Paula Abdul on Shine

Summer’s Hottest Headlines

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By Larry Dobrow

Summer is supposed to be fun and light—teeming with family and friends, pumped full of barbecue and slathered in suntan lotion. It’s also supposed to serve as a buffer of sorts before the school year starts anew and everybody heads back to the office. For the most part, the summer of ’09 was all these things and more. But as inevitably happens, the real world intruded upon our sun-drenched reverie, tempering our collective relaxation. Here are the news stories that kept us talking, poolside and elsewhere.

Michael Jackson’s Last Dance

Ellen DeGeneres replacing Paula Abdul on "American Idol"

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Fox delivered some very surprising news this afternoon: Talk show host/comedienne Ellen DeGeneres will serve as the fourth judge on Season 9 of "American Idol." DeGeneres will sit on a panel alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi after the auditions in January 2010.…

Paula and pay equity

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by Leslie Morgan Steiner (Mommy Track'd - Two Cents on Working Motherhood)
I never imagined cute, ditzy Paula Abdul as a feminist. Shame on me for assuming that a Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader and music video diva couldn’t also be strong, smart and gutsy. Because Abdul’s dispute over women’s pay equity – an issue that affects all women in the U.S. and around the world -- seems to be the back story behind last week’s departure from American Idol, eloquently justified by National Public Radio’s Michel Martin and other pundits. Give me an A, Paula!

Celebrity buzz brings another teachable moment for our kids, who can certainly learn an interesting lesson in fairness from the fact that Paula quit because the men on the show were paid far more than she was.

User post: Did Paula Abdul deserve more money?

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Look now because the picture will never be the same. The news of Paula Adbul's exit broke August 5th, 2009. She will not be returning to "Idol" next season. "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to Idol," she posted on her Twitter page. "I'll…

Paula Abdul announces resignation over Twitter: Would you?

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For months people have been speculating about whether "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul would return next season. The singer/choreographer finally put rumors to rest last night, announcing her departure on her Twitter page.…

Reality TV: A hoax and sometimes a killer

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A couple of years ago I tried out for American Idol. I grew up singing in church, school and took lessons for many years. I not great but I not terrible either. I waited for almost eight hours to try out in front of one judge who looked five years younger than I. Many times I almost walked…

Annnnd now Paula Abdul takes it all back. Or is misquoted. Or whatever.

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Just days after Paula Abdul's long-term struggle with painkillers was made public in an interview she did with Ladies' Home Journal, she's denying pretty much all of it. That took less time than it does to reveal who is getting booted from "American Idol", didn't it?