Michael Buble Almost Told Simon Cowell To 'Go F*** Himself'

Well, this might frame Michael Buble's appearance on next week's "The X Factor" a tad differently.

The Canadian crooner - who looks set to claim Billboard's charts crown - got an interesting first impression of current "X Factor" and former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell since a 2007 televised "American Idol" performance when he caught Cowell rolling his eyes at him.

Buble told the Radio Times that when Cowell made the dismissive gesture as he sang "Call Me Irresponsible" before an audience of 20 million, it more than hurt him.

"The first thing I saw when I got on stage was Simon," Buble recalled. "I sang about four lines and he looked at me and did this [he rolls his eyes] and that was it, I was done. It killed me. My confidence dropped.

"Maybe Cheryl Cole gets a little quiet and more demure when she loses her confidence. But I become aloof. I get the attitude of, "Oh really? Well, f*** you. You don't like me? Then go f*** yourself. I'm just gonna do whatever."'

Later, Buble passed his account of the moment along to Australian pop star Danii Minogue, who confronted Cowell over it. Cowell claimed he wasn't even aware he'd done it. Minogue suggested to the singer that Cowell was in the middle of a five-hour taping and was probably thinking more about his next bathroom break than performance etiquette, Buble said.

That wasn't exactly the way he handled it at the time, though.

"But I'm so sensitive I took it as a rejection," Buble said. "Anyway, every time I've ever talked to him since then he's been incredibly nice."

Still, he's probably not the only one who's ever wanted to tell Cowell just where he can go and what he can do.