Former judge reportedly balked at contract-extension offer.
By Gil Kaufman

Paula Abdul

Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Why would Paula Abdul leave the top-rated show in television, one that gave her a sustained, worldwide fanbase she hasn’t had since the days when she sold nearly 50 million albums two decades ago?

Was it the constant needling from fellow “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell? The parade of jokes and online spoofs of her on-air loopiness? No, according to The New York Times, in light of host Ryan Seacrest’s recent million deal, Abdul has been lobbying for a major pay bump in contract negotiations that have been going on since the spring.

Those negotiations appear to have fallen apart Tuesday, when Abdul took to her Twitter account to announce that she was leaving the show after eight seasons. It also came just a day after producers were effusive in their praise when announcing that songwriter Kara DioGuardi would be returning for a second season.

The Times reported that Abdul made around million last season and was seeking a big raise, ultimately rejecting a 30 percent salary increase and multiyear deal worth more than million. According to TMZ, the show’s producers made an initial offer that Abdul didn’t like, then they rejected a counter-offer from the judge and made yet another offer to her. But, rather than responding, Abdul reportedly shocked everyone involved by tweeting her goodbye to the show on Tuesday night. The New York Daily News pegged her asking price at million per season.

The singer/choreographer’s new manager, David Sonenberg, warned last month that Abdul might not return to the show, and unnamed sources close to the former judge told the Times that she had said in recent months that she felt under-appreciated by the show’s producers. A spokesperson for the show declined to comment beyond a statement released by Fox confirming Abdul’s departure.

Many in the industry saw Sonenberg’s recent statements as a negotiating tactic, one that appears to have backfired; Sonenberg could not be reached for comment Wednesday (August 5).

Cowell, DioGuardi, Seacrest and Randy Jackson will be in Denver for season-nine auditions later this week, marking the first time Abdul will not be by their side since the show launched in 2002. While Seacrest went on the record on his radio show on Wednesday to say that he doesn’t think Abdul’s departure is a publicity stunt and that he’s stunned, representatives for Cowell and Jackson could not be reached for comments from her former colleagues at press time.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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‘This is going to be my best work with the experience I have,’ Jeezy says of the songs on his new album.
By Shaheem Reid

Young Jeezy

Photo: MTV News

Young Jeezy has his producers lined up for Thug Motivation 103, which is due to drop later this year. Working with Shawty Redd once again, Young has also enlisted the services of up-and-comer Midnight Black as well as Kanye West, and he says he’s got about 25 to 30 songs ready to go.

“I’m taking my time this time,” Jeezy recently told MTV News. “I know where I really wanna go. This is my fourth time over. I did it three times — I’m gonna do it again.”

Young gave us a few details, including a few specific songs to listen out for.

“To even get a feel for it, we’ll start with the ‘Intro,’ ” he said. “When you buy this album, you’ll know where I’m going. If I can recall, one of the first lines is, ‘No matter what they think, I’m trying to do better/ Despite of what they think, I’m making you better/ So let them go back and forth about who’s better.’

“To me, that’s how I feel,” he continued. “No matter what they think, I go harder to be an example for my homies and everybody around me. I’m trying to make cats better. So if you feel the rapping part is that serious to you, then you go with that. When you go with motivational speaking, you don’t want it to rhyme — you want it to make sense. If he sounds like he’s rhyming, it sounds like a jingle — like he’s trying to sell you a turkey burger or something.”

The Snowman feels that after completing a couple of LPs, he has his craft down pat.

“I got a joint called ‘I Got This,’ ” he said about the new album. “Then there’s ‘Suicide Music.’ I don’t wanna give it all up, because you’ll probably figure out where I’m going. The list goes on. To me, I know [artists] say, ‘This is going to be my best work.’ This is going to be my best work with the experience I have and I’m still me. Cats been rocking with me for four or five years. I’mma give them what they need to do and I’m gonna motivate the thugs.”

Jeezy is currently touring with Young Money Presents: The America’s Most Wanted Music Festival.

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Kris Allen, Brooke White, Danny Gokey and others express their fondness for the empathetic judge.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Matt Elias

Brooke White

Photo: Polk Imaging/FilmMagic

If “American Idol” fans were surprised to hear that Paula Abdul wasn’t returning to the show next season, the show’s former contestants were possibly even more shocked to find out that she would no longer be sitting at the judges’ table.

“I was shocked. I definitely think the show will be different without Paula,” season-seven finalist Brooke White told MTV News. “The truth is, we don’t spend a lot of time with the judges. However, Paula was the one every elimination show that came backstage to visit with us.”

She added that Paula “was truly concerned about our well-being. I think because, on that panel of judges, she was the performer, she was the one who experienced what it was like to be on the front lines, she had the empathy for us. She provided a little softness to the table.”

On his radio show Wednesday morning (August 5), “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest said he was “bummed” about Abdul’s departure, and fellow judge Randy Jackson told EW.com that the news shocked him too. “I am shocked. Paula is a dear friend and will be missed,” he said.

Season-eight winner Kris Allen took to his Twitter when he heard the news. “We love you!” he wrote. “Glad I was able to be a part of your last season on the show. You showed us so much love.”

Fellow season-eight contestant Danny Gokey also reacted on Twitter. “I’m really sad [to] see Paula Abdul not coming back [to] Idol,” he wrote. “She was the judge with the biggest heart! She really will be missed.”

And the reaction from Blake Lewis, season six’s runner-up, is so melancholy, it seems as if Abdul had died, not passed up a contract renewal. “Paula leaving ‘American Idol’ is like a honeycomb without the honey,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “She brought a sweetness to ‘AI’ that no one can replace. She will be forever our girl.”

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Singer’s ‘Love Sex Magic’ clip is up for Best Choreography at this year’s awards.
By Jocelyn Vena

Ciara

Photo: Mike Coppola/FilmMagic

Ciara and Justin Timberlake’s sexy moves in the “Love Sex Magic” video seemed to impress — the clip is up for Best Choreography at this year’s Video Music Awards.

“When I heard about the nomination, I was very happy,” Ciara told MTV News about the nomination. “Just to be honored and acknowledged for this video in particular [is great], because we really had a lot of fun with the actual concept. It definitely meant a lot to be honored. I was elated. I was surprised, happy — everything all in one.”

Although she couldn’t help but be all smiles over the nomination, she had yet to discuss the good news with her co-star, Justin Timberlake, who brought his own share of sex appeal to the video. “I haven’t [spoken to him] … I’m actually going to reach out,” she said. “We’ll probably end up talking later or something. I’m sure he does know about it, but we haven’t spoken yet.”

Ciara explained that all that hotness between the two in the video was inspired by one very sexy Vegas act. “We actually got inspired from a show called Crazy Horse from Vegas. And when [me and choreographer, Jamaica] both went to the show, we were just, like, so in love with the idea of it and we were kind of like, ‘How can we make our own Crazy Horse show?’ So that’s kind of where the inspiration came from — playing around.”

But it wasn’t just the sexy dancing from the show that inspired the video — the look of the Vegas show came into play as well. “We fell in love with the lighting and we kind of wanted to give it our own twist, create our own show,” she explained. “Our own ‘Love Sex Magic’ show, I’ll say.”

And as if it wasn’t clear enough that Ciara and Timberlake had no shortage of chemistry while filming the clip, the singer confirmed that the pair had an amazing time on set.

“It was really fun. Justin’s so down-to-earth and he’s so passionate about … the energy he gives me is that he’s very passionate about everything he does,” she said. “And working together, it was just really cool and … it was a very easygoing shoot. It didn’t feel like we were working at all.”

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will take place September 13 at 9 p.m. ET. Nominees, celebrity presenters and additional performers will be announced in the coming weeks. To be the first to find out the inside scoop, follow the Inside MTV Twitter account at Twitter.com/InsideMTV.

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Susan Boyle looks great in her new Harper’s Bazaar photospread, which is confusing — I thought the whole Britain’s Got Talent marketing strategy behind her was “See? Not all unattractive virgins are completely worthless!” (the exact same marketing strategy they used behind Paul Potts, who prrrrrooobably wouldn’t have sold as many records if he was some normal-looking opera dude).

You’re blowing their cover, Harper’s! We don’t need to see more not-ugly people succeeding and wearing glamorous dresses — better throw some dirt on her face, quick.

More pics of Susan Boyle shattering the illusion in Harper’s, after the jump:

(via Jezebel)

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DO NOT ADJUST YOUR MONITORS! You are not seeing double! You see, Russian Prime Minister and literal Hunk of a Man Vladimir Putin went on one of his notorious hunting jaunts, and decided to wow photogs with his incredible swimming skillz. Check out this comparison of Putin’s Butterfly vs. Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps… you can literally not tell the difference between the two:

OK, to be fair, he looks like an old woman who just stepped on a jellyfish. But we bet that had this photo been animated, we would all be like “Whoa.” Seriously, look at this man on this Cher-lookalike horse and tell me what Barack’s got on him?

Ahead, more pics of Vladdy on Vacay, including a pensive tree shot, and him holding his rod.

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Did you think it was tasteless when video of Michael Jackson, ominously labeled his “final rehearsals” and “his last performance,” popped up online? We thought it was creepy (though not nearly as bad as the pictures of him, after his death, being driven off in an ambulance), but we ignored it. Some things are best left unwatched and forgotten. Unless you’re Columbia Pictures, in which case, you’ll make a movie out of said footage.

Columbia has paid million for the rights to create a film, due out by Halloween that will feature Jackson’s rehearsals (over 100 hours of footage was shot in preparation for his comeback tour) as well as, get ready for it,  product tie-ins and merchandising, with most of the proceeds from the film going toward erasing the Jackson estate’s debt. What do you want to bet this Halloween deadline means they will do some big re-release of Thriller to show before the movie? The footage was shot by AEG Live, the promoters of Jackson’s comeback tour. In a quote that sounds about as sensitive as something Joe Jackson would say, AEG CEO Randy Phillips said, “If we all do our jobs right, we could probably raise hundreds of millions of dollars just on the stuff we have worldwide and then the estate could eradicate its debt.”

We believe in honoring the man and his life, but cashing in on what we now know to be the final moments the man spent on stage just to help pay off his debts is morbid. And the tie-ins! Don’t get us started, we’re still dealing with the shilling disaster known as Sex and The City: The Movie. The only thing standing in the way of the film is Katherine Jackson – she will attend a court hearing (story of her life these days) next week to raise any objections to the film, but considering she is the one in charge of the debt-ridden estate right now, we doubt she’ll have any. [Photo: GettyImages]

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AP – Financial problems are threatening to silence the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.
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AP – Chris Brown has pleaded guilty and publicly apologized for beating Rihanna, but after Wednesday afternoon, plenty more hard work lies ahead.

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AP – Coming soon to a theater near you (if a judge agrees): a full-length motion picture filled with footage of Michael Jackson’s last rehearsals.

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