PAbdul040108_01.jpg

Less than 48 hours after Paula Abdul tweeted that she was leaving American Idol, Fox Chairman of Entertainment Peter Rice confirmed that the show is planning to replace her, adding, “There is going to be a search."

At the Fox Television Critics Association panel discussion on Thursday morning, Rice said, “We were hoping Paula came back. We love Paula. She’s been a really wonderful part of the show for eight years. There is going to be a change and that change we have to look at that as being a positive change. It wasn’t a decision we made, but we have to look at it in a positive way.”

Rice added they will look for “someone who has great chemistry” with fellow judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson. Geez, I guess this means Paula has no chance of coming back! So what will she do next? We're guessing it won't be too hard for her to land another judge gig on a talent competition, so what about So You Think You Can Dance?

When asked if he would like for Paula to be a judge on the show, Idol and SYTYCD executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said, “Absolutely there’s no question about that. I don’t know anyone who’s had her experience. I’ve been trying to get her since season one...I spoke to her yesterday morning. We didn’t talk about the negotiations. That’s a private issue. We’re going to Vegas for season six this weekend and she’s coming out to meet me and we’re going to talk about what opportunities are out there."

When asked about rumors that she'll join SYTYCD, Paula replied, "I didn't know I was given an offer...no, I love the show. It's a wonderful show. I don't think that's going to happen. I have to be really careful and think about everything."

However, Lythgoe still isn't entirely convinced that Abdul is completely done with Idol. “I still don’t know that she’s going to leave Idol,” he said. “Until Idol goes on the air there’s always the opportunity for negotiations.” However, Rice told reporters that he was bummed to see Paula leave, but he said, “Our understanding is we have concluded the negotiation and Paula will not be returning to the show."

Hmm, so is Paula's departure REALLY set in stone? We're not even 100% sure!