In defense of Paula
Last night, American Idol judge Paula Abdul said on Twitter that she would not be returning to the show: "With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon."
Immediately, some began to wonder whether this was just a maneuever to get Fox to work with her on her contract or something along those lines, but this morning, the network said in a statement that Abdul was "an important part of the 'American Idol' family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show."
This is all coming a day after Fox announced that Kara DioGuardi would be returning as a judge, even though her addition to the show last season had been widely panned (including by me).
So is this a good move for the network? From the start of the show, Abdul became an easy punchline, with her sometimes bizarre sweeping statements about people's hearts or voices and sometimes-strange on-camera behavior.
But this season, with DioGuardi in the mix, Abdul's strengths became more clear. As she stated on Twitter, her goal was to nurture new talent, and her kind approach to the contestants was novel in comparison with the other judges, especially DioGuardi and Simon Cowell. She also seemed more focused this season (perhaps feeling threatened by DioGuardi's presence?) and backed up a lot of her critiques with specific comments about the contestants' vocal abilities or musical arrangements.
Two years ago, I wouldn't have believed I would be saying this, but I think Paula Abdul's departure from Idol is a huge mistake. This year, she stepped up as a more competent judge and really showed what she has brought to the show for its whole run. With her gone, judges' panel is going to turn into a festival of snark, and that's not really constructive -- for the singers or the audience.
I'm hoping this is just posturing over the contract negotiations, but I guess we'll see soon enough, since auditions for next season, which starts in January, are under way. (David Zurawik thinks it could go down that way, too.)
What do you think about this news?
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Comments
We've already decided we won't be watching. Most of the fun of watching was the Paula train wreck. Kara as the only female judge makes the show unwatchable. I expect the ratings may take a dive, unless the producers come up with some other gimmick to to get people to watch.
Posted by: Bill | August 5, 2009 11:01 AM
I'll miss Paula, if she is, indeed, gone.
Posted by: Bucky | August 5, 2009 12:16 PM
whoever made the decision for her not returning to the show or her not wanting to return should be fired!...Kara mistake....we'll miss you paula!
Posted by: pj | August 5, 2009 1:50 PM
Paula was the second best judge for the sole reason that she has some semblance of a personality... now the show is going to be even more dependent on Simon
Posted by: Sean Hathaway | August 5, 2009 10:39 PM
Paula & Simon have a magical chemistry together on the set. Without Paula in the mix the show and the folks viewing at home will definitely feel the loss.
Posted by: Art Paul | August 8, 2009 5:46 AM
Paula is like your little puppy that pees on the carpet and chews up your shoes - so irritating at times, but you love her anyway and wouldn't think of getting rid of her.
Big mistake for Fox.
Posted by: JWP | August 10, 2009 2:08 PM