Oh Paula Abdul! Never ever change! The latest drama? THR is reporting that the crazy one is refusing to pay the agents at United Talent Agency commissions on her recent X Factor deal.
According to sources close to the situation, Abdul is refusing to pay the standard 10% agency commission on her X Factor deal, which closed May 7 and allowed Abdul to join Cowell on stage in Los Angeles for the start of the show’s judging rounds this past weekend. Abdul is said to believe she should not owe commissions on the X Factor deal because it arose from her relationship with Cowell, which predates the UTA representation. That position has led to a standoff between the star and one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies.
Paula hired UTA after she quit American Idol in 2009 during testy negotiations for the show’s 8th season. The agency later arranged for Paula to front the dance competition series Live to Dance, which aired this winter on CBS. Paula paid commissions on that deal.
When Simon began putting together the judges’ panel for the US version of X Factor, he made it clear he wanted Paula. That’s when she is said to have informed her agents that they would need to forgo commissions on that deal if they wanted to continue to represent her. You see, since UTA wasn’t responsible for finding the gig, Paula feels she shouldn’t have to pay them.
But according to THR, Hollywood custom indicates Paula should pay UTA anyway, unless there was some kind of arrangement before she signed on with the agency.
Paula’s reputation for erratic behavior is well-documented (anybody who watched her Bravo reality show Hey Paula a few years back knows what I’m talking about) She tends to hire and fire representatives frequently and has had “scores of publicists, managers, agents and lawyers over the years and has a reputation for being difficult, which of course is part of the charm that made her a star.”
Paula is scheduled to meet with UTA later this week to determine if she’ll remain a client.
Let the trainwreck begin!
