Paula Abdul Exits Idol

LOS ANGELES: Paula Abdul has announced that she will not be returning to American Idol for the new season launching on FOX in January, following weeks of negotiations for a new contract.

Abdul announced her decision via a Twitter post, noting: “With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.”

Her decision came a day after FOX, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment announced that Kara DioGuardi would return for her second outing as a judge on the show. Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson are already in place to return for the hit talent show in its ninth season. Abdul had been gunning for a substantial raise on the $2 million she reaped from the series last year. In a Twitter post last week, Abdul said. “I hope you can understand I can only return to Idol if the deal is fair.”