Hey Paula! Fans Are Missing You – Simon Too!

Filed under: American Idol,Paula Abdul,Simon Cowell

The success of “American Idol” hasn’t just been about the singing talent.

As much as viewers tuned in to rally behind their favorite performer, they also came for the chemistry between the judges. That helped elevate the show beyond just a search for America’s next music star.

Never has the importance of that dynamic been more evident than in Season Nine, which has plenty of fans sharing a common complaint: “We miss Paula.”

“I think the chemistry they had before with the judges is really affecting the show this season,”

said Lindsay Powers, staff editor with US Weekly and an “Idol” fan.

“What Paula brought to the show was not only someone with a musical background, but also very endearing, compassionate, goofy and funny. Just like people tuned in to see what mean thing Simon would say, they would also tune in to see the whacky thing that Paula was going to say each week.”

And Abdul gave them plenty of whacky to deal with –from sometimes appearing to be in a fog to outright losing track of what was happening. In one case, she complimented a contestant on his second song when he had only sung once.

Such shenanigans probably wouldn’t have been as embraced by fans as they were with a giggle and “Oh Paula” except that the original cast of judges for “American Idol” was so well-balanced.

“The show has lost its ‘zest,’ ”

wrote a commenter named Mary.

“I feel Simon has lost complete interest, and Kara is trying so hard to take Paula’s place with Simon, rubbing his arm and putting her head on his shoulder — it is horrible this year.”

“Idol” has always been a ratings monster, much to the chagrin of its competition. Bill Gorman of TV by the Numbers recently wrote “Idol haters keeping track at home can note the show’s down just 5% in adults 18-49 this season so far.”

Matthew Jaffe, a writer at TV.com, recently tweeted a link to his story featuring the four reasons Paula is missed, which were: her chemistry with Simon and Randy, her unpredictability, her dancing (she was often up out of her seat during performances) and her beautiful mind.

Abdul has has been fairly quiet about any new projects, though she is set to reprise her role as a judge for the second season of the Lifetime series “Drop Dead Diva.”

And while rumors of possible talk shows and other appearances swirl, there is at least one well-known fan who is also feeling the lack of Abdul and who has the power to get her back on the small screen.

“I miss Paula,” Simon Cowell admitted to Jay Leno during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show.”

“I talk to Paula all the time. She was great fun, and [Idol] is a different show without her. Something will happen with me and her at some point.”

Well we all know what that is. X-Factor. Paula has the gig, that’s why she’s sitting tight right now doing nothing. Can’t wait!

Posted in: March 13, 2010 at 1:30 pm