'American Idol' judge Paula Abdul has tried to explain her blunder on the latest live show of the talent contest.
Following a procedural change the judges were asked to comment on the contestants' performances in the first half of the show, instead of waiting until they had heard both performances from each contestant as usual.
Abdul reportedly looked very confused when asked for her opinion on the performances she had seen. She then slated Jason Castro's second song, although he had not even performed it yet.
The comments caused upset fans to log on to online messageboards and accuse Abdul of being unfair to Castro. Some even claimed that the judges' comments were scripted in advance of the performances.
However, Abdul later joined 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest on his radio show to explain her mistake, saying that she was confused by the change of format.
She claimed that she got "lost on (her) notes" during the live show.
Producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz said: "The judges occasionally watch the rehearsals, which they've acknowledged before in various press interviews, as well as on-air during the broadcast."
She continued: "While this gives them an idea of what the contestants are going to perform that night, it does not influence their comments for the actual broadcast performance."
"Paula's comments were based on her acknowledgment that she had seen a small portion of the rehearsal. The judges do not use 'rehearsal notes'", said Frot-Coutaz.
She added: "Besides, the judges only give opinions. It's America who decides (who is eliminated)."
