Interesting...Paula NOT returning to Idol

[TanyaLovesPooh]

My least favorite person on American Idol is Seacrest...so sick of his little jokes that he thinks are funny.

It will be different without Paula for sure, she added fun and I will miss her with Simon. But I do like Kara and think she adds plenty to the show.

 

[Kathi OD]

My first reaction to the news was, "Who even cares?"

 

[minniecarousel]

I think it's very telling that Paula announced that she's not returning just after it was announced that Cara was resigned for this upcoming season.

 

[browneyes106]

My least favorite person on American Idol is Seacrest...so sick of his little jokes that he thinks are funny.

It will be different without Paula for sure, she added fun and I will miss her with Simon. But I do like Kara and think she adds plenty to the show.

I don't like Seacrest either. His jokes are dumb and I have noticed that sometimes people during the audition rounds get bugged by him.

 

[damo]

I must be in the minority it seems, but I LIKE Kara. I am indifferent about Paula leaving, personally. Howver I'm suprised by it and think it's a bone-head move for her (she wsa NOTHING before Idol and will likely go back to nothing after). She really detracted from the performers (tired of her "banter" with Simon).

I feel exactly the same way. Kara, although she may have mixed up a few numbers, etc., knows what she is talking about and actually adds constructive criticism.

I say get rid of Randy next and replace them both. Neither of them ever added anything useful.

There must be lots of actually current musicians out there who would be great on the show. They just need to bring some sort of audience with them.

A guest judge, like on So You Think You Can Dance, would also work well.

 

[bicker]

DId she decide to leave or did Idol not offer her a contract? Personally I think she got the boot and she's trying to save face.

I am pretty confident that Paula was offered a new contract for this coming year, and turned it down. It was probably no where near as lucrative as Simon's or Ryan's, and perhaps even not as much as Paula got in previous years.

Regarding the comment about the timing of this and of Kara's re-signing... It is important to note that American Idol is reaching the point where the judges are going to need to be seated behind a table evaluating contestants. Kara may have been delaying to see if she could get more money, based on Paula not yet being signed. The producers may have been delaying signing Kara because they wanted to see if they "needed" her because they didn't sign Paula. Paula may have been delaying because she wanted more money. And so on...

Anyway, note that the individual city auditions have already taken place (or soon will be). They're doing auditions differently this year, where assistant producers are going to evaluate all the contestants in the city auditions -- the judges were not there. I'm not sure how that'll translate into what we see on the screen. Maybe we'll just see Ryan sort-of MC-ing the whole thing, or perhaps the auditions will be clipped so much that it won't even matter that the on-air talent was not present. Anyway, the next step is for the best folks from the city auditions to audition for the judges to see if they'll even get to Hollywood. That's happening weeks after the city auditions. I'm not sure if the judges are quickly going to zip around to each city just to spend the three or four hours they need to hear all the good singers, or whether they'll bring all those good singers to a single location, as a sort of pre-Hollywood Week weekend.

Regardless, the point in time when the contracts absolutely needed to be signed is almost upon us, so it makes sense that these last two contract negotiations were concluded at this time, since they couldn't really extend much further.

 

[RunningGirl]

I have to say my interest in American Idol is waning and we probably won't even watch it this year...

I do agree that Kara is more knowledgeable than Paula, but I just don't like her. Even though Paula was a ditz, she brought some lightness to the judging table (albeit unintentionally).

 

[browneyes106]

I feel exactly the same way. Kara, although she may have mixed up a few numbers, etc., knows what she is talking about and actually adds constructive criticism.

I say get rid of Randy next and replace them both. Neither of them ever added anything useful.

There must be lots of actually current musicians out there who would be great on the show. They just need to bring some sort of audience with them.

A guest judge, like on So You Think You Can Dance, would also work well.

I agree with you on Kara. I think she will improve as a judge next season. I wish they would have gotten rid of Randy instead of Paula. Last year when Kara was selected as a fourth judge she said in an interview there was a short list of people that the producers were looking at for the fourth judge spot. I do wonder who those people were.

 

[gm]

I saw somewhere that Kirstie Alley has been offered Paula's position. She tweetered the news herself.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I saw somewhere that Kirstie Alley has been offered Paula's position. She tweetered the news herself.

Does she even sing? Does she have a musical background?

 

[Philagoofy]

Anyway, note that the individual city auditions have already taken place (or soon will be). They're doing auditions differently this year, where assistant producers are going to evaluate all the contestants in the city auditions -- the judges were not there. I'm not sure how that'll translate into what we see on the screen. Maybe we'll just see Ryan sort-of MC-ing the whole thing, or perhaps the auditions will be clipped so much that it won't even matter that the on-air talent was not present. Anyway, the next step is for the best folks from the city auditions to audition for the judges to see if they'll even get to Hollywood. That's happening weeks after the city auditions. I'm not sure if the judges are quickly going to zip around to each city just to spend the three or four hours they need to hear all the good singers, or whether they'll bring all those good singers to a single location, as a sort of pre-Hollywood Week weekend.

The producers will have to include some contestants that the judges can roll their eyes at & make fun of. Isn't that a major part of the city auditions? While some are entertaining in their own way, I'd rather listen to the good singers, even if they eventually aren't chosen to go on. But I'm only one person, majority rules.

 

[bicker]

Maybe they'll do some blue-screen work.

 

[phorsenuf]

I heard on GMA this morning that Paula was offered 10 million for her contract and she wasn't happy with that considering how much the others were getting. It also didn't seem like it was set in stone so who knows.
They did say that they were talking with Posh Spice about taking Paula's place.

 

[ckay87]

I heard on GMA this morning that Paula was offered 10 million for her contract and she wasn't happy with that considering how much the others were getting. It also didn't seem like it was set in stone so who knows.
They did say that they were talking with Posh Spice about taking Paula's place.

I heard that too. Ugh. Why does anyone have to take her place? I thought 4 judges was way too much (especially considering they don't even really matter).

 

[ICF]

Just was does Paula think she is going to go out and do that is going to pay her $10M???

 

[Heidict]

I saw somewhere that Kirstie Alley has been offered Paula's position. She tweetered the news herself.

Are you kidding? What experience does she have? What are her credentials. I really hope she was joking and that they aren't doing that. At least Kara has talent and credentials.

I heard on GMA this morning that Paula was offered 10 million for her contract and she wasn't happy with that considering how much the others were getting. It also didn't seem like it was set in stone so who knows.
They did say that they were talking with Posh Spice about taking Paula's place.

Oh please, say it isn't so. I would rather watch Paula in all her weirdness then to see Posh.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Anyway, note that the individual city auditions have already taken place (or soon will be). They're doing auditions differently this year, where assistant producers are going to evaluate all the contestants in the city auditions -- the judges were not there. I'm not sure how that'll translate into what we see on the screen. Maybe we'll just see Ryan sort-of MC-ing the whole thing, or perhaps the auditions will be clipped so much that it won't even matter that the on-air talent was not present. Anyway, the next step is for the best folks from the city auditions to audition for the judges to see if they'll even get to Hollywood. That's happening weeks after the city auditions. I'm not sure if the judges are quickly going to zip around to each city just to spend the three or four hours they need to hear all the good singers, or whether they'll bring all those good singers to a single location, as a sort of pre-Hollywood Week weekend.

This is incorrect!


First off--they already held the Orlando first round auditions--those big lines they always show with the thousands of people during the show. Ryan Seacrest was here. FoxNews Orlando took tons of pictures.

Second--they've held auditions like this for the past couple of years at least if not the whole time.

We met 2 AI contestants (I think they were both top 24 or whatever--where you vote them through to the live show). Anyway, I asked how it worked.

There are at least FOUR rounds before you get to the round with Simon, Randy, and Paula (now Kara).

When you see the footage of the thousands of people lined up outside the stadium, They are all doing the initial weedout process. Then it is all narrowed down to the folks that get to see Paula, Simon and Randy. On the show, it's edited as though we are seeing highlights of those thousands when we really aren't. What we see is highlights of maybe 100 people or so who made it to the round to see Paula, Simon and Randy.

I was surprised. But the part where the people sleep all night to wait in line--happens weeks before the actual audition in front of the judges.

Orlando auditions were a couple of days.

Simon, Randy and Kara--hit the cities TODAY for the final portion of those auditions to decide who gets to go to hollywood.

Note--what I was saying was incorrect is the assumption they are doing things differently when in fact they are doing them the same as they have done in prior seasons.

 

[bicker]

Thanks for the update. I was pretty sure that I saw some news article weeks ago highlighting how they're doing things a little differently this year, and that was presented in the context of why contract negotiations were allowed to go on so much longer. I'll try to find the article.

 

[bicker]

Gosh, that didn't take me that long:

American Idol 9’s auditions begin a week from Friday, more than a month earlier than usual, but they won’t be attended by the show’s judges—two of whom don’t even know if they’ll be back next season.

The judges always skip the first few days of auditions, so producers can narrow tens of thousands of people down to the talented and delusional few who will parade in front of the panel over two days, but this year they won’t even show up until separate callbacks later in the summer. It’s not yet clear whether those callbacks will be in the same cities, but I’d assume so.

http://www.realityblurred.com/reali..._idol_9/2009_Jun_03_judges_skipping_auditions

 

[Camicar]

When you see the footage of the thousands of people lined up outside the stadium, They are all doing the initial weedout process. Then it is all narrowed down to the folks that get to see Paula, Simon and Randy. On the show, it's edited as though we are seeing highlights of those thousands when we really aren't. What we see is highlights of maybe 100 people or so who made it to the round to see Paula, Simon and Randy.

Someone blogged recently that if you make it thru the first round, you then get sent, randomly, to an additional audition station. The problem, as this person related it, is that each station is focusing on a certain singing style -- country, pop, rock, etc -- and if you don't fit into that style at that station, you will not get through. You cannot choose your station or switch stations if you are in the wrong station. She said that she was shocked at how many fantastic singers did not make it through because they were simply at the wrong station.

If true, this explains why a singer will go to more than one city's audition -- it's such a crap shoot. And IMO a very flawed system. Why not ask the singer which style they'll sing and send them to the appropriate station?