We knew it was bound to happen: American Idol judge Paula Abdul inspired a woman, Paula Goodspeed, to sit outside Abdul's LA home in a parked car. Perfectly normal, no? Anyway, Goodspeed reportedly committed suicide last night in said vehicle.
And because TMZ thrives under situations that are part devastating, part exploitative, the Web site has already dug up everything about this woman, except her social security number. But don't worry, that's on its way.
Here's what the TMZ stalkers have come up with so far:
• Goodspeed auditioned for American Idol's fifth season (video below) — and bombed. She was one of the featured Freaks of the Week during the early audition rounds, being put on display for all of America to ridicule.
• Goodspeed said — via MySpace — that her Idol rejection had a negative effect on her, because people said "awful things" about her, "just because I made the mistake of trying out for a singing competition before I was ~even~ ready vocally, emotionally and physically."
• Speaking of her MySpace page, Goodspeed last updated in April 2007 with a "seductive" picture of Abdul with a caption reading, "My secret crush, shhhhh."
• Goodspeed's car was decked out with an "ABL LV" license plate and a Paula-faced lanyard hanging from the rearview mirror.
• Goodspeed lurked around Abdul's neighborhood on a regular basis, but the neighbors simply assumed she was a paparazzo. About a year ago she overdosed in her car — in the same area. So clearly she desperately needed help and nobody gave it to her.
Editor
You have to buy help.
Too bad she didn't take Paula with her.
OD'ed on what exactly? She was clearly a better artist than singer. Sad.
You don't have to BUY help, Sar. There are plenty of non-profit organizations out there to help… you just have to WANT help.
The whole thing is just plain creepy! Most people like that are sick enough that they don't know that they need help. Knowing you need help requires some sort of rational mind. But I agree that they have to want help. Still, odd!
I watched the video of her audition and she is clearly crazy. Anyone who is stalking Paula Abdul is a nut.
Usually I enjoy spewing my sarcasm, but all I have to say is this: Maybe American "Idol" will tone down the ridicule and insults now. There's nothing entertaining about emotionally squashing people, no matter how much of a douche bag you are.
yea you definitely dont need money to get help, trust me. its out there for free.
Then some non-profit ought to set up outside AI auditions! My husband enjoys watching the awful singers, but my whole body gets red in embarressment for them. If nobody told them how bad they were, they need help AND new friends.
the first season, the terrible singers were funny. the second season, ok kinda funny. after that it just became a cruel gimmick.
She was horrible/wacky in appearance and a disaster in singing: definitely mentally ill. And the judges were not rude to her either.
Little Whittle: to whine about TMZ and its exploitative style is one thing - but to take it all and display it yourself seems a little bit… ah… counterproductive?
the whole thing is sad, people are so worried about the fact that she was "obsessed" with paula and not the fact that a family is mourning a death. you people are so interested in all the "rumors" maybe you need help. my thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
Poor girl :o(
Simon's comments about her braces were vile!!
Sad to see that even in 2008 bullies are still rife!! :o(
RIP Pauls hun
x
@jeska
Decorum!? I don't even *know* 'em!
To those who say: "awww, be nice to the loonies and losers who suck at singing". These clowns go on the show to be publicly JUDGED, not praised. If you suck at something and enter a competition, don't be shocked and saddened when your lack of talent is publicly revealed. Their friends and family should give them the support that they need; Simon Cowell's job is to take them down a peg or two, not to reinforce their delusions. And if they end up ODing in a crappy car outside a has-been celeb's house, maybe that's their own fault, not Cowell's, not society's. Get a life and stop living vicariously through the television. Someday there'll be studies about the countless minor but insidious mental illnesses we all suffer from as a result of TV (perhaps, in my case, a lack of empathy).
I usually would enjoy Simon's dry, usually clever, witty sarcasm, but that was just … a really cheap shot. Braces??
I agree, she's not a singer by our accepted standards, but that was ..I'm actually speechless. Simon's character is supposed to be like the really sarcastic and tastefully rude judge, if you know what I mean, but there was nothing tasteful about that; that was like high-school-bully-mean.