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Well it’s sad but true: Paula’s not coming back for the next season of American Idol. As fans of the show have no doubt heard recently, things started to get tense for Paula when she found out that Seacrest is now being paid a zillion dollars per season, and she wanted at least the same amount if not more. Or slightly less. But none of that seems to have worked out, and Paula tweeted tonight that she’s not returning to judge the next season.

I have to say that I’m bummed about this, although I can’t help but think that this is temporary and that she’ll in fact be back, especially in light of the fact that Simon has repeatedly stated that he wants her there (although admitting that he really has no pull in that regard). But the (often childish) dynamic between Simon and Paula can often be simultaneously funny and uncomfortable, and if she’s really gone gone, I’m going to miss that. A lot. Plus she does tend to ground the guys somewhat.

So here are the questions: Is Paula REALLY not coming back? If not, will there be a fourth judge, or will they just leave it as Randy, Kara and Simon? And will the show feel vastly different?

I imagine that Fox, FreemantleMedia and 19 will all hear about this a great deal, but who knows if it’ll all be enough to have her end up back on the show. That is, if this isn’t just a ploy to keep viewers interested in the off-season to try to slow or stop the typical between-season viewership loss.

THR