Who Can Replace Paula Abdul on 'Idol'?
Sizing up the contenders, from Jessica Simpson to Lance Bass to Kirstie Alley.
Aug. 12, 2009 — -- The brouhaha surrounding Paula Abdul's decision to quit "American Idol" promises to gather speed until a replacement judge is officially announced. Guest judges will fill in, but Fox has made clear that they are seeking a full-time replacement for the cheerleader-turned-1980s pop sensation.
Executives remain tight-lipped as to who may take her place, allowing speculation to run rife.
What we do know is that the Abdul-"American Idol" split was motivated by money. Abdul, 47, was earning $4 million per season, and Fox reportedly offered her a bump to $5 million to renew. Abdul's response was to demand $10 million. This was rebuffed, her ire stoked by rumors that co-judge Simon Cowell is paid $36 million per season and host Ryan Seacrest $15 million.
Since its 2002 inception, "American Idol" has dominated viewer numbers to such an extent that rival networks christened it the "death star" and have adjusted their schedules to avoid clashing with it. The show's omnipotence has waned, though, and while "Idol" still pulled in close to 30 million viewers for the finale of season 8, that figure was 6 million lower than the number that tuned in for the previous three seasons.
So, a changing of the guard may not be as catastrophic as some fans may fear. Two guest judges have been revealed already. The first is singer-songwriter Katy Perry, whose 2008 hit single, "I Kissed a Girl," was as successful as it was shocking to her deeply religious family. The other is Victoria Beckham, whose past life as Posh Spice gives her more than enough pedigree, while the prospect of husband David Beckham in the audience will itself likely attract a whole new chorus of female viewers.
Helping ABC News assess the suitability of some possible replacements for Abdul is Jay Marose, a consultant who has represented "The Osbournes" and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and who helped launch the Backstreet Boys, *NSync and O-Town. He has been featured on ABC's "Making the Band" and VH-1's "Super Group."
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