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Simon Cowell fires Paula Abdul from "X Factor"

31/01/2012 13:52:00

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Simon Cowell fires Paula Abdul from "X Factor"

So why did Simon Cowell fire his friend Paula Abdul from "X Factor"?

Here's a guess: right girl, wrong show.

The persona that worked well for her on "American Idol," at least to a good part of the audience, wasn't so much an option on "X Factor," which has a whole different rhythm.

Because "X Factor" requires judges to be mentors and to compete against each other, Paula couldn't simply sit back and be the eternally understanding big sister. She couldn't just send all the contestants on their way by telling them never to give up their dream.

With Simon himself, she couldn't provide those brief light interludes of bemused and sometimes ditzy banter. "X Factor" required the judges to be more hands-on, more cold-blooded if you will, and that's clearly neither Paula's inclination nor strong suit.

Also, it quickly became clear on "X Factor" that Simon's primary sparring partner would be L.A. Reid, who comes from the same background of producing music and creating stars.

L.A. Reid wasn't stepping anywhere near Paula's shoes, but his presence preempted a lot of her old role, pushing her to the margins.

Another point worth remembering is that Paula was by no means universally adored by "Idol" fans, particularly toward the end of her run. She got a lot of love, but she also caused eyes to roll, especially after several incidents where she seemed to lose touch with the world around her.

Being away from the show, as often happens in show biz, did wonders for her reputation. So when Simon hired her for "X Factor," she was somehow seen as some sort of Princess Diana figure, returning to her adoring subjects.

Then when she actually went on the air with "X Factor," fans remembered, well, her limits.

It's still true that her dismissal was by far the most shocking part of Simon's Monday Night Massacre.

To some fans, it was like Johnny Carson dumping Ed McMahon or Mr. Krabs dumping SpongeBob.

But when Simon had been projecting 20 million weekly viewers for "X Factor" and some weeks the show didn't get half that many, he was clearly looking to turn over the furniture, not just commission a different typeface for the show's logo.

Fond as he is of Paula, and however glowing a reference he may give her for some other project, he clearly concluded that she wasn't going to lure any more customers into this tent.

That's when the nice girl becomes the goodbye girl.