Simon Cowell is currently in negotiations with Fox for his next “American Idol” contract and if the Big Fat Rumor of the Day is true, he’s in for an enormous bump. This past year, Simon reportedly made $36 million for doing “Idol” and according to Britain’s “The Guardian” newspaper, Fox has offered Simon, “three or four times that amount” to stay on the show. That means his next contract could pay him between $100 million and $144 million per year. Not surprisingly, Fox won’t comment on any of this. And Simon’s people haven’t, either. As ridiculous as those numbers sound, “Idol” is a huge moneymaker. It’s the highest-rated show on TV and it generates an estimated $900 million a year for Fox. Just to be clear, Simon is signed through next season. His contract is up after that in May of next year.

Mariah Carey has been shooting a music video for her new single, “Obsessed”, this week and in some of the scenes, Mariah is made up like a man. Some pictures from the shoot have been released and Mariah looks pretty convincing as a guy. Now, because Mariah is wearing a gray hoodie and a baseball hat in some of the pics, people think she’s trying to take a dig at Eminem. Never mind the fact that she also has dark hair and a thick goatee. When “Obsessed” was released, some people thought it was her answer to Em’s track, “Bagpipes from Baghdad” where he raps about wanting to take Mariah “back” from her husband, Nick Cannon. But Mariah is not copping to taking a shot at anyone. She says, “It was weird, but I wasn’t playing anyone in particular we were actually inspired by “The King of Comedy” starring Jerry Lewis and Robert DeNiro.” She adds that she was trying to look like, “your regular everyday stalker.”

Hayden Panettiere is ok with getting naked for the whole world to see. In fact, she bares her body in her new flick, “I love You, Beth Cooper”. Hayden plays Beth, a high school cheerleader. Cooper is the object of affection for a nerdy character played by Denis Cooverman. During a steamy locker room scene in the film, she drops her towel. But, according to Hayden, she’s fine with the decision. She reveals, “If I can’t flaunt it at 20, come on! I mean I might as well show it now.”

It looks like Michael Jackson is not the biological father of his three kids. But, here’s another wrinkle: There’s talk that Debbie Rowe isn’t the biological mother of the two eldest children. Yes, Debbie carried both 12-year-old Prince Michael and 11-year-old Paris in her womb. But this new rumor claims they were created in vitro, and supposedly, she didn’t supply the egg. Debbie’s attorney is strongly denying this. She says, “We refuse to be drawn into addressing the various rumors and speculation swirling in the media. The vast majority of what is out there is untrue. Particularly hurtful and insidious is the most recent rumor which is entirely false concerning the maternity of the children. Ms. Rowe is the biological mother of the two oldest children.” Meanwhile, “Us Weekly” claims that the real father of Prince and Paris is Debbie’s former boss and Michael’s former dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein. A “Jackson insider” says, “Dr. Klein is the dad.  He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth.” As for the youngest child, Prince Michael, II, he was also conceived in vitro, and born to a surrogate mother who was, presumably, the biological parent. But Michael, once again, allegedly, was not the sperm donor. If Michael isn’t the biological father of any of these children, that brings up an interesting issue. According to TMZ, Michael never filed papers to adopt any of these kids. Which means that the actual biological parents, whomever they may be, could conceivably have a stronger claim to them. It’s not clear if the mother of Prince Michael, II knew she was carrying a baby for Michael Jackson. Supposedly, the kid was scooped up from the hospital by an attorney just a few days after he was born.
There will be some kind of memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Neverland Ranch this weekend. The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department is already coordinating with the California Highway Patrol on issues like traffic and crowd control. Michael’s body is expected to be transported from L.A. to the ranch tomorrow. Details haven’t been released yet, but sources say a public service, with Michael’s body “lying in state”, may take place on Friday, followed by a private service on Sunday. The Jackson Family has already denied that Michael will be buried at Neverland. But we saw that a cement truck arrived there yesterday.