American Idle

McSkat Medley @ Yahoo! Video

The VH1 ladies took to the stage this evening, Paula Abdul particularly, and they rocked it out!

Abdul, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks and Leona Lewis took to the stage in a musical extravaganza this evening, and it was all on VH1.

Hudson really tore the place up and Clarkson didn’t do too badly herself, but the star of the night was Adele, whose video you can see below.

hometown diva @ Yahoo! Video

Then to cap the historic night off in true diva style, Adele took the stage with India.Arie, singing “Because I Am A Queen.” Couldn’t have said it any better myself. A magical night for all, indeed.

Sounds like Paula Abdul is not coming back to American Idol, at least not this season, she says.

But Paula is headed to Las Vegas to headline her own show. The deets are below:

“That will be more… really announced later, when everything’s worked (out),” a glowing Abdul told Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson. “It’s going to happen, but the details have yet to be ironed out.”

Paula may also appear as a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance, as an offer was extended to her via Nigel Lythgoe.

Other than that, Abdul has a recurring role on “Drop Dead Divas,” and will host VH1 Divas sometime in September, so losing the Idol gig has really helped her career, in some ways.

However, Abdul has nothing but kindness for her former Idol family.

“I’ve heard from everyone and I love them all,” she said. “I wish them absolutely best. And we check in on each other and see how everything is going. It’s been great.”

Michael Johns caused some controversy during his time on American Idol 7 –mainly because he was already a professional singer–and now he’s decided to speak up on behalf of Paula Abdul.

Probably the greatest singer Idol has ever had on its stage, Johns is a funny guy with a good sense of himself but he wasn’t all that cordial when it came to the way FOX, 19 and Idol treated his good friend Abdul.

And, since he’s not with FOX or 19 Entertainment any longer, he also decided to take a few potshots at his old employer, leading one to believe the age-old adage: Don’t shit where you eat.

Anyway, Johns has done that with this revelation, and then some. Don’t think 19 will invite this guy out for tea anytime soon, not after what he said here.

From E! Online:

“She’s not asking for what [Ryan] Seacrest is getting paid,” Johns told us last night at In Style editor Ariel Foxman’s Summer Soiree party at the London hotel in West Hollywood. “She’s asking for $20 million over three years, so I think she totally deserves that money. She’s a huge reason people tune in to the show…I think Fox should pull their finger out and pay her what she deserves.”

In all, Johns is merely speaking up for his friend, and he didn’t like the way FOX, 19 or Idol treated Paula. in a way I can see his point, but considering that the music industry is about as fickle as they come, I think it’s a dumb move for Johns to open up on what is obviously a touchy subject.

But that’s not all he said. Paula apparently consulted him while the negotiations went on, leading me to believe that maybe–just maybe–these two are closer than just friends.

Also from E!:

“We talk all the time,” the Aussie singer said. “She was a bit upset. She just doesn’t understand why Fox made the decision they made—especially when a lot of people got upgrades in money. But she said, ‘Look I’m not going to budge on this. I really think that’s my worth.’ ”

Johns is currently appearing with Brooke White on their tour, so buy tickets now, to what will be one of the best shows from any Idol contestant this year!

Click the Buy Now tab below.

First it was that Paula Abdul would be coming back to American Idol; the devil was in the details. Then she Twittered that she wasn’t coming back.

So now that we’ve heard rumors of her appearing on Dancing With The Stars, to Australian Idol, nothing seems out of the ordinary, right?

Yeah, you’d think that after hearing Abdul may be returning to Idol, except she’s the one calling all the shots.

The devil IS in the details, and they’re all below. From MSNBC:

The negotiations are ongoing, but calling them “talks” could be more appropriate, since dubbing them “negotiations” suggests that one side is budging.

“Paula isn’t lowering her price in any meaningful way. She wants a Seacrest-level deal,” said the source. “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest reportedly signed a three-year deal with the show worth a total of $45 million.

If there is a scenario that gets Abdul back on the show, it’s likely that her return would be limited to the live shows only, according to several people who are close to the talks. This will allow the original offer made by the show to stand, but Abdul would have a shorter time commitment.

Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, showed up at the American Idol 9 auditions in Denver on Friday as expected, but she wasn’t received warmly by all accounts.

In fact, contestants berated her at times, even saying they preferred Paula Abdul, Idol’s former judge who left the show this week after spending the first eight seasons in the judge’s chair.

Beckham was at the Grand Hyatt in Denver for round two taking Paula’s chair as judge, and the audition had all the usual suspects: Seacrest, Cowell, DioGuardi and Jackson, but not Paula.

By most accounts, Beckham was cold toward the contestants and distant. I really never thought a model would pull it off, anyway, and now I guess I’m right.

Other reported guest judges are Katy Perry and Queen Latifah, although Beckham reportedly has another stint coming as a guest judge in a different audition city.

Buy the Spice Girls greatest hits here

At midnight FOX confirmed what we all dreaded, that Paula Abdul was leaving American Idol.

My worst fears are confirmed…Noooooooo…

Below is the full statement from Abdul:

“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 day 1 become 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.”

The full statement from Fox:

“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. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she’s a tremendous talent and we wish her the best.”

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Okay, back to me now. So the question…is this the beginning of the end for American Idol as we know it? It’s gonna take somebody talented and kind to replace Paula. Does anyone honestly think Kara is in any position–or frame of mind–to guide singers the way Paula did? I don’t, and now we get to see if Idol survives. It should be a wild ride in season nine.Some immediate suggestions include Smokey Robinson, or how about Jamie Foxx or Quentin Tarantino? Then we’d get the crazy train rolling again.

In all honesty, though, the death of Paula Goodspeed was probably too much for Abdul.

Reportedly, Abdul turned down a 30 percent pay increase to leave the show. And don’t think that the untimely death of Alexis Cohen didn’t have something to do with her decision, either. She knew those kids well and was like a mother to many.

Well, it may be official, though TPTB have mentioned nothing about it. Paula Abdul Twittered tonight that she’s leaving American Idol. Here are the deets from her Twitter page:

I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all41 minutes ago from web

It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month41 minutes ago from web

What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me41 minutes ago from web

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.42 minutes ago from web

This will be continued alright, because I don’t buy a word of it. There is no American Idol without Paula, no sea without water, no…OK, you get the picture.

Honestly, I don’t want Kara instead of Paula. She’s not as funny, not as genuine and not as interested in giving people the adivce they need to make it in the business.

Paula actually takes time to get to know people as people, not as commodities. And that’s the problem with 99.9 percent of the people in Hollywood; they’re only out to market somebody and something.

Paula is and was an anomaly and if she is gone, she will be sorely missed. It will also mark the beginning of the end for American Idol.

Hopefully, it’s just a negotiating tactic and it’s not the real thing.

Buy her music before it’s sold out!

Now that three of the four judges are returning to American Idol 9, it begs the question: Is Paula coming back soon? Kara DioGuardi finalized her new deal with Idol, you know.

From E! Online:

“Her deal is done. There are no ifs, ands or buts,” a source said. “Done. She will be back.”

No surprise, but the source reports that DioGuardi’s new deal doesn’t even come close to what the other judges are getting or, in Paula Abdul’s case, asking for.

So, that settles it. Look for a deal to be done with Paula in the next week, before the judges have to be in place for the start of season 9 auditions.

Paula Abdul and her manager are still playing hardball with only two weeks to go until Abdul would have to take her seat at the judges table for round 2 of the Idol 9 auditions.

The problem, apparently, is money. Isn’t that always the deal?

 From MSNBC:  

“There’s an offer on the table, but it’s not one that Paula is happy with,” said a source close to the singer. “She sees the big money Ryan Seacrest got, she knows that Simon is close to a huge deal, too. She feels like it’s personal that she’s not getting the same big numbers,” said the source. (Abdul’s manager, David Sonenberg, did not return calls for comment.)

Sounds like sour grapes to me. But losing Abdul is something that people close to the show say is a near impossibility.

Also from MSNBC:

“They know she’s irreplaceable, to walk away would be at most, a ratings disaster, at the least, a frightening prospect going into the next season,” according to a source close to the production.

Yes, with the Abdul fans out there, I don’t think Idol wants a walkout at this point in time.

It aint over til it’s over for Paula Abdul in regard to her stay on American Idol, and now she’s enlisted the help of her fans.

The whole thing, however, started because the Idol bigwigs didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, like they did with Simon and Ryan, according to Paula’s manager, David Sonenberg.

Now it’s escalated to an all-out Twitter war, complete with celebrity endorsements and the like.

From AP:

The reason? According to Sonenberg, she had not yet received a proposal for a new contract.

“I find it under these circumstances particularly unusual; I think unnecessarily hurtful,” said Sonenberg, who noted Abdul was “not a happy camper” as a result of stalled contract negotiations.

Abdul seems to be healing her wounds on Twitter. After Sonenberg’s public statements, a campaign of support sprung up on the micro-blogging site, where “KeepPaula” became a hot trending tropic. Among those joining the effort were former “Idol” contestants Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey and Syesha Mercado.

Mercado, a finalist on season seven, tweeted: “No Paula No American Idol.”

Abdul, who has over 725,000 followers on the site, responded to her fans, gushing, “I’m actually moved 2 tears upon reading the enormous amount of tweets showing me your kindness, love, & undying support.”

What should Paula do? Should she go for the big money that Ryan and Simon got, or should she just start her own show, a rumor that has been widely reported?

Feeling like some Paula Abdul? Buy her greatest hits here, before they’re gone!