Paula Abdul Out of American Idol

The latest season of American Idol may have been Paula Abdul’s last, with the reality television judge’s manager revealing that she may not be returning to the hit series.

At this point in time, Abdul’s manager David Sonenberg says it “doesn’t appear” Paula will be back, as there has been no proposal for a new contract sent for his perusal.

Earlier in the year, Kevin Reilly – the Fox entertainment president – said that Abdul was “an integral part of the show.” However, with auditions for the new season of Idol starting later this month, it’s looking highly unlikely that Abdul will be back for another series.

Other Idol stalwarts Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest are already on board, with both Cowell and Seacrest snagging substantial pay rises with their new contracts.

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Vanessa Hudgens Being Sued

Vanessa Hudgens is being sued!

The Disney starlet’s former manager, Johnny Viera, has filed documents with the Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that Hudgens owes him $5 million of her fortune.

According to Viera, he and Hudgens “entered a financial agreement” back in May 2005 to launch her career. It was agreed that both would take a 50/50 share in her earnings.

However, when High School Musical became such a success, Hudgens went her own way, giving Viera the boot and a payout settlement, something which Viera says was far below what he should have received.

Hudgens’ father, Greg, has quite a different take on the issue. He labeled his daughter’s former manager as a “predator,” and has allegedly been trying to set up a Website or phone line to stop more “unsuspecting talent” from falling victim to his “predatory nature.”

Hudgens’ rep is yet to comment on the lawsuit.

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Rogue Traders Show Last Night

Last night I went to see Aussie band the Rogue Traders in very wet and windy weather.

The band came on at 10:45 and played for about 1.5 hours to a packed house.

The show really rocked and we managed to get a plum spot on the side of the stage, giving us a great uninterrupted view of the show. I was impressed with how good the band sounded live and the energy of the show.

The only bummer with the gig was the fact that, as per usual, no cameras were allowed in, at least they wouldn’t let me bring in my DSLR camera, which would have given me far better shots then the ones I got.

I met some interesting people with the band; it is always good to speak to the people that do all the hard work behind the scenes and get the inside gossip. Most of these people have worked with other big name acts, so you can pick up info on all kinds of bands and people.

I got to meet and have a chat with everyone, including the bands manager, Michael, but that is as far as I got.

I met Michael just before the band finished their final song, as he was preparing their escape route. I went up and introduced myself and said I was from Staralicious.

The conversation went like this:

Me: “Hi Michael, I am from Staralicious, you may not have heard of it.”

Michael: “Yes, I know all about it.”

Me: Surprised. “Ok, cool.”

Michael: “What do you want.”

Me: Thinking that he is with the program. “Just a photo with the group for the Website.”

Michael: “Nope.”

Me: “What, serious?”

Michael: “I said no.”

Security then came over to me and basically apologized, saying that how someone now thinks they are bigger then the public and are up themselves.

I actually don’t have a problem with the band declining a photo, that is their choice, but the brush off the manager gave me, left me with the impression that it may have been because Staralicious is a blog. It is amazing how many old school managers don’t recognize the value and reach of blogs like Staralicious.

Mind you, the brush off could have been because there was no money in it for them, or because the car they had to take the band away from the gig had a smashed rear windscreen, and it was raining…. and no , I didn’t do it….

The funny thing is, with Natalie leaving the band after a couple of more shows, to push her solo career and try and make it in the US in movies, the publicity Staralicious could give her would have enhanced her US profile.

Maybe she should take notice of Chasing Bailey and how they interact with new media.

Here are some shots of last nights show, the quality isn’t the best, as I could only use my crappy little camera and the lights were too bright to get any good shots.