Hey Paula (TV series)

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Hey Paula was a reality show starring and co-produced by American television personality Paula Abdul that premiered on June 28, 2007 on the Bravo network. The series is also broadcast in Britain on the ITV2 channel and Arena 105 in Australia.

The program shows the private life of Paula Abdul ostensibly as she promotes an upcoming season of the FOX series American Idol while simultaneously developing the Bratz movie as well as a new fragrance line. It primarily features Abdul preparing for and making a variety of public and/or television appearances.
Despite being one of the show's producers, Abdul's persona on Hey Paula is considerably less genial than that of her established reputation as "the nice one" on American Idol^[1]^[2]. Abdul ascribed this to the way the program's segments were edited: "That was hard for me to watch. Disturbing. They’d put a camera on me when I got wind that my dog was in a coma, and they’d make it (seem) like it was about hair and makeup". Nevertheless, Abdul's behaviour on the show, particularly toward her staff, is revealed to be less than exemplary[[1]]. She frequently dissolves into tears and childish tantrums over seemingly inconsequential occurrences, and is even caught on camera privately bemoaning being "...tired of people not treating me like the gift that I am". The remark was immediate fodder for comedians, especially Kathy Griffin, who mocked Abdul's behaviour in her stand-up act. Like Abdul, Griffin is also the star of her own reality series.
During the filming of the series, Abdul was also fired from the Bratz movie. Though her reaction to this was captured on camera, Abdul and her handlers subsequently denied the veracity of the segment^[3], rather famously attributing Abdul's highly emotional on-camera break-down to "creative editing".
In spite of the tremendous success of American Idol, the ratings did not carry over for Hey Paula and were reportedly inordinately low^[4]. Additionally, the show was generally panned by critics, even those who identified themselves as "fans" of Abdul's previous work. Abdul ultimately announced that she would not be willing to participate in another similar reality series.

The original theme song for the series (Paula's #1 single "Straight Up"), was replaced in the 4th episode with, what was at the time, a brand new song entitled "Karma" that had been recorded by Paula, and that fans believed suggested a possible music comeback.