She’s at it again! Paula Abdul is proving once again to be a difficult negotiator as her X Factor talks continue through to the 11th hour.
L.A. Reid, Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell are all set to sit at the judges’ panel when the X Factor begins filming live auditions in Los Angeles on Sunday.
But Paula? “…those talks have not progressed as smoothly as Cowell, Fox and producer Fremantle North America might have hoped.” reports The Hollywood Reporter.
The problems may not be entirely Paula’s, however:
One issue, according to sources, was an option that CBS had on Abdul based on a deal for her to participate in the short-lived CBS competition show Live to Dance. That deal, according to two sources close to X Factor, contained language that could have prevented Abdul from joining the new show.
A CBS source says any issues with Abdul’s Live to Dance deal have been worked out, but another source says the break wasn’t so clean.
Paula’s reps and X Factor producers are said to be locked in “tense” negotiations. A source close to the show tells THR that the expectation is still that a deal will get done and Paula will be there for the LA judging rounds. But another source was not so sure.
“People would be very surprised if she is there on Sunday, ” this source says.
According to THR, It’s unclear how much Paula’s salary demands for X Factor have become a sticking point in deal talks.
