Going from Weird to Weirder

Although this is not the first time that Paula Abdul finds herself surrounded by controversy and rumors about being replaced, the US magazine 'Us Weekly' claims that this is one instance when the 'American Idol' judge won't be able to talk her way out of a very messy situation.

Amidst talks about her weird behavior on the set and more than difficult personality behind the cameras, the mag writes about Paula being on the verge of being replaced by none other than singer Courtney Love. No reason is given for the alleged producers' decision of choosing the bigger evil over the smaller one.

It all started with those much talked about live interviews that Paula gave more than three weeks ago, when she displayed an even more wacky behavior than she had until then. Many said that she was too drunk to realize what was being said to her. She and Fox claimed it was a technical malfunction which made her literally not hear the questions she was being asked.

Since then, the 'Idol' controversy only got bigger, with many complaints that the judges were too keen on judging contestants solely on their physical appearance, for the sake of publicity. Simon Cowell was also targeted for his blunt and sometimes insensible comments, but he defended himself by saying that he was not rude, he was just honest. None of these things hurt the show in any way; on the contrary, it made it one of the most watched programs in television, a leader in terms of audience ratings.

Now, 'Us' has spoken to one of the producers of 'American Idol' and learned that they had just about enough of Paula's antics. Even more, a reporter also managed to make contact with Courtney, the one who is supposed to replace Mrs. Abdul, who confirmed that she had a call from Nigel Lythgoe concerning this matter.

'[Lythgoe] called. He was wondering if I was interested. I thought it was kind of weird but brilliant', she is quoted as saying. However, she refused to elaborate on that and specify whether the call was about her coming on the show as a guest judge or as a permanent replacement for one of the three judges. A spokesperson for Fox refused to comment on the rumor.

One could easily say that, if the network were really to sack Paula, 'American Idol' would receive its biggest blow ever, especially since the controversy surrounding her has been nothing but good publicity. Then again, Courtney is bound to generate some wonderful publicity, if only allowed to be herself...