Paula Abdul Quits American Idol: Really? What Will She Do?

Paula Abdul has quit American Idol. She walked away from the show Tuesday, according to Fox. Going through the appropriate channels, Paula Abdul notified everyone concerned then posted her decision to quit American Idol on Twitter. Paula Abdul did not give a reason for quitting American Idol, nor did Fox and the producers of American Idol when they later confirmed that she had quit America's top-ranked show.

And although speculation about Paula Abdul quitting American Idol or negotiating a last-minute deal has been the talk of Twitter and the internet, there hasn't been much concern shown for what the American Idol veteran will do once she's away from the show. It seems that many simply assumed that she would be signed at the last second, that the negotiations and statements made to the press were just drama.

Apparently not.

But Entertainment Weekly's Mike Slezak believes she overplayed her hand. He told MTV News, "If you look at it from Paula's perspective, she might have overplayed her hand. She's huge in the 'Idol' universe, but you take her out of the universe, and she's not that marketable. You kind of wonder, 'What is this woman thinking?'"

At the same time, he said, "At the end of the day, with the amount of money that show rakes in, if it was the difference between a 30 percent raise and a 40 percent raise, you couldn't throw her a bone?"

MTV News listed a few places Paula Abdul might land once she leaves the American Idol universe. So You Think You Can Dance is an obvious landing spot. She's worked with So You Think You Can Dance producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe, who produced American Idol as well until Season 8. And she's also a choreographer, so she could easily fill the third (or fourth, as the show sometimes seats).

But if So You Think You Can Dance doesn't work out, Paula Abdul could take her choreography skills to any number of reality shows that feature dancing or perhaps find work in the music video industry .

MTV News suggested that appearances on the Home Shopping Network as an entrepreneur could become her next gig. She has hawked items on the HSN before and since she designs her own jewelry, what better way to spend her post-American Idol time?

Then there's the reality show circuit. She's already done one, Bravo's "Hey Paula," which was perhaps one of the worst reality show's ever. But reality show participants seem to not be able to steer clear of reality shows, so another reality show starring Paul Abdul might not be a saleable idea, but Paula Abdul as a guest (or as a judge -- what a novel concept) might be manageable.

But when one gets down to it, does Paula Abdul really have to do anything? Probably not. With all the fuss over her departure, it might be a safe bet to say that Fox and those with the purse strings might want to give up a couple more million to keep her around. American Idol has been the number one show in the United States for the past five years in a row, so it is safe to say that they will be in the top tier of shows again for the next couple years, which means millions more for the producers of the show. Taking out a key element like Paula Abdul (who technically quit -- she was not "taken out") might shift the chemistry just enough to sink the show a lot quicker than anyone might foresee.

Besides, Simon Cowell has said on numerous occasions that he would not do American Idol without Abdul. His contract ends in May 2010 and he's still negotiating.

Fox, producers, and anyone having anything to do with the decision that caused Paula Abdul to quit negotiating for her judge's position on American Idol might want to seriously rethink their negotiation strategy. Because Paula Abdul may be the link that holds the show together, shocking as it may seem. And having Paula Abdul on hand could very well be the difference between keeping others on the show (judge Randy Jackson's contract expires in 2010 as well).

It could also be the difference between the show remaining at the number one ratings position and it beginning its inevitable slide backwards.

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Source:

MTV.com