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Melanie McFarland blogs from the networks' midsummer press tour.
July 28, 2005Straight up now tell me, Mr. Liguori...Either you have read, or will read, about Fox entertainment president Peter Liguori discussing the Paula Abdul and Corey Clark affair. An inquiry is currently being carried out by an independent counsel hired by Fox, 19 TV Ltd. and FremantleMedia. ![]() Abdul At stake is whether or not Abdul will keep her position as an "American Idol" judge because, as Liguori told us over and over again, "any allegations against this show, we take quite seriously. The credibility of the competition is extraordinarily important to us." The way that press conference was going this morning, you would have thought the whole deal was going to be made into a publishable report. Who am I kidding? Someone's probably writing that right now. But here's what I got out of it. a) Liguori stressed how important it is that Fox maintain the credibility of "Idol." b) He added, "Look, the audience loves Paula. She continues to get support. She continues to light up our online sites and message boards. She is part and parcel of that show, and her specific style seems to be working quite well." c) Abdul also is part of Fox's summer series "So You Think You Can Dance." She's traveling around and teaching regular people a few moves. d) "American Idol," in its current incarnation, is the main reason Fox ended last season in first place in the 18-49 demographic, for the first time ever. e) People seem to have forgiven Martha Stewart. Why not Abdul? Put it all together, and my guess is that unless some truly horrifying stories come out of that probe, the "did she or didn't she" question won't matter -- that woman will forever be "American Idol's" girl. If the investigation has not been completed by Aug. 18, the first day of auditions for the fifth round of "Idol," she'll be joining Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell for another go. At any rate, Fox and Liguori had other announcements as well. ![]() Liguori Fox is trying to take reality in a new new direction, because that uplifting, feel-good stuff just is not for them. But what it has proposed, "XQuest," sounds...well, confusing, to be honest. See if you can figure this out. It is a partially scripted, partially unscripted competition soap opera that approximates a sci-fi movie, with two teams and a lot of crazy computer graphics. Apparently a couple of specially constructed NASA simulators, called "biocrafts, will be the teams' temporary home. Imagine Entertainment and one of the producers of the videogame "Halo" are putting it together. Much more straightforward is the news that "MADtv's" Josh Meyers is joining "That '70s Show" as a regular, and Ashton Kutcher will return for four episodes. Comments
Paula Abdul is like the coolest person ever! And so are you! Posted by: Rodney Ho at July 29, 2005 12:39 AMI haven't missed one of the American Idol's shows. I think FOX should rise above this Clark issue and continue to support Abdul as a professional. She certainly has given alot to alot of people! She is great people and she adds alot to the show-what she did with this fool is her business. Leave it alone! dli out. Posted by: david ingram at July 29, 2005 07:32 AMthe guy is ajerk and fox should put the whole matter to bed. and not give that jerk any more air time Posted by: martin kahn at July 29, 2005 08:42 AMthe guy is ajerk and fox should put the whole matter to bed. and not give that jerk any more air time Posted by: martin kahn at July 29, 2005 08:42 AMthe guy is ajerk and fox should put the whole matter to bed. and not give that jerk any more air time Posted by: martin kahn at July 29, 2005 08:42 AMWhy would Paula want to do that guy? Let's get real for a second... he's kinda ugly! Posted by: Aaron Johns at July 29, 2005 09:20 AMPaula should only be fired if what she did effected the outcome of the show. If she did have an improper relationship with a contestant, she should be disciplined; but she should be fired only if what she did effected the show. Posted by: Greyshade at July 29, 2005 09:28 AMWhether or not Paula Abdul had inappropriate conduct with this man is not the issue. It is whether she treated this man differently than the other contestants. The only proof we have is this guy's word that Paula gave him advice. How is advice unfair treatment? And how can you believe a guy who would tape a call(or make one up) of someone who was trying to help him and exploit it to the media for coverage. Posted by: Anonymous at July 29, 2005 11:19 AMPaula helps make the show.Without her it would be dull.Move on.Ignore the jerk. Posted by: Rance at July 29, 2005 12:18 PMWe kept the President,lets keep Paula Posted by: e.mcd at July 29, 2005 01:08 PMI was reading this for amusement. I can't believe people care this much about the subject. Once we get hunger, poverty, overcrowding, global warming, our economy, etc. settled, I'll consider worrying about Paula Abdul's personal life. Posted by: maefly² at July 29, 2005 01:46 PMReality TV thrives on this type of gargage, and apparently so do you loosers. Reality TV thrives on this type of gargage, and apparently so do you loosers. This whole story is a non-issue! I can't believe you folks are so shallow that you give a rat's ass about this "scandal", yet you have no comments on the important issues of the day. I can't believe I am commenting on this idiotic story, either! Shame on me, too. Posted by: maybeso at July 29, 2005 03:52 PMAccording to Bill Clinton, Paula did nothing wrong. Posted by: William at July 29, 2005 07:38 PMLet's get real here! This is just a tv show to entertain the public. I think this silly scandal is being taken too seriously. There's a lot more going on in the world today that warrents our concerns. Posted by: R. Clement at July 31, 2005 07:05 AMThats that extreme right wing mentality for you!!!!!!!! In other words they need to get a grip on reality and stop exploiting things that are obviously personal.They should stop hiding behind that big image they create.Just like THE WIZARD OF OZ!!It's all about an agenda!!! Posted by: john at July 31, 2005 08:53 AMHey........Let's spend 60 million and have Kenneth Starr investigate this matter and while their at it go after Newt Gengrich.I understand he had affair going on during Clintons sexual encounter.I wonder how many sexual encounters he had with his "ongoing" affair.Where does it all end. Posted by: john at July 31, 2005 09:38 AMPaula for President, we could do worse, in fact we usually have. Posted by: bosco sourpuss at July 31, 2005 07:01 PMPaula is cool, but i hate her because she hates carrie underwood, and carrie is the best!!!!!! Posted by: kelly at July 31, 2005 07:37 PMAbsolutly unreal, Who the hell do these and the people that are involved think they are? The entire US which I love and served for has began to remind me of the old Christian witch hunts, where they are burned at the stake, simply because some jerk accused them of being so, and if they didn't twitch thier nose and disappear it was because of all the High morals of those bottom feeders watching that prevented her evil... For crying out loud, as one person said there is plenty of things to be concerned with other then who Abdul is laying this week. John (johnnycomelately@comcast.net), Post a comment
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