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Simon, Reid brutal on X Factor, Abdul perfect foil (VIDEO PREVIEW)

By April MacIntyre Jul 13, 2011, 6:53 GMT

05/16/2011 - Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell - 2011 Fox Upfront - Arrivals - Wollman Rink, Central Park - New York City, NY, USA © Charles Norfleet / PR Photos

Going on record: Paula Abdul is the secret weapon for "The X Factor" USA, the antidote to the saccharine bore-fest aka American Idol post-Simon.

Nicole Sherzinger is pretty and a great dancer, but she is an anemic version of the charismatic kook we grew to love and wonder about from past American Idols.  

Paula completes Simon.

And the bonus is L.A. Reid's cut to the quick, caustic remarks, which make great TV moments. 

From FOX:

Simon Cowell:

“This is everything you would dream of doing if you were making a TV show. There is nothing more I could want. In fact, today I was thinking, is there anything else I need? Then, literally, a helicopter was transported past me in a truck, and I think I said we’ve got it all. This is why you make TV shows. This is everything I’ve always dreamt of doing.”

Paula Abdul:

“Simon says that I inspired him for the whole idea. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know if it is a compliment or an insult. It’s probably an insult, but it was funny. Having Simon high-five me and watching Simon giving a standing ovation to a young girl singing ‘Tomorrow’ from ‘Annie’…we had to hold it in. We were laughing very hard.”

Nicole Scherzinger:

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from THE X FACTOR; we do it big. It is a phenomenon. We do it bigger than big, and it feels right.”

L.A. Reid:

“You know what? It was fun. It felt big…The dream sequence was fun. We were very polite; it was great. We were in that zone, which is so unlike us and so out of character.”