She should be fired for improper contact with a contestant.I'm certainly no fan of Paula's -- I didn't care for her as a performing artist, and I have no use for her as a judge. In fact, I wouldn't mind one bit if she left Idol.
But I fail to see what she did that is improper.
If she and a semifinalist had sex, and the semifinalist was voted to the finals by America ... so what? Now if she'd picked him as a wild card, or for that matter if Randy had picked him as a wild card, there might be grounds for protest. But that's not what happened.
My take of this faux scandal is reflected in the RTW news story:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=3468
I contend that having Corey perform "Foolish Heart" was a significant risk. What if he'd sung it like A-Fed did with 'Poison Ivy'? Corey would have been deader than a doornail. He made it into the finals because he performed the song very well. Paula didn't perform it for him.
Like the AI2 reviewer that I quoted in an earlier story, I think Corey was "pure sleaze." But I also thought the same thing about Scott, and that didn't stop me from making positive comments about him. Corey had a good day in the semifinals.
And don't tell me that Paula's opinion as a judge could influence anybody. She's never met a performance she didn't like. Anyone whose vote is influenced by Paula should report for a lobotomy....
Tawdry? Yes. A firing offense? Right now, it doesn't seem so.