AceShowbiz - Simon Cowell has lodged a formal complaint with Britain's media watchdog over allegations his hit U.K. TV show "The X Factor" is fixed. The music mogul has seen his singing competition plunged into controversy during its current season amid claims the voting system is engineered to keep certain acts on the program.

The gossip came to a head this week with the publication of a report which suggested Cowell is aware of the results of the crucial weekly viewers' poll in advance - and he is furious at the allegation. Cowell is adamant "The X Factor" judges are never given advance information about voting patterns, and his legal team has lodged a formal grievance with Britain's Press Complaints Commission (PCC) about the new report.

An "X Factor" source tells WENN, "Simon accepts there will always be a certain amount of criticism from viewers over which singer is eliminated each week, but he feels these rumors of a fix are getting out of hand. He is always keen to make sure the show is as fair as possible, so to be accused of fixing the vote is too much. Simon wants to put a stop to the rumors, and taking his case to the PCC is the obvious way to achieve this."