke was touched by their story.

Alexandra alerted Simon of Sophie’s fight for life, and he generously paid the remaining amount necessary to get Sophie the care she needed.

“I’d told Simon about the situation and that there was no time to waste because Sophie needs the treatment immediately, and he decided to give her the money in a second,” Burke tells the Mail. “Now we’re hopeful Sophie will be on the flight to the U.S. today.”

The American Idol star has signed a deal worth more than $100 million a year to bring X Factor — his A.I.-esque British series — to American TV, London’s The Daily Mirror newspaper reported Sunday.

Recently departed Idol judge Paula Abdul is in the running for on the show. Cowell will produce, but not appear on, the American version of the show.

The deal will also extend Cowell’s contract with Idol — which had been due to expire — for another two years.

“Paula really screwed up this time,” an Idol staffer tells Globe. “Her ego exploded and it cost her the best job she ever had. She’s lost without Idol.”

Paula had been making about $5 million a year and wanted to more than double that figure.

“The studio made an initial lukewarm offer and Paula’s people passed. Then FOX came back and offered to pony up a respectable 30 percent raise and that still wasn’t enough. Paula could have easily taken the $10 million offer and walked away looking like a champ, but her ego is like a runaway train,” the Idol insider adds.

After taking to her Twitter to announce her departure from the show, Paula reportedly panicked and made a frantic call to Simon, hoping to enlist his help in getting her job back.

“She cried to Simon: ‘I didn’t know what I was doing. Please help me save my job!”

Simon has reportedly agreed to work behind the scenes to try to bring Abdul back to Idol.

“The show can go on without her, but the question is, can Paula go on without Idol?”

“We’ve heard from Fox, who has asked us for approval for Simon Cowell to appear for three more years on ‘Idol,’” Robert Sillerman, CEO 19 Entertainment, tells the trade paper.

“They, in their negotiations with Cowell, have asked us to pre-approve him not only for ‘American Idol’ ‘09, which has begun taping, but they have also asked us for approval for ‘10 and ‘11, indicating to us that they’re finishing their negotiation with Cowell. We did grant approval for that quite obviously.”

American Idol’s Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest hope co-starPaula Abdul will return to the television talent competition, despite a recent public statement from her manager declaring it “unlikely” that the quirky showbiz vet will take her place at the judge’s table when the show kicks off its ninth season on FOX next January.

Auditions for the new season are currently underway, but Paula has yet to ink a new deal with Idol.
On Friday, her manager David Sonenberg revealed that said FOX has not put a contract on the table for Paula — a snub that has left the sensitive star devastated.

“I find under these circumstance particularly unusual; I think unnecessarily hurtful. I find it kind of unconscionable and certainly rude and disrespectful that they haven’t stepped up and said what they want to do,” he said.

Normally sharp-tongued judge Simon is a bit more optimistic.

“She’ll be fine. She’ll be on the show. I don’t get a lot of say. I’ve just made it clear that I want Paula on the show. Full stop,” he told Extra on Monday.

Host Ryan Seacrest also expressed similar thoughts, saying, “I think as far as I know you’ll see everybody back. I hope so.”

Don’t look now, Oprah, but Simon’s gaining on you…..

Simon Cowell, who reportedly made $36 million for judging television’s hit singing competition, American Idol, has been offered between $100 million and $144 million per year by co-producers FOX and 19 Entertainment to stay with the show when his contract expires next May, according to London’s The Guardian.

Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest hit a London — er — club Thursday night – and by club we mean the kind for stripping. That’s right, the American Idol frenemies enjoyed a night of pole-dancing at Stringfellows, a little place with a charming name — where lap dances reportedly go for $100 a pop.

Spywitnesses tell RadarOnline, when Cowell and Seacrest exited the gentleman’s club at 3:30 AM, the sharp-tongued Idol judge had lipstick smeared on his face.

Simon Cowell is set to remake Saturday Night Fever…..We’re dying to hear your thoughts on this.

The 1977 box office hit starred John Travolta Tony Manero, a New York City dance frantic, who is a hit at the local disco but unsuccessful in the rest of his life. Tony goes on to become a featured Broadway dancer — but that’s another movie :)

An unidentified insider tells Britain’s The Sun newspaper that the the sharp-tongued music mogul is in discussions with producer Robert Stigwood, who owns the rights to the screenplay, to update the film.

And you’ll never guess who they want for the lead role — High Schoool Musical’s own Zac Efron!

“Simon has been looking into buying the rights for years and opened discussions with Robert about the remake,” blabs a source. “The charm offensive has been in full swing and they made a breakthrough over the last couple of weeks. Robert was keen to get some assurances the original wouldn’t be completely butchered before he agreed to the deal.”

Award-winning hip-hop producer Timbaland is being courted to rework Saturday Night Fever’s original soundtrack– which featured a host of classic disco classics by The Bee Gees, including “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than A Woman,” and “Night Fever.”

The album topped the U.S. charts for 24 weeks after it release.

“Simon has been drawing up a list of people he wants to get involved. When that meets Robert’s expectations, the contracts will be signed.”