Pish-Posh: Beckham Bombs Idol Stint to Replace Abdul

(NEWSER) - Victoria Beckham has landed a $5 million contract to sit in for Paula Abdul on American Idol, even though inside sources claim she fumbled her audition, reports the Daily Mail. She has host Simon Cowell's support, though program producers are still worried she comes across as too British and is too painfully thin to satisfy American audiences. They'll be closely following approval ratings in focus groups to determine how long she continues in the hot seat. More»

Employees toast departure of 'difficult diva'

(NEWSER) - Ryan Seacrest may be sad to see Paula Abdul go, but he’s in the minority: Longtime American Idol staffers were so overjoyed at her announcement, they threw an impromptu party, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. “Can’t you hear our celebration?” one veteran staffer says. “We broke out the good champagne tonight.” More:

• Rumored replacements for Abdul—if producers decide they need one—include Diana Ross and Natalie Cole.

Idol Judges Will Reunite for His New Talent Reality Show

(NEWSER) - It will be just like old times: Paula Abdul will join Simon Cowell as a judge on his new talent show, the X Factor, reports AP . The move had been rumored , but a source says Abdul will indeed be at the judges' table when the first taping takes place Sunday in Los Angeles. The show, based on a British version, will debut on Fox in the fall. Singers will vie for a $5 million record contract. Click to read about how one of the new American Idol judges is the show's best ever . More»

She'll judge dancing now, instead of singing

(NEWSER) - After much speculation about where Paula Abdul would land after American Idol, we have an answer: Got to Dance. In addition to serving as lead judge on the new reality series, which is a sort of So You Think You Can Dance/America's Got Talent mash-up, Abdul is also an executive producer and will mentor contestants, says the Hollywood Reporter . The all-ages competition is popular in Britain, and bills itself as featuring everything “from ballroom to break dance.” More»

Former Idol judge expected to help revive show

(NEWSER) - Paula Abdul is expected to return to TV this summer, leading the reboot of the classic TV singing competition Star Search. Abdul is still finalizing her deal with ABC, but it's likely to be a mix of hosting and judging for the show, reports Entertainment Weekly . Taking a role similar to Idol seems a safe move for Abdul, but it's not without risk: Star Search was brought back in 2003 with Arsenio Hall—and it flopped. More»