PAULA ABDUL - IS PAULA IRREPLACEABLE?

IS PAULA IRREPLACEABLE?

Paula Abdul decided to quit American Idol after receiving a final offer from the two companies that produce the show of $5 million a year -- more than twice her current salary but half what Idol host Ryan Seacrest received just recently, the New York Times reported today (Thursday) (Seacrest received another $15 million over three years for related deals.) "It remains to be seen whether Ms. Abdul was in fact the glue that held "Idol" together or just another disposable cog in a show that has been a huge success around the world with countless other judges," the Times commented in its report. Although producers declined to be interviewed on Wednesday, the newspaper and other publications quoted Nigel Lythgoe, who exec produced Idol for the first seven seasons, as saying that while Abdul was an important contributor, the show "is bigger than any one person." He pointed out that versions of the show all over the world have been successful "with all different judges."

06/08/2009