Sideshow: Cowell dumps his pal Paula Abdul from 'The X Factor'

In a stunning turn of events sure to send shock waves through the entertainment industry for generations to come, Simon "Darth Vader" Cowell has fired Paula Abdul - yes, Paula! - from her position as judge on Fox's The X Factor.

But Paula isn't the only victim to be cruelly ejected from Si's Death Star: Host Steve Jones and judge Nicole Scherzinger also are out.

It's shocking, considering that Si personally wooed and wheedled and begged Paula to join the show after American Idol gave her the heave-ho. Made all the more disturbing since, according to TMZ, Paula's pink slip was delivered by some lawyer and not from friend Si himself.

"I want to say a massive thank-you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of The X Factor last year," Si says in a statement. "You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend."

Paula pretty much says the same.

"[Si] will remain a dear friend of mine," she says, "and I've treasured my experience working this past season with my extended family."

Selena Gomez, love's poet

Selena Gomez, 19, the older woman who has ignited lust in Justin Bieber's tender, boyish, 17-year-old heart, is so, like, totally in love with the boy. "I'm just like every 19-year-old girl," Selena confesses in Cosmopolitan mag. "If you're in love, you're in love to the fullest, and you just want to go to the movies, hang out, and be as normal as possible. I'm fortunate that I've found someone who has that philosophy."

Super Bowl: Lots of song

The musical lineup at Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday has been finalized and it's just marvelous. Cuddly-voiced Texas-girl-next-door Kelly Clarkson, 29, will make her Super Bowl debut with the national anthem before an expected global TV audience of 162 million. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert will follow with a duet on "America the Beautiful."

The pregame shenanigans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis will continue with the musical stylings of Lenny Kravitz and piano rockers the Fray. Madonna will strut - and according to Elton John, lip-sync - for the halftime show.

Neil Patrick Harris the dad

"I love watching them learn to understand language," How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris, 38, tells Parade.com about his 1-year-old kids, fraternal twins Harper and Gideon. The Doogie Howser, M.D. alum and his partner of seven years, David Burtka, had the kids via a surrogate mother.