To say that I’m having mixed emotions about Paula Abdul’s exit from American Idol would be like saying Girl Scout Cookies are mildly addictive. (Yes, this is a veiled reference to the box of Tagalongs that EW.com’s DTWS maven Annie Barrett is hiding away in her desk drawer.) On one hand, in the season finale of Idolatry in May, I suggested Idol‘s production team make massive changes to its judging panel, getting rid of Paula, Kara “package artist” DioGuardi, and Randy Jackson in one clean and satisfying sweep, and replacing them with (perhaps) Elton John and Jody Watley. I mean, let’s be honest: All sentiment about Paula aside — and yeah, I do have a soft spot for the “Straight Up” singer — it’s not like she was known for providing particularly cogent or vital feedback to contestants, even when she raised her game considerably this past year. And what’s more, Idol had an overarching problem in its eighth season: With a fourth seat added to the judges’ table — and each one of those seats (“Dawg!”) occupied by a person (“early Aerosmith”) enamored with the sound (“you look beautiful”) of his or her own voice (“ghastly cruise ship”) — the show barely had time to focus on its amazing roster of contestants. Someone had to go.
But on the flip side, if only one Idol employee was getting a pink slip this year, wouldn’t it have made more sense to hand it to Randy or Kara, one of the two judges whose appearance on TV screens is pretty much a signal to viewers to hit the fast-forward buttons on their DVRs? Say what you will about Paula, but on a gut level, she was like the crazy aunt who shows up every Thanksgiving and leaves you clenching your jaw wondering what off-the-wall, inappropriate thing she’s going to say next. And yet, if that crazy aunt got unceremoniously dumped from your family’s Turkey Day proceedings — and her replacement wasn’t particularly insightful or interesting or witty or entertaining — you’d probably be angry, or at the very least, disappointed. Which is how I’m (quite unexpectedly) feeling right now.
Which isn’t to say I’ll be in mourning for Paula 4-evah. (Sorry, spent too much time following her on Twitter in the last 24 hrs.) For starters, it’s not over till the Mariah Carey wannabe sings. Idol‘s judges don’t even start filming season 9 till tomorrow, which leaves a little time for Paula and the Idol overlords to reconsider their positions and come to an agreement that puts Paula’s paycheck a little closer to her pal Ryan Seacrest‘s. (Seriously, the Idol payscale should undoubtedly go Simon > Ryan & Paula > Randy > Debbie the Floor Manager > The Wonky Backup Singers > Kara.) And even without Paula (and the lovely dose of heart she brings to the program), Idol will make like Gloria Gaynor and survive. After all, this is a show that undergoes massive casting changes every single season. We couldn’t imagine a show without Kelly and Tamyra, then Ruben and Clay, then ‘Tasia, then Carrie and Bo, and now Kradisson and Paula. And yet, every January, we tune in, cynicism meters turned to “high,” and find ourselves falling for a whole new group of singers. That’s what makes American Idol “beautiful,” even if there’s not a judge who’ll be using that word as her default adjective anymore.
What do you think of an Idol without Paula Abdul? Take our polls below, check out my colleague Ken Tucker’s take on Paula’s exit, and be sure to follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak for the latest Idol updates!
More on Paula Abdul:
Reaction from Ryan Seacrest, Blake Lewis, and more…
Life.com presents Paula’s ‘Idol journey’
Photo credit: Michael Becker/Fox
well who’s gonna be the crazy drunk one on the panel now????!!! laaame… i’m guessing her 8 figure deal wasn’t as big as seacrest’s…
Love Paula on any show. Fox is being chauvinistic with her. It’s insulting what they offered her. Helloooo they pay Ryan more???? He’s not as good as Nick Cannon, Paula adds more to content and definitely gets more viewers to the show. Get rid of Kara and you’d have the bucks. Really baaaadddd move Fox. She’d be great with dancing… afterall, she is a fantastic choreographer. Kudos Paula, when one door closes… Just keep Mum… take the high road. There isn’t anyone that could take the place of Paula. I won’t watch anymore because of Fox’s sexist attitude and treatment of PA.
I’m with you Slezak! I’ll still watch next year. Like you said, the show is about the CONTESTANTS, not the judges.
Nah, the show is about the judges. Really, the judges think they are the stars and they are making the singers into stars.
Paula was so much more than people ever gave her credit for. Read the tweets and blogs from the ex contestants and you will find a portrait of a woman who put her heart and soul into the show and the people that were on it, but because our culture doesn’t value respect and compassion she always faced ridicule and snark. Shame on America!
Well said! I will miss Paula…if for no other reason, she gave the idols a little hope on rough nights.
Really? Shame on America? I don’t think that anyone would claim that she wasn’t loved by the contestants or that she wasn’t a lovely person in real life. I’m not, however, going to candy coat the situation and proclaim Paula the mother hen messiah. Her sobriety, whether due to drugs or alcohol, was consistently called into question for good reason. No matter what excuse she gave, Americans aren’t complete dumbasses. Now, let’s talk about her critiques which were usually inane ramblings or utterly unrealistic. Some people liked her because she countered Simon’s caustic commentary. Others like her merely because her stupidity was a sight to behold. Let’s not pretend however that she helped prepare these kids for the real world. There’s no handholding or crying in the music industry. Dreaming isn’t enough. You’d never believe that, however, after listening to one of her critiques.
The Idol judges are part of the entertainment and they had a winning formula with Simon, Paula, and Randy. Balance is what makes it work, like sweet and sour, yin and yang. Who cares what the music industry does? This is a show for the audience and if we don’t like the mix of judges and contestants, the show goes down. I agree with Michael’s take on how the pay scale should be. IF Paula has personal issues that affect the show, the producers should be proactive in helping Paula resolve the problem…if for no other reason than to protect their ratings.
I, for one, am happy to hear that Paula won’t be returning. She offered the least insight and constructive advice, and didn’t have a critical (in the good sense) bone in her body. Her frequent “spats” with Simon got interminable. . . eating up valuable air time and offering nothing remotely informative or entertaining. Kara has been the best change to Idol since they dropped Season 1′s redundant co-host.
I agree that Season 8 was the worst for Simon and Paula’s interacting (sometimes Simon was just plain silly), but I will miss the chemistry between those two.
Agreed, for me, Kara was the best thing about last year! Unfortunately, Simon was threatened and did all he could to sway public opinion against her. Sure, he is the reason that people watch, but it’s not because he knows anything. He’s just good at his act. Kara & Randy are the only ones that I listen to.
You are crazy to listen to Randy and Kara. This show is not about the judges it is about the contestants. The only judge I like is Simon because he is the only one that knows what he is talking about. And he is not always drunk like Paula. And Paula has not been sober since the first day of season one. And because he tells it like it is and does not sugar coat everything like Paula does. I am glad that she quit.
I loved Dunkleman.
I agree with you,Robert Bittner.
I’ll be watching again regardless, but I’m really interested in how this will affect Simon. I don’t know if it was an act or not, but Simon always looks like he hates Kara to me. At least his insults towards Paula always seemed to have an underlying tone of comraderie, especially when they went back and forth, and the 2 of them had some genuinely funny interactions oevr the years. I have this feeling that this year is going to feature more fights amongst the judges than before since Kara just doesn’t have that same bond with Simon, in which case eliminating someone from the panel will be a moot point in tersm of focusing more on the contestants.
well i swore never to comment again on an ew idol article after last years rediculous immaturity but..dang it i will miss paula! i know she doesnt add a whole lot to the table, but she was always sincire about what she was saying. which is more then we can say about randy or kara..
I believe that Paula did not offer as much constructive criticism as others in the past. That being said, Simon may not always offer advice to improve either.
I did like how she tried to say something nice, but most of the others could do that and still limit the time. This season seemed to pimp people the producers had picked in a more blatant fashion than in the past. Sometimes I would agree with Kara, but usually I tend to find Simon’s message the most coherent.
Often people are paid based upon the market value and the perceived worth of that individual. I spoke with someone recently about a comparison of pay and service at fast food restaurants in the area. The best service (and pay) was consistently found at Chick Fil-A. I’m not sure why, but this also tended to have the lowest percentage of African American service workers.
What job fields do you believe pay in this manner? Are you consider the pay of those with education, history, and art degrees with similar degrees or are you comparing against degrees that tend to be more math/science orientation, such as male-dominated fields in engineering, business, and advanced medical degrees?
Women often tend to be paid comparable (sometimes better) at entry level positions within the fields. However, there is often a concern about consistent dedication to the company (less likely to donate 5-20 hours a week) at the corporate level. If someone takes off for 2 years to raise a family and rarely donates extra time then this is less opportunity to learn and grow and excel.
I believe the pay for single-income married families is also sometimes different, since such a system allows more time to be donated. In our society it is more common to see such a single-income come from the man. Since over 70% of African American children are born outside of wedlock and more than 90% grow up without their father at some point, which is significantly greater than what is seen in Asian American, Hispanic or White families. This may be a potential cause (or effect, I guess) for some of the income differential.
I will not watch the show without Paula…..
This is how all jobs pay
1. white men 2.white women 3.black men 4.black women
The show already chooses who will win…….I hope the rating goes in the tank and be forced to cancel……..
All jobs pay that? Really? Oprah, Obama, etc. may disagree with you
Oprah and Obama does not fit into the catagory with regular working people.
Oprah is worth about 2.7 billion dollars; President Obama’s annual salary is $400,000 and it’s most likely his highest paying gig to date. imjustnoisy is accurate.
yeah, highly unlikely the show’s ratings will “go in the tank” as you say (though they do seem to slip a bit each year.) The show is a cash cow, far above any other on FOX and even with diminished ratings, is still a massive success. The judges (including Simon) are just window dressing and are easily replaceable. Anyone who thinks otherwise is naive and everyone who says they’ll stop watching the show b/c Paula is leaving, got wonder, what the heck were they watching the show for in the first place?!
I watched to see how they would rig the show only this time Simon didn’t get who he tried to tell the callers to vote for (Lambert)and Randy does not think for himself anymore,as he has to always agree with Simon if Simon speaks first.Kara acts as if she’s an expert or competition with the contestants and Paula had you watching to see just how weird she would act that night.
I believe that Paula did not offer as much constructive criticism as others in the past. That being said, Simon may not always offer advice to improve either.
I did like how she tried to say something nice, but most of the others could do that and still limit the time. This season seemed to pimp people the producers had picked in a more blatant fashion than in the past. Sometimes I would agree with Kara, but usually I tend to find Simon’s message the most coherent.
Often people are paid based upon the market value and the perceived worth of that individual. I spoke with someone recently about a comparison of pay and service at fast food restaurants in the area. The best service (and pay) was consistently found at Chick Fil-A. I’m not sure why, but this also tended to have the lowest percentage of African American service workers.
What job fields do you believe pay in this manner? Are you consider the pay of those with education, history, and art degrees with similar degrees or are you comparing against degrees that tend to be more math/science orientation, such as male-dominated fields in engineering, business, and advanced medical degrees?
Women often tend to be paid comparable (sometimes better) at entry level positions within the fields. However, there is often a concern about consistent dedication to the company (less likely to donate 5-20 hours a week) at the corporate level. If someone takes off for 2 years to raise a family and rarely donates extra time then this is less opportunity to learn and grow and excel.
I believe the pay for single-income married families is also sometimes different, since such a system allows more time to be donated. In our society it is more common to see such a single-income come from the man. Since over 70% of African American children are born outside of wedlock and more than 90% grow up without their father at some point, which is significantly greater than what is seen in Asian American, Hispanic or White families. This may be a potential cause (or effect, I guess) for some of the income differential.
You should watch the show. Paula was a drunken loud mouth that did not what she was talking about. You are crazy to not watch it,imjustnoisy.
This will probably be the catalyst to help me break my Idol addiction. Will still read your recaps and watch Idolatry though. BTW- Edy’s makes Tagalong ice cream- vanilla ice cream with a caramel stripe and bits of Tagalong cookies- to die for!
FIVE words for GOLD -
REPLACE HER WITH SHARON OSBOURNE.
Love Sharon Osbourne!
NOT!!!
OMG, NO!!!!
American Idle is 100% garbage. It is also crapola, or as they say in French, Crap-pay.
Paula truly makes the show watchable! I Love Her CRAZY!
fox is crazy- i love Puala and Simmon fight like an old marry couple. She softing his hard comments . I will not wacth the show as much . I bet its going to be boring .
Instead of paying for Kara, Paula should be given her share and go back to the original 3 judges like it used to be!
I agree.
Here, here. Despite all of Kara’s confidence, she has proven she has little music history knowledge, can’t count, and has no charm (much less write a decent finale song). I miss the chemistry between the original three judges.
American Idol was like junk food you love to eat with Paula – Without Paula; American Idol will be just junk food
I don’t understand why AI can’t get judges that give valid, pin-point feedback to the contestants and that gel well together. So You Think You Can Dance has done this so well that the judges are just as good as the contenstants and their talent. It’s so much fun to watch. AI is getting BORING with the horrible panel of judges that can’t find more than 5 adjectives to use each season and that don’t give any tangible, usable feedback to the contestants on a regular basis. And is it just me, or do the AI judges seem to act like little kids that can’t be in their seats on time nor can they stop being distracted while contestants are performing. That’s just super annoying and rude in my opinion. Give us some REAL judges that add value the show. Until then I think my AI following days are over.
Agree 100%. Funniest thing to see is when the judges don’t agree with each other (e.g, when Simon disagrees with Randy, did you ever notice how offended and hurt Randy looks every. single. time. – its priceless.) With the sometimes exception of Simon, the others rarely add anything of value. This is an opportunity to get someone mature and informed onto the show, instead of the spoiled infants that are judging now.
I agree totally! We should get better judges!
I so totally agree!! SYTYCD judges, and judging process is SOOOO much better.
PAULA will be MISSED! She was the heart of the show.
Kara was useless!
I agree! SYTYCD judges give clear, intelligent feedback (well, Lil C rambles and Mary screams too much) but it is so superior to the judges with AI. I watch AI in spite of the judges not because of them and I just can’t stop watching the trainwreck.
Exactly!! SYTYCD judges don’t dumb down their critiques for the public – they use technical terms and point things out that as a non-trained viewer you might miss and they KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT — unlike Kara (early Aerosmith, Saturday Night Live, etc).