Ousted "X Factor" judge refused to take a stand on Britney Spears this weekend in Italy -- dropping to her knees while sunning herself on vacation with her Formula One driver boyfriend Lewis Hamilton.

Who are we to judge?

Simon Cowell says he's still close with Paula Abdul -- even though he just fired her ass -- and plans to work with her again in the very near future.

Cowell just released a statement about the bloodbath at "X Factor" ... saying, "I want to say a massive thank you to Paula, Nicole and Steve for being part of the 'X Factor' last year."

He added, "You do develop friendships with the people you work with and Paula, in particular, is a very close friend and I expect to be working with her on another project in the near future."

Paula Abdul got the ax from "X Factor" ... TMZ has learned.

It's a stunning development, given that Simon Cowell personally recruited Paula after she was booted from "American Idol."

Sources also tell TMZ ... Paula got the news from a lawyer connected with the show, and has yet to hear from Simon.

Paula's pink slip now sits on top of those delivered to Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Jones.

Our sources say Simon has not found replacements for the cast members who got booted.


Paula just issued a statement, claiming she harbors no hard feelings toward Simon over the split -- "Simon and I, along with Fox and Fremantle, have been communicating about this for a while now, and I have absolute understanding of the situation."

Paula adds, "Simon is, and will remain, a dear friend of mine and I’ve treasured my experience working this past season."

Hours before Nicole Scherzinger was officially bounced from "X Factor" last night ... the former judge was in NYC, laughing off questions about her demise as if the mere THOUGHT of termination was pure insanity.

Nicole was leaving Nello's when we asked, "Are you still doing 'X Factor?'" - Nicole simply giggled at the question ... and then waved us off.

FOX has since confirmed Nicole will NOT return to the show ... neither will host Steve Jones.

There are reports Paula Abdul is also on the chopping block -- so far, there has been no formal announcement about her fate.

"X-Factor" judge Paula Abdul secretly instructed Nicole Scherzinger to vote off Rachel Crow last week ... just moments before the earth-shattering elimination -- and we have proof.

Paula's mic was down when Nicole was making her decision -- but with a little volume tinkering ... you can clearly hear Paula whisper to Nicole, "Just let it go to a deadlock."

Nicole did just that ... a decision that sent Rachel Crow packing -- and resulted in a torrent of death threats from angry fans everywhere.

Everyone's blaming Nicole, but the audio raises the question -- is Nicole really at fault for sending Rachel home? So we gotta ask ...

"X-Factor" judge Nicole Scherzinger claimed she "died inside" when she saw the look on Rachel Crow's face last night ... after the 13-year-old was eliminated -- and TMZ has obtained footage of the emotional backstage meltdown.

Nicole told producers after the show, half in denial -- "I couldn't make that decision on my own ... I didn't send her home. I adore Rachel."

Between tears, Nicole added, "When I saw Rachel's look on her face, I just died inside."

Nicole Scherzinger ran off the set of 'X Factor' in tears last night ... when the audience booed her like crazy for eliminating Rachel Crow ... and TMZ has learned she was hysterically crying in her dressing room for nearly a half-hour.

Nicole was charged with casting the final vote between Crow and Marcus Canty ... but didn't want to eliminate either .. so she sent the vote to "Deadlock" -- which meant it all boiled down to the audience vote.

Crow lost ... and broke down in tears ... and when the host of the show asked Nicole to comment, the crowd unleashed a chorus of boos.



Sources connected to the production tell TMZ ... Nicole bolted right for her dressing room ... and was "inconsolable" about the situation.

We're told Crow -- who was a crying mess herself -- heard about Nicole and went to the judge's dressing room ... where the two cried together and Crow told Nicole she was not mad about the decision.

It's been a rough couple of weeks for Scherzinger -- as TMZ first reported, she had already been getting death threats and hate mail for voting Drew Ryniewicz off the show last week.

"X-Factor" cast-off Drew Ryniewicz is lashing back after some deranged fans threatened to kill  Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger last week -- telling TMZ, she has no hard feelings against the judges for dumping her ... and her fans shouldn't either.

As we previously reported, Paula and Nicole received an avalanche of death threats on Facebook and Twitter after they agreed to vote the 14-year-old off Thursday night.

Among the threats ... "F**K you paula you dumb c**t you voted off the most talented person on your f**king show. i hope you die you DUMB B***H."

The judges were shocked by the firestorm of hatred -- and Drew tells us, she was too ... "That's not what I represent and that's not what I want my fans to represent."

Drew adds, "No one deserves death threats."

"X-Factor" hosts Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger voted off the wrong contestant Thursday night -- at least according to several angry Drew Ryniewicz fans ... whose violent threats have Paula and Nicole fearing for their lives.

According to our sources, Paula and Nicole both got the cold shoulder from Simon Cowell after the show ... who was "furious" with their decision. But that's nothing compared to the abusive tweets and Facebook messages they've received. Some of the messages read:

-- "F**K you paula you dumb c**t you voted off the most talented person on your f**king show. i hope you die you DUMB B***H."

-- "I hope you die, you selfish----------"

-- "@NicoleScherzy @paulaabdul go die"

Sources on the show tell us Paula and Nicole are shocked by the harassing messages and neither has experienced a reaction so strong before.

Marriage proposals are sweet, right?  Well not when some random dude invades your space while you're trying to tape "X-Factor." 

As Nicole Scherzinger sat at the judge's table during a taping break, a Hungarian dude who was in the audience bolted toward her, got down on one knee and ... we'll she didn't say yes.

Security removed him from the CBS lot. 

Fox had no comment.

Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid and Steve Jones are the cast of the new singing reality competition show "The X-Factor" -- while Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest rule the roost on "American Idol."

Question is ...