- The Los Angeles Times claims that Paula Abdul’s demands for a $20 million salary – and the American Idol producers’ hardball stance to avoid giving it to her – have led her to drop her price to $12 million a season, which would still be triple her current salary. Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez is denying rumors that she’s going to replace Abdul on the show.

- Simon Cowell, whose salary is expected to be juiced up to $45 million a season on AI, is planning a new AI-ish series that looks to find the next big band. Supermodel Kate Moss will be a judge … apparently, dating rock stars qualifies one as a worthy rock critic.

- And a sad bit of Idol news: Police have arrested a man in the hit-and-run death of two-time AI auditioner Alexis Cohen.

- The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg is producing a new Science Channel game show called Head Games, and the show is looking for contestants.

- There are women with mommy issues and then there’s Tori Spelling and her mom Candy, who’s taken to TMZ.com in her latest attempt to publicly humiliate her reality TV star daughter.

- It had been rumored for months, but now it’s official: Lost star Dominic Monaghan has joined the cast of ABC’s new fall drama Flash Forward, which premieres Sept. 24

- The Lipstick Jungle series didn’t work out, but Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, who also penned the Jungle book, is writing another women-in-the-workplace series, The Boardroom, that will unfold online. The four-episode series will star 90210’s Jennie Garth and Mad Men’s Talia Balsam.

- Seth MacFarlane is producing an abortion-themed episode of his Emmy-nominated ‘toon Family Guy, but he says he thinks it will prove too controversial to air.

- The Octomom and her 14 kids will reportedly earn $250,000 for a new reality show.

- Newsweek asks, “Why is Katherine Heigl so annoying?” I’d answer, “She can’t seem to help herself.”

- The number one TV network for gay-friendly programming: HBO, according to GLAAD. Among the worst, says GLAAD: CBS and NBC.

- It’s a Partridge Family reunion: Shirley Jones will play the mom of her real-life stepsons David and Patrick Cassidy on ABC Family’s new hit Ruby & the Rockits.

- And tonight in primetime:

- Jillian chooses between Ed and Kiptyn in the season finale of The Bachelorette (8PM ET, ABC)
- A pie-eating contest is just one stop for the fams on Great American Road Trip (8M, NBC)
- Amy’s ticked when Ben plans a fab summer trip and she has to stay home and work on The Secret Life of the American Teenager (8PM, ABC Family)
- Charm School graduates its winner in the season three finale (9PM, VH1)
- Carter gets an ultimatum on Make It or Break It (9PM, ABC Family)
- A new Unwrapped installment (9PM), Food Network) covers diner classics like hotcakes and java
- NGC unveils the Secret Lives of Charles Lindbergh (9PM)
- Gino builds a new patio and a basketball court on King of Dirt (9:30PM, DIY)
- History Channel gets freaky with Sex in ‘69: Sexual Revolution in America (9PM)
- A&E has new eps of Intervention (9PM) and Obsessed (10PM)
- Andy’s growing more fond of Dr. Kitson on Weeds (10PM, Showtime)
- P. Diddy/Puff Daddy/Sean Combs/What-ever puts together a band for his upcoming tour on the series premiere of Making His Band (10PM, MTV)
- The contestants shake their groove thangs to movie soundtrack tunes on Dance Your Ass Off (10PM, Oxygen)
- Kathy hangs with Drew Barrymore and Melissa Etheridge on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (10PM, Bravo)
- Tony’s back in America, with stops in Buffalo, Baltimore and Detroit on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (10PM, Travel Channel)
- Terrell heads to Buffalo to meet his new teammates on The T.O. Show (10PM, VH1)
- Buddy’s latest creation: a tiki torch cake with real fire on Cake Boss (10PM, TLC)
- ABC has a new ep of Dating in the Dark (10PM)
- And Jackie’s secret – two of them, actually – may be out on Nurse Jackie (10:30PM, Showtime)