{blackbabes} 'The X Factor': Simon Cowell wants Rihanna as a judge

Simon Cowell may have found someone to fill L.A. Reid's spot on "The X Factor" next season: pop megastar Rihanna.

Unless, that is, Rihanna would rather be part of the British "X Factor."

The report that Cowell has zeroed in on Rihanna comes from U.K. tabloid The Sun, so take it with however much salt you wish. A source tells the paper that Cowell will offer her a role as judge of either the U.K. or U.S. "X Factor" and thinks she can help boost ratings because of her stardom and the fact that she's "feisty."

"Simon loves these sorts of characters," the source says.

(The same source also claims Cowell "is thought to want" Rihanna's off-and-on boyfriend Chris Brown on the show too. Cowell's spokesperson shot that notion down.)

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports Cowell will meet with the producers of the British "X Factor" in January for a "crisis summit" aimed at rejuvenating the show. The U.K. show's finale last week drew 11 million viewers, making it the show's least-watched finale since 2006. Critics have also been unkind to the most recent season.

"There is not one element we will not be looking at carefully -- from judges and start times to auditions and glitzy productions," executive producer Richard Holloway tells the Guardian.

Do you think Rihanna would make a good "X Factor" judge? Would she get you to tune in?