There was no Paula, but there was a Posh.

Victoria Beckham was on hand yesterday for the first "American Idol" auditions in the post-Paula Abdul era. The former Spice Girl arrived at a Denver hotel where call-back auditions were being held as scores of onlookers crowded against rope barriers.

Fox, which airs the singing competition, said Beckham and Katy Perry will be guest judges in Abdul's place. But it wasn't immediately clear whether Beckham did any judging yesterday, and an "Idol" spokeswoman declined to say what her role was. Perry was nowhere to be seen.

Judge Kara DioGuardi arrived in a limo wearing a black dress, telling local Fox affiliate KDVR that she was wearing black to mourn Abdul's absence. DioGuardi called Abdul her mentor and the heart of the show.

MERCHANDISING OF MICHAEL GEARS UP

The King of Pop is coming to calendars and collectors' coin cases.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff yesterday signed off on deals by the singer's estate for Michael Jackson-themed items — including calendars, school supplies, posters and a commemorative coin. He also granted authority for reprints of Jackson's autobiography "Moonwalk" to be sold in China, South Korea and several Eastern European countries.

And Beckloff agreed to allow Jackson's estate to partner with Apple's iTunes to sell songs and a video of Jermaine Jackson performing the Charlie Chaplain song "Smile" at the pop singer's public memorial.

AEROSMITH IN HOLDING PATTERN FOR NOW

Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler has a broken shoulder and stitches in his head after falling off the stage during a South Dakota concert, and the band hasn't yet decided what that means for the future of its current tour, guitarist Joe Perry said yesterday.

Perry said after a stop at a Chicago radio station that Tyler has been flown to Boston to be seen by his own doctor.

Tyler, 61, fell several feet while dancing around as the sound crew replaced a fuse that blew during the Wednesday night concert at the Buffalo Chip Campground, where a motorcycle rally was being held.

COCAINE A FACTOR IN BILLY MAYS' DEATH

An official autopsy report released in Florida yesterday concluded that cocaine use contributed to the heart disease that suddenly killed TV pitchman Billy Mays in June, but his family called the finding "speculative" and was considering getting an independent assessment.

The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office had previously determined that the bearded, boisterous TV spokesman had a heart attack in his sleep. His wife found him unresponsive in bed in their Tampa condo June 28.

Mays, 50, was a pop-culture fixture, with his energetic commercials pitching gadgets and cleaning products like Orange Glo and OxiClean.

While heart disease was the primary cause of his death, the medical examiner listed cocaine as a "contributory cause of death."