It Seems That Paula Abdul’s Exit From American Idol Was Timely

American Idol ratings are down, Simon has announced that he is leaving after this season, and it is being regularly beaten in the ratings by Dancing With The Stars. Who would have thought that this would have been so a year or so ago… that the juggernaut that is American Idol would be having problems?

[caption id="attachment_1115" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Paula Abdul, Photo Credit: Kristin Dos Santos"][/caption]

Now, it is true that the ratings are still good, but not compare to what American Idol had become accustomed to. It seems as thought Paula Abdul left in the nick of time. No matter about Abdul benign craziness; her overly praising of the-would-be-idols; her banter with Simon Cowell, and the anticipation that Paula was going to say or to do something nutty… made you watch Idol. This mystery is what is missing from Idol and Ellen doesn’t seem to have been a good fit in replacing Paula.

Paula seems to be the perfect foil for Simon; she was the Luke Sky-Walker to Simon’s Darth Vader; the judge who empathized with the would-be-idols who faltered… being able to live with their respective failures due to the soothing solace of the mother hen, Paula.  For whatever reason, the chemistry with the American Idol contestants is not visceral like when Paula was part of the show.

And the irony is that the show has had better gifted contestants competing this year. The fortunes for American Idol might dwindle even more because of Simon’s departure – say what you may, he is the pulse of that show. Simon is the JR Ewing of American Idol… with Paula’s loopiness and motherly scolding to keep him checked. Everyone watches American Idol to hear and see what English bomb Simon is going to lob to describe a God-awful performance.

Maybe, Paula should have been paid the money she was asking for to stay on American Idol; the irony is that there are rumors that Simon may ask Paula to assist him in hosting his new show on a rival network.

American Idol without Paula and soon Simon is going to be like watching the show Friends without its original cast. Chemistry is a funny concoction - very difficult to emulate. Nothing against Ellen and the new girl who is currently working with Randy and Simon on American Idol; it’s just not the same without Paula and all her issues… coupled with the would-be-idols performances.