Paula Abdul Is Not Leaving Idol - Yet

After Paula Abdul’s difficulty with her American Idol judging duties the other day, some have actually been voicing their opinion that Paula needs to be replaced. This isn’t the first time.

Cecile Frot-Coutaz, he FremantleMedia North America CEO, said:

"I love that everyone was talking about it," she told The Associated Press over lunch in her office two days after the show. "It was so unexpected. It was something that took up 2 seconds of airtime. You’d think there was no other news on television."

Abdul’s strange behavior has been documented over the past year, so it’s not "unexpected," and neither is the attention it has attracted.

The renewed calls for Abdul to be replaced comes as American Idol ratings have been slipping. Frot-Coutaz said in response to the ratings slip:

"Nobody’s alarmed by the ratings dip. We’re still 7 million viewers ahead of the second-biggest show. And let’s face it. TV has taken a huge decline this year. All the networks are down by quite a bit. I think the writers strike really hurt. A lot of viewers haven’t come back. You can’t just look at an isolation in the environment."

Abdul’s odd behavior has actually drawn attention to the show. Every controversy can help, but it seems some have the opinion that Abdul is simply hurting the show more than she is helping. Alluding to the possibility that Abdul might be replaced Frot-Coutaz said:

Addressing rumors about potential changes for season eight, Frot-Coutaz said adjustments may be made to evolve the show, but insisted there are no plans to rework or remove the audition episodes that have started each season. And - besides Abdul - there’s also no plan to replace Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell or Ryan Seacrest.

Randy, Simon, and Ryan are safe. Abdul on the other hand, she’ll probably blame TMZ if she gets replaced.

Who would you like to see replace Paula?