UPDATED: Simon Cowell says Paula Abdul, Cheryl Cole will join 'The X Factor'

Simon Cowell has chosen his judging panel for this fall’s The X Factor on Fox. According to Deadline’s Nikki Finke, former American Idol judge Paula Abdul and British singer Cheryl Cole will join Cowell and Antonio “L.A.” Reid on the panel. Cole judged on the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of Cowell’s British version of The X Factor. “Fox is desperate to hire her,” said Cowell. Fox has yet to officially announce the judges.

UPDATE: Sources confirm Cowell wants Abdul and Cole, both names he’s mentioned before, though deals are not yet done. The final judging panel is expected to be announced relatively soon, since X Factor auditions in front of the judges start in less than two weeks. Also, sources tell EW singer Nicole Scherzinger is close to landing one of the show’s two host spots. — Additional reporting by James Hibberd

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