Paula Abdul Rejoining Simon Cowell on X Factor

Cowell, Abdul in talks to team up on new show

(NEWSER) - Good news for anyone pining for the good ol' days of American Idol: Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell may be reuniting for Cowell’s X Factor. Sources tell TMZ the pair is discussing the possibility of Abdul coming on the US version of his UK hit as a judge. Cowell himself recently said he adores Paula, and “whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity, because I miss her,” the New York Daily News adds. More»

Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger, Steve Jones all get the boot

(NEWSER) - It was a "bloodbath" at X Factor yesterday, Nikki Finke writes at Deadline , with host Steve Jones and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul all getting the ax. Apparently Simon Cowell himself made the decision to clean house, according to the Hollywood Reporter . Cowell and LA Reid are the only two judges who will return for the second season of the reality competition, which has garnered not-great ratings. Insiders tell the Reporter Abdul was seen as "irrelevant to the mix," and add that Cowell wants bigger celebrities on the panel. More»

Leaving 'American Idol' likely right move for Simon Cowell

(NEWSER) - With Simon Cowell set to depart American Idol at the end of this season, the big question becomes: Did he make the right choice? Yes, and not just because Cowell’s judgments are notoriously “cold, unsentimental, and usually correct,” Tom Ewing writes for New York . Cowell’s new venture, a US version of his UK hit The X Factor, has a lot going for it that could catapult it ahead of Idol: More»

Tart-tongued judge will launch 'X Factor' after 9th 'Idol' season

(NEWSER) - Simon Cowell made the first of what will surely be many farewells to American Idol today, confirming to a gathering of American TV critics in Pasadena that he's leaving the show at the end of this year's 9th season. The caustic Brit who's considered Idol's biggest star said he's launching a US version of his UK show The X Factor on Fox in 2011, and he was not practically able to do both, Entertainment Weekly reports. More»

DeGeneres talks Cowell, Paula Abdul as American Idol returns

(NEWSER) - Ellen DeGeneres makes her debut as the newest American Idol judge on Tuesday, and she talks Simon Cowell (he’s “smart,” but “mean” and “insensitive”) and more with the Wall Street Journal :

• Paula Abdul: “I don't know if I'll be as nurturing as she is. I'll probably try to be somewhat encouraging. But I'll be honest. I don't think it helps anybody to be encouraged and not told the truth.”