Abdul In Talks With ABC To Host And Judge Star Search Reboot

Kids today have American Idol but when I was a kid, it was all about Star Search. It seems ABC is planning to revive the show (which already tried to have a comeback, earlier this century) and is in talks to bring in Paula Abdul to participate.

Ed McMahon hosted the original Star Search when it aired in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Arsenio Hall was host to the series brief return in 2003/2004. Could Paula Abdul be the next host for the latest attempt to revive the talent competition? According to Entertainment Weekly, a deal’s being finalized to bring the former American Idol judge onto the show in some capacity. EW’s Ausiello says her role in the project is “still being defined” but would most likely have her doing a combination of hosting and judging on the show. As for whether or not this new deal with ABC would interfere with her possibly judging for Simon Cowell’s U.S. version of The X Factor, Ausiello couldn’t say.

The original Star Search wasn’t just a singing competition. In addition to vocalist performances, there were also contestants competing in other categories, including Spokesmodel, comedy and dance. It will be interesting to see whether or not ABC attempts to bring back the old categories, or if they’re going to try to cater to TV viewers who are only interested in the singing competition.