HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Don't be surprised if Paula Abdul takes a seat next to Simon Cowell when The X Factor debuts next year in the U.S.
"Paula has been talking to me for months," the 50-year-old Cowell told Extra correspondent Terri Seymour. "I've always made it clear that in some capacity I want to work with Paula again. It might be here, it might be in England."
"I adore Paula. I miss her," he added of Abdul, who quit American Idol in August and has since been replaced by talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Cowell announced his own departure from Idol on Monday, telling reporters at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour that he wanted to turn his attention to The X Factor, a program he launched in the U.K. in 2004. As for who will be joining him on the panel in the U.S. version, Cowell told Seymour that an announcement will "probably" happen in a few weeks.
While Abdul is a likely candidate, you can forget about seeing Victoria Beckham when the Fox show hits the airwaves.
"I never approached her. Never have, never will," Cowell said of the chatter linking Beckham to his new show. "I don't know where these rumors come from."
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