'She's a singer right?' Cheryl Cole's US hopes dealt a new blow as Jennifer Lopez admits she 'doesn't know much about her'

By SARA NATHAN and LIZ THOMAS

Snub: Jennifer Lopez has admitted she'd never heard of Cheryl Cole in a new interview


Jennifer Lopez has dealt Cheryl Cole’s hopes of hitting the big time in the U.S. a blow after admitting she doesn’t know much about the British singer.

Miss Cole is poised to take a role on the American version of The X Factor which Simon Cowell is launching later this year, but executives are worried the star simply does not have a high enough profile.

Show insiders said that the 27-year-old Girls Aloud singer is set to take a role on the new programme in a multi-million pound deal but there has been some anguish about whether viewers will know who she is or be able to understand the Geordie star’s accent.

Miss Lopez, 41, who is a judge on rival show American Idol, has now twisted the knife by admitting she knows very little about Miss Cole and was not even sure what she did for a living.

‘Someone mentioned [Cheryl] to me yesterday,’ Miss Lopez told Fabulous magazine.
‘She is a singer, right?


Hopeful: Cheryl, pictured at the Prince's Trust awards in London last week, is set to appear on the U.S. X Factor


Giving her a role on his new American version of The X Factor is a gamble for Cowell – who is determined that the show will be a hit.

He so far only formally named one judge to appear on the panel - record executive and music producer Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid.

He has helped launch the careers of stars including Mariah Carey, Pink, Rihanna, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.

Singers Nicole Scherzinger, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey, rapper Nicki Minaj and George Michael have been among the names also touted to join.


Rival: Lopez is a judge on rival programme American Idol


Auditions for the series began today with around 18,000 hopefuls descending on Los Angeles in a bid to become a star.

Cowell has a difficult task ahead of him as rival show American Idol which has big name stars Miss Lopez, Randy Jackson and Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler on the panel, remains the most watched programme in the U.S. pulling in as much as 30 million viewers an episode.

Cowell, 51, used to be a judge but quit to launch The X Factor there.

The winner of the show will receive a Sony Music recording contract worth $5million - which is far higher than the £1million deal offered on the British show.


Not famous enough for U.S. TV? Jennifer admitted she didn't know Cheryl's music but 'would be happy to learn about it,' but her ignorance underlines X Factor producers' concerns


Miss Lopez , who has a music and merchandise empire worth £150million, said joining the judging panel on American Idol had boosted her popularity.

She said: ‘I think it is helping to show people the real me for the first time. It’s funny because I always knew that person was there - it’s just that no one else did!
‘I guess I was always a character, either with a script in a movie or performing a song on the stage, and people never saw the human side of me. Now viewers can see that I’m emotional and passionate and human.’


source: dailymail