Paula Abdul Fan Found Dead Near Her Home, Auditioned for Season 5
Found via Reality Blurred
People magazine is reporting that the woman found dead near Paula Abdul’s home Tuesday night auditioned for American Idol, Season 5:
A former American Idol contestant apparently infatuated with Paula Abdul was found dead Tuesday night in a car near Abdul’s Los Angeles house.
Paula Goodspeed, 30, a Season 5 contender whose audition performance of “Proud Mary” was panned and mocked by the judges, appears to have died of a drug overdose, police say.
“Ms. Goodspeed’s mother had gone to [the sheriff's department] to report her daughter missing, and advised them that she might be suicidal,” says Los Angeles police Capt. James Miller. “The sheriffs determined that Ms. Goodspeed may be up in the vicinity by Paula Abdul’s house. Our officers discovered her vehicle parked on the street, and found her inside. She was unresponsive to officers.”
I totally remember this woman. She auditioned in Austin, and I mentioned her in passing in my recap of the episode.
Very sad. We point and laugh at these people, not realizing that they may, indeed be very troubled.
Watch Paula Goodspeed’s audition after the jump…
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19 Responses to “Paula Abdul Fan Found Dead Near Her Home, Auditioned for Season 5”
I hope this woman is not forgotten in a day..and that idol attempts to present more talent and less mockery during the audition phases of the show. I doubt they do, but one can always hope.
That’s the primary reason I don’t watch the audition phase anymore. I start watching during the Hollywood round where the people there are pretty much legitimate contenders and the circus is over. I think this was all a matter of time. I’m not going to blame the show. This woman obviously had a lot more issues than a TV show, but I’m not comfortable with how this show treats some people who seem a little troubled.
This is sad.
Totally agree with Kirsten.
This is such a shame, and really puts a fine point on what is probably the only thing I really, really dislike about AI.
We know that the contestants go through many rounds of auditions before they get sent to RPS and it seems very clear to me that certain people get sent through that far for the sole purpose of being made fun of by RPS and the tv audience. Of course these people snap – they are already clearly delusional and then given to believe that they actually have a legitimate chance when of course they don’t have a chance in hell and should be quietly and respectfully shown the door long before they get to the room with RPS and the tv cameras.
This is exactly the reason I refuse to watch the audition rounds and why I will not let my 81/2 year old son watch them if he starts watching the show with me this season – the poking fun at the mentally ill and developmentally disabled that I have seen in the past is really, really low and goes very much against some of the ideals I try to instill in my children.
Ditto…. I totally agree. It was only a matter of time. I dont watch the auditions any more either.
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I watch the auditions but only for the good people – although I might just not watch them this year, instead use YouTube or other sites to pick those that should be watched. It was obvious she needed help though…this is definitely a sad story but also a lesson to be learned for those that need help to get help. It’s just sick that she had to take her own life. :cry_tb:
I don’t blame the show although I’m sure it didn’t help her. It is so sad.
She tells her side of the audition story on her myspace .
What a shame, what a waste of a life. I wish someone could have saved her from herself. At least she didn’t harm Paula Abdul.
I do send my prayers and condolences to Paula Goodspeed’s family.
PS. please forgive me for going off subject but has anyone else noticed anything odd about the before and after picture in the above ad?
That’s what I do. I check out the buzzworthy (for good reasons) contestants on YouTube. I feel kind of bad about it because that’s what bugs shows about YouTube (cherry picking the best), but I just can’t watch the other auditions. Besides, now American Idol has signed some crazy deal with YouTube to provide it exclusive content this coming year so they can’t mind it too much.
This story is so sad. Paula Abdul seems very subdued, almost uncomfortable in that clip. The judges should push back on putting themselves through this senseless and borderline dangerous side of the show.
I haven’t watched the audition round in years, and I never feel I am missing anything. It is not even a guilty pleasure, it’s just one depressing moment after the next with a few crumbs of promise.
After such a joyful season, so much tragedy lately.
For Season 9, they need to stop letting bad singers through the first auditions…give the opportunities to more deserving people.
Exactly… so many talented people dont get their shot all for the sake of what some think is good tv.
I’m surprised something like this didn’t happen sooner. Since Season 1 they’ve let through an endless parade of mentally unstable and sometimes developmentally challenged people ON PURPOSE.
They put them through to RPS and America can point and laugh and feel superior. It’s SICK.
How horrible for this poor soul. I wonder did her family know how troubled she was….well considering she had made an attempt there last year, I guess they did. I won’t lay all the blame on idol. I mean how can they know who is sane or not. Many of these people do this for shit and grins, to be on teevee. It’s sorta hard to decide who’s nuts and who’s just an attention whore.
The sad thing is that this is the round of the show that gets the most ratings.
How horrible for Paula. I mean she is the most sympathetic of the bunch for this to happen near her home must be totally unnerving.
There are 2 rounds of auditions before they go before the judges and end up on TV. An easy way to weed the nuts and the attention whore’s is to not put through the bad auditions on purpose in the first place.
This show is all about advertising revenue. Until people stop watching those auditions that post such high ratings they will not stop offering the red meat to the hungry dogs. And believe it or not you can’t always judge between who is a publicity hound and who has psychological problems. Not during a few minutes audition.
This is soooooo sad.
snuffles, I agree. If we can tell in 5 minutes the people are not mentally healthy on TV, surely the producers can tell also.
J, thanks for posting the myspace link…does anyone else find it interesting that a vocal teacher encouraged this performance. It appears that many people made money off this woman’s hopes and dreams. Would a consciencious vocal teacher told her she wasn’t ready or even talented enough? Perhaps they did to no avail, that is possible and I hope so.
Totally tone deaf. The judges were relatively kind to her.
I’m sorry she took her life.
She obviously had a great flair for clothing style
and perhaps could have had a great career in the fashion industry.
Very tragic. Very sad. What a waste.