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If Paula Abdul Leaves Idol Will She Be Missed?
Published by Starr Rhett on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 11:29 am.
Word is out that Paula Abdul is not happy with her post at American Idol, and if producers don’t renegotiate her contract favorably, she may not return to the show as a judge.
Auditions for the ninth season are scheduled to start Aug. 6 and according to Abdul’s manager, she still doesn’t have a proposal for a new contract from FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, the production companies behind the show. The new season is scheduled to premiere in January.
According to the LA Times “Idol Tracker” blog, Idol host Ryan Seacrest just signed a deal worth a reported $45 million that will keep him on the job for at least the next three years, doubling his salary. Meanwhile, Simon Cowell has a contract that expires next year and is jockeying for a reported $144 million, a figure for which Cowell hasn’t confirmed but says talks are ongoing, and Randy Jackson is booked through 2011.
Whether the newest judge, Kara DioGuardi will return or not is still up in the air. But if these reports are true, it sounds like Abdul isn’t being valued as much as other judges. I think Idol’s sister show, So You Think You Can Dance has better judges anyway, but I digress. The truth is, Paula Abdul has always been the weakest link. She became known as the nice judge, but nice to a fault. Her critiques were often not thorough and sometimes incoherent. Producers may have tolerated her because she hadn’t demanded anymore money until now, but now that she is, they could be weighing their options, realizing that bringing her back as a judge may not be a priority.
I’m glad that Abdul is fighting for what she thinks is right, because if other judges are successfully upping the ante, then she should too. However, it’s probably just her time to move on. In 2007, she forayed further into reality TV with the Bravo show, Hey Paula, which was unsuccessful, but her manager says she has several ideas for other projects.
I think she’s still marketable but her days as an Idol judge are numbered. She was never a judge that I checked for anyway. What do you think? If she leaves Idol, will her presence be missed?
Uh, yes. that will leave a big hole in the Idol landscape. Maybe Simon can just give her some of his money.
I love Paula! It wouldn’t be the same if she wasn’t sitting next to Simon.
While she hasn’t always been the best judge, she represents the performer of the classic three judges. If they do remove her, I hope they will find someone who can fill that niche on the judge panel.
R&B Guru of R&B Haven and Soul Of R&B
Although she is wacky, I appreciated her sensitivity and diplomacy in dealing with the singers.