Victoria Beckham succeeds Paul Abdul at Idol

With a speed not usually found among those at Fox it’s been announced that ex-Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham will replace Paula Abdul on the new season of American Idol, at least on an interim basis.

The 35-year old former singer, turned fashion designer will join Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and songwriter Kara DioGuardi for at least two installments of the shows seventh season. And her fee’s a  lot lower than Paula was asking — a mere $250,000 a show.

“Victoria is hugely flattered,” says a source to UK’s Daily Mirror. “This is one of the highest profile gigs in America. But at the moment, Victoria’s main focus is fashion – she has been booked at New York’s ‘Fashion Week’ to launch her 2010 collection.”

The news follows hard on the heels of Paula Abdul’s departure, which itself was enough cause for a party among Idol’s staff as soon as her decision was broadcast on Twitter. “Can’t you hear our celebration?” one staffer asked, “We broke out the good champagne tonight!” And they’re not alone, “We were so tired of Paula’s constant diva behavior. She took the concept of ‘difficult’ to a whole new level. Thank God she’s gone!” was another AI worker’s response.

The real reason for leaving? No problem there — it was money! Paula reportedly demanded a payout that matched, or at least got a lot closer to Ryan Seacrest’s new $15-million-a-year deal. Fox’s final offer is said to have been enough to double her current paycheck of $2.5-million…So Paula walked.

…Or did she?

Between you and me, we reckon young Paula made a knee-jerk reaction that was driven by ego, and we won’t be the least bit surprised if by next month they’re all friends again and she scores a fat raise.

The new season starts taping tomorrow, and Victoria is currently only booked to do two. The clock is now running — Let’s see how long it takes before Paula returns…