LOS ANGELES – Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul are back together again.
Fox announced Sunday that the two former “American Idol” judges have reunited to assess singing talent on Cowell’s new television show “The X Factor.”
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The competition debuts this fall. Abdul will be joining her longtime sparring partner Cowell, as well as Cheryl Cole and Antonio “L.A.” Reid.
The panel was to tape its first judging session Sunday in Los Angeles.
The 48-year-old Abdul reigned on “Idol” as the nice if sometimes dizzy-seeming judge who often clashed colorfully with Cowell in his role as resident bullyboy. She left “Idol” in 2009, after eight seasons.
“The X Factor,” based on Cowell’s hit British show, will debut this fall on Fox.
“The X Factor” is open to solo singers and vocal groups age 12 and up. The winner will get a $5 million record contract.
CBS featured Abdul on “Live to Dance” earlier this year. She was recently released by the network from any further obligations, a person at CBS said Saturday, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the network had not authorized public discussion of the issue.
“Live to Dance,” a talent competition series, was a ratings flop.
‘Seinfeld’ actors delight Mets fans at Citi Field
NEW YORK – The only thing missing was a piping-hot bowl of mulligatawny. Or maybe a free piece of bread.
The Soup Nazi showed up at the New York Mets’ Citi Field on Saturday night.
Actor Larry Thomas, who played the ornery soup genius on the TV show “Seinfeld” appeared — in character — to give DVD prizes to fans at Citi Field who correctly answered trivia questions about the show.
Dressed in chef’s whites just as he did when he famously booted “Seinfeld” characters George Costanza and Elaine Benes from his shop, Thomas waved to the crowd on the big screen, mouthing the words: “No soup for you!”
Later, he posed for pictures with another winner.
Jerry Stiller, who played Costanza’s father on the show, led the crowd in singing “Take Me Out To the Ball Game” from a suite during the seventh-inning stretch, belting out an a capella rendition of the song to both cheers and laughter.
Cosby to grads: ‘Rebuild’
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Comedian Bill Cosby encouraged graduates of Birmingham’s Miles College to help rebuild the tornado-ravaged communities in Alabama.
Cosby told the graduates Saturday to seek ways to help the survivors of the April 27 storms that killed more than 200 people across the state.
“Work it, rebuild it,” he said, telling the 207-member graduating class: “This is Alabama. This is you.”
Beckham unhurt after hitting stalled car on freeway
TORRANCE, Calif. – Authorities say David Beckham was behind the wheel of a car that rear-ended another vehicle on a Southern California freeway.
The California Highway Patrol said Saturday the soccer great was not hurt in Friday morning’s crash, but the other car’s driver was hospitalized after complaining of neck pain.
The patrol says Beckham’s Cadillac struck a Mitsubishi stalled in the carpool lane of the 405 Freeway in Torrance. The name of the other driver, a 40-year-old Los Angeles man, was not released.
Beckham was not cited.
Beckham, 35, joined Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. Before that, he played in Europe.
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