The usually perky Paula Abdul was anything but this week when she was a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

The "American Idol"judge Tuesday night repeatedly gave jarring, one-word answers and seemed strangely subdued compared to her "Idol" and "Entertainment Tonight"appearance during the uncomfortable-to-watch interview near the end of the show.

After a clip on one of the singing talent show's more atrocious hopefuls, Abdul proclaimed him "good."

A bemused Stewart seemed, to the regular viewer at least, to be slightly egging her on. When he asked about the new season, Abdul replied, "it's magical."

After an awkward silence, Stewart replied, "What did you put in it to make it magical?"

Later, he told the '80s pop star how much he likes the show for its clean entertainment, then joked "and I love getting high and watching it" as Abdul laughed and clapped.

New York's irreverent media gossip sheet Gawker.com pointed out Abdul's strange behaviour and linked to Comedy Central's website, which had video of the appearance. They also suggested the singer might just have been "tired" or "nervous."

Online bloggers had fun with Abdul's appearance too.

"Well, I suppose she could have slipped and fallen and hit her head backstage," surmised one.

"Whatever she's on, I want some," joked another.

"American Idol" referred questions about the appearance to Abdul's publicist who did not return calls. Stewart's rep had no comment.