Furious Simon Cowell on October 23, 2010 blasted back at Elton John and insisted the pop legend was wrong to lambast X Factor acts as boring and "brain crippling".

And Simon vowed to send Sir Elton a tape of Rebecca Ferguson's barnstorming performance of Nora Lee King's "Why Don't You Do It Right" to prove him wrong.

With an estimated 13 million viewers watching at home, Simon said: "Elton John said in the papers ... he said that these shows don't produce stars. Well Elton if you're not watching, I'm going to send you this tape and you can take back what you said."

Earlier music mogul Simon, 51, exclusively told the Sunday Mirror: "The truth is Elton's watching the show every week. What he's slightly missing the point on, and you always hear this resentment from bigger artists nowadays... they don't like the fact a show can make an artist. I always say to these people who criticise - why don't you spend some time with new artists. If Elton feels that strongly about it then my message to him is: "You show me how to do it."

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