Simon Cowell is to be paid £88m-a-year to renew his American Idol contract, the Guardian newspaper claim. Sources say Cowell is paid £22m-a-year by the show’s producers Fox and 19 Entertainment under the terms of his current contract. But the agreement is due to expire in May and Cowell is negotiating hard and has enlisted the help of his friend, Topshop owner, Sir Philip Green. "This is about properly owning himself,” an insider said. “Brand Cowell, everything he does, new formats and new programs, not just the ones starring him." Fox and 19 Entertainment both declined to comment on the rumours.
