Cheryl Cole? She's a singer, right? asks J-Lo

Cheryl Cole's desperate bid to join the American version of The X Factor, which is launched later this year, has taken another awkward turn. This time it's not TV chiefs asking whether the audience will understand her Geordie accent, but a suspiciously bitchy remark from one of the biggest music stars in the States, Jennifer Lopez.

Lopez was asked about Cheryl Cole by a weekend supplement and responded: "Someone mentioned [Cheryl] to me yesterday... She is a singer, right?"

Ouch!

Lopez went on: "I don't know much about her and I don't know her music. But I would be happy to learn about it."

There are two possible reasons for J-Lo's ignorance about 'our Cheryl', who may not be a big star in the US but has enjoyed number one singles in the UK with Fight For This Love and Promise This.

One, it's genuine and those American TV execs who think Cole doesn't have a high enough profile to be a judge on The X Factor are perhaps right.

Two, it was a sly dig at a potential competitor. Lopez is, of course, a judge on American Idol, the talent show Fox are hoping to dislodge from the number one spot when Simon Cowell's X Factor show finally comes on air in September.

In the meantime, Cole waits and waits to see if she will be picked as a judge. Cowell and US music mogul LA Reid are already definites and the other two are expected to be announced in the next 10 days or so.

Among Cole's rivals are said to be the Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and Katy Perry, aka Mrs Russell Brand. Mariah Carey is no longer on the list. Cowell said today: "I can rule out Mariah. She was literally going to be, like, eight months pregnant, and that wasn't going to work." ·