Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell is said to be trying to persuade two familiar faces to join him at the judges panel on Fox's "The X Factor."

Cowell is in negotiations with his past "American Idol" partner Paula Abdul and his current UK "X Factor" judge Cheryl Cole for become the judging panel on the show, which launches on Fox in fall 2011.

With Abdul and Cole on board Cowell be certain af a team with which he shares a comfortable chemistry on the new series.

Bringing in Paula Abdul in particular would give Cowell the the heart of the original "Idol" judging team, which was split when Abdul quit the show in August over contract disagreements.

The judges on "X Factor" are if anything more crucial to the success of the show than on "Idol" because each judge mentors a group of singers and as such becomes part of the competition rather than simply grading from the sidelines.

Cowell makes no secret of the fact he "adores" Abdul and shares a similarly close onscreen relationship with Cheryl Cole on the U.K. version of the show. Cole, 26, also would add a more youthful presence to the judges table.

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