PAULA ABDUL - PAULA ABDUL TO REMAIN AN IDOL JUDGE

Laying to rest repeated rumors that Paula Abdul will be replaced as a judge on American Idol, the program's producers announced Wednesday that they have extended her contract through May 2008. Daily Variety, citing a person familiar with the deal, reported hat Abdul also received "a substantial raise," and indicated that it will be in the "hefty" seven-figure range. Meanwhile, Wednesday night's Idol results show trounced everything in sight as it garnered a 15.8 rating and a 23 share. It also served as a strong lead-in for Fox's Unan1mous, which recorded an 8.6/13. the one-two punch gave Fox another win for the night as it averaged a 9.6/15, easily beating second-place CBS, which recorded a 7.3/12.

30/03/2006