After watching American Idol this season, I was beginning to wonder why Paula Abdul was acting trippier than the average Valley Girl. Not only did she sway to the music like a sorority chick just before last call, she slurred, stammered and slipped through her usual gushing commentaries. In an upcoming issue of People, Paula puts my fears to rest, assuring the Idol faithful that there is no rum in her iconic Coca-Cola cup. Instead, she is on medication for Reflex Sympathetic Disorder, a painful disease that has plagued her for most of her life but only was recently diagnosed. Sure, she may burst out into dance pretty often, but it’s only because she’s finally feeling good. Yet unaddressed are some of the side effects of the meds. I don’t know, but considering her unvarnished praise of even the most mediocre AI performers (read Scott Savol), they might allay aural pain, too.

—Posted by Deanna Zammit