day 262

paula-gate, 2009

paula abdul sure knows how to eff things up. the now former american idol judge is currently in peachtree, georgia filming a second guest star gig on lifetime's new hit drop dead diva, but that doesn't mean she hasn't left a wake of chaos back in la la land. the "forever your girl" singer's recent announcement that she would be leaving the biggest show on tv has left fox and idol's producers trying to figure out what the hell they were going to do. while paula wasn't always the best judge, she was a fan favorite and provided hours of entertainment with her ramblings. her sudden departure from the show - reportedly over a salary issue (she wanted $12-20 mil, they were offering $8) - has left producers very little time to fill her slot. yep, they're sticking with the four-judge formula as of right now. official auditions (preliminaries have already been held) begin this weekend and, in paula's place, will be some famous-faced guest judges. so far, the show has confirmed two guest judges and they're pretty big nabs: first up will be victoria "posh spice" beckham, followed by katy perry. both pop stars have arranged one-time guest gigs that will be a part of the auditions rounds. it seems like producers will be putting in a revolving cast of faces in hopes that one is desperate enough to stick around full term. another word on the street is that - shocker! - paula will be back. supposedly, this whole salary dispute is a big publicity stunt to reinvigorate the show. last year's ratings slipped pretty big (not enough to knock the show from first place, though), so the show is trying everything to bring back interest. if paula abdul somehow pops up mid season, fans will come rushing back. pretty ingenious, right? but, if the whole stunt is found out, fans might feel cheated and decide not to return to the program. pretty risky. i'll be interested to see how this whole thing pans out. my guess is the producers will lure paula back somehow and idol world will be happy once again.

on a sadder note, director john hughes (the breakfast club, ferris bueller, every 80s teen movie) died today. rest in piece and thanks for memories.