AMERICAN IDOL - COWELL BLASTS PRINCE

AMERICAN IDOL judge SIMON COWELL has turned his famous barbed comments on PRINCE after being appalled by the pop superstar's surprise performance at the show's finale last week (24MAY06). The PURPLE RAIN hitmaker took to the stage at the Kodak Theatre for a quick run through two new songs before dashing off, refusing to meet the Idol contestants or greet the audience. Idol host RYAN SEACREST has since reported that he feared Prince would be a no-show - because he appeared just minutes before he was due to hit the stage. And Cowell insists Prince's attitude isn't one he'd like Idol winners to display at any time in their career. He says, "It just tells you how selfish he is. He comes on, not a word - 'I'm not gonna sing with anybody else, I'm not gonna say goodbye.' Thank you for your generosity, Prince."