Victoria Beckham at American Idol Auditions

Paula Abdul was not there as the first round of "American Idol" auditions took place last Friday, marking the beginning of what is being dubbed the "post Paul Abdul era." And, while Paula was not there, Victoria Beckham, aka "Posh Spice" or, more notably "David Beckham’s wife," was on hand as American Idol kicked off its ninth season. Beckham arrived at a downtown Denver hotel where the show’s callback auditions were occurring. As she arrived, dozens of curious onlookers buzzed about and greeted her as she moved in the middle of rope barriers.

The show’s newest judge, Kara DioGuardi, also made quite an entrance, arriving in a limo and wearing a black dress that she said she wore in mourning after Abdul decided to quit the show. DioGuardi referred to Abdul as her mentor and the heart of American Idol. Expounded DioGuardi, "She was very kind, she show me the ropes, so I have to give her the props for that. I hope she is happy and I hope she reconsiders." For her part, Abdul has not told the media why she chose to leave the show after eight successful seasons, nor did she speculate on the possibility of a return to the show.

Melinda Doolittle, a fan of American Idol and a contestant who finished third in the show’s sixth season, wrote on her blog that each judge has a role on the show but that "Paula...sweet Paula, is the heart...the artist...the mama...the one who understands what you’re going through and empathizes with you."