Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul: is "Saula" fact or fantasy?

EXCLUSIVE – The reunion of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul on the new FOX reality show “The X Factor” has reignited a “Saula” frenzy among fans who’ve fantasized for years about their romantic potential.

Abdul says she and Cowell adore the Saula shipper phenomenon, including the countless fanfictions posted on scores of websites and the thousands of YouTube videos that document every public kiss, caress and intimate glance, often set to romantic soundtracks.

“It’s crazy. Awesome. Simon and I love it,” she told Examiner.com at the recent Seattle auditions. “Believe it or not, we’ll be on a plane together, and we watch all (the videos.) There are zillions of them! And we’re laughing and laughing and laughing … Oh my god, we love it.”

Speculation is sizzling about whether the pair, famous for their love-hate sparring during the first eight seasons of “American Idol,” might really be an item this time around. Seattle was the final stop of their six-city audition tour, which began May 8 in Los Angeles. The show debuts Sept. 21.

One of Simon’s best friends, British pop star Sinitta, recently said, “I think Simon’s off in Saula Land, squeezing Paula Abdul.” Her comments were captured for posterity in a YouTube clip.

A columnist for a London newspaper, The Independent, also asked Sinitta about Cowell’s love life. Her answer: “Simon is with Paula Abdul at the moment, which means no other woman in the world exists,” she said.

What about his fiancée, Mezhgan Hussainy? “Well exactly, what about Mezhgan?” Sinitta answered. “Simon makes his own rules as he goes along … there’s only one woman in Simon’s world at the moment and it’s not his fiancée.”

When asked at the Seattle auditions about Sinitta’s comments, Simon said he doesn’t pay attention to media gossip. He hadn’t heard about this one.

“[She said] I’m humping Paula,” he said, digesting the news. He paused, laughed, then said no, he’s not. “I’ll think about it,” he said. His final word on the matter: “It’s a good question.”

Three days later, Hollywood gossip blogger Perez Hilton published an item announcing that Cowell had dumped Hussainy, who reportedly was “hurt but understanding.”

Hilton quoted an “insider” as sharing, “Simon thinks she is lovely, but he just doesn’t have the time for her. He was in love with her, but popped the question before realizing he was moving too quickly. Simon likes to think of himself as the eternal bachelor – poor Mezhgan didn’t stand a chance!”

But the item soon vanished from Hilton’s website, with no explanation why. The next day, a Cowell spokesperson dismissed the story as “absolute rubbish,” in response to an inquiry from Examiner.com writer Carla Hay.

Unlike the “American Idol” auditions, where would-be superstars sing for the judges in closed, private settings, the “X Factor” hopefuls perform before live audiences in huge arenas.

Devoted Saula fans attended every taping, focusing intently on the judges table and taking careful notes so they could report back to their Web communities about every telltale kiss, hug, tickle, hand-holding and teasing argument.

“Paula and Simon ... were talking to each other during about 95% of the show. And they look and act like an old married couple,” a poster named tinydancer told her friends on a Facebook fan group, after attending a June 9 taping in Newark.

“They're always whispering, or sharing a snack cup, or he's rubbing her back/neck/shoulder, and at one point they were holding hands. And they fight like people who know each other better than anyone else,” tinydancer wrote. “They had a NASTY fight and made up two singers later. They're adorable.”

A week later, glee filled the fan boards over photos from the Miami auditions. A series of shots from the Splash photo agency shows Cowell sitting on the edge of the judges table, his arms wrapped around Abdul’s waist as she reclines comfortably against him.

Next stop: Texas, where a fan who posts on a ZetaBoards forum under the name dallasshadow watched Abdul dance enthusiastically during one audition.

“Paula totally got into it, I mean really into it … The audience was more focused on her than the singer at some point. When she was done and sat down Simon had the most amused look on his face,” she wrote.

Then Cowell compared Abdul’s dancing to Meg Ryan’s classic fake orgasm scene from “When Harry Met Sally,” dallasshadow reported. “Simon said, "Was it good for you Paula?" and she said "yes," and then she asked him, "Was it good for you too?" she wrote.

Seattle offered more of the same, with barbed banter and familiar caresses.

“You weren’t paying attention – as usual,” Abdul told him, before the audition of a young man from Oklahoma City. “Snappy little dog,” he retorted. Then a moment later, during the ensuing rendition of a Maroon 5 song, she reached over and cupped his chin in her hand.

The other two “X Factor” judges are pop singer Nicole Scherzinger and music producer L.A. Reid. Scherzinger joined the panel late, replacing Cheryl Cole after the Los Angeles and Chicago rounds.

Scherzinger recently told a Digital Spy reporter that she’s “fascinated” by Cowell and Abdul’s relationship.
“I get a front-row ticket to the Paula and Simon Show every week,” she said.

Even Time magazine conjectured, half-seriously, that X Factor is “just an excuse for a Simon and Paula reunion.”

Saula fanatics date back to the first season of American Idol, when both judges say they truly disliked each other. The earliest fanfictions featured classic romance-novel formulas, presuming that surface tensions are rooted in unexpressed desires and passions. Many stories include graphic sex scenes, so some “smutfic” groups have minimum age requirements for membership.

At the Seattle auditions, Abdul said yes, she and Cowell are well aware of the vast on-line libraries of stories – some novel length – about them. And they sometimes read them together.

“It is like epic. You could make a movie out of them,” she said. “They’re unbelievable. I’m in love with them, Simon too. We’ve sat down with them for hours. It’s hysterical.”

Abdul was incredulous when told of Sinitta’s remarks, regarding her relationship with Simon.

“Sinitta. After 10 years, are you kidding me?” she said. “She’s funny. She’s a funny, funny girl.”

That wasn’t exactly a “no” …?

“He wishes,” Abdul laughed. “He says I fancy him. Right. He realizes that we’re like two peas in a pod. After all these years – Sinitta will appreciate this – I get him. I finally get him.”

And with that, she turned and went inside. Time for the show.

http://www.examiner.com/reality-tv-judges-in-national/simon-cowell-and-paula-abdul-is-saula-fact-or-fantasy