Where do we go from here?
Now that the No. 3 star on America's No. 1 show has decided to up and quit, the aftershocks will continue for days, weeks -- maybe months. This story isn't exactly the death of Michael Jackson, but let's put it this way: The Obama administration has one more giant media circus to compete with as it tries to sell its health care plan.
First, an update on what went down.
Fox still isn't talking beyond its statement, but people familiar with the situation insist that the network very much wanted Abdul to stay. These sources say the network and producers were willing to up Abdul's salary by a huge 30 percent.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Abdul had been making between $2 million and $4 million per year. If you believe the high end of those estimates -- because, really, $2 million sounds way low -- then Abdul stood to pull down around $5.5 million per year. And since these deals always run for multiple seasons, Abdul just walked away from around $11 million to $17.5 million.
Yes, Ryan Seacrest is reportedly making almost that much each year of his new three-year pact. But his deal includes monies from multiple other projects he works on for 19 Entertainment. And he has a much more vital role to the show (even if he doesn't have as passionate a fan base).
That's what we know right now. What's next?
-- The backlash. Fox can expect to get slammed by the mainstream media, which won't understand how the network could let the Beloved Paula slip away. Wags will predict the show won't be the same, that viewers will rebel and that the network is risking its most important franchise.
While multiple executives have been involved in the talks, Fox chief Tony Vinciquerra almost certainly took a lead role in guiding the negotiations, according to people close to the situation. It's one of the first big deals to happen (or not happen) since Peter Chernin stepped down from News Corp.
Vinciquerra is the ultimate no-B.S. executive. Given the antics of Team Abdul recently (Twittered demands, press attacks from her manager), it's not surprising things broke down.
But Vinciquerra also had to look at Fox's overall bottom line. An extra $10 million for Abdul might not seem like much, except when you realized that might have translated into an extra $10 million for Randy Jackson and another $20 million for Simon Cowell once word got out how much Abdul was making. Indeed, jealousy over Seacrest's deal has already been cited as one of the reasons for Abdul's big demands.
Ratings for "Idol" are already down, and the ad market -- while not as bad as some feared -- is still not great. Vinciquerra needed to be financially responsible.
Acting out of fear over what might happen if Abdul left is no way to run a network (although that's exactly how many networks operate).
