Who Could Fill Paula's 'Idol' Throne?

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By Brooke Tarnoff Posted Jul 22nd 2009 03:17PM

Who Could Fill Paula's 'Idol' Throne?

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Let's be very clear: we don't believe the hubbub about Paula Abdul leaving 'American Idol,' not for one hot minute. Maybe we just can't picture the FOX talent show without one of its three pioneer judges... but Simon Cowell agrees with us, and when his gut talks, we're inclined to listen.

Paula's best frenemy told Extra, "She'll be fine. She'll be on the show," and despite her manager's ambivalence, we're going to take Simon's word for it. With all this chatter, though, we've been forced to consider a judges' table sans Paula. Who would we like to see join Randy, Kara and Simon if - somehow - Paula were not forever our girl?

Jennifer Lopez:

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Ryan Seacrest told TMZ that J.Lo would be a perfect replacement for Abdul, and though it was clearly a joke, it made us think. Brooke White said it best to MTV: "I never thought about J.Lo as a judge ... she was a good mentor, though. And when you're on the show, you see these mentors and sometimes you only get a few minutes with them and you don't really get a sense of them. But some of them take the extra time to reach out and be a little personable. And I think she was one of those."

Debbie Gibson:

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Like Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson shot to fame in the '80s with a few dancy hit songs. Unlike Paula Abdul, she's also appeared in numerous Broadway musicals, so she knows a little something about the music biz. She's got some experience judging, too, having been on the panel for the short-lived 'Idol' spin-off 'American Juniors'.

Cyndi Lauper:

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Another recording artist famous for her '80s hits, Lauper has released 11 albums and over 40 singles - many of which she wrote herself. Most of all, we'd love to hear that gritty baby voice critiquing the contestants, time after time.

Melanie Brown:

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What do we want - do we really, really want - if we can't have Paula at the judges' table? Any member of the Spice Girls - especially the artist formerly known as Scary Spice, who would surely frighten the wannabes into performing their best.

Olivia Newton-John:

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This four-time Grammy award winner is famous for unleashing her pipes in 'Grease' and we'll always love her for that. Her experience guest-hosting 'Idol' can't hurt either.

Kara DioGuardi:

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Didn't 'American Idol' do pretty well for a whole bunch of years with only three judges? Let's be honest, you could get away with calling existing judge Kara DioGuardi "Paula's replacement" already.

Whitney Houston:

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What have we learned? 'American Idol' is a great place for an '80s powerhouse performer to revamp a sleepy career. They say Whitney Houston is poised for a comeback, but if that doesn't work out, we know a certain judges' panel that could use the kind of talent that made 'Saving All My Love for You' soar.

Sarah Palin:

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Love or hate her, you have to admit - the lady's got a face for TV and a lot of charisma. And just deny for one minute that you'd tune in to see the hockey mom from Alaska take on another election.... this time on FOX.

Pat Benetar:

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You might know that the 'Love Is a Battlefield' singer has four Grammy awards under her belt, but did you know she's a classically trained coloratura soprano? Someone with chops like that could be exactly what 'Idol' is missing - the ultimate expert judge.

Perez Hilton:

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The catty gossip columnist would be perfect for Paula Abdul's job, because he just LOVES to judge. Get it? No, seriously, Perez seems to have a knack for calling out up-and-coming musicians.

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