Paula Abdul’s Contract Negotiations Become Heated

Here’s an idea: ditch Kara and give Paula the difference. And then some.

Sounds like a plan to me! Kara is a newlywed. I’m sure she’d be glad to spend some quality time with her new hubby. :wink_wp:

Paula is part of the chemistry that makes Idol work, and for that reason alone she should be brought back. However, on the basis of actually being a good job and being helpful to the contestants, I think Kara is a much better judge to have. Paula may be the “mother” figure, but Kara has better critiques.

I think all four should be coming back. Really, I would kick Randy out if they only could have three but he is also part of the chemistry.

MJ, you are correct and I hope that tptb take your suggestions. I’ve had mixed feelings about Kara, but not certainly at Paula’s expense. Ms. DioGuardi is expendable, Ms. Abdul is not. In fact Paula is one of the few bright spots of season 8. I love Paula, and all of her alters….she’s funny, astute, caring, knowledgeable, and loopy, sometimes all in the same show. Kara, hell she can’t count, or remember the name of famous clubs! Anyway, show Pauler the money. Not Simon numbers, or even Ryan numbers, but she needs to get PAID! Pay the lady, pay the lady.

i agree…we dont need kara but ryan, simon, paula and randy are the staples of the show and should be treated accordingly. i think she deserves to get what she is due.

Dear TPTB,
Get rid of Kara.
Please?
Thanks in advance.

I want Paula to “win” in this negotiation game. It’s not like Idol is poor; even with the reduced ratings, they’re still making a killing on revenue and Paula is part of the reason why Idol is still working these days. They pay a lot for Simon but let’s remember if it was just up to him, Kelly, Cookie and even Kris would never have been in contention to become an Idol. It was Paula (and Randy) who could spot diamonds in the rough.

I say keep Paula, lose Kara.

you can count on 2 things from Paula, laughs and worse song choice of season. ByeBye

Paula should stay on the show. I think the contestants really need an appreciative voice on the show and i think she makes good tv with her natural silly self.
On the other hand, i think we shouldn’t be hard on Kara; that was her first season and i think she’s the most involved in the producing/songwriting/music business when it comes to lay tracks on the artist’s album. For this reason, i believe she’s very valuable. Kris allen tought it was her who was digging him the most and I believe he got on the show mainly because of her and Paula. And didn’t we have the most talented bunch for season 8? I might be wrong but i don’t see a coincidence with the fact that she was there for the first time. I think she’ll do better on the actual live show the next season. I hope there will never be a repeat of that bikini girl stuff though… was pretty tasteless

The odd person out is Kara DioGuardi. Here’s an idea: ditch Kara and give Paula the difference. And then some.

IMO that is the best solution. Take it back down to the regular 3-judge formula and maybe we could get the performance shows to end on time.

i disagree. i want idol to keep kara. she’s the only judge who is involved with anything relevant! randy is the expendable one.

and did we ever find out who paula wrote down on that slip of paper??

and did we ever find out who paula wrote down on that slip of paper??

what’s this?

If Paula leaves, so do I. Kara was supposed to bring artistic cred and instead just made mistakes and copied Randy or Paula. Of course she knows a lot, but we didn’t get to see it. If she could actually demonstrate what she knows (like in special segments), that would be great. But the chemistry was thrown off this year, IMO, and it felt funky.

I wasn’t following so closely last year, but didn’t the exact same thing happen, with her negotiations being dragged out until the last possible second? As much as I might like to see a wholesale change in the judging panel, I don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in Hell that the producers are going to tinker with the formula. I know Simon has said he wouldn’t want to do the show without her, so there you go.

Everyone is being WAY too hard on Kara. It was her first season! Give her a break, it was of course going to be awkward and hard for her to adjust and she did a fine job doing so.

I don’t understand why these people make such a huge deal about how much money they get. I mean, isn’t Paula Abdul already extremely wealthy? It just seems silly that these people think they deserve a raise. Imagine all the good that could be done if their salaries went to different causes and whatnot. Instead it just goes into their pockets.

You can tell from all of the Top 10 that Paula clearly is the only judge who goes over and beyond her duties. She is their suport system. Without her, the contestants would probably crumble. She is the heart of the show as Ryan, Randy, and Simon have said.

Simon has said many times this year that he would not do the show without Paula and I believe him. I have a feeling that if TPTB take too long then Simon might intervene. That would be interesting. :lol_tb:

Actually, dumping Pauler might be the solution to the problem of annoying judges. Just eliminating her childish behavior with Simon would go a long way towards improving the situation and returning to a judges panel that is occasionally serious.

and did we ever find out who paula wrote down on that slip of paper??

what’s this?

unless i’m making this up in my head wasn’t she on some talk show and said she always writes down who she thinks will be in the finals? or maybe win? and keeps it somewhere? and she said she’s always been right too. did i make this up?? haha

Paula really is integral to the show at this point. She drives me around the twist sometimes, but I don’t know that I could bear Mr. Constipated and Mr. Vapid without her warm, loopy and sometimes oddly insightful presence. She’ll be back.

If Simon’s back, she’s back. What is the other option? Kara? Not likely. I didn’t watch this past season that closely, but I never felt like she really clicked with the others.

The best thing Paula has going for her is a sense of humor. Not a terribly sophisticated one, but she does have one–all too necessary sitting next to Simon. Kara has no discernible sense of humor at all from what I can tell. And that adds up to lots of uncomfortable moments and bickering.

I like Kara, actually. But I don’t really like her on the show.

If Paula goes, it won’t be the same!! Just as if Simon left, it would never be the same. Those two for me are part of what makes the show so fun to watch. They have soooo much chemistry and to me if it ain’t broke, don’t toss it away. People may say she’s loopy and crazy but she really is such a sweet caring person and does go all out to make the contestants feel good about themselves. Now, Randy and his yo dawg crap and Kara with her grade school math skills, I could do without.

Personally I think all of this will she, won’t she is just your typical Hollywood publicity stunt to get more people excited for something that won’t rear its head for months as far as the viewing public is concerned.

Of course, the idol auditions are happening now but we’ve seen them before when a guest judge was included so I don’t think anything need be solved for quite some time.

So lets just keep this hot and heavy in the media, keep Paula’s name out there for her other stuff, keep AI in the news, and then when the season starts all will be signed and life will go on.

If she resorts to this sort of nonsense to get more money they should drop her. Paula (and Randy) haven’t brought anything of value to the show for several seasons. Kara was a vast improvement, and the media narrative of her failure mostly was whinging about how decisive and pointed she was compared to the two slackjawed losers on either side of her.

After having two legitimate musicians battle for the top spot this year and heading into a potentially-last season, Idol could easily take this opportunity to ditch Paula and shake up the formula – with or without Kara on board.

GetaFINclue says

you can count on 2 things from Paula, laughs and worse song choice of season. ByeBye

Bye bye? Does that mean you want Paula to leave Idol?

So quickly we forget her incompetence during the whole thing with Jason in Season 7 when she judged him on two songs when he had only sang one. I’m sure she gets paid a lot for her scripted critiques. I’d rather see Kara get another shot. That said, if we get rid of a judge, let it be Randy.

Anyhoo, Simon already said he wouldn’t do it without her, and somehow I believe him. This is all smoke and mirrors. Boring.

None of the judges deserve what they make. How about paying the contestants more?

If it were down to Paula or Randy leavin, I can’t help thinking Randy brought the least contributions in this latest season – Paula actually improved, perhaps due to Kara being brought in.

And Kara, while he didn’t do much, she certainly did more than Randy.

even if paula gets offered little money she has no choice to sign because she has nothing else to do

I’m still trying to figure out why Pauler is selling her old clothes and crap on eBay and only giving 10% to charity…

Does anyone actually care what Paula has to say? My feeling is that, sure, Simon and Paula have nice chemistry, but her opinion holds little weight with most viewers. Good for a sitcom, not so much for Idol. I just want someone to counterbalance Simon’s mindgames and manipulations, none of the other three judges can do that. Fremantle should find someone with a spine, integrity, and credibility. A tall order, and one they probably don’t want to fill, but if they do that they could easily replace any (or all) of the other three judges. It would benefit the long term health of the show.

Paula is part of the chemistry that makes Idol work, and for that reason alone she should be brought back. However, on the basis of actually being a good job and being helpful to the contestants, I think Kara is a much better judge to have. Paula may be the ‘mother’  figure, but Kara has better critiques.

With this statement I will agree. The interactions between Paula and Simon were waaaayyyy too much this year. It seemed to me that their interactions were almost “set up” to distract from certain contestants. If they could all get back on track as judges and not try to be the stars of the show, I actually think four could work.

I agree that Paula is part of the original chemistry, however I’ve only watched two full seasons now. 19, pay her for what she’s worth to the show, which to me is helping to put this show #1 in their time slot year after year. She’s worth it!

I hope that there’s not another Bikini Girl in the future because honestly, Kara was not exactly putting her best foot forward when she was needled by Bikini Girl at the start and that whole strip sequence at the Finale was more embarrassing that revelatory.

If she resorts to this sort of nonsense to get more money they should drop her

Simon did the nearly the same with his wining about how busy is with his British shows and don’t know if he continue with Idol.

My feeling is that, sure, Simon and Paula have nice chemistry, but her opinion holds little weight with most viewers. Good for a sitcom, not so much for Idol

Even if I would love if it would not this way, but this is partly an element, why Idol works so well.
A part of the audience want it this way. They want just to have a little fun and not something to deep.

I just want someone to counterbalance Simon’s mindgames and manipulations, none of the other three judges can do that. Fremantle should find someone with a spine, integrity, and credibility.

After last season even Simon seems to play after the script to an extend I was very disappointed, there is no chance this could happen.

I just want someone to counterbalance Simon’s mindgames and manipulations, none of the other three judges can do that. Fremantle should find someone with a spine, integrity, and credibility.

Hmmmm, I actually think Kara has the ability to do this. Anyone coming into the trio of Simon, Paula and Randy is going to struggle. They have to know how to play the game and tippy toe around this established judges panel.

Now that Kara has a season behind her, a season in which she showed great potential, imo, she can come out slinging next yr. Put Simon in his place-so to speak.

Hopefully Simon’s huge salary will help with his boredom(not likely), and the judges can go on being….judges, not stars.

Just don’t make Kara write anymore songs and we’ll be fine.

There’s no way to justify paying Seacrest 6 or 8 times the salary of Paula Abdul.

She is kind of incoherent at times, but Idol would not be the same without Paula. She’s kind of the heart of the judges, I think. I hope they settle soon.

i disagree. i want idol to keep kara. she’s the only judge who is involved with anything relevant! randy is the expendable one.

I really would like to see Randy leave. He has a career, such as producing Brooke’s album. He doesn’t need Idol, and I don’t think he’d be missed that much after a few weeks.

Paula will sign as she needs Idol. I haven’t forgtten the Jason incident but she was a little bit better last season.

Kara could become an asset on the show if she doesn’t follow the scripted moments. For the most part, I liked her comments.

Simon is Simon. Hopefully, not so bored this year.

I agree, ditch Kara!!! That woman is the so annnnnnoying. I don’t care if she does have cred, though any cred she might have had at onetime is pretty much gone with the calamitous NB. Anyone who acknowledges writing such a shitty song should be booted out on the grounds of astounding hackery.

I like Paula, she’s funny and likable and keeps things interesting. And last season she made a lot more sense than the gratingly pompous Kara.

Ditch Kara I say, and keep the QVC queen.

No, I like Kara. She is better than Randy and Paula.

I say if Paula wants to take her ball and go, let her. I guess I just don’t have much sympathy for the rich crying about not being richer, regardless of how much Cowell is getting. Which is WAY too much. Working on the most popular show isn’t enough? I bet she stays — she knows what she’d be leaving.

I too like Kara this season.

IMO, Paula is the only judge worth a damn on the entire show. There, I said it.

That report, assuming it’s straight and not a negotiation ploy, doesn’t sound good at all to me. At best, it sounds like TPTB are trying to low ball Paula at the last possible minute after making her feel as though they may not make an offer at all. Sads.

There’s no way to justify paying Seacrest 6 or 8 times the salary of Paula Abdul.

He does about 8 times more work than her, so I think it could be justified.

Idol without Paula is like The Jackson 5 without Marlon.

I’d like to see three judges, but because of time, not chemistry. l would be fine if Paula is gone. She says a bunch of incoherent nonsense most of the time and jacks around with Simon. Doesn’t add nearly as much to the show as, say, Randy for me for you for me.

Maybe I’m odd in that I watch the show for the contestants and not the judges, but as long as there’s a new crop of talented singers (with, obviously, some horrible freakshows mixed in) I’ll watch as usual.

As far as I’m concerned Paula was the best judge last year. She saw the potential in Kris and Allison long before any other judges did. I hope she’s back. I like Kara too but hated the time constraints it put on the show. I think 3 judges worked best.

I agree with PattyH. 3 judges worked best, but I wouldn’t know who to ditch. Neither of them is outstandingly bad. I actually like Randy, Kara’s good but long-winded and a bit odd (Just allow her to get more chemistry with the other judges, she could be fine), Paula’s the nice caring one (and her critiques were much better this season than last), and Simon is Simon. Brutally honest, yet a bit manipulative.

The only thing about the judges is obvious favoritism, but I dunno if they’re doing that or if TPTB do that. No more Adam/Danny stuff, let the fans of the show decide that. I’d say you can have favorites, but try not to make it blatant (i.e. Danny’s A for effort on Dream On or the OTT praise of Adam). It’s like they were scared to point out flaws in those two (Face it, even Adam isn’t perfect).

Although I think they did play a part in Kris winning (Kris was my favorite, so I really loved that), I still think they should give equal appreciation to everyone else. Kris and Allison seemed like they were working much harder than the others at times yet they got reamed quite a bit. The other thing I hate is how they compare people to other contestants or occasionally other people who are more their type. I don’t want them to say who’s better than who (Mostly Simon comparing contestants but Randy comparing to other artists), I want them to judge on what they did.

Contract negotiations should stay private. Sure maybe Fremantle and 19 are trying to low ball her. But for Paula’s team to take their negotiations public feels like a low ball tactic of their own. I always have a problem when an artist takes their contract negotiations public.

I say dump her. I’d like to see a Kara, Simon, Randy judging anyway. Has d.b cooper said someone needs to to counterbalance Simon’s mindgames and manipulations. And maybe challenge him to give better critique next year, and not just phone it in. Paula and Randy certainly aren’t up to it. I think Kara would be.