Seacrest Confident That Paula And Kara Will Return To Idol

While it seems Randy and Simon’s seats at the judges table on American Idol are secure, the question of whether veteran judge Paula Abdul and newcomer Kara DioGuardi will be returning to the series for the ninth season is still up in the air as the news of the outcome of their contract negotiations has yet to be posted. But Idol host Ryan Seacrest doesn’t think fans of either judge have anything to be worried about.

According to TV Guide, Seacrest is confident that both will return to the judges table next season. Meanwhile, Paula Abdul’s rep told TV Guide that Abdul and Fox are “still talking” and that the decision doesn’t need to be made until the judges start traveling around for the auditions, which isn’t until August (though Idol auditions started on June 14th).

As for Kara, she’s only got one year of judging under her belt and already there have been plenty of people who want to see her go, either because they dislike her critiquing methods or else, feel that four judges is just too many for one table. Seacrest had good things to say about DioGuardi’s attitude with regards to the criticism she’s received, stating, “The rest of us are used to it, because we've done it for so many years, but for someone who's never been on television and never been in a situation like it... I give Kara a lot of credit for having thick skin, showing up every day, having a smile on her face and doing a good job." It’s kind of funny that he should put it that way. When you think about it, most of the contestants who take the stage on Idol are in a similar situation, except instead of just reading the criticism online (which I’m sure some of them do), they have to stand on stage and take it in front of an audience of millions.

Nothing against Kara as a judge (I actually like her) but I’m still in agreement with the people who think four judges are too many. If it were announced that either Paula or Kara decided to “pursue other career opportunities,” I can’t say I’d be all that disappointed.