Simon Cowell Suggests Paula Abdul Could Be in the Running for 'X-Factor' Judging Panel

During a teleconference Monday, Simon Cowell suggested his former American Idol colleague Paula Abdul could be in the running for The X-Factor judging panel.

“I’m a massive fan of Paula,” he said. “We’ve been in regular contact. I’m not going to say today who we are going to confirm or not, because the truth is we haven’t made up our minds up yet…. It comes down to who I think is interesting, and the commitment and the expertise each person offers.”   The panel for the show (which debuts next fall) won't be announced for several weeks.   Cowell also weighed in on allowing 12-year olds to audition even though some feel that is an early age to deal with the scrutiny that comes with competing on TV: "We’ve started to see a trend with kids this age and what they can do. Times have changed. You have to make a case-by-case decision based on them as a person.”   And what does Cowell think of the new season of American Idol?   "I haven’t seen a full episode,” he said. “I’ve seen three minutes of a recap. From what I’ve seen and from what I’ve heard, it all seems to be going well. What I was more concerned about [was] the ratings falling off a cliff, and that the whole genre might be over."   On Monday, Fox announced that it will award the show's winner with a $5 million record deal, the largest guaranteed prize ever awarded on TV.