You probably knew that Simon Cowell was pretty rich. But the Sunday Times Rich List has revealed that his wealth has increased by £40million, just in the last year. He's now apparently worth around £100million. You know, I was happy earlier. The sun was shining, I felt rich with the gladness of spring. Now I'm miserable because that makes me feel poor. Other music types still on the list include Robbie Williams, who used to be richer than Cowell but is now £5 million poorer, and Paul McCartney. There's a programme about it on the telly tonight, 9pm on ITV1, apparently.
Elsewhere in Cowell news, the talent show judge has denied accusations that he was disrespectful to the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. The claim is that he was caught rolling his eyes on camera when American Idol contestant, Chris Richardson, paid tribute to the dead after his slot on the show on Monday night. Cowell, however, says he was actually talking to his fellow judge about the contestant's performance. "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never disrespect those families or victims" he is quoted as saying.
Executive producer Ken Warwick backed him up, explaining that Cowell had not even been able to hear what Richardson was saying, and adding: "He would be the biggest fool on television if he did that. And he's not a fool, believe me". Meanwhile, fellow producer Nigel Lythgoe has also leapt to his defence, saying "this is a sad time for everyone, so it is especially disheartening that a quick camera cutaway could have been misinterpreted".