'Idol' rocked by Paula Abdul bombshell as Adam Lambert talks to you; 'Potter' hits record heights

  "American Idol's" Paula Abdul. Getty Images

An updated edition of Personalities in Brief! Get ready for another round of Celebrity Hardball as Paula Abdul holds out for a sweeter deal on Fox's top-rated  "American Idol." But is Abdul just whistling Dixie? Meanwhile, "Potter-palooza" takes over the Weekend Final Five at the box office as "The Half-Blood Prince" soars to record-setting heights around the globe.  And, don't miss a special Glambert video moment. But first up, is it possible Abdul won't forever be "Idol's" girl?

"Very sadly, it does not appear that she's going to be back on 'Idol,'" Abdul's manager David Sonenberg said to the Los Angeles Times. "I find it under these circumstances particularly unusual; I think unnecessarily hurtful. I find it kind of unconscionable and certainly rude and disrespectful that ["Idol" production companies Fremantle and 19 Entertainment] haven't stepped up and said what they want to do."

Earlier this week, Ryan Seacrest made headlines for a massive, three-year deal worth $45 million to remain host of the "Idol." The terms literally tripled his previous salary of nearly $5 million a season. As for the remaining judges, Randy Jackson signed a contract that keeps him on the show until 2011. New addition Kara DioGuardi has also voices her desire to return. 

As for Abdul, Sonenberg added that she would "love to be on the show," but Fox has yet to come back with any new proposals.

"She's not a happy camper as a result of what's going on. She's hurt. She's angry," Sonenberg continued."I think at this point we're going to be considering everything, including some kind of a competition show. She has tremendous ideas for a whole variety of shows."

Adding a few more grey clouds on the "Idol" front is having Simon Cowell not making a clear decision as to how much longer he's going to remain on the show after his contract comes up for renewal next year. Some British tabs have reported he is seeking $100 million a season.

Now that's some serious music.

With auditions currently in progress across the country, the new season of "American Idol" is set to debut in January, 2010.

In the meantime, this year's top contestants continue their "American Idols Live" tour, which just rocked the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. Check out the video preview at the bottom of this page on what fans awaiting their turn can expect from one of the most popular contestants ever to appear on the show, Adam Lambert. If you've had a chance to see "Glambert" and the American Idols Live show, share the love below!

"POTTER-PALOOZA" TAKES OVER THE GLOBAL BOX OFFICE

The cauldron boiled over for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” this weekend as the franchise conjured up its best North American opening ever.  Overseas, "Potter" delivered the largest international debut in film history as this weekend’s round of Personalities Match-Up proves that summer movies are still sizzling at the box office.

Showing zero signs of “Potter” fatigue, “The Half-Blood Prince” earned a magical $79.4 million over the weekend to lead the Final Five. After five days in release, it boasts a whopping $159 million from 4,275 theaters in North America to date. Traditionally a hugh moneymaker overseas, "Potter" defied even the highest predictions by bowing with $237 million for the biggest international opening of all time.  Combined, "Potter" earned nearly a staggering $400 million. With $396.7 million to date, "The Half-Blood Prince" is the best global debut ever in the franchise's history.

Rounding out the Weekend Final Five were:

Fox's 3-D animated adventure "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" remained in the hit dimension with $17.7 million for an overall total of $152 million to date. Paramount’s "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" remained potent with $13.7 million for a total of $363.8 million to date. Last week's leader "Bruno" lost the swagger in its strut,  which dropped a worrisome 73% to earn $8.3 million for a current total of $49.5 million. And, making a surprising comeback to the Top Five is “The Hangover,” which bro-manced another $8.3 million for an amazing jackpot of $235.8 million. It also surpassed the record held for 25 years by "Beverly HIlls Cop" as the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever.

Fox Searchlight's "500 Days of Summer" could be nurtured into a sleeper hit once it steps out into a wider release. In the meantime, it posted the highest screen average of the weekend with a sensational $838,00 or $31,037 from 27 locations

Will "Harry Potter" continue to cast its spell at the box office? Or, will audiences prefer to discover "The Ugly Truth" on sex and love with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler? Will it be a weekend of guinea pigs soaring into the third dimension of fun as the "G-Force?" Or will audiences adopt "Orphan" to discover her terrifying secret? A big weekend of summertime films await next.  Find out what happens in Examiner.com.

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