Gawker: defamer, hey paula

Paula Abdul Claims Idol Conspiracy Theory, Commits Career Suicide

Tracie — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Following Paula Abdul's appearance on The View yesterday, she was interviewed on Barbara Walters' satellite radio show, where the cheap, sparkly jewelry and the gloves came off. Abdul went off on a rant about how the whole Paula Goodspeed debacle was "an attempt by Fox Broadcasting, the producers of American Idol, and Simon Cowell to ruin [her] career." She then blamed her, uh, loopy appearance on Idol on Cowell and clever editing. But as Sherri Shepherd pointed out, Paula's own reality show did her no favors in proving an Idol conspiracy theory. Paula's contract is up at the end of this season, so it looks there are no plans for renewal. As Joy Behar points out, are we supposed to feel sorry about this? Clip above.

Earlier: Paula Abdul Trashed Is Everyone Else's Treasure
Paula Abdul Makes Another Bizarre TV Appearance

Paula Abdul Denies Paula Abdul's Claim Of Being Fired From 'Bratz'

Seth — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:45:21 EDT

It took five soul-deadening episodes, but Bravo's Hey Paula finally offered something by way of quality entertainment on this week's show, when unstable protagonist Paula Abdul appeared to have been relieved of her producing duties on the Bratz movie, the most hotly anticipated release of the summer (among RealDoll fetishists). Despite an amazingly convincing meltdown, in which she openly questioned the existence of God and berated her staff for daring to speak as she tried "to tell a goddamned story," Abdul now claims that the entire sequence was concocted by dastardly reality show editors. Paula wasn't fired—she fired them!

"She was not only taping "American Idol three days at week, she was also filming her Bravo reality series Hey Paula! five days a week as well. In addition, she was in the process of not only expanding her successful QVC jewelry line but also coming up with the first scent in her new perfume line "Sexy Thoughts."

With all her responsibilities, Abdul's rep explains, "something had to give and ultimately that was Bratz." [...]
And what about the footage of Abdul crying about the film on Hey Paula!? "Very creative editing," her rep says.

Clearly, Hey Paula's producers were listening to none of their overburdened star's input during the show's development meetings. Otherwise, they might have addressed some of her notes about capturing all her "quirky and lovable" characteristics that her current P.R. team always goes on about, instead of pulling the 80-90% of existing B-roll that just happens to portray the Idol judge as a loathsome and self-pitying nightmare. It's no wonder Abdul finds herself in a crisis of faith—when your own vanity reality project turns against you, what other proof does one really need to be convinced that God is dead?

Paula's People Say She Broke up With Bratz [UsMagazine.com]

Hey Paula: You're Fired

Seth — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:25:50 EDT

By all measures, Hey Paula, the Bravo reality show offering viewers unfettered access to everyone's favorite inarticulate American Idol judge who isn't Randy Jackson, was as sure a thing as they come. Who wouldn't tune in to catch a rare glimpse of the real Paula Abdul—the enigmatic woman behind all the narcoleptic promotional appearances, the Chihuahua-related head traumas, and the secretly recorded P.R. conference call meltdowns?

Of course, that was before the show actually aired, and Abdul's dreary, fame-hungry existence—filled in the Idol off-season with QVC appearances and pointless strategy meetings with a staff who respond with icy, death-stare detachment—was laid out for all the world to see. In the above clip, Paula reacts pretty much as one might expect as she learns that she has been forced out of the Bratz movie she proudly plugged in every interview this year. Dramatic? Perhaps, but where some might see a fourth-rate movie inspired by a line of slutty dolls, Abdul saw in the project a raison d'être outside the karaoke ghetto that has come to define her existence.

Paula Abdul Has a Bratz Meltdown [YouTube via BWE]
Hey Paula [BravoTV.com]

Bravo Heavily Promoting New Hit Series 'Hey Hey Paula'

Mark — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:42:38 EDT

A vigilant reader (i.e., one who didn't get cross-eyed drunk to celebrate the return of Top Chef) noticed that the new round of commercials for upcoming Bravo offering Hey, Paula!, a serialized documentary on the effects of prescription painkillers on talent-show judges, went to air without adequate proofreading. We suppose that it's possible there is a better reason than mere carelessness for the mistake; at a network where deep budget cuts force their programming executives to assume second jobs generating their website copy, it's not inconceivable that the talent is required to write and edit promos themselves, and that Abdul—busy juggling the demands of self-medicating, dodging the pack of fluffy dogs constantly underfoot, and approving new storylines for her "character"—was simply too overwhelmed by her multiple responsibilities to catch the error.

After the jump, a video of the spot; skip to the :21 mark (the timer counts backwards) to see the typo swoosh by:

NEW Hey, Paula! Commericials [YouTube]

A Deeper Understanding Of What Makes Paula Abdul Tick Just A Few Short Weeks Away

Mark — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:46:10 EDT

Last night's edition of brain-smoothing dinnertime celebrity newsmagazine Extra offered up a crazy-flavored appetizer for the upcoming Bravo reality series, Hey, Paula!!!, in which the American Idol judge unscrews the top of her head and allows the world an opportunity to climb inside and stroll around the church-parking-lot-quality carnival that is her mind. The brief clip reveals little, but now we do know this: her "best friend" is her stylist (always a sign that a famous person has disengaged from reality), there are many fluffy dogs—some of which will defecate on camera—underfoot to provide believable excuses for medication-induced mishaps, and we will get some glimpses of the Idol-related "exhaustion" incidents that are the reason the show exists in the first place. Unfortunately, we have to wait until late June before the star can officially welcome us into her home, a greeting that we expect will be followed by Abdul handing us a shopping bag full of half-empty prescription-pill bottles and urging us to makes ourselves at home.

Extra TV [warnerbros.com]
Previously: Paula Abdul Thinks Ex-Flack Didn't Jump On Enough Grenades For Her [Defamer]