Think there's an unspoken attraction between American Idol judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul?
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"Oh, puh-leez! [Cowell] makes this stuff up," said Abdul in the March 19 issue of TV Guide. "It's absolutely crazy. He said, 'Paula, people want us to hook up so bad.' I said, 'That's disgusting.' He goes, 'Paula, I know you want me,' and I go, 'Like a cold sore.' We have fun playing up the chemistry, but there's also times when I would cross the other side of the street so I wouldn't have to look at him."
Despite the on-air animosity that exists between the two judges on Idol, Abdul said she's been known to socialize with Cowell outside the office.
"Simon and I actually get along great," Abdul told TV Guide. "We have cultivated a fun relationship. Simon, myself and Terri [Seymour, Cowell's girlfriend] hang out, go to the movies, out to dinner. It's lovely. He's become a really good friend."
Abdul also said that Cowell is the reason for all of the Coca-Cola cup criticism she's taken in recent seasons.
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"About a year ago, he said in my ear, 'Try to be interesting, Paula. Say the moth that finds the melon ball inside of the wonton will win,'" she told TV Guide. "We're laughing hysterically and [Idol host Ryan Seacrest] asks, 'What's going on?' So I said, 'Simon says that the moth that finds the melon ball...' The camera goes to Simon and he makes a face like, 'I don't know what in bloody hell she's talking about.' Sure enough, [the press] were all going, 'What the heck was going on?' [Cowell] said, 'I have no idea. Check her Coca-Cola cup.'"
Abdul said the whole ordeal made her "mortified" and added her "integrity and reputation are at stake."
"So I'm saying to Simon, 'You've got to stop this. Please,'" Abdul told TV Guide. "He's caused me lots of problems...In the middle of me trying to figure out how I'm going to say something that gives someone dignity walking off that stage, I've got the antagonistic brother goofing on me, trying to throw me off."
But having worked alongside Cowell now for five years, Abdul knows enough about the sharp-tongued British judge to cause him some embarrassment as well.
"Simon has a wardrobe budget. I think that is the most hysterical thing," Abdul told TV Guide. "In his closet are Armani jeans and, like, 70 million light gray to black T-shirts and sweaters. It's like he's in Catholic school. The best thing is he's the one giving style tips to the kids... Sometimes I'll go to him, 'What's that on your neck? Oh, it's your belt."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio