Paula Abdul will show off her acting chops in a guest role on Lifetime’s new original series Drop Dead Diva.

“I am very excited to guest star on Drop Dead Diva,” Abdul says. “All of the people are extremely talented and it’s a charming, wonderfully written new show.”

Broadway star Brooke Elliott plays the sassy lawyer lead in the dramedy about a shallow model who, after death, finds her soul inside the body of a smart plus-sized attorney named Jane.

In a September episode, Jane will go before Judge Nina Hodge, played by Abdul, in a case about a store that refuses to carry plus-sized clothing.

Abdul joins a big roster of guest stars for the show, which premieres July 12, including Liza Minnelli, Nia Vardalos, Rosie O’Donnell, Tim Gunn, Sharon Lawrence, Elliott Gould, Delta Burke, Marla Sokoloff, Gregory Harrison, Kathy Najimy, Mark Moses, Chuck Woolery and Deidrich Bader.

Source: People Magazine

Sunday, Paula was spotted in LA while former boyfriend JT Torregiani escorted her out of his restaurant, Beso! (Thank you to our lovely visitor, hornyhorn for the heads up on why JT was in the pictures ). Pictures have been added to the gallery! Enjoy!

GALLERY LINK:
Paula in LA – 2009/06/28

On another note, I recently had to buy a new computer ’cause mine was unrepairable, therefor I need to reinstall all the programs I use to maintain the site. A new layout is already waiting to be launched so keep checking back for that as well!

Could Paula Abdul finally be crossing over from American Idol to So You Think You Can Dance?

SYTYCD and American Idol share a production company, so there has long been chatter that Idol judge Paula, who was a Laker Girl and choreographed many of Janet Jackson’s “Control”-era videos, would bring her dancing feet to SYTYCD. So will it really happen?

Earlier this afternoon SYTYCD producer Nigel Lythgoe tweeted, “People please use Twitter-Power. Ask @PaulaAbdul to choreograph a Michael Jackson tribute on SYTYCD.”

Well, Twitter got the message through. Paula just tweeted back, “Have your people call my people and let’s do it lol.”

Source: E! Online

Music mogul Simon Cowell was left stunned when a contestant auditioning for his British TV talent contest The X-Factor threatened to kill herself after she was rejected by the panel.

The American Idol star is currently hosting try-outs for the next season of the music programme, with auditions scheduled all across the U.K.

And during the show’s stint in London on Tuesday the judges, including Girls Aloud beauty Cheryl Cole and pop star Dannii Minogue, were shocked when the woman in her 50s began sobbing after they refused to put her through to the next round of the competition.

The unnamed contestant reportedly became hysterical and threatened to commit suicide in front of the panicked panel, with producers summoning medics to help calm the woman down.

Witness Tracey Ward tells British newspaper The Sun, “She ran off, shouting that she was going to commit suicide. The producers ran after her. I saw her half an hour later, and they were still making sure that she was OK. As a stranger I could quite clearly and immediately see she was vulnerable – and yet she must have passed three auditions to get to this stage. You have to ask whether she should have been at the audition in the first place.”

A spokesperson for the TV show adds, “The welfare of our contestants is of paramount importance.”

Source: ContactMusic

Sir Philip Green and Simon Cowell, two of Britain’s most colourful and successful businessmen, are to go into business together, setting up an international entertainment company.

Though the pair are old friends and frequent dining companions on the London party scene, this is the first time that they have set up a joint venture. It will be the first time Sir Philip has dipped his toe into the showbiz world, having made his fortune from retailing, running Top Shop and Bhs, amongst others.

The business, the Daily Telegraph can reveal, will be based out of London and Los Angeles. It will incorporate the full spectrum of show business, from television production and coming up with new formats for programmes to talent management and merchandising.

Cowell will be in charge of presenting and producing the shows, while Sir Philip concentrates on overseeing the finances, strategy as well as spearheading the merchandising arm.

Sir Philip would not comment, but a source close to the businessman, said: “He’s been working on this throughout the night in recent weeks, speaking to people in LA on the phone constantly, and smoking 40 a night. This is going to be a multi-billion dollar international business. This isn’t some hobby venture on the side.”

It is being launched during one of the most difficult times the entertainment world has experienced, with production budgets being slashed at nearly all broadcasters, and little invested in new shows.

However Cowell has been responsible for producing the most popular television show of the last decade, Britain’s Got Talent, which managed to attract 19.2 million viewers for the final in May.

It is understood that the new venture will work closely with Cowell’s existing productions company Syco, which is responsible for both Britain’s Got Talent as well as X Factor, a format which has been sold around the world. It is possible that the new company, which has yet to be given a name, could end up merging with Syco and also Simco, another part of Cowell’s entertainment empire.

“Nothing is signed yet, but Simon is 100 per cent committed to this,” said a source close to the deal.

Sir Philip has made it clear to friends that though he is enjoying getting his teeth into a whole new project, he will not step back from his retailing businesses. “His foot is still firmly on the High Street pedal,” a friend said.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Today’s Paula’s 47th birthday! We wish her all the best in the world, best of success in future projects and we hope she has a great day filled with fun & laughter! Happy Birthday Paula!

Contrary to published reports this week that all four judges are definitely back for season nine of American Idol, we’ve learned that no final decisions have been made.

While Fox reps declined to comment, we caught up with Paula Abdul’s rep to give us the real deal. Here’s what he has to say…

“The RadarOnline info is incorrect. Negotiations are continuing. You probably won’t hear anything until closer to September, when judges are needed back to go on the road,” Paula’s publicist, Jeff Ballard, tells us.

Despite year-long rumors, all four judges—Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi—have said in recent interviews that they hope to be back next season.

Source: E! Online

Pictures of Simon on the 2nd day of the Royal Ascot 2009 were added to the gallery! This time Piers Morgan also joined him! Enjoy!

GALLERY LINK:
Royal Ascott 2009 – Day 2

Singing sensation Susan Boyle is being lined up for a series of lucrative shows in Las Vegas. The Britain’s Got Talent star became a hit in the US thanks to 300 million web views on YouTube, and her mentor Simon Cowell is keen to cash in on her success.

He is close buddies with the owner of the Planet Hollywood casino and hotel, Robert Earl, and has been trying to broker a deal which would see SuBo, 48, singing on The Strip.

A source said: “Simon is confident that Susan will achieve a huge amount of success in America. She is already a household name despite coming second on the show, and she is now being lined up to play a number of dates in Las Vegas. The Planet Hollywood bigwigs have been following Susan since she burst on to the scene and are keen to give her a run at the hotel.”

Meanwhile, Simon has been forced to deny claims he exploited the fragile Scottish warbler. She spent five days in The Priory clinic after losing out to dance act Diversity in the final after suffering a meltdown.

He said: “No one ever put a gun to her head and said you’ve got to enter the show. I sat down with her and said, ‘Look, if this is getting too much for you, you don’t have to go into the final. No-one’s going to force you – you do whatever you want’. And she looked me in the eye and said, ‘No, I want to win this competition’.”

She may not have won but that’s not stopping her from raking in the cash. Earlier this week Simon, 49, agreed a recording contract with her.

Source: The Evening Standard