George Michael, Mariah Carey, Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul are all said to be possibilities for the roles of judges in the upcoming US version of the hit television talent show X-Factor.

Simon Cowell named names during an interview with the celebrity television show Access Hollywood but added that he was in no rush to make his final decision.

Simon Cowell told the show that had spoken with Mariah Carey and said: “We've spoken to lots of people. I've spoken to Paula...we've taken it down to a smaller group of people and she (Abdul) is in that panel. But you know, its more than me who makes the decision.”

Cowell has never hidden his admiration for Paula Abdul however being a judge on the X Factor is very different to being a judge on American Idol as the X factor judges are also mentors and are therefore actively involved in the development of the stars picked to appear on the live performances.

Judges help with everything from styling to song choices and from coaching to production issues making the choice for the judges a more delicate decision for Simon Cowell ad the team.

Simon Cowell had said previously that he would be filling one of the judges chairs in the US show which is due to hit television screens in America in the autumn.

The show has already received a huge amount of hype after Simon Cowell revealed that he would be offering the winner of the show a record breaking prize of $5 million as well as a record contract.

While who is on the list is a little clearer now Simon Cowell has also said that both Katy Perry and new father Elton John, were not shortlisted to be judges on the show this season.