TCA Press Tour Notes: Fox

Predictably, the Fox executive session with entertainment president Kevin Reilly and chairman of entertainment Peter Rice was dominated by talk of Paula Abdul's departure, how it happened, who will fill in for auditions, and what it means for the future. They straight up told us.

How it happened: Abdul's contract was up, the only member of the "Idol" team for which this was true. "We made an offer that we feel was very fair to Paula," said Rice. "It was a substantial raise on the money she’s been paid in the past, and Paula has decided not to return. So, as I said, that’s something that was not our choice. It wasn’t what we wanted to happen. We wanted Paula to come back to the show."

Who will fill in for auditions: "Our intention is to have guest judges at each one of those auditions," said Rice. "Our intention is to have the guest judges be female pop stars, female performers, female artists." The first two confirmed guests are Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry. (Apparently, "Idol" wants to continue the tradition of having not very strong vocalists judge a singing competition.)

What it means for the future: Rice expects the generally-disparaged four judge panel to remain in place, but not necessarily with Beckham or Perry or any of the guests from auditions. There will be a search. "We have to cast that in a way that is fun and energizing and creates some real chemistry between the people on the panel."

Ryan Seacrest's $15 million deal: Is with 19 Entertainment, not Fox. Both men wanted to make that distinction very clear. "Ryan is still in his old contract on 'Idol,'" said Rice. "Ryan made a deal with CKX, which encompasses much more than 'Idol.' Ryan is not being paid $15 million a year to be on 'Idol.'"

After three grand live performances- Phillip, a riot of pops and locks, the moving cancer dance by Melissa and Ade, and Caitlin and Jason's Bollywood number- the "So You Think You Can Dance" panel was briefly hijacked by talk of Abdul, who Nigel Lythgoe said he would love to have as a guest judge.

"I don’t know anybody that’s had her experience of being a performer, being a dancer, being a choreographer and being a judge. So absolutely, I mean, I’ve been trying to get her since Season One. So, yeah, we’d certainly grab her. I spoke to her yesterday morning. I didn’t get into discussions regarding her negotiations, as I believe that’s a private issue. I certainly wouldn’t talk about mine. And I said, you know, we were going to Vegas for Season Six this weekend, what was she doing. Did she want a break? And she’s coming out to meet me, and we’re going to talk about what opportunities there are out there."

(I'm having a little trouble believing that Abdul could turn down Fox's "Idol" offer and they would then turn around and hire her to be on "SYTYCD." But anything's possible I suppose when there's money to be made. But wouldn't she demand more than the "Idol" offer to be on "SYTYCD"?)

Quotes of the Day:
"For Mr. Foreman, way in the back." -a reporter during the panel for the new sitcom "Brothers" trying to get star Carl Weathers' attention.
"I have suddenly become George Foreman." -the good-natured Weathers in response

"It’s been my dream, ever since I was a little girl growing up in Athens – to be a bear in an animated series." - Arianna Huffington, who, seriously, voices the role of a bear on "Family Guy" spin-off "The Cleveland Show."

Fox/FX Party:
The soiree, again held at the hotel, was another combined affair offering funny pairings. Henry Rollins, who will be guesting on FX's "Sons of Anarchy" this season, greeted "Lie To Me" star Tim Roth with a huge hug and slap on the back. Later, Rollins chilled with "30 Days"/"Super Size Me" man Morgan Spurlock. "Glee" star Matt Morrison- who appeared in "Hairspray" on Broadway- was jazzed to reconnect with fellow Broadway vet and "24" president Cherry Jones. "House"'s Hugh Laurie had a constant buzz of reporters and fellow actors around as did Katee Sackhoff, late of "Battlestar Galactica" and poised to join "24." The casts of "Bones," "House," "Lie to Me," "Glee," and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" made good showings.

Tall, Not Tall: Chi McBride, who will star in the midseason action drama "Human Target" with Mark Valley, is a giant. He sat in a corner rocking a snazzy pin stripe suit, puffing a cigar, and holding court. (And since I don't have Direct TV, he was nice enough to tell me what happened on "The Nine"); co-star Valley, not tall but, well, he looks like Mark Valley; "Sons of Anarchy"/"Futurama" star Katey Sagal, long, tall, and radiant; "Dollhouse" star Harry Lennix tall, regal, and chatty; Wanda Sykes- whose weekly talk show starts in the fall- not tall but a spitfire; Carl Weathers, not short but not tall and game to field questions about "Action Jackson" and "Arrested Development"; "Anarchy"/"Hellboy"/"Beauty and the Beast" star Ron Perlman, tall and rangy; and finally, in a surprise to no one, Danny DeVito, not tall.

Random Occurrence: While I was waiting to speak to DeVito his publicist Stan Rosenfield- who also reps George Clooney among other people- was standing next to me futzing with his phone. After a minute he gently elbowed me and directed my attention to the phone. After seeing my nametag he decided I should know that the Yankees were beating the Red Sox.