Paula Abdul has to keep proving she's sober. After a bizarre interview she gave for a Seattle morning news team last week, following by even more strange behaviour on the talk show circuit and the opening episode of American Idol, everyone from Rosie O'Donnell to The New York Times, want to know what she's on.
In an interview after a panel discussion with television journalists in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, Ms. Abdul said she had not been impaired during the interviews, on the show or at any time during her work promoting “American Idol,” Fox’s hit reality show.
“I’ve never been drunk,” she said. “I’m not under the influence of anything.” Referring to her tenure as a judge on “American Idol,” she added, “The first five years no one said anything about how I behaved or how I talked.”
This month an interview with a Seattle television station went awry when Ms. Abdul seemed to be answering questions different from those being asked. She said the problem was twofold: first, she was tired after doing three hours of interviews with stations across the country to promote the show; and second, during the Seattle interview, the audio feed into her earpiece was coming from two separate television stations. She said she believed the audio glitch was being addressed while she was off camera; instead the camera was on.
“That was a mistake I had nothing to do with,” Ms. Abdul said Saturday. “I didn’t know I had two studios in my ear. I wish it were a better story, but that’s it.”
She said it is her nature to make fun of situations that cause her stress, like appearing on live television. “I’m doing my job and having fun,” she said. “Although I might not take myself seriously, there are young girls watching me, and I know I’m a role model. I’ve been a teacher, and the fact that some of them would look up to me and want to be the next choreographer or the next singer, I would not violate that trust.”
"I'm the only female. I'm the empathetic one. I'm the artist. I'm the pinata. I've never been drunk in my life. I don't do recreational drugs. I've been in this business 20 years (and) never had to weather the storm of publicity, controversy. It's this show. ... I love it, but it's often daunting."
Maybe not 'recreational drugs' but she didn't say pharmaceutical.
Paula isn't the only one feeling the heat this week. Simon Cowell has been critized for being overly insulting and cruel this season to the less fortunate contestants.
Last week on the show’s two-night season premiere, he mocked one contestant’s appearance, comparing him to a jungle creature, and made fun of another’s heft. One contestant Mr. Cowell mocked appeared to be mentally impaired; Mr. Cowell said Saturday that he had not been aware that the young man was a former Special Olympian.
Mr. Cowell said that he understood why his remarks were criticized but that he felt it would be wrong to censor himself.
“I take your point, which is, It’s a singing competition, and why should I call someone, I think it was a ‘bush baby,’ ” he said. “The appeal of this show is that we’ve never tried to censor this show. And there are times, trust me, when I watch it back and I just think, ‘God, I wish I hadn’t said that, and why do they put it in the show?’ But it’s something we all sign up for, good things and bad things. I feel more comfortable being on a show where we are prepared to show the warts as well as the good things.”
Keep in mind that these 'artists' we see audition have already been pre-screened and chosen to appear on television. They are put on tv because sadly, it makes good tv.
source - ny times