Simon Cowell Denies Stealing Grease Reality Show Concept  12/21/06

Simon Cowell has denied stealing the concept for a talent show based on the hit musical Grease.

The American Idol judge has announced plans for a British TV program to find male and female leads for a new West End production of the show.

Its concept is similar to this year's (06) BBC series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, which searched for a leading lady to star in The Sound of Music.

But Cowell, who has signed a big money deal with the ITV network, has laughed off speculation he stole the idea from the BBC.

He says, "We didn't steal it off them because it wasn't theirs in the first place.

"I'm confident that this will be a hit because Grease is the best musical on the planet."