I was just out for an extended holiday and I find this--Paula Abdul's finally spoken out.  Finally, after weeks of us waiting for her to talk to the press after she announced her departure from American Idol over her Twitter page.  That, and her manager mentioning a few things, like the reason why she ditched a guest role on Ugly Betty, or what offers she's considering (and we still don't know what they are).

But upon reading Paula's interview with TV Guide Magazine's William Keck, I breathed a sigh of relief.  Nothing new's been said, really, although it's more significant because it's Paula herself who's talking this time, rather than her manager or someone else on her behalf.

"To say 'no regrets' isn't easy," she said.  "I feel like I have been such a big, huge part of the success of the show from day one.  I loved being able to be the artist's artist; being there from my point of view of knowing what it feels like to be vulnerable and to be out there wanting to achieve the most magical moment in a minute and thirty seconds.  To be able to do that was an amazing experience and the show was wonderful for me in that regard."

So why did she leave?  From where I am it's obviously because of the money--Paula asked for $10 million, according to reports, and the producers were only willing to give her half the amount--but I know some who still believe it's a plan that's long drawn out.  She isn't providing much to work with, but reading between the lines, it might be more than the money.  Might, I say.

"It's never--I stand on principle where many people stand on money," she said.  "I'm a hard-working artist.  I've lasted in this business for 23 years.  And you can't do that unless you are good at what you do.  I believe in myself and you have to have your own self-respect."

Apart from all that Idol stuff, she talked about her Drop Dead Diva stint, her Ugly Betty almost-stint ("it was already announced before my managers even knew"), her hopes to do a talk show ("it would be a lot of fun variety with a ton of unexpected stuff and tributes to everyday people getting their big chance"), and her other future plans ("they've always known that I'm an actress, and it's time I started getting out there and doing it").  That aside, nothing really new.

Finishing that interview, I get the idea of a Paula Abdul who's grateful for the Idol experience, but fighting to stay on top, and now that she's free to do many other things, doing just that.  I think I'll get used to having a Paula-less American Idol, although of course there'd be a huge gap obvious when I watch it.  How this all goes, well, I honestly still don't know.





- Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of PR Photos)