Just in: PAULA ABDUL talks exclusively to ET about her misunderstanding on Tuesday night's "American Idol" performance show!

Discussing the small slip of the tongue she experienced while assessing finalist JASON CASTRO's first performance, Paula explains: "It got very confusing ... the producers come up to us in the dark and said, 'We are not going to have you guys judge after each performer, we are going to have all the performers go once, then twice and at the end critique them.'"

Surprised by the last minute switch in judging procedures, Paula recounts, "I am feverishly trying to write notes for every performance."

And when host RYAN SEACREST asked the judges to quickly sum up the performances, Paula explains that she was trying organize her notes, saying, "I was trying to give my critique for Jason Castro, and scribbled Jason's name, and that was DAVID [COOK]'s! ... We all just screwed up everything." She adds with a laugh: "This is live television. This is fun!"