Paula Abdul: Glad to be back in Singapore
Former 'American Idol' judge Paula Abdul said she was glad to back in Singapore for the grand opening ceremony of Universal Studios Singapore on Saturday as it was her first time here in two decades.
She was invited to grace the grand opening celebrations, which included an exclusive gala dinner on Friday evening that also saw such guests as Asian stars Jet Li, Maggie Cheung and Vicki Zhao.
Having been busy with last-minute rehearsals for her dance performance at the gala dinner, Abdul, a self-confessed theme park lover, said she had fond memories of Singapore where she had performed before, and was looking forward to a tour of Southeast Asia's first Universal Studios.
At a press conference on Saturday, the singer-dancer, known for her hits like 'Rush Rush', also said that she is looking forward to joining her former Idol colleague Simon Cowell on the US version of reality TV singing competition 'The X Factor'.
Calling it a "brilliant time" to be reunited with Cowell, whom she often bickered with on Idol, she said, "It's definitely going to be fun."
Abdul also told the press that she was right with her prediction that latest American Idol winner Scotty McCreery was going to win the competition.
"When I saw him, I just had this feeling," said the former judge who said that she had guessed six out of eight winners right during the seasons that she was there.
Besides Abdul's star presence along the red carpet last night, screen star Maggie Cheung, known for her films like "In the mood for love", also shared with the press about what she had been up to lately.
"I'm actually enjoying myself, learning new things and doing a few things outside of acting because I feel if I ever wanted to achieve anything else but acting, I have to start now," said the Hong Kong actress to Channel News Asia.
Local stars like Singapore actresses Michelle Chia, Zhou Ying and Jade Seah turned up as well to raise the star factor at the bash.
'American Idol' 2004 winner Fantasia Barrino, who was supposed to join Abdul for the theme park's grand opening, was absent at the event.
But the biggest no-show was embattled ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former Terminator star, who was slated to attend the gala dinner, has recently been in the limelight over his personal problems.
