Surprise, surprise. Well not really. After Simon Cowell announced that this season of American Idol would be his last there was much discussion on not only who would replace him here but who would join him on his new show, The X-Factor.
Of course the most obvious choice to join Simon on his new show would be his ever-popular, ex-judging partner, Paula Abdul. Looks like the rumored game of “ditch Randy” may have had its merit, according to THR:
Cowell is in discussions with his former “American Idol” co-star Paula Abdul and his current “X Factor” U.K. co-star Cheryl Cole for judging positions on the show, which launches on Fox in fall 2011.
Hiring Abdul and Cole would assure a certain degree of comfortable chemistry between Cowell and other judges on the new series.
Abdul in particular would allow Cowell to reform the heart of the longtime “Idol” judging team, which was split when Abdul quit the show in August amid contract dispute.
It’s absolutely brilliant. Simon said he wanted to go out and try something new after Idol. So he’ll be on a talent contest television show as a judge with Paula Abdul and one other judge. This sounds so crazy it just might work!
What do you think? Should Simon start up with a whole new judges panel or is Paula the perfect choice to bring in that fan base who can’t wait to see her again?
Update: A quick check to see who is this Cheryl Cole (not to be confused with the similar sounding Sheryl Crow) and I think if Simon gets her on the US version it could be a show about boiling live kittens and bunnies and it’ll have top ratings.
Update 2: Initial report that Simon has already signed Paula to join X-Factor though the source has no official source itself so take this one with a grain of salt. However, I’d say it’s just a matter of time before it does happen if it hasn’t already. – hat tip to Ashley