Paula Abdul Not Negotiating Her Return to 'American Idol'

© Toby Canham/Bauer-Griffin

There is no intense negotiation between Paula Abdul and "American Idol" as it was previously reported. In an exclusive interview with Los Angeles Times, her manager David Sonenberg has just ruled out possibility that she will be back as a judge in the show, stating Paula is now focusing on her future career and the FOX show is not a part of it.

In the interview, David stated there have been "no discussions whatsoever about 'Idol'." He then added, "I can tell you her focus right now is speaking to all the other networks. The only one we haven't talked to, because of recent events, is Fox." However, it is possible that Paula will work with the studio again one day as David said, "But perhaps we would be speaking to Fox about shows in the near future."

Though David said Paula loves 'Idol', he informed that the singer/producer feels free after leaving the show. "She feels fabulous. She feels free," he claimed. He further explained, "I think in some ways she was typecast in 'Idol' and she was kind of restricted from doing anything she wanted to do and now she's free to decide. She really is very excited about the future and that there's support for her."

Regarding Paula's future project, David stated that it will still deal with TV shows. "She loves television. She has a number of exciting ideas, some of which are competitive, some of which are just theme-oriented," he told Los Angeles Times. "I think you're going to be seeing a lot of Paula, sometimes as an executive producer, sometimes as a performer or mentor and sometimes as a creative developer."

• Paula Abdul Said to Be in Negotiation to Return to 'American Idol'
• Paula Abdul Allegedly to Play New Temp at Mode on 'Ugly Betty'
• It's Official, Paula Abdul Won't Return to 'American Idol'
• Paula Abdul Demands 20 Million Dollars to Return to 'American Idol'
• Paula Abdul May Not Be 'American Idol' Judge Again

MORE HEADLINES