Simon Chooses Paula Abdul and Cheryl Cole As Judges
Simon Cowell has reportedly named Paula Abdul, British singer Cheryl Cole as the judges he plans to have sitting beside the already-announced L.A. Reid for the U.S. "X Factor" that starts in the fall, according to Deadline.
The interview says that while Cowell has "made up his mind" to work with Paula and Cheryl, Abdul's deal "hasn't even started" and that Cole's deal "isn't quite done yet." But insiders tell Deadline that Cole will be announced within a week.
In response to question about whether former U.K. "X factor" judge Cole can gel with U.S. audiences, Cowell responds, "I never think about it as an American or British audience ... And with Cheryl, when I hired her initially, I'd only met her literally once when I offered her the job on [British] 'X Factor.' I thought she was bright, cute, knew what she was talking about, ambitious. And you meet someone special a few times in your life.. And this girl is special. She's just got a great ability to communicate. Shes a great judge. She's smart. It's just a hunch. If people take to her like the British public did, I think she's going to do really well in America. And Fox was desperate to hire her."
And he says of the choice to work with Paula Abdul again: "I've always wanted Paula. Always been very vocal about that. I missed her the second she left the show. Always loved working with her even though she can be a pain. And I've been consistent about this. I don't know what it is about her, but I've always clicked with her. You just have to get that chemistry, and she's right. I've never found anyone better than her."
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