While you were sleeping

... brought to you by Tom Hardy, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and McG at the UK premiere of This Means War. (Dave Hogan/Getty Images).

Huge X-Factor shake-up Deadline: "Yesterday (Monday) at The X Factor there was a bloodbath which just claimed its biggest name. Not only are host Steve Jones and judge Nicole Scherzinger exiting from the Fox show, but now a Simon Cowell insider just told me that his longtime friend and American Idol colleague Paula Abdul won’t be returning as an X Factor judge next season. I understand from sources that none of the three left on their own accord and that it was cleaning house day at the so-so rated reality series. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any backlash against Simon because of Paula’s popularity ... Earlier Monday, Fox confirmed the departures of both Scherzinger as a judge and Jones as host. The two, originally paired as co-hosts, had been considered the weakest links and likely casualties going into Season 2 after receiving mostly negative reviews for their performances last season. But my news that Abdul is out as well comes as a surprise given her long history with Cowell. With Abdul, Scherzinger and Jones gone, Cowell and L.A. Reid remain the only X Factor personalities from Season 1 to make it to Season 2. Cowell hinted at a major shakeup on the show last month when he was quoted as saying “We change these shows all the time."

Vital Brangelina update "Are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie headed down the altar sometime soon? That's what could be expected, given Pitt's recent comments about the pressure to propose – but according to Jolie, 36, her longtime beau's comments were a bit overblown. "I think anything said tends to be blown out of proportion," Jolie told People on Sunday's red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in L.A., when asked about "a lot of ring-talk lately." "Yeah, that was my fault," Pitt, 48, admitted, with a smile."

Sorry, Blake Vulture: "Rooney Mara is taking over for Blake Lively in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming psychopharmacology drama Side Effects (formerly known as The Bitter Pill, and then as The Side Effects), according to Deadline, following rumors that the producer had backed out of financing the film because of Lively's casting. Mara will play an anxiety-prone pill abuser who's dreading her husband's release from prison; Channing Tatum will play her husband, and Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones will play two of her doctors. Financing for the film fell apart last week — perhaps indicating a lack of confidence in Lively — but Mara's casting will likely set things back in motion."

Barbara isn't paying for Pippa Us: "Will 2012 be the year Pippa Middleton finally speaks? Duchess Catherine's younger sister has yet to give a single interview since becoming a worldwide sensation at the royal wedding last April - but that may change in the near future. The British tabloids are reporting that Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey are in the midst of a bidding war to book the 28-year-old party planner for a TV special - a claim that Walters, 82, denied on The View Monday. "It's not true," the legendary journalist said. "ABC News does not pay for interviews. I have no idea what Oprah does, but we do not pay. ABC News does not pay. She's not a news program, so maybe they have a different policy." That doesn't mean Walters wouldn't be up for interviewing Middleton, who was one of her most fascinating people of 2011. "To make it clear: Would I like to do the interview? Yes, I think she's a charming, beautiful girl," Walters said. "Will we pay to do the interview? No."