CBS has signed the former “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul to headline its coming dance competition, “Got to Dance.”

Ms. Abdul will be the lead judge and a mentor and coach for the amateur contestants on the reality show. Behind the scenes, she will also be an executive producer and a “creative partner,” CBS said.

Impressively, the network found a way to squeeze all the titles into a headline, like so: “Paula Abdul Named Executive Producer, Creative Partner, Mentor, Coach, And Lead Judge of Upcoming CBS Reality-Competition Series ‘Got To Dance.’”


With “Got to Dance” — a title that is subject to change — CBS will be competing with ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” A CBS spokesman said the network has not decided on a premiere date for the series.

The “Got to Dance” format comes from the United Kingdom, where it started last year.

In a statement, Ms. Abdul said, “I am thrilled to be creative partners with Reveille, Shine and CBS and to present the best new dance talent to American audiences. Each and every week we’ll showcase the challenges and successes of a fantastic group of dancers, as they perform and compete — compelling stories, exciting competition and amazing dance performances are guaranteed.”
Paula Abdul, American pop singer-record producer-dancer-choreographer-actress and television personality, is going to be a judge in ABC’s Got To Dance.

This dance competition is expected to be seen next season. Abdul will also be an executive producer for the series, which is based on a successful competition that airs in Britain.

Former "The X Factor" contestant Dexter Haygood said he wasn't pushed off Fox's new singing contest. He jumped.
Haygood was among five contestants eliminated from the show last week. But the rock singer with the James Brown rasp said that what viewers saw didn't reflect the whole story, including a behind-the-scenes agreement to ensure the swift exit he wanted.
According to Haygood, 49, who was part of mentor-judge Nicole Scherzinger's group of age 30-plus contestants, he told Scherzinger two days before last Wednesday's live performance show that he was dissatisfied with "X Factor."
"I wanted to leave the show because I was unhappy that I was unable to be a rock artist. I grew up on rock," said Haygood, of Memphis, Tenn., who enjoyed the spotlight in the 1980s as frontman for the rock group Xavion, which toured at one point with Hall & Oates.
Being called on to do pop songs such as Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" was aggravating, Haygood said: "Can you imagine Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, James Brown, doing (the `Crazy in Love' chorus) `uh oh uh oh uh'?"
Producers "seemed to have their way of doing things. I'm not sure why they wouldn't let me be me," he said Tuesday.
Scherzinger, former member of the Pussycat Dolls, took his complaint to the show's producers and came back the same day with an offer, according to Haygood: He would be bounced on Thursday's results show if he agreed to return for the season finale.