Simon Cowell made $36 million last year for judging American Idol, but his contract expires in May. The co-producers of FOX and 19 Entertainment must really love him because they’ve offered him between $100 million and $144 million per year to stay. More than four times his previous salary.

While $36 million may seem like a lot of money for five months worth of snarky comments and eye-rolls, it’s only a fraction of the estimated $900 million that “Idol” rakes in a year. As the lynchpin of the

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