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 :)

[Source, Source, Source]

Paula Abdul, current judge on American Idol and former pop superstar in her own right, has released a new single titled Here for the Music from her forthcoming (as yet untitled) NEW ALBUM which is due out out this Fall. Paula premiered her new song this morning on the KIIS FM radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest here in SoCal. Here is a new promo pic of pop star Paula and some info about her her return to pop superstardom:

Judge Paula Abdul has certainly been spreading her wings beyond her day job this season. A couple weeks back the American Idol jurist reminded audiences of her dance background staging an the acclaimed coreography to Disco Week’s group number. Today she announced a return to recording, with the impending release of a new single and album. According to her press release: “Multi-platinum recording artist and American Idol judge Paula Abdul will release a new single “Here For The Music,” available in May. The single reunites Paula with producer Oliver Lieber who helmed the chart topping album Forever Your Girl. “I’m Just Here For The Music” was co-written by Danielle Brisebois and Wayne Rodrigues and is the first track from Paula’s upcoming album due out in Fall 2009 on Filament Entertainment Group. The single will be available via paulaabdul.com in the next few weeks. Paula’s extraordinary music career is exemplified by worldwide album sales exceeding 53 million records, two multi-platinum albums, six #1 singles, two Grammy Awards, five MTV Awards, four American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, a Teen Choice Award and two Kid’s Choice Awards. Paula has also been honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard and was inducted into Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Hall of Fame.”

Click HERE to hear Paula’s new single Here for the Music in full. While I am thrilled that she has teamed up with Oliver Lieber (who helped make her original pop career, IMHO) I think she needs to lay off the vocorder. Madonna beat that horse TO DEATH already, there is no need to sound like a robot anymore … just sing. The song reminds me a bit of her last new song (All I Wanna Do Is) Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow which is good but I’m hoping her new album will be full of DIFFERENT sounding songs. I loved it when she went all R&B funky weird on her second album Spellbound (helmed by the amazing songwriters Peter Lord, Sandra St. Victor and V. Jeffrey Smith) … I hope she will, once again, take a risk and offers some interesting songs. I have long prayed for Paula Abdul to release new music again … it’s been far too long. Paula Abdul rulz, y’all! Let’s see if she’s still got it. What do you think of this new track?

UPDATE: Pink reader Jon reminded me that Kylie Minogue demoed this track, titled (I’m Just) Here for the Music, for her Body Language album. Kylie’s voice is NOT digitally altered on her version of the track. I think I prefer Kylie’s version over Paula’s but, still, it is great to have Paula back.

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Pink reader Bat gave me the head’s up that Paula Abdul’s official website is currently streaming a new song that appears to be the first single from her upcoming new album which is due out in Summer ‘09. The song is titled Boombox … which is curious, because Kylie Minogue just released a remix album titled Boombox and, wouldn’t you know it, features the very same song on the disc:

Head on over to PaulaAbdul.com to hear a short snippet of the track, which was also previewed on Paula’s MTV cheerleader competition show Rah! which aired on MTV yesterday. Click HERE to hear one of Kylie’s remixed versions of the track. Kylie’s Boombox is released in OZ this week and will be released here in the US on the 27th … Paula’s won’t come until the summer. While I am very excited that Paula is about to release a new album, I’m not really sure why she needs to release songs that have already been recorded and released by other more successful artists … or mebbe I just answered my own question.

[Source, thanks Bat]

Yikes! Sad and shocking news to report on the Paula Abdul front today … police found the body of, what is being described as, an “extreme” “stalker” fan of Paula’s in a van near her home here in SoCal yesterday evening. According to police, the family of this woman reported that she was missing and suggested that they look for her around Paula Abdul’s home. Sure enough, police found the body of the woman very near Abdul’s home (it is believed that she took her own life). Obvs, Paula was very “shocked” to learn of this apparent suicide near her home:

A woman, believed to have been a stalker, has been found dead outside a home in Sherman Oaks belonging to Paula Abdul, according to police. A spokesperson from the LAPD Van Nuys station says the woman was found dead inside a car around 6 p.m. Tuesday in the 3800 block of Beverly Ridge Drive, yards from Abdul’s home. The woman may have died from a drug overdose, officials said. Police say it’s also possible she committed suicide. TMZ is reporting that officers have been to the house “numerous times before” to deal with the alleged stalker. Representatives for the American Idol judge told TMZ that they know who the woman is. The identity of the woman, in her 30s, was not immediately released. Capt. Jim Miller says the woman was infatuated with Abdul.

Wow! While this is very sad, it’s also very creepy. A spokesperson for Paula Abdul has released a statement about this incident:

A rep for Paula Abdul says the American Idol judge is “shocked and saddened” after a 30-year-old woman was found in a parked car outside her Los Angeles home on Tuesday. The rep tells Entertainment Tonight that they had known about the woman for “several years”; she was an extreme fan who “has issues,” the rep says. The woman’s car was found after 6 p.m. on Tuesday after the Los Angeles Police Department received a call. The cause of death may have been a drug overdose in an apparent suicide, according to TMZ.com. Abdul was working on Idol all day and returned home late in the evening after the scene had cleared.

Again, I say, Wow! This incident could’ve been much worse had this very unstable person turned her fatal attraction on Paula rather than on herself. I don’t even know what else to say … it’s all so tragic and very scary :(

[Source, Source, Source]

Celebs and musicians of all sorts made their way out to Radio City Music Hall in NYC last night to be a part of Conde Nast Media Group’s 5th Anniversary Fashion Rocks concert event, which seeks to honor and celebrate the convergence of music and fashion. Here are a few pics from the Fashion Rocks red carpet arrivals:

Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and Charlize Theron were among the celebrities who appeared at the fifth annual Fashion Rocks concert celebrating the relationship between music and fashion. They walked the red carpet Friday night at Radio City Music Hall amid a media circus angling for glamour shots of other stars including Fergie, Rihanna, Chris Brown and the “Gossip Girl” gang. Brown, the R&B heartthrob, soaked up all the attention with a smile as he showed off his dapper ensemble of a black vest and shirt, gray pants, shiny shoes and diamond stud earrings. “To be a musician and a great entertainer, you have to be a trendsetter. To be a trendsetter, you have to know fashion — and I have fun with it,” explained the singer, who later changed into khakis and a black shirt and scarf for a performance of his hit song “Forever.” The event will air Tuesday in a two-hour special on CBS. Proceeds will benefit Stand Up To Cancer, a program established by the Entertainment Industry Foundation to raise money for cancer research. Stand Up To Cancer held a live telethon that aired simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS on Friday night … Other performers included Timberlake, Kid Rock, Keith Urban, Duffy, the Pussycat Dolls and the Black Eyed Peas. A highlight was Timberlake and Beyonce’s sizzling duet of “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” which channeled the soulful sound of the classic song’s original singers, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Stars mingled and sipped cocktails backstage in the green room, where Leighton Meester of the CW teen drama “Gossip Girl” and her actor-beau Sebastian Stan hung out before she introduced Duffy’s performance of “Mercy.” Meester’s “Gossip” co-star Chace Crawford chatted up actress Hayden Panettiere, who embraced her rock-star side in a silver Ferragamo minidress and black heels. “I usually try to mix class and then really funk it out,” Panettiere said of her personal style. “It’s rock meets class. I try — not always succeed, but I try.”

Wow, this really does sound like a star-studded event … I can’t wait to check it out when it airs on Tuesday night. I understand there were some very cool performances, including one from Rihanna that I will be talking about in a bit. After the jump, check out some pics of Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Kid Rock and others as they took to the stage last night …

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The judges of American Idol, including the newest 4th judge Kara DioGuardi who was announced as the show’s newest addition this past Monday, were all on hand in NYC yesterday for contestant auditions for the upcoming 8th season. Naturally, everyone was all smiles for the cameras with each of the previous judges offering assurances that all is well on AI and that everyone is happy/excited/thrilled/elated/etc. to welcome Kara as the newest judge:

Newly selected American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi may have met America’s most famous judges a few days ago but her colleagues say she is already part of the family. “It’s already a big happy family,” Abdul said Tuesday at the American Idol season 8 auditions held in New York. “We are so happy to have her.” In fact, DioGuardi has already had quality bonding time with all three judges, says Simon Cowell. “We had a picnic last night. I wore jammies and the girls wore negligees and we kind of broke the ice,” Cowell joked. “We had cake until two in the morning.” Joking aside, DioGuardi says the judges have welcomed her with open arms–yes, even Simon. “You were nice to me,” DioGuardi said to Cowell on the red carpet about their initial meeting. “You were actually OK.” However, DioGuardi admits it was initially intimidating to join the judges’ panel, especially due to Cowell’s notorious reputation for being Idol’s resident meanie. “I was a little bit,” DioGuardi confessed, “but I’m going to hold my own” … “We can try to gang up against the guys,” said Abdul. “I know Kara well and she speaks her mind.” In fact the pop singer knows DioGuardi very well–the two were once roommates in the late ’90s. “She quit her job and moved out to L.A. and she lived with me for a while,” Abdul told PEOPLE of her old friend. “We had a great time. She’s a great girl.”

Yeah, I still don’t get it … as I said, I’m sure this Kara chick is very talented but her addition does NOTHING to inspire me to tune in to start watching the show … in the least. Tho … I’m worried for Paula Abdul. She better watch her back.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

American Idol producers have decided that the show needs a little something extra for their upcoming 8th season — a 4th judge. Now, with a show as popular as American Idol (arguably the most popular show in the US) you might imagine that this plum 4th spot might go to someone of stellar importance and fame but, in fact, the producers decided to go with someone with zero name recognition … and way more Paula Abdulness (at least in looks) than I would’ve guessed. Here is a pic of Paula Abdul making her way thru LAX airport this weekend bound for NYC and a pic of the new 4th AI judge, Kara DioGuardi, who is lookin’ to start wearin’ Paula’s hat:

American Idol is adding a fourth judge: Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. DioGuardi will appear at the judges’ table with Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson on the eighth season of the hit show, which premieres in January. “We are turning the heat up on Idol this year and are thrilled to welcome Kara to the judges’ table,” show creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said in a statement. DioGuardi’s songs have appeared on more than 100 million records by the likes of Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, Pink, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey … “She is a smart, sassy lady, and one of America’s most successful songwriters. We know she will bring a new level of energy and excitement to the show,” Fuller added. American Idol was originally slated to have four judges, executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said in the statement announcing the news. “We’ve seen from our international series that having a fourth judge creates a dynamic that benefits both the contestants and the viewers,” she explained.

To be totally honest, this move to add a 4th judge feels really forced … like the producers felt like they needed to do something to jazz up the show which will be entering its 8th season in January. On the one hand, going with an “unknown” person as the 4th judge means that she will not take away too much from the already established judges on the panel. On the other hand, this new judge looks a lot like Paula Abdul … and the fact that she has written Grammy Award nominated songs for so many performers gives her a pedigree that Paula doesn’t have — should she be worried? I am actually very surprised that AI didn’t go for someone with more starpower to be the 4th judge … no offense to the obvs talented Ms. DioGuardi but she doesn’t really inspire any more desire to watch the show for me. In the end, I believe that AI will still be as popular as it would’ve been even if they didn’t add a new judge to the mix … I find it hard to believe that ratings will go up merely because of the addition of this new judge. I guess we’ll see come January.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]