Paula Abdul

R&B singer Paula Abdul reportedly had a short meltdown, with only a week before the new season of “American Idol” gets on the way. “She had an insane nervous breakdown that lasted 10 minutes,” a tipster told Radaronline.com of a scene at the Continental Airlines terminal at LAX over the holidays. “One minute she was hyperventilating and on the verge of passing out; the next she was yelling into her cell phone in this deep, rage-filled ‘Poltergeist’ voice. She kept screaming three names over and over — Michael, Sidney and Leslie. Everyone was staring at her, but she didn’t care.” With no reality show cameras to capture the episode, it’s the tipster’s word against Abdul’s, especially since reps for Abdul didn’t comment on the meltdown by press time (which means there’s still no explanation on who Michael, Sidney or Leslie might be, or what they did to score such good placement in the tirade). “This doesn’t surprise me at all,” said a source who’s spent many painful hours alongside the “Idol” judge. “Makes you wonder what’s in the cup on the judge’s table. She’s nice and all, but she isn’t always so together.”