Paula has taken a different tack altogether. Her contract is up at the end of this season and she has implemented a massive PR strategy. She filmed a reality series to allow the audience to get up close and personal with her – which ended in utter disaster when the series caught her in various modes of mania and hysteria. To stop the bleeding, she went on Nightline and a host of morning shows to plead her case, her case being that; 1) her reality show was not the “real” Paula, 2) She has never been under the influence of drugs or alcohol; 3) her “loopy” episodes can be attributed to a rare nervous system disorder, a 1992 neck injury from a hard plane landing resulting in 15 surgeries, and severe lack of sleep. Take your pick.  She insists in her Nightline interview that she loves being a judge on Idol and that she is “irreplaceable.” That comment by Paula is a thinly veiled answer to the rumors that Kara DioGuardi is really Abdul’s replacement on the show. While only the Idol producers really know the truth, a Today Show interview with Abdul revealed that Paula and Randy were not consulted on the addition of Kara, and were not even informed of the development until they were on their way to the first audition of the season, a clear sign of who the Idol braintrust includes and excludes.

Of course, all of this intrigue could just be a ploy to pique interest in the show by the producers, or like most rumors, there could be kernels of truth in both scenarios. Despite the uncertainty, whether intentional or not, there are a few facts that remain unquestionably clear. First, in the eight seasons of American Idol it is Paula and Simon that are the face of the show, perhaps even more so than Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest. Second, although Paula and Simon seem to come as a pair, and Paula is the good cop to Simon’s bad, Simon is considered the kingmaker. People want to hear what Simon has to say, whether they like him or not and they measure their opinions against his. Simon is the gold standard, and an Idol show without him is in undiscovered country. Third, each of the judges, Ryan Seacrest, and to some extent the contestants themselves all are an integral part of the Idol brand, and it is indeed the Idol brand that makes the money. The trick for producers is to understand just how much tinkering is allowable without disturbing the money-making appeal of that brand. This task is no easy one and it is far from a science. According to Portfolio magazine, the American Idol brand is a huge cash machine, bringing in billions in advertising revenue and rivaling the Superbowl for ad spots during its finale.

As the race to crown Adam Lambert a season 8 Idol winner comes to a close, the challenge for Idol producers will be conserving its number one spot in the television ratings and slowing down an overall decline in viewership since season one. Playing musical chairs with the judges may not be the best strategy for maintaining viewership, but as a negotiating tactic, it may be a clever strategy.

 

Watch Paula Abdul's ABC News Interview