American Idol host Ryan Seacrest has responded to the news that Paula Abdul will not be returning for a ninth season on FOX’s top-rated reality competition.
Last night, both Paula and FOX confirmed that the former judge would be departing from the show.
“About to go to sleep when I started seeing my blackberry blow up,” Seacrest wrote on his Twitter late Tuesday. “I have read what u have read and I am shocked and saddened about Paula.”
Ryan’s recent three year $45 million deal to continue hosting Idol is believed to have promoted Paula’s failed request for a raise.
“Idol and the cast have grown with each other over the last 8 seasons..I can’t imagine the panel without puala. She’s a star @ a great friend,” Ryan continued in his Tweet. “Spoke to randy..hope to speak with paula privately overnight.”
Paula Abdul confirmed she is still in talks to return to American Idol for the show’s ninth season, but will only return if she can secure a “fair” deal.
Paula is reportedly locked in a bitter salary dispute with show producers just weeks after show host Ryan Seacrest inked a new contract worth $45 million over three years. Paula’s manager first revealed that there was a possibility the “Rush Rush” singer wouldn’t be back as a judge on the FOX show in an interview with The Los Angeles Times earlier this month.
“Hi everyone. I’ve been quiet as we are trying to work out details of how I can return to #Idol,” Paula posted on her Twitter page on Thursday. “Your support & encouragement means so much to me. I hope you understand I can only return to #Idol if the deal is fair.”
The newest addition to the judges’ table on American Idol will be returning to the reality competition, E! Online revealed Wednesday.
Bauer-Griffin
Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara Dioguardi is set to return as a judge on the ninth season of the FOX series.
“Her deal is done. There are no ifs, ands or buts,” an E! source said. “Done. She will be back.”
The news comes as the future of fellow judge Paula Abdul remains in question.
With her contract due to expire in just a few days, Paula has yet to receive a new contract proposal from the producers of American Idol.
“She’s not a happy camper as a result of what’s going on. She’s hurt. She’s angry,” David Sonenberg, Paula’s manager, told The Los Angeles Times more than two weeks ago.
A lawyer for the New Jersey man charged with the drunken hit-and-run death of former American Idol hopeful Alexis Cohen, says his client will enter a “not guilty” plea.
Daniel Bark, 23, was leaving the scene of an accident at a parking lot adjacent to Hemingway’s Bar in Seasides Heights, NJ shortly before 4AM Saturday when his 2005 Mitsubishi Galant struck and killed Cohen, Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford says. Read the rest of this entry »
American Idol stars Ryan Seacrest and Paula Abdul paid tribute to one-time Idol hopeful Alexis Cohen in messages on their respective Twitter pages Monday. Cohen died early Saturday after she was struck in a hit-and-run accident in Seaside Heights, NJ.
Alexis Cohen, or “Glitter Girl” as she was affectionately called, auditioned for Idol in 2007 and 2008. She is perhaps best remembered for the Internet viral video of her tirade after being rejected by judges during the show’s seventh season. Read the rest of this entry »
Jennifer Lopez is denying reports that she’s in the running to replace judge Paula Abdul on American Idol. The “Forever Your Girl” singer still has yet to sign a contract with producers to return to the judge’s table for the upcoming ninth season of FOX’s ratings juggernaught.
A rep for the star — who turned 40 on Friday — tells PEOPLE: “The rumor of Jennifer Lopez throwing herself in the ring to take over for Paula Abdul is completely false. Jennifer loves Idol but just as a fan. She just wrapped the feature film The Back-Up Plan, due out January 2010, and will release an album then as well.”
Idol….Out? The end of an era could be approaching with whispers out of Hollywood claiming American Idol is on the chopping block.
The National Enquirer claims the most-watched show in America will be just a memory by 2012.
A spy says: “By that times, the show will have been on the air for more than a decade, and the producers figure that’s long enough…That’s the reason why FOX is planning to conclude the show in three years, and why they’ve signed host Ryan Seacrest to a new contract for three years.” Read the rest of this entry »
Girls Aloud Cheryl Cole has reportedly turned down an $8 million offer to replace Paula Abdul as a judge on American Idol.
The girl bander — voted FHM’s “Sexiest Woman” earlier this year — became a TV star in Britain after replacing Sharon Osbourne on The X Factor in 2008.
Music mogul Simon Cowell reportedly lobbied for the 26-year-old to join him on television’s most popular talent show as Paula’s future on American Idol hangs in the balance. Last week, a manager for the “Forever Your Girl” star told The Los Angeles Times that it’s unlikely she will return for the show’s 2010 run. Read the rest of this entry »
Paula Abdul has taken to her Twitter account to dismiss reports that she’s signed a deal to return as a judge on the ninth season of American Idol. The unsigned judge wrote, “Hey guys, I have not made a deal with #IDOL. Don’t know how that rumor got started but it’s not true as I still haven’t heard from the producers.”
A “Keep Paula” Movement erupted on the micro-blogging website over the weekend, after a rep for the “Forever Your Girl” singer announced that the star was snubbed by Idol producers and called her return to the program “unlikely.”
Paula’s contract with the hit FOX series ends August 1. The former singer has starred on the show since 2002.
