LaBelle says she turned down 'Idol' job

Updated: December 9, 2007 - 6:20 PM

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NEW YORK - R&B singer Patti LaBelle revealed to Newsweek that she was once offered Paula Abdul's job on "American Idol," but she turned it down because she didn't want to be mean.

"I said no because I didn't want to be someone giving bad news by saying you didn't make it," she said. Her interview appears in the Dec. 17 issue of Newsweek, which is on newsstands today.

LaBelle said cutting singers was the hardest part of her job on her new reality show, "Clash of the Choirs." She does, however, offer them words of encouragement. "I did tell them, because Patti LaBelle said no, it doesn't mean it's the end. Jennifer Hudson was told no, and she has an Oscar."

Meanwhile, former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra was disinvited from a concert billed as a holiday tribute to U.S. troops after her recent arrest.

The 22-year-old is being held without bail at the Hillsborough County jail in Tampa, Fla., on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest. She is to remain there at least until Dec. 20.

NEWS SERVICES