Paula Abdul may have left her judging perch at American Idol, but she bounced back quick. (Perhaps she had this new gig in the bag all along).

After much speculation on her next on-air project, Abdul was tapped by VH1 to host their live concert program, VH1 Divas (how fitting). Divas features female artists singing live. The ladies performing include Jordin Sparks, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis and Miley Cyrus. They will perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, NY with the addition of special guests (who are still unnamed).

VH1 Divas will raise money for the non-profit organization, VH1 Save The Music Foundation whose mission is to restore instrumental music education in American public schools and stressing the importance of music as part of a child’s education.

Good for Paula Abdul! The idea of the show is great (I’m a performing arts school alum), but the lineup sounds boring (I nodded off reading it). The ladies performing are talented (the verdict is still out on Miley Cyrus), but I won’t be sitting through the whole thing. I’d be content if I just caught Adele. Oh, wait…Paula Abdul hosting, right…

That should be interesting too. She was a teary mess on her own reality show and became the way-too-nice incoherent judge on Idol so who knows how this gig will go for her. Some people work better alone so this might work. Smile, read from the teleprompter and keep it moving. Simple enough.

Vh1 Divas airs September 17 at 9pm.

I still can’t believe producers have allowed Paula Abdul to leave American Idol.

I’m not sure what they’re thinking, but if you ask me (and they haven’t, but I’m going to say it anyway) no one can fill Paula’s shoes, prescription, or wine glass.

But, I suppose the show must go on, so if they’re going to replace the musical genius of the show (don’t hate: “Crazy Cool” was a hot song), they might as well go hard.

Here are a couple of names I’ve thought of to replace Paula The Great.

1. MC Skat Kat

Look, I love Paula, too, but if you’re old enough to remember the video for “Opposites Attract,” you know the cat stole the show. With lines like, “Swift and sly and I’m playing it cool, with my homegirl, Paula Abdul,” I can’t help but think about all of the gems that may come out of his mouth.

Watch out, Sheree Whitfield.

2. One of Prince’s sidekicks.

We can go with Sheila E! who actually has musical talent and knows what it’s like to at least have one big hit.

There’s Vanity, who can claim that one hit wonder bragging right herself, but as someone who’s been in a few movies, can share a little more insight into being a well rounded pop star. Only problem is she’s like all saved now, so the Christian Vanity is likely not as entertaining as the heathen one.

And I can’t forget about my girl Appolonia. I’d give anything to hear one of the goodie goodie contestants perform “Sex Shooter.”

3. Jennifer Lopez

She’s this decade’s answer to Paula Abdul anyway.

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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?

The idea of a Paula Abdul comeback isn’t really exciting but it’s still something you would like to see in order to believe. I saw it but I still don’t believe it. In last night’s episode of American Idol, she left her perch as a judge and joined the other side when she hit the stage to perform live. When I say perform live, I mean that she feigned singing while dancing—just like a lot of today’s pop divas who are coincidentally the resurrection of the 80s pop movement from whence Abdul came. Basically, it was nothing new. In case do you plan to buy her album, due out in the Fall, the single is called “I’m Just Here For the Music.”

I guess being an Idol judge was inspiration for the return, but is this really necessary? I don’t think so. However, despite a boring performance, she still has moves and looked great. I’d much rather see her bring back the rapping cartoon cat, but we can’t always get what we want. I wonder what Simon was thinking.

P.S. Allison Iraheta got the axe.

Three more contestants were named last night to be included in American Idol’s top 12, leaving six spots left for finalists. It’s disappointing that there’s no African-American talent chosen so far, especially for a show that’s known for blessing the world with dynamic talent like Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard and Jennifer Hudson.

Is America not moved this time by our soul brothas and sistas vying for stardom? They’re just as talented as the other folks chosen. Sure, it’s not over just yet, but it’s still surprising (and a travesty). Hopefully things will go differently next week. Then again, maybe Americans wanted change in more areas than one.

But we’ll keep hope alive for the next two weeks. Maybe Stephen Fowler will pull through in the wild card round.

Is the absence of African American talent chosen disappointing?