Paula Abdul is a hard lady to track down. For what feels like, ooh, half our lives now, we’ve been trying to catch up with her over a transatlantic phone line, but she’s proved elusive. What with her being in the midst of American Idol mania, plus the obligatory celebrity endorsements – in her case, a jewellery range she does on QVC, and a soon-to-be-launched eau de Paula – her schedule is every bit as hectic as it is on her fly-on-the-wall reality show Hey Paula. Which, if you’ve been tuning in, you’ll be aware made her seem a little bit on the, er, unhinged side, and prompted much speculation that she was partaking in some mind-altering substances, shall we say. So when we finally catch up with Paula, we don’t know what the heck to expect. As it turns out, she’s very sweet, not very crazy, and has plenty to say on one of our favourite subjects – Mr Simon Cowell…
So, were you happy with the outcome of Hey Paula?
Well, it was supposed to be filmed over several months, but the original producer pulled out and it was a mad dash to pick up the pieces, so the whole thing was done in three weeks, which happened to be at the time when I was promoting American Idol. Randy Jackson was producing Mariah Carey in the studio, Simon was doing X Factor, and all they had was me. The cameras were there constantly and I had 17 days to pull off a series. I had a crazy schedule because I was hopping on and off planes to Philadelphia to promote my jewellery on QVC and I had insomnia because everything was so stressful. So it wasn’t an accurate portrayal of what I’m like and my life. When I watched the show back I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is hysterical, this is a caricature of Paula Abdul’.
Your behaviour on the show has caused controversy, with lots of people suggesting you were drunk or on drugs while filming…
I’ve never been drunk in my life and I’ve never done recreational drugs. I was never a party girl ever, ever, even when I was a 17-year-old working my first job as a choreographer. I was like, ‘People are actually going to believe I’m like they’re making me out to be.’
So why do you think you came across as you did?
It was just me trying to keep my sense of humour over a situation that I couldn’t control. I’m not going to say it was miserable, we had some hysterical moments and I’ve made some great new friends, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat, but I’d make sure it was done differently.
What made you decide to do a show like that?
Because I seem to have this uncanny ability to make people forget what I’ve done. I’ve had superstardom three times with three different careers [as a choreographer, singer and now an American Idol judge] and I wanted people to look at the show and think, ‘Oh my Gosh, she choreographed all those movies and videos’, and to celebrate lasting 21 years longer in this business than most people do. But I didn’t get a chance to do that.
So you’re halfway through another series of American Idol. How are you and the lovely Simon Cowell getting on these days?
Well, yesterday, not very good, the day before that, so-so – it’s up and down like the weather. We’re an old married couple. God that is just a wretched thought, but it’s true.
Do you ever hang out together outside work?
We sometimes do weekends and, of course, he’ll call the paparazzi to make sure there’ll be a whole bunch of photographers there when we do. He’ll then pretend that it’s such a nuisance for him, but he wants to make sure everyone knows how popular he is.
What gets on your nerves about him most?
It’s always something that stems from his arrogance. It’s the way he tells the kids, ‘Oh you shouldn’t let nerves get the better of you’. He’s never been on stage, he’s never ever done what they do. And then he starts giving them advice on choreography, which is when I get really mad. And fashion advice! I mean! I come to the UK to shop and let’s just say he’s not a very good representative of how fashionable British people are.
What do you make of his clothing choices?
I didn’t even know that they made trousers like that any more. Maybe he’s thinking that if he holds out long enough, they’ll come back into fashion again. I mean, that waistband – I’ll be like, ‘What’s that on your neck, Simon? Oh, it’s your belt.’
Do American women chuck themselves at him?
A lot of American women love him. No, I don’t get it. He’ll always say, ‘Paula, you know you want me’ and I’ll play along with it. Somehow I’ve managed to resist the temptation so far. It’s been hard, but I’ve managed to not go there…
Simon is even in the video for your new single Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow isn’t he?
He’s in the final shot, and he said, ‘Oh God, I would never do this for my own artists’, and I’m like, ‘They probably wouldn’t want you in their video’. He can’t even take direction properly. It’s like, ‘Start with your head down and when they say “Action” lift your head up slowly.’ And he was the only one with his head up, looking over at me and Randy and laughing. He’s like the kid in school who won’t follow instructions.
It’s been over 10 years since you released a record. Are you stressed about what people will think of it?
I don’t get concerned about that. No one was expecting me to come out with a new single and it went straight to No 1 in the States. I just hope the same thing happens in the UK.
Do you fancy coming over to the UK and judging a talent show. Maybe you can take over from Sharon or Dannii on X Factor?
I’d absolutely love to set up working on a UK talent show. I was a guest judge on X Factor and I judged Leona. I turned to Simon and said, ‘There she is.’
You’re the latest celebrity preparing to bring out a perfume too. What does the essence of Paula smell of?
It’s so nice. I’ll spray it on and, honest to God, throughout the day, people come up to me all the time and say, ‘What are you wearing?’ I’m like, ‘Where are the cameras?’ I feel like I’m being Punk’d.
And how is your love life?
I do have a boyfriend right now, his name is JT Torregiani. He’s very romantic. He’s not in the business at all but he’s around celebrities all the time, he’s part of the Dolce group [along with the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Tara Reid], who own a lot of the big restaurants in LA – the kind of places Lindsay Lohan is always photographed coming out of. He’s lovely. No plans to get married just yet though.
What do you make of British men? Has Simon put you off them?
For a long time, I started getting a nervous tic every time I heard a man speak with a British accent, which usually went away when I sat down and spoke to them because there are actually a lot of decent men in the UK. Thankfully there aren’t millions of Simon Cowells running around. I’ve got to tell you, he’s one of a kind – they did break the mould when they made him.
(source)
