Paula Abdul On ‘American Idol’ Phone Number Mishap

Paula Abdul dropped by ‘Entertainment Tonight’ to give Kevin Frazier the scoop on the ‘American Idol’ voting mishap. “There is always drama, especially this season, but this is the first time ever we had to redo a Tuesday night,” Abdul said. “That is monstrous for the contestants. We had to completely make it a wash and start over again. The big thing was, how were we going to make it an interesting show?”

Paula Abdul’s Statement In Response To Hit And Run Charges

March 24, 2005 – Paula Abdul’s attorney released a statement in response to the ‘American Idol’ judge’s misdemeanor charge for allegedly fleeing the scene after being involved in a traffic accident last year. Abdul has taken full responsibility for the minor damages that resulted from the incident. “Late last year, while driving on the Hollywood Freeway, unbeknownst to Paula, there was some minor contact between the tire of her car and another vehicle on the roadway,” the statement reads. “The result was a small amount of property damage to the other car and no damage to Paula’s car. This week, after learning that it had been determined that her car was actually involved, Paula immediately took full responsibility and paid $775 to repair the minor property damage. She is pleased the matter could be resolved [Thursday] in traffic court.”

Paula Abdul Charged With Hit And Run

March 24, 2005 – ‘American Idol’ judge Paula Abdul was slapped on Thursday with a hit and run charge for allegedly leaving the scene of a minor auto accident last December, a misdemeanor. If convicted, Abdul could face a maximum of six months in jail and a $1000 fine. Check out the court document from The Smoking Gun.

‘American Idol’ Voting Problem

March 24, 2005 – Jay Leno joked during his Tonight Show monologue on Wednesday night, “Well, I guess you know, there was a huge screw-up on ‘American Idol’ last night. You all know that, right? The phone voting was all mixed up and the numbers on the screen were wrong. Well, they had a complete revote tonight. The next night. That’s what I love about our country. When there’s a voting problem in the presidential election, what did that take, three months to figure it out? Some stupid karaoke show, ‘Oh, my God! Get on the phones!’ The next day! The next day, it’s fixed!”

Bianculli: Fox’s ‘Idol’ Makes A Good Call

March 24, 2005 – David Bianculli of The New York Daily News weighed in on the ‘American Idol’ phone number flap that caused a pseudo replay of the top rated program last night and bumped the elimination show to tonight. Bianculli writes, “When the dust settles tonight, Fox will have added a total of one hour of TV’s highest-rated series to its schedule for the week – and ‘American Idol’ will have gotten its most publicity of the season, all of it free. From this point on, if the show’s ratings spike even higher, the ‘human error’ may deserve most of the credit.”

‘American Idol’ Producer Defends Show’s Integrity

March 23, 2005 – It’s “rubbish” to suggest there was a deliberate effort to tinker with “American Idol” by putting wrong voting information on-screen, executive producer Ken Warwick told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “Why would we contaminate the honesty of one of the top-rated shows in America by fiddling with it?” Warwick asked. “It’s regrettable. This was a human error and we had to address it as best we could.”

Los Angeles Prosecutors Eye Charges Against Paula Abdul

March 20, 2005 – Amy Poehler “reported” during the ‘Saturday Night Live’ Weekend Update segment last night: “Los Angeles prosecutors are contemplating whether to bring criminal charges against Paula Abdul for her alleged role in a hit and run accident last December. As it stands, the judges informed Abdul that, ‘I think you look great, and you started out driving really well, but then you swiped the car. And it was, like, a little, not your best. But, still, I like you. And I like your style. Nice job’.”

Simon Cowell And Paula Abdul Feud Real?

February 23, 2005 – How do sometimes-feuding ‘American Idol’ judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul really feel about each other? People magazine’s Cynthia Sanz was on ‘Fox & Friends’ on Wednesday morning to discuss the situation which ‘Idol’ producers aren’t trying to stop because it makes for good television… and ratings. The interview has since been removed from FoxNews.com.

Justin Guarini Surprises Paula Abdul With Flowers

February 15, 2005 – ‘American Idol’ season one runner-up Justin Guarini surprised Paula Abdul with flowers for Valentine’s Day, ‘National Call in Single Day’, presented by Yahoo Personals at the Third Street Promenade on Monday (February 14) Santa Monica, California.