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?

HG tried several times today to get a statement from Paula Abdul’s publicist, Jeff Ballard, but we only got a "No Comment." Finally late today we obtained a demand letter sent to TMZ, which explained everything.

Paula Abdul retained the law firm of Hantman & Associates, who then sent TMZ a letter at 4:34 PM today demanding a written apology to Paula be posted on TMZ, and reviewed prior by the law firm. Yesterday TMZ allegedly falsely alleged that Paula had a "martini" before American Idol yesterday, and TMZ implied that Paula’s alleged alcohol consumption was the reason for her strange behavior during the show (see video above).

We respect Paula’s right to keep personal issues private, and respect her right not to comment on her strange behavior, but that will do nothing to silence the speculation that has been building for over two years. More and more often reporters, and fans, are asking if Paula’s behavior is due to the alleged use of drugs or alcohol.

HG issued a challenge to Paula asking her to reassure concerned fans that she is not under the influence, but we got a "no comment," and learned that Paula will instead be taking legal action to silence those who bring attention to her strange behavior. Let me be the first to say to Paula, that talk and speculation about her behavior is merely peer pressure resulting from overwhelming concern for her health and safety. When Paula tripped over her dog and chipped her nose in May of 2007, concern for Paula was again voiced. Everyone wants to make sure Paula is OKAY.

Based on our poll today we had so far 330,545 people vote YES when asked if Paula should take a drug test, and 36 people vote No. That’s an overwhelming statement of concern for Paula. HG hopes Paula will put the mind of fans at ease by proving the rumors are as baseless as she claims, by taking a drug test. A negative drug test is the best defense against rumors and speculation.

 Loading ...

Ryan Seacrest made an effort to defend Paula last night on American Idol saying:

“Last night the judges were thrown a curve ball on the air, which is just part of a live show, but it sparked a lot of gossip about Paula. I read some of this online this morning and just for the record, the rumors, they’re not true. She’s part of our family and we love her.”

Although Ryan didn’t say which rumors, he’s talking about the suspicion that has been fueled over and over the past 2 years, that Paula’s strange behavior is suspsected to be the result of drugs or alcohol.

We think Paula seems like a really nice person, and have nothing bad to say about her, but like most other people who see her strange behavior, we do have concerns for her health and safety, especially after she tripped over her dog and chipped her nose in May of 2007.

HollywoodGrind challenges Paula to take a urine or blood drug test, that tests for legal and illegal drugs. Clear up the rumors by proving you’re clean Paula. Film it for everyone to see. PROVE all the rumors wrong! Talk is cheap. We want to see PROOF!

 Loading ...

Paula Abdul is still taking some heat from the press over her continued bizzarre behavior, sparking some to again question if she was "under the influence" of something.

We spoke to Paula’s publicist Jeff Ballard this morning, but plan to talk to him again later today. We’ll let you know what he has to say to explain Paula’s behavior.

 Loading ...

Paula Abdul just can’t seem to convince the rest of the world her behavior isn’t related to something other than just a sparkling personality. Even David Letterman did a Top 10 Signs Paula Abdul Needs a Vacation, and the main topics were pills, booze, and mental illness.

What will her publicist tell us tomorrow morning about all this?

 Loading ...