While Deadline.com’s report that Simon Cowell decided to book Cheryl Cole and Paula Abdul as the final two judges on the US version of “The X-Factor” came straight from the horse’s mouth, THR.com cites a Cowell representative who says no decision on the judges has yet been made.
The representative is careful not to deny the strong likelihood that Cole and Abdul will end up joining the panel, which already includes Antonio “LA” Reid and Cowell himself, but does dispute the Deadline line that Cowell “made up his mind” to go with the Girls Aloud singer and former “American Idol” judge as the show’s female voices.
“It’s still playing out,” the rep told THR. “Nothing is set, and Paula is one of many people Simon is talking to. He’s said the same thing many times, including on the radio last week. There’s nothing new.”
Since its initial edit, which also originally included a harsher description of Cole, the Deadline story now more prominently features the line, “And of course, he could change his mind.” The story had always noted that Cole’s deal is not yet finalized and that Abdul’s negotiations have not even really started, but it had strongly implied such negotiations would basically be formalities.
With Variety losing some prominence in recent months, Deadline and THR have been publicly battling for entertainment trade dominance (with each looking for opportunities to declare a lead over the other), so that element should also be taken into account when comparing the stories side-by-side. But it remains clear from the original Deadline piece, which features quotes from Simon Cowell, that the show indeed looked to strongly be in the direction of booking Cole and Abdul for the show.
“The X-Factor” launches on FOX this fall.
