Breaking News: Houston, We Have a Problem

This is not good…

“The Hollywood Reporter” exclusively reported today that “Idol” creator Simon Fuller is suing FOX for money he claims the network owes him.

The lawsuit stems from the settlement of Fuller’s lawsuit against Simon Cowell back in 2004. According to the papers Fuller filed, the settlement—which cleared the way for “Factor” to come to the U.S.—entitled Fuller to a producer fee for “The X Factor,” which he says FOX and Fremantle North America have not paid.

You can read all the details of the suit here.

This is bad because the lawsuit between the Simons nearly destroyed “Idol” and created a lot of hard feelings. I’ve got to believe that Fuller suing the network and the production company is not going to make things any easier.

The “Reporter” article also says that Fuller is angry over how much attention FOX has showered on launching “The X Factor.” Um, I was under the impression that’s what all networks did to launch new shows. Clearly, there’s some touchiness going on here…

Stay Tuned, folks…