There have been a slew of rumors about Cheryl Cole since she was reportedly fired four days into filming the U.S. version of “The X Factor” debuting this fall. Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Cole was offered her job back and would “likely” return, then six hours later reported that Fox and production company Fremantle would buy out Cole’s contract. So for the moment she appears to be fired, but who knows? Here’s the most recent update:

According to a high-level industry source, after engaging in some legal brinksmanship the powers behind the show have concluded that it’s best to pay Cole the reported $1.5 million she was owed under her contract and say goodbye.

The source says it was clear that the chemistry wasn’t working among the judges from the start and that Cole lacked chemistry with Paula Abdul.”There was no spark,” this source says. “It was nobody’s fault. It just didn’t work.” [THR]

Let’s clear something up: it was definitely Paula’s fault. That broad is completely useless unless you need to get rid of your pill stash. This is an abomination. I’d rather watch Cheryl Cole doing nothing than Paula Adbul doing anything.

UPDATE: Newest new-new word: According to EW’s James Hibberd, Nicole Scherzinger will replace Cole.

Although Fox has yet to confirm it, various sources are saying that Cheryl Cole is out as a judge on the American “X Factor,” and that she’ll be replaced with Nicole Scherzinger, the Pussycat Doll/”Dancing with the Stars” champ who was originally signed to be the show’s co-host (Scherzinger has been a guest judge on the British “X Factor”). But it’s unclear whether Cole quit or got fired:

The Geordie beauty, 27, is homesick and it is thought her place will be taken by former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. A senior show source said: “It hasn’t worked out. She’s homesick and wants to return to the UK. She’s had enough.” [The Sun]

Cole was dropped from the judging panel on “X-Factor” largely because producers were concerned her English accent would be too difficult for an American audience to understand … sources close to the production tell TMZ.

There were other issues too — we’re told Cheryl and fellow judge Paula Abdul had a “lack of chemistry” … and Cheryl was more expendable. [TMZ]

Neither one of those explanations makes any sense. Cheryl wants to be super-famous and America is way better than England, so that homesick thing is crap. At the same time, it’s B.S. to fire her for her accent when Paula Abdul is slurring her way through another round of auditions. If anything, they should fire Paula and have Nicole and Cheryl sit next to each other at the judges table. And then they should make out.

I'm with stupid.

Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” began taping in Los Angeles yesterday, and for some reason Paula Abdul was there. My first assumption was that she wandered through by accident while searching for prescription medication, but it turns out that she actually had a seat at the judges’ table with Cowell, Cheryl Cole, and L.A. Reid.

The reunion between the former love-hate ”American Idol” colleagues was preceded by plenty of offstage drama, so much so that it was in doubt much of the weekend whether Abdul’s deal would be ready in time for Sunday’s first day of auditions…

Though the huge audience cheered and groaned at a variety of amateur acts in the state-of-the-art basketball arena, it was Cowell and Abdul who were clearly the star attractions. Their opening remarks were interrupted by cries of “We love you, Paula.” [LA Times]

I can only assume those were sarcastic cheers. “Oooh, yeah, we totally love you, Paula. You’re the greatest! Even better than other singers from 20 years ago who are far more coherent. Please, fill us with knowledge and insight.” I’m not sure if you can make a dismissive wanking motion with one of those big styrofoam “#1″ fingers, but I hope that they tried.

Despite the Steven Tyler-led resurgence of “American Idol,”Simon Cowell’s new “X Factor” is poised to become America’s premiere televised karaoke competition when it airs this fall. In addition to Cowell, the judges table will also feature legendary record producer L.A. Reid (who resigned as Island Def Jam CEO to join the show). And according to Reid, the third judge will be Cheryl Cole, the Girls Aloud singer who was also a judge on the British “X Factor.”

“We’re gonna compete against American Idol just fine,” Reid said. “I’m very confident. But along with Simon Cowell and Cheryl, I don’t know who the other judge is.”

Sources close to the production say the parties are still in talks and Fox hasn’t been commenting on judges until they send a press release announcing them. [Inside TV]

This is fantastic. Cheryl Cole is the best, and I won’t hear anything to the contrary. She’s beautiful, she has terrible taste in men, she wears unsightly but revealing outfits onstage, and she has an array of horrible tattoos that further reflects her poor judgment. And I don’t know if you know this about me, but I adore hot women with terrible judgment. You remember the hobo with the golden voice? Cheryl Cole is the stripper with a golden voice.

FOX and the producers of the upcoming Asa of Judah-quality Idol killer “The X Factor” said Monday that they would award the winner of their forthcoming singing competition a Sony Music record deal worth five million dollars, the “the largest guaranteed prize in television history.”

To make things even better, singers as young as twelve years old will be able to compete on “The X Factor,” as will groups.  And while the whole “giving five million dollars to a twelve year old” thing isn’t going to result in anything above a Miranda-Cosgrovian brat dynamo, the groups addition leaves both of my “Havok and Polaris will be on the show” and “Justin Credible and Prince Albert will be on this show” jokes intact.

No hosts other than Simon Cowell have been confirmed, but Simon’s rambling, increasingly esoteric comparisons to explain what a bad singer sings like will be enough to get me to wach.  “I THOUGHT it was LIKE when you go to an 18th century cotillion and a child is being made to sing against his will for the enjoyment of Lord Fauntleroy, and” so on and so on.

[New York Times]