HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Paula Abdul says a sudden change in direction led to her goof on last night's "American Idol" broadcast.
During Tuesday's show, Abdul and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell were asked to critique contestants after everyone had performed. Normally, the "Idol" performers receive their feedback instantly from the judges.
"We were freaking out," Abdul said of the change when she called into "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show Wednesday. "I said, 'We're gonna need paper and a pen to make sure we remember what we saw.' "
Unfortunately, the 45-year-old Abdul's plan to get organized failed. When her turn to critique Jason Castro arrived, she went about providing feedback to him on two songs, even though the singer had only performed one. The moment led to a number of stunned faces in the studio, not to mention most likely a number of viewer homes.
Abdul explained that she'd written notes on both Castro and another performer on the same card, which left her "confused."
"I got lost in my notes, and that is as simple as it was," she explained. "It's so confusing. We were all discombobulated. It was just crazy, that's all."
"In seven years we've never had to do that," she added. "We were only following directions."
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