In today's installment of 'This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things,' TMZ is reporting that 'X Factor' judge Simon Cowell is the latest victim of L.A.'s obnoxious rash of prank 911 calls targeting celebrities -- or, as the kids on the street are calling it, 'swatting.'

According to earlier reports, Cowell's in pretty good company: The ranks of the previously swatted include Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Ashton Kutcher. That's probably cold comfort for Cowell, however, especially in the aftermath of a swatting prank that had police rushing to his Beverly Hills mansion in response to a call claiming he had been bound in duct tape and imprisoned in his own bathroom.

Appealing as that image might be for Cowell's legions of detractors, it proved to be false, and the LAPD is on the hunt for the female caller who reported the non-incident. According to TMZ's sources, the department has "several promising leads" in its widening swatting investigation -- and despite the quasi-humorous nature of these pranks (especially with regards to Kutcher, who revived celebrity pranking with his 'Punk'd' series), they're actually not funny; police believe they're being used to case homes for future robberies, and regardless of the motive, they divert emergency resources from people who actually need it. Here's hoping the perps are caught quickly, and given a few swats of their own by the judicial system.

More From PopCrush