Paula Goodspeed, the woman who tragically took her life in front of the home of Paula Abdul earlier this week, had reportedly contacted Paula Abdul more than 100 times in the past three years.
(Above: Goodspeed’s American Idol Audition)
Goodspeed, whose birth name was Sandra, changed her name 16 years ago to that of her ‘idol’. Since being ridiculed on American Idol, Goodspeed, 30, has sent Abdul numerous letters, has made dozens of phone calls and has visited her home on multiple occasions.
Along with the arrangement, Goodspeed sent the following message,
“Love, J.T. Hope you’re doing great. Here’s my new cell number.”
J.T. Torregiani is Paula’s ex-boyfriend, the young restaurateur.
Paula called her ex-flame to ask why he had changed his number and that’s when she found out the flowers were not from him. They say she knew immediately who they were from.
On the other hand, Goodspeed’s family members are having a hard time believing the vibrant young woman killed herself. They say she was not a stalker, but a true fan.
Her niece, Sonja McIntyre, 20, says, “She was a good person. She’d give the shirt off her back for anyone who needed it. She was not suicidal. She was cheery. She was excited. She was coming back to Maine.”
Goodspeed is originally from Maine.
McIntyre adds that when she visited California her aunt took her to see Paula’s home. But she says there was nothing creepy about it. “Me and her went by Paula’s house a couple of times. That’s about it. She was showing me where she lived. We liked looking at the huge condos out there. Why they found her dead in her car near Paula Abdul’s house, I do not know. But I don’t believe my aunt killed herself.”
While in Los Angeles Goodspeed had worked with producer/songwriter Ed Faris in 2005 or 2006, who says she was “a bit off the wall.”
“I was hired by her singing coach to help Paula record some songs. She wore the craziest outfits. She’d show up to my home studio wearing fluorescent pants and skirts, with trinkets hanging off her jacket. She was a sweet person, very nice, but a little insecure.”
“She was a bit delusional thinking she could make a career out of this, but she was so incredibly determined, so [the singing coach] and I tried to encourage her. Paula did make a couple references to Paula Abdul, but nothing really out of the ordinary.”
He adds that while working with her she “broke down and cried several times…that was the last time I worked with Paula. I was shocked to hear about her death, I never thought it would come to that. It’s just a sad situation all around.”
A woman’s body was discovered in a car outside the home of Paula Abdul Tuesday night, dead of apparent suicide.
The vehicle was registered to a Paula Goodspeed, 30, a former American Idol contestant and self professed “huge” fan of Paula Abdul’s.The license plate was ABL LV and a photo of Paula hung from the rearview mirror.
So far, police have not confirmed the identity of the woman.
LAPD officer April Harding confirms, “This has been ruled an apparent suicide and the coroner’s office is now investigating. The body was found around 6 p.m. Tuesday.”
Abdul was not home at the time of the discovery, but she is, of course, affected by the news. She released the following statement:
“I am deeply shocked and saddened at what transpired yesterday. My heart and prayers go out to her family.”
Goodspeed’s audition was featured on the hit show American Idol. Simon was practically repulsed by the woman and made fun of her braces. On the show, Goodspeed told AI how much she loved Paula,
“I really like Paula Abdul a lot. She’s really cool. I’m a really big fan, and I made life-sized drawings of Paula. I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid, and my first drawing was of Paula.”
Then she sang her song, and it was bad. She chose Proud Mary, and the judges did not hide their disgust.
Randy Jackson commented, “It was terrible, what was that?” Simon Cowell poked, “I don’t know how you can sing with all that metal in your mouth.”
And the woman’s idol, Abdul, ended it with, “Speechless, don’t know what to say.”
“Last night the judges were thrown a curve ball on the air, which is just part of a live show. But it sparked a lot of gossip about Paula. And I read some of this online this morning and just for the record, the rumors — they’re not true. She’s part of our family and we love her.”
- Ryan Seacrest defending Paula Abdul on last night’s American Idol after she mistakenly critiqued two songs by Jason Castro – even though he only sang one – sparking rumors that she may have been lit up during the show.
Ok, I am throwing a wrench in this post of ‘I Love the 90s’ because I found a hysterical video that shows the ugly side of 1991.
Do you ever wonder why Paula Abdul doesn’t perform live? This will show you. Not that you expected any different. She is so terrible that the sax player steals the show during his small singing part.
The funny thing, and I’ll humbly admit it, is that I had hair like that. Yup, crimped, curled, teased with loads of gel and hairspray. Minus the tacky scrunchie, of course.
Wouldn’t you find it odd if 10 of the 20 finalists in last year’s American Idol songwriting contest had previous relationships with either Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, American Idol bandleader Rickey Minor, host Ryan Seacrest, or others connected to the show?
I thought so.
According to American Idol Exposed it seems a contest that is supposed to be for songwriting amateurs is hardlythat.
Just read a little about the winner…
American Idol Songwriting Contest Champ Scott Krippayne’s true bio. At Walmart.com, you can buy Scott’s 2005 “Gentle Revolution” CD for the low price of only $12.88. I’ve been to Walmart and looked, there isn’t an amateur CD section, but there is a Scott Krippayne section.
So much for searching for a great undiscovered songwriting talent.
And if you visit the U.S. copyright website, a quick search shows Scott Krippayne has written songs for several christian artist like Jaci Velasquez, Rebecca Saint James, Kathy Troccoli, Point of Grace and more.
And if you check out Scott’s Purplehonda myspace page, Scott says he has written 14 number 1 hits and 20 top 10 hits for artist like John Tesh, Ronan Tynan, Saddi Patty and more.
The real unfortunate part of the contest is that there is a $10 entry fee. After 25,000 entries, do the math, that’s a lot of money. So basically American Idol will simply rob you of your cash if you are naive enough to enter.
American Idol is over. It sucks. It had it’s heyday and it’s played out. It’s not as funny or entertaining as it once was.
That show is making moolah hand over fist, so what are they doing taking money from the fans who made it what it is?
Paula Abdul may have been able to promote her new music video, ‘Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow’, on the uber-popular American Idol, but that doesn’t mean MTV is willing to put it into their rotation.
“There are currently no plans to play the video.” – MTV spokesperson.
MTV is refusing to play the video, and if you have heard the song or seen the video you can probably figure out why.
She’s never been known for her strong voice, and in her new single it sounds like it was ran through some sort of thick voice synthesizer or something. Basically, it sounds nothing like her.
Props to MTV for knowing a joke when they see it. And just when you thought they didn’t know anything about music anymore.. Heh.
Paula Abdul chatted with Ladies Home Journal recently and she spoke about her time on American Idol.
“I have a strength I didn’t know I had. It’s a live program, and a naughty British man is constantly making people think there’s something weird in my Coca-Cola cup…But I’m proud of myself. I always figure out a way to swim.”
So Simon is the reason, hmmm? I’m sure it has nothing to do with the slurred speech or bizarre antics.Nah..!
Paula also discussed American Idol’s past contestants and how they deal with fame.
“Our performers think they’re going to manage, but the reality is they’re not. It can be a letdown even when you advance, because success is never what you expect. I just hope they have loving friends and family if they have to go back to their jobs at Burger King.”
Abdul went on to dish about her new boyfriend, restaurateur J.T. Torregiani.
“I’ve experienced real loneliness, so I love knowing there’s someone I can share the good and the not-so-good with. And I want kids! If it doesn’t happen naturally, I can always adopt.”
