Paula Abdul - Judge

[MsFroggy]

As much as Paula has been the butt of jokes for years, she is an integral part of this series. I don't know what AI will look like without the dose of nice-nice she provided but it won't quite be the same.

[TopCatDC]

I can understand Simon being the highest paid judge, but what the heck does Randy add that makes him earn more than Paula? ... I remember Nigel mentioning he'd take Paula as a guest on SYTYCD and didn't think it'd be right if she didn't return to Idol. Since Dance is also airing this fall, maybe that'll be her next thing, judging that show.

Randy makes more than Paula primarily because his contract was up last year, so he already has a raise. The year before, Simon renegotiated for a huge raise. Paula's contract for $2 million / year has been in effect for three years, so she and Ryan were the last of the original three to come up for negotiation. This was her chance to move up into the megabucks like the others.

And yeah - I bet we see Paula at the judges table a few times this fall on SYTYCD 6.

[dagwood]

AI is making a big mistake letting her go. It's not fair to pay her so little and Randy and Ryan so much more. Kara is not a good replacement for Paula at all.

[Tigerusty]

Me too dagwood. I'd rather see Randy go and Kara not come back. She will be missed, by me at least

I wouldn't mind seeing Randy go but I'm definitely glad that Kara's coming back. The show is not going to be the same without Paula, which is not a good thing.

[Harmony2000]

I will definitely be fast forwarding through all the judges comments now. Thank goodness I almost never watch it "live". Next season will be nothing but DAWGS and biting comments. The show will not be the same without her. She was the only one who showed any sort of kindness to the contestants.

[BobDobolina]

She was supposedly offered an eight figure salary and turned it down. Given that they said it was a 30% salary increase, I'm guessing it was something along 10 million over three years. Frankly, I don't care how pissed off she is about how much the others on the show make. If she passed up that much money in an industry as fickle as the TV industry, she's even more of an airhead than she seems like on TV or that Bruno movie. You can go from the public's fave to washed up in the matter of weeks, and that's what's going to happen to her now. Sadly, she had the experience to avoid that, but decided to go the hardball route and paid the price.

In terms of the show, I think it's a very positive development. While she was certainly iconic and has improved in the last year or two -- I think she or AI hired writers for her -- she was still more likely to cause me to cringe than to agree with anything she said. The only positive thing I can really say about her role on the show is that she made Randy seem less idiotic. Overall, she contributed nothing functional, just a familiar face/nostalgia for seasons past.

Now, if we could only find a way to get rid of Randy now...

[norealityhere]

While I'm usually the first person to say that nobody is indispensible in this very disposable world we live in, I do feel that the "soul" of AI will be gone. While we've all joked about her, we've also recognized that she's provided the needed counterbalance to the increasingly acerbic barbs put out by Simon and the meaningless drivel leveled by Randy.

Seems we still live in a world that feels men should be paid more than women.

[MotherSister]

While I'm usually the first person to say that nobody is indispensible in this very disposable world we live in, I do feel that the "soul" of AI will be gone.

My thoughts exactly. Actually my thoughts were, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" but I'm gonna latch on to this anyway. Paula didn't make the show for me, just like Simon doesn't make the show for me, but it will be fundamentally different without her. I don't like that prospect. AI is not AI without dippy Paula stumbling around metaphors and telling everyone they look nice.

And Kara returning is no balm for the wound, let me just say.

[AJane]

As much as Paula has been the butt of jokes for years, she is an integral part of this series. I don't know what AI will look like without the dose of nice-nice she provided but it won't quite be the same.

My feelings exactly. I never warmed up to Kara (OK, I freakin' hate her) and frankly I think she'd make a better panel member on The View rather than AI. That's not a compliment, either.

I'm rather sorry to see her go but I'm not sorry for her. AI is a good gig for a singer who hasn't had a hit song in 20+ years and is far past her prime. AI has babied her through her substance abuse issues and if she's not making as much money as the others, it's still a pretty damn good salary for a few months' work. Whomever told her to quit over that gave her some bad advice.

[dagwood]

She was supposedly offered an eight figure salary and turned it down. Given that they said it was a 30% salary increase, I'm guessing it was something along 10 million over three years.

I can totally understand her anger. Ryan just negotiated for 15 million a year and they want to only pay her @$3 mil? It doesn't seem fair at all.