'Idol' world weighs in on Abdul's absence

Yay! USA Today printed a quote of mine today on Paula Abdul leaving American Idol:

Expert responses: How bloggers and other Idol observers assess the impact of Abdul's abdication on the show and its personal dynamics:

• "(Idol) might be duller; I don't know about being nastier. Simon's rapport with her was fun. Do you remember that time he was drawing on her with crayon? Sometimes their relationship was childish; you'd see him whispering in her ear during a performance. But she kept Simon engaged. Is he going to look bored all the time now?" — Rodney Ho, Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogger

• "I really liked Paula even though she was kinda crazy. There was clearly something wrong with her half the time, but that was funny and you never knew what she would do. The other judges are pretty predictable; you could just program a robot for what they'll say." —Dave Della Terza, creator, VotefortheWorst.com

• "There are a good amount of people who love her and who say they won't watch without her, but they will. The show is bigger than her. People are sad, but people will still watch." — Rickey Yaneza, Rickey.org

• "For Paula, it's not a clear-cut win or loss. She probably overestimated her value in the marketplace. She probably should have looked at her track record outside the show (over the past few years). That's proof positive that the Idol audience isn't necessarily going to follow her everywhere, into the dark corners of her personal and professional life off camera." — Michael Slezak, Entertainment Weekly

• "I think she's an idiot. I've represented hundreds of celebrities, and these opportunities come along so rarely in a lifetime — once, twice if you're lucky." — Michael Levine, veteran celebrity publicist