Paula Steps Out of "Dance"
Paula Abdul's going to sit this Dance out.
The American Idol judge, who had been slated to appear as a roving correspondent on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, will instead be spending her time fulfilling various Idol obligations, her publicist said Friday.
"We had not anticipated the time commitment required to successfully produce and appear" in the show, Abdul's rep, Ken Sunshine, said in a statement. "It became apparent that her prior commitments...made it impossible to be part of this new show."
Said commitments include promoting a new American Idol DVD and working on the upcoming fifth season of the show, Sunshine said.
Fox and the producers of So You Think You Can Dance took Abdul's pull-out in stride, issuing a statement that they "respect Paula's decision to step away."
"We wish her all the best and look forward to working with her soon," the statement read.
Abdul's role on the show was said to involve "teach[ing] large groups of real people how to find their groove thing and really shake it."
The quickstepping reality series features a format similar to Idol, with contestants throwing out their best moves in the hopes of landing a $100,000 prize and a one-year lease on a New York apartment.
Like Idol, the show's final outcome will be decided by viewers.
So You Think... started out strong, but rapidly slumped in the ratings as viewers seemed to recover from the dance fever first ignited by ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
Meanwhile, Abdul's Idol-heavy schedule seems to indicate that she will be returning to the show, despite an ongoing investigation into whether she carried on an affair with former Idol contestant Corey Clark.
Last month, Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori said the network had hired an independent counsel to probe Clark's allegations that he was both bedded and coached by the "Forever Your Girl" singer while still in the running on the show's second season. Abdul has denied Clark's claims.
Liguori said that if the investigation wasn't completed by Aug. 18 when auditions for the new season begin, Abdul would be permitted to return to her seat between Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell and resume the business of giving young hopefuls her opinion on their vocal stylings.
"The audience loves Paula. She continues to get online support," Liguori said. "Her supporters light up our switchboard. We have nothing right now that says she shouldn't report for work."
Should the eventual findings in the investigation go against Abdul, it's still unclear whether she would be removed from the Idol panel.
However, Liguori stressed that the talent show's integrity is of utmost importance to the network.
"The credibility of that competition is important to us and we will do everything to maintain the integrity of the show," he said.
American Idol is scheduled to return to the airwaves in January 2006.
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