Paula Abdul May Not Return to American Idol

American Idol is really all about Simon Cowell and the performers that take the stage for every show. All of the other players are painfully replaceable at any time, whether it's Ryan Seacrest as the "host" or Paula Abdul offering her "commentary" along with Simon. So if the show decides to make a change, it really won't matter too much to the audience. If anything, there will be a bit of curiosity to see how a new personality will interact with Simon.

This seems to be the situation unfolding for Paula Abdul and her management team. Her new agent David Sonenberg recently told the LA Times that Paula has not been given a proposal for a new contract and that he doesn't expect her to return to American Idol. Of course, the loss will be far greater for Paula than it will be for Idol, but at this point it's difficult to say where she stands on the matter.

Only a a few weeks ago, Paula said she had been invited to return to American Idol and that she was hopeful about the prospects of a new deal with the show. Fox executives had also expressed interest in bringing her back, but now it seems that perhaps something has changed.

Did Paula demand more than Idol was willing to give her? Did Idol try to impose any restrictive clauses on Paula's behavior on or off the show? We'll probably have to wait to find out, but rest assured that the show will go on with or without Paula. The American Idol juggernaut is too big for anyone but Simon or the performers to slow it down.