Paula Abdul. She WILL (be) Judge(d).
(BeansTalk friend Barry Garron wrote the following article on
Fox needs to come clean about Abdul
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox has a big problem with "American Idol," where allegations of inappropriate contact between judge Paula Abdul and a young contestant have damaged the credibility of primetime's top-rated show.
While ABC News' "Primetime Live: Fallen Idol" expose in May did not have much solid proof of all of contestant Corey Clark's allegations of a sexual relationship with Abdul, the phone records it produced showed that Abdul, one of only three "American Idol" judges, had frequent and extensive contact with Clark, a contestant on the program in 2003.
Whether other allegations also are proved -- such as Abdul's coaching the candidate, purchasing his clothes and carrying on an intimate affair -- the damage has been done. Under no circumstances should there be even the appearance of collusion between judge and candidate, and the phone records, all by themselves, leave no doubt that this occurred.
An honorable and ethical response to the situation requires a full, forthcoming investigation by Fox. Meanwhile, Abdul should have been removed from her position as judge pending the outcome. The name or names of the investigators should be made public as well as the findings. Anything less smacks of a cover-up and, at this point, the smacking is practically deafening.
Fox, perhaps hoping no one would remember, said at the time that it would look into the matter and then said nothing more. Maybe, just maybe, if the TV critics attending the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour didn't bring it up, the whole thing could be swept under the rug. Alas for Fox and to the credit of the critics, the subject came up throughout programing president Peter Liguori's news conference.
"We're addressing it as we speak," Liguori said during his executive Q&A session during Fox's portion of TCA last week, though there has been no announcement of any progress in the two months since the investigation began.
You can verify a phone bill statement in two days. You can talk to the guy who sold Abdul the suit she allegedly bought for Clark and all the other witnesses in two weeks. Heck, you can develop a TV series based on this scandal in less time than it is taking to investigate it. Being thorough is one thing; foot-dragging and playing for time is another.
Meanwhile, instead of doing the right thing and taking Abdul off the show until the extent of the scandal is known, Fox enhanced her profile by giving her a role on its summer series "So You Think You Can Dance," which is the perfect description of Fox's reaction to the Abdul-"Idol" affair.
Liguori also told critics that if the investigation is not completed by the next round of "American Idol" talent searches, set to begin this month, Abdul will be right back in the judge's chair.
"We're in the television business," he said. "I don't think anyone should be held to a standard higher than the judicial system. At this point, we have nothing that specifically says that she shouldn't be showing up for work."
Nothing but common sense, that is. And, anyway, who's talking about holding Fox or Abdul to a standard "higher than the judicial system?"
All we're saying is that there is substantial evidence that Abdul and Fox breached the public trust and that her conduct undermined the supposed fairness of this contest. No one expects incarceration or even a Janet Jackson-sized fine, though this is far more flagrant and troublesome than
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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Statement from FremantleMedia, N.A., Inc
Fox Broadcasting Company and 19 Entertainment
Regarding Paula Abdul and Corey Clark
Upon hearing allegations made earlier this year about an improper relationship between “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul and former contestant Corey Clark, FremantleMedia, N.A., Inc., Fox Broadcasting Company and 19 Entertainment immediately launched an internal investigation. This decision to begin an inquiry was motivated by a profound commitment to preserve the integrity of the “American Idol” competition.
The inquiry was jointly conducted by outside counsel Marcellus McRae, a partner at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and a former federal prosecutor, and Ivy Kagan Bierman, an entertainment and labor partner at the law firm of Morrison & Foerster LLP. Both have particular expertise in handling Entertainment Industry matters and extensive experience in handling investigations of this nature.
The investigation required almost 600 hours of legal work and spanned over three and a half months. 43 individuals were interviewed, including Ms. Abdul and Mr. Clark. An extensive review was also conducted of records and materials provided by Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul.
After completing the inquiry, the investigators concluded:
· Mr. Clark’s allegations that he and Ms. Abdul had a sexual relationship have not been substantiated by any corroborating evidence or witnesses, including those provided by Mr. Clark, and Ms. Abdul expressly denies that any such relationship ever existed.
· Mr. Clark’s allegations that Ms. Abdul provided him any special assistance regarding his performance during the competition (including, but not limited to such things as song or wardrobe choice) have not been substantiated by any corroborating evidence or witnesses, including those provided by Mr. Clark himself, and Ms. Abdul expressly denies these allegations.
· Ms. Abdul acknowledges that she had telephone conversations with Mr. Clark while he was a contestant. Their accounts of those conversations, however, differ greatly and no evidence was uncovered to resolve the conflicts in their accounts. Ms. Abdul expressly denies that any of these conversations related to Mr. Clark’s claims of special assistance.
We have determined, based on the findings of this thorough and detailed inquiry, that there is insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance. Further, we are confident that none of these communications had any impact on the outcome of the competition.
Paula Abdul, therefore, can continue as a judge on “American Idol.”
Regardless of these findings, and to further protect the integrity of the competition, we are implementing an enhanced non-fraternization policy aimed at preventing any future incidents that could even appear to call into question the relationships between contestants and judges or any other individuals working on “American Idol.”
We appreciate the cooperation of Mr. Clark, Ms. Abdul and others who participated. As the inquiry relates to matters of a personal nature, and in order to protect the privacy interests of the individuals contacted in the course of this investigation, no further information regarding the identity of witnesses or details of the inquiry will be disclosed.
We thank the fans of “American Idol” for their patience and support.
