SIMON COWELL - MANILOW EMBRACES COWELL REJECTS

Teen triplets rejected by SIMON COWELL on AMERICAN IDOL recently have quickly gone on to bigger and better things - BARRY MANILOW has asked them to open his Las Vegas show.

On Thursday (24FEB05), the MANDY star kicked off his show in the American gambling capital, and after hearing that 18-year-old blondes MANDY, ERIN and MELISSA MAYNARD failed to impress Idol judge Cowell - who branded them "three overweight JESSICA SIMPSONs" - Manilow has taken them under his wing.

Judge MARILYN MILIAN, of American TV show PEOPLE'S COURT - who was outraged along with much of America when she learned of Cowell's comments - says, "Simon, shame on you... Girls, thank him because he's created such controversy and such a furore that all of America is rooting for you."