Posh Spice Victoria Beckham Replaces Abdul on Idol
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Fox chose Spice Girl to fill in for absent diva Paula.
Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham will be filling in for departing American Idol judge Paula Abdul until a permanent panel judge can be found to replace the female diva on America’s most popular television show.
The golden trio of Idol has been Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Abdul since 2002, a formula which was disrupted last year with the addition of Kara DioGuardi. Whilst the other three judges will be back for the ninth season of Idol, Ms Abdul announced on Twitter that she would not be joining them.
Disputes arose over pay, with Ms Abdul reportedly seeking to triple her wage packet from the show from $4 million to $12 million. Speaking at the Television Critics Association, Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice told Daily News: “In the past few weeks, the negotiations came to a conclusion. We made an offer that we feel is very fair to Paula. It was a substantial raise… Paula has decided not to return.”
Ready to step into Paula’s shoes is Victoria Beckham, an asset that Simon Cowell was desperate to sign to American Idol last year instead of songwriter and producer DioGuardi. Idol producers have not released how many shows Mrs Beckham will be present for as they scramble to find a permanent alternative to Ms Abdul.
Singer Katy Perry is also expected to make an appearance as a guest judge on the show, and X-Factor judge Cheryl Cole could be called upon to bring her charm and talent across the pond to the US Idol. However, don’t count Paula Abdul out completely just yet. Talent shows love creating additional buzz, witness the rant-and-return publicity stunt of Louis Walsh in X-Factor, a “shock comeback” for Ms Abdul could well be on the cards.
