Paula Abdul Finally Settles On A New Job With CBS Show ‘Got To Dance’

Becky Bain | May 24, 2010 11:20 am

It only took her a year to decide what to do next, but better late than never—Paula Abdul will bring her kooky personality back to TV for CBS dance competition Got To Dance, wearing the many hats of lead judge, executive producer, creative partner, mentor and coach. So basically, she’s turned herself into the Simon Cowell of the televised dance competition world. Well played, Paula!

So what’s the deal with Got To Dance? It’s based off a reality competition that aired on Britain’s Sky TV earlier this year, and it encourages dancers of all skill levels to audition. (Think America’s Got Talent plus So You Think You Can Dance? with a splash of American Idol, the Paula Years.)

Abdul, of course, is a perfect choice for this show, as she is not only a bonafide television personality thanks to her time on Idol (and no thanks to her failed reality show Hey Paula), but she has been a dancer/choreographer pretty much her entire career—Abdul has choreographed several Janet Jackson videos, her own videos, and even several classic movie scenes (such as the piano dance in Big and the rose petal dream cheerleading sequence from American Beauty).

Maybe we’re just being cynical about the concept of amateurs auditioning alongside professionals, but we think a dancer with several years of training and  performance under their belt will come out ahead of somebody who just learned how to breakdance in front of their friends. But we’re willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt once we see the first few episodes. Check out a taste of the U.K. version of the show with this 10-year old totally killing it with his performance:

Looks like those 8-year old “Single Ladies” dancers will have another venue to infuriate parents once this show hits the air!

We almost can’t believe Paula finally settled on her next career move after an endless amount of rumormongering where she would wind up next. Since leaving Idol last May, she has been rumored to be a host/judge for a new Star Search; become a judge on Simon Cowell’s The X Factor; perform on Broadway; even return to American Idol.

None of these reports turned out to be true, although judging X Factor is still a possibility, and she will be returning to Idol, but just for this week’s finale. Good thing she has a job to pimp on-air now! That would be like going back to your high school reunion with nothing to show for yourself in the time you’ve been gone.

[Vulture]