Is Simon Cowell worth $144 million a year?

A story that ran in today's New York Post reported that Simon Cowell has been offered triple to quadruple his current salary attached to Idol. Instead of the already staggering $36 million he made this past season, Simon could take a sum of $100-144 million per year if he chooses to stay on with the show once his contract expires in May. Per the Post:

To get more of the pie, he's been leaning on long-time friend and UK retail multibillionaire Sir Philip Green -- who owns hot fashion franchise Top Shop -- for help negotiating the terms of what would be a new "Idol" contract, reports say. Green is said to be lobbying hard for an increase in Cowell's appearance fee on the show.

Talk about a savvy business man. Someone close to Green added:

"This is about properly owning himself, Brand Cowell, everything he does, new formats and new programs, not just the ones starring him," a source close to Green told The Guardian.

Wow. $144 million. Per year. Nothing comes close in the world of television. Remember when it was big news that Katie Couric was making $15 million when she transitioned to CBS?

This is really disgusting on so many levels that he can potentially eat up 16% of the franchise's annual revenue ($900 million). But on the other hand, you've got to give Simon credit for knowing how to do business. The question is, will this be enough to keep him going?