Cowell blasts Hudson for Idol remarks

Simon Cowell has blasted Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson after she called American Idol "a stepping stone" - insisting she wouldn't have been cast in Dreamgirls without the US talent show.

Hudson was a contestant on Idol in 2004, but was voted off before the final. Over a year later, she auditioned for the role of Effie White in the big-screen version of the musical Dreamgirls and was cast.