Welp, it looks like her negotiations with the ABC network didn’t go exactly as she had hoped because word on the street today is that Paula Abdul may be ready to go back to American Idol, hat in hand, and work out a deal so that she can get her old job on the show back. As y’all are well aware, auditions for the new season of AI have already gotten underway in Denver, CO and Boston, MA WITHOUT Paula‘s presence because she announced on her official Twitter profile that she was leaving the show. Her plan, it seems, was to nab a new more high-paying job at ABC on either Dancing with the Stars and/or Ugly Betty. It turns out that neither of those two project worked out for her and now she’s got no prospects to pin her hopes on … which means, she may have to go back to AI and pretty much take whatever deal they are willing to give her:

Sources connected to Paula Abdul say Miss Paula wants back on “American Idol.” Our sources say Paula’s Twitter is retracted — at least in her mind – if the price is right. As we first reported, the magic number is $10 million. Will Paula move from that number? The way negotiations go in Hollywood … probably, but we don’t know for sure and if so how much she’s willing to give. We’re also told Paula’s meetings with ABC didn’t really go anywhere. She doesn’t want to do “Dancing with the Stars” — we’re told, in no small part, because she wants to be able to jump on a plane on a moment’s notice to rejoin her fellow judges on “Idol.” And, we’re told, Paula is piiiised at the producers of “Ugly Betty” for leaking the story that she was talking to them about doing the show. She’s not going to do it now. As for “Idol,” as far as we know they’ve been pretty hard-nosed and haven’t contacted her reps, but we’re not positive. In the end, we’re thinking “A.I.” isn’t gonna let a little Twitter torpedo one of its golden geese.

While I don’t believe these negotiations with American Idol are actually a PR stunt, I never really believed that Paula would not be back on American Idol when it returns to live TV next January. My guess is that she prolly felt that AI would do anything to keep her and when she overplayed her hand, they let her go. In order to save face, she attempted to get a new job (or jobs) at ABC and now that that didn’t work out according to plan she’s only got one recourse left — American Idol. I agree with TMZ, I don’t think FOX is gonna let her tweet about leaving the show end their relationship with Paula. They’re gonna work out a deal (prolly not to Paula‘s exact satisfaction), kiss, make-up and get back to work. Each party needs the other … I’m pretty confident they’ll work it all out in the end.

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Earlier this week, Victoria Beckham made her way to Denver, CO to do some guest judging on day one of American Idol auditions for the next season of the competitive reality TV show. As you should be well aware, Vicki B. is appearing as guest judge on AI taking over the seat left vacant by Paula Abdul who left the show after contract negotiations broke down last week. At the time, it was made clear that Vicki B. would be only appearing as guest judge on the show once … until she was spotted in Boston, MA yesterday at AI auditions there as well:

It was originally claimed Victoria Beckham was making a one-off appearance as a guest judge on American Idol. But after arriving in Boston yesterday for a second round of auditions, it looks like the 35-year-old is getting comfortable in her latest guise. Her arrival at the auditions was nothing less than dramatic, with the former Spice Girl channelling the spirit – and the over-made up look – of tragic Sunset Boulevard character Norma Desmond. With her short hair backcombed behind a lace hair band and heavy make-up, Victoria did indeed look ‘ready for my close-up’. Her over-the-top look echoed that of Desmond, a delusional silent screen actress played by Gloria Swanson in the 1950 movie. After going for glamorous purple at her first auditions, Victoria looked more business like as she dressed in a red version of her own £2,095 Carmontelle cashmere-blend dress … Victoria disappointed fans when she rushed straight into the venue, leaving her established Idol judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and host Ryan Seacrest stopping to greet fans and sign autographs. Despite her second appearance on the talent show following an audition in Denver, Colorado earlier this week, Posh insists she isn’t a permanent replacement of departed judge Paula Abdul. Her representative said: ‘There are no talks of her being a permanent judge. She has (New York) Fashion Week coming up and she is focused on that. They asked her back because it went so well and she was so natural with the judges and the contestants.’ Following her first judging stint, Victoria said she was a huge fan of the show, but admitted she was nervous as a judge. She said: ‘I want to be nice to people. I know how it feels to stand there and be judged… I don’t want to shatter anybody’s dream, but at the same time there’s nothing wrong with constructive criticism.’

LOL! While I don’t necessarily see the Norma Desmond similarity I do agree that she looked tragic … she was wearing way too much bronzing make-up. She’s lookin’ more Lindsay Lohan orange than Norma Desmond dramatic. While I don’t really feel that VB would be a good permanent judge on the show, I have to admit that I am a bit curious to hear what kind of advice she might give to aspiring singers … something along the lines of, Get yourself in a group with much more talented singers than yourself and fly under the radar for as long as you can until you can nab a professional athlete to marry and then become a “fashion designer”. Yeah, that’s some good advice.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

Last Thursday we learned that Victoria Beckham was confirmed to appear as a guest judge on the next season of American Idol, filling in for Paula Abdul who decided not to sign her contract with the show. While it remains to be seen whether or not Paula will be on the show when it returns to TV in January, the folks at AI are moving forward full steam ahead. Auditions for the next season took place in Denver, CO over the weekend and new guest judge Vicki B. was on hand to begin her work on the show. Here is a photo of VB shaking the hand of an eager contestant as she made her way into the venue for the auditions:

Victoria Beckham’s debut as an American Idol judge proved less than successful when she was branded ‘too nice’ for the show’s panel. Posh Spice, 35, stepped in for one episode following the departure of long-time judge Paula Abdul, but some Idol backroom staff called her performance ‘icy and wooden’. And others said the former Spice Girl tried hard to be liked by the contestants, drawing comparison with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, who frequently burst into tears while judging the British version of the programme, The X-Factor. She was on the charm offensive as she arrived at the auditions in Denver, stopping to shake hands with contestants as she made her way into the auditorium. But rather than being won over by her smile, it’s more than likely most were left shocked by the state of the 35-year-old’s incredibly thin and sinewy arms and shoulders. She was seen arriving back in Los Angeles in an all black outfit with her trademark pout back on over the weekend and was later seen paying a visit to her friend Jennifer Lopez.

HMMMM … I guess the folks over at American Idol must know what they are doing by bringing on board these guest judges to replace the irreplaceable Paula Abdul. While I don’t personally understand how the heart of the show can be substituted by a string of guest judges, I guess you can’t fault the show for trying. My gut tells me that Paula will reclaim her judges seat before the show returns to TV … unless she gets a better offer she cannot refuse in the meantime, I still think she’ll be back. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

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The newly jobless Paula Abdul made her way to the Big Apple yesterday to get away from the drama that exploded here in Hollywood this week when she announced on her official Twitter profile that she is leaving American Idol. With news today that Victoria Beckham has signed on to guest judge the show in her place next season, you might think that Paula would be sweatin’ bullets … desperate to find new work. BUT, a report from TMZ cites inside sources close to the AI drama that reveal that Paula Abdul may yet return to the judge’s table next season after all:

The door isn’t completely slammed on Paula Abdul … Multiple “American Idol” insiders are telling TMZ there is a chance Paula will come back to the show. Reality — better than a good chance. We’re told the conflict is ultimately all about money … and buzz leading up to season 9. But for now, “A.I.” is full speed ahead — auditions for the show are set for tomorrow … without Abdul.

Reports going around yesterday claimed that Paula turned down as much as $8 million to return to the show … in my opinion, if the matter really has come down to a final monetary figure, then she prolly will cave and come back to the show. All of this drama over whether or not Paula will come back to American Idol has really given the show a lot of press leading up to the start of season 9 auditions tomorrow. I would bet good money that the opposing sides will come to an agreement and put this whole matter to rest. Despite her refusal to return to the show this week, I still don’t believe she won’t leave the show for good.

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]

In the wake of the shocking and, IMHO, idiotic news that Paula Abdul will NOT be returning to American Idol next season (due to contract disputes, etc.), it has been confirmed that the least talented, vocally worst ex-Spice Girl Victoria Beckham will be stepping in to guest judge the show sometime next season. Clearly, when judging a extravagant karaoke contest, actual talent isn’t necessarily a necessity:

As the dust settles on the shocking departure of Paula Abdul, 47, from next season’s American Idol, now comes confirmation from Victoria Beckham’s publicist that the former Posh Spice, 35, will make a “one-off appearance” as a guest judge on the top-rated FOX show, according to Britain’s Sky News. Just don’t expect Beckham to take up a permanent perch next to judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi — as she reportedly doesn’t wish to take time away from overseeing her fashion line.

I can see it now, a stream of guest judges filling Paula‘s chair all season long. Again, in all honesty, the show has been mostly unappealing to me for years … none of this helps. No offense to VB but she really is the least talented Spice Girl. During their reunion tour last year, each of the Spices sang a solo song to showcase their voices … Vicki B. decided NOT to sing a solo and instead strutted up and down the cat walk to Madonna‘s Vogue. To be fair, that truly is her forté. I would hope that more talented singers might be enlisted to fill in on the show in Paula‘s absence but, then again, Paula wasn’t the best of singers either. Paula was an amazing asset on the show, a completely irreplaceable one. What a mess.

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Paula Abdul announced on her official Twitter profile last night that she will NOT be returning to the ratings hit reality series American Idol after WEEKS of public speculation about the terms of her contract with the show . In a string of announcement tweets last night, Paula broke the news that she is parting ways with the show … presumably after she and FOX (the network that produces the show) could not come to terms on her contract. FOX, for their part, released a statement wishing her “well” and squarely place the blame of her departure from the show on her shoulders. HMMM … there is something rotten, methinks, in the state of Denmark. Here are all of Paula‘s tweets and the story about the whole sorry mess:

From Paula: With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL … I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon … What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me … It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month … I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all.

From People: Abdul — out! Ending speculation about her future on one of the most popular shows on television, Paula Abdul confirmed Tuesday she will no longer be at the judge’s table on American Idol … No reason was given for her departure just two days before she was to return to work. Abdul’s rep declined to comment except to confirm she was leaving. The highly rated show is about to begin taping segments for its ninth season, with auditions starting Thursday in Denver. The show returns on the air in January. “Paula Abdul has been an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show,” FOX TV says in a statement. “While Paula will not be continuing with us, she’s a tremendous talent and we wish her the best.” The announcement comes shortly after her manager angrily said there was no contract on the table and that “sadly” it didn’t appear she would be returning. Her previous contract ended after the eighth season. Her departure now returns the number of judges to three, with Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson joined by Kara DioGuardi, who was just confirmed to be returning.

This is absolutely infuriating. I KNEW from the moment that AI thought it best to add a fourth judge, another female judge, that the time was running out for Paula Abdul on American Idol. I find it extremely difficult to believe that Paula just decided to quit this high profile job. There has to be more to the story. To be honest, I don’t watch the show … but when I did, I tuned in for Paula Abdul. She is a shining light of hope, optimism and joy on that wretched show. While Simon Cowell is tearing people down and Randy Jackson is saying Yo Dawg, yo dawg, yo dawg, Paula was cheering every contestant to victory. This development is a huge disappointment.

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Last week, extraordinary news broke that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest signed a deal worth $45 million dollars to remain on the show for the next 3 seasons … and that news came after news that mean judge Simon Cowell would be getting in excess of $100 million to remain on the show. This weekend, word began to swirl that nice judge Paula Abdul is still without a contract to return to the show. Apparently, Paula wants more money to come back to AI and producers are balking at paying her what she wants … which means she might not get to keep her job. As a result, fans took to Twitter to voice their support of Ms. Abdul … and Paula has responded to fans on her official Twitter profile by thanking them for their support:

Since Friday’s news, first reported here on the Idoltracker, of judge Paula Abdul’s unhappiness with the pace, or nonpace, of negotiations to renew her “Idol” contract, a brushfire has been sweeping the Web. Using the hashtag #keeppaula, fans have been wildly tweeting on Twitter their support for the seemingly embattled judge. For a time Saturday evening, the “Keep Paula” movement made it to the No. 2 slot (see left) on Twitter’s much-contested trending topics list — falling behind only people twittering their support for Indonesia in the aftermath of this week’s terror attacks. And it wasn’t just “Idol” fans showing their support. From across Idol Nation and the Idols Live tour bus itself, former cast members were chiming in with their support.

There’s been a lot of “scary” talk that Paula would NOT be returning to the show … even her manager says that it is “unlikely” that she will return … but TMZ is reporting that she’s just playing hardball (and reportedly asking for about $20 million) and, in the end, will prolly return to the show … tho, whether or not she gets her payday is another story:

Paula Abdul is pissed off that Ryan Seacrest is a very rich man, our “American Idol” spies say. Abdul isn’t angry at Ryan personally for his new $45 million, 3-year deal, but she’s bent out of shape at producers that she’s making minimum “Idol” wage — we’re told between $2 and $3 mil a year. Our spies say producers want Paula back for sure, but she’s now doing the Hollywood thing of pretending like she’ll walk. Here’s the fun part. Auditions for the next season start on August 6. We’re told there are already plans to start the auditions without her if they don’t have a deal. As for what Paula wants — we’re told somewhere between 2 and 3 times what she’s making now. Here’s our guess — $4.5 a year … a lot better than the $5,000 a week she pulled in for season one.

I agree with TMZ, I think Paula will be back … she’ll get more money but nowhere near the $20 million mark. That show makes way too much money for producers to eff it all up by pissing off Paula Abdul‘s fanbase. I have to say, even tho all of this public negotiating is going on and the real threat exists that she may lose her job … I bet Paula is LOVING all the love from the fans. Hang in there girl, you’ll keep your job. I’m sure of it :)

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Clay Aiken, the runner-up for the American Idol title who lost out to Ruben Studdard back in 2003, appears to no longer be a fan of American Idol. Clay posted a message about this season of American Idol on his official website (a site that charges a $29.95 annual fee for access to “ultimate membership”) that makes clear that he no longer watches the show (except for “once a season”) and is clearly not an Adam Lambert fan (who he described as “contrived, awful, and slightly frightening!”). I suppose it could be argued that he is not a Kris Allen fan either since Clay confesses, “I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative.” Thankfully, someone at Gawker/Defamer pays for the access to Clay Aiken‘s deep thoughts (I suspect it’s my friend Brett who wrote their item for the site) so they can be disseminated to the rest of the Internets free of charge. Here is the full text of Clay‘s nutshell commentary of this season of the American Idol:

Now that it’s all over, and for the record…. I couldn’t be happier about the way AI ended this year. I only turn the show on once a season, and only to see what the set looks like each year. This year, I happened to turn it during the minute that Adam Lambert was singing “Ring of Fire” and, at that moment, thought my ears would bleed. Contrived, awful, and slightly frightening! I wasn’t really a fan and found myself surprised whenever folks told me that they liked him. Granted, I never saw another performance (and many folks who I trust said that he was great) but I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed it. Just not my cup of tea at all. To each his own. I never saw Kris sing on the show, but whether he was good or not is really relative. It’s usually a matter of taste, right? But Idol is not always a matter of musical taste only. It’s about the person you like. From what little I saw, Kris seemed likable. (That’s not to say that Adam isn’t just as likable as anyone.. maybe more so… I don’t know) When Ruben and I were standing next to each other every night (many years ago) you had two equally talented, equally unlikely, equally unpolished contestants…. so it really was a matter of taste as to who was voted for. While some may argue that one of us was hyped more than the other, I don’t feel that was the case. However, this year, there was an obvious bias. Not even having watched the show, I can tell you that I was WELL aware of the bias from the judges as to who should win. In my opinion, that is awfully unattractive. I don’t think I am alone

In my opinion, it all often comes down to that last night of voting. Until the finale, folks are voting for the contestant that they want to see continue. But, I believe that on that last night, the dynamic changes. No longer forced to choose one person that they want to see win, the audience can effectively vote AGAINST the person that they don’t want to see win. In the case of season two this might have happened. There may have been some folks who voted for myself or Ruben because they didn’t like the other of us. I was the nerdy little girly boy who some didn’t want to see win, so they may have voted for Ruben. I don’t know. .. But again, I feel that Ruben and I were fairly matched. We both had our detractors and negatives, but I feel we were both very worthy of being on that stage in that moment, and either of us would have been worthy of winning. The show was different then, and folks made it in seasons 1-3 because they were “real” people who happened to sing/entertain well. But, somewhere along the way, AI stopped being about real people.

In a battle between David and Goliath, my money is on David!

I think many voters got sick of being “told who to vote for”. I think many were turned off by the blatant favoritism shown towards one contestant. Therefore, on that last night, they used their votes against a contestant that they were tired of hearing about and for the contestant who had been written off. And, at the same time, I think they voted AGAINST an American Idol that has, for four years now, been more about the slick productions and polished contestants than it has been about finding the raw talent that it did in its first three seasons.

Those votes for Kris were also votes to return the show to its roots of finding “real” contestants with undiscovered talent and giving them the chance to grow and shine. They were votes that said “we’re tired of seeing contestants who already seem to know it all”.

Will American Idol choose to listen to the resounding and clarion call that those voters gave them?…. “Enough with the pretention. More Rubens, more Clays, more Fantasias and Tamyras and Kellys please.” My faith has always been in the voters. I think they have gotten it right every year (mine included). It’s now up to American Idol to decide if it will finally REALLY listen to the folks that keep it on the air.

HMMM. While Clay does make some valid points, the overall tone of his rant seems awfully negative. He deffo sounds like he’s been noshing on some sour grapes. Why you gotta hate Clay? While I agree with his point that American Idol seems to really come down to a popularity contest (after all, Kris‘s home State of Arkansas, with a population of 2.8 million, reportedly generated 38 million votes) I absolutely do not agree with his assertion that the show needs, “More Rubens, more Clays, more Fantasias …” On the contrary, what I think it needs is to limit voting to one vote per person … and it deffo needs more controversy cuz that’s what makes everyone talk about a show they don’t even watch (including former contestants, like Clay Aiken). I don’t personally believe that Clay‘s commentary is worth the $29.95 annual fee, especially if most of his posts read like this one. It’s some funny shizz, tho, to read for free.

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After many weeks of whittling down the pool of contestants to the final two, American Idol crowned a new reigning champ to take the title of American Idol … and last night’s show was a doozy. As you should be well aware, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen were the last two competitors standing and who performed on Monday night in the final showdown:

Just in case you missed watching the finale last night and just in case you missed news of the winner as it saturated every corner of the Internets, I’ll keep the reveal behind the cut. After the jump, find out who won and who lost in this year’s American Idol competition …

Now that this season’s American Idol competition is down to the top 3 finalists (after last night’s elimination), the battle to become the new American Idol is getting down to the wire … tho, Entertainment Weekly magazine seems to think that the competition is already a done deal. They don’t come out and declare a winner, per se, but by singling out one of this season’s contestants and putting HIM on the cover of their magazine they seem to be making a clear statement. It’s as if EW is saying, Here is your new American Idol … Adam Lambert:

Yes, pretty much everyone on the planet seems to think that Adam Lambert has got the title in the bag but I don’t know that any publication has made this sort of determination so early before a winner is selected. EW even mentions that fact that Adam “might be gay” on their cover which, it seems to me, appears to be the footnote anytime anyone talks about Adam‘s possible win as the new American Idol. I don’t even watch the show but I’m aware of all the lurve that Adam is getting from everyone … it just seems kinda shitty to the other contestants that he is being singled out by a mag like EW before the competition is even over. In any event, I’m sure Mr. Lambert will benefit greatly from this bit of major press … not that he needs it. I understand that he is the most exciting, most charismatic AI contestant to come along in years. I guess we’ll see if his reputation can live up to the hype when the new American Idol is crowned in a couple of weeks. What do y’all think … do YOU think Adam Lambert has the competition in the bag?

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