Smallscreen News

Simon Cowell and Sting? Not so much

By April MacIntyre Nov 19, 2009, 17:45 GMT

Simon Cowell -What Sting actually said was the show was "appalling" and furthered the crushing current mediocrity of the pop music industry, in an interview with the London Evening Standard. © Janet Mayer / PR Photos

"X-Factor" judge Simon Cowell has snapped back in typical Simon-esque style over criticism on Cowell's British talent show, "The X Factor" after Sting said he wouldn't let his dog appear on that stage (kidding).

What Sting actually said was the show was "appalling" and furthered the crushing current mediocrity of the pop music industry, in an interview with the London Evening Standard.

"It's a preposterous show, and you have judges who have no recognizable talent apart from self-promotion," Sting, 58, said. "Basically I was looking at televised karaoke where they conform to stereotypes. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music."

Cowell never missed a beat.

"Talking about these contestants being a bunch of karaoke no-hopers … I thought it was pompous," Cowell reportedly shared on The Xtra Factor. "Someone has got a little bit grumpy," he joked with his co-judges. "We'd like a Sting week."

The twelfth of never, maybe?