Message to FOX: No fourth judge

Now that word has been circulating that FOX is interested in permanently replacing Paula Abdul for the ninth season of Idol, it should be expressed that there is absolutely no need for another fourth judge.

The laundry list of reasons why this would be unnecessary and even downright irresponsible is lengthy, but there are a few major reasons that stick out above the rest. First of all, do the producers not recall how many times performance episodes ran over thanks to the extra set of critiques that were needed after each performance? Whose fault was that again? Yeah, it was your fault by the extension of Kara DioGuardi and her babbling. Remember the time Adam Lambert's performance of "Mad World" went over the broadcast's allotted time during Top 8 week? And then the next week, only two judges were allowed to critique each performance, and the overtime still amounted to two minutes? That is not a professional way to run a show.

And then of course there's the whole notion that hearing an extra critique per contestant does not affect much in terms of swaying voters to vote one way or another, it usually only reinforces one of the other judges' opinions. Plus, during auditions and in Hollywood it is Simon who gets to make the final decision when the four of them reach a stalemate. Even though he probably merits this power thanks to his role in the show's production and his stature, it is still annoying that he not only has a contract worth millions upon millions more than his fellow judges and this additional perk is solely at his discretion and he could potentially (and probably already has) denied someone a ticket to Hollywood because he just "didn't like them."

So unless the plan is to fire Kara and replace her with someone who doesn't care so much about "artistry" or to do away with Randy's role after the next "dude" or "dawg" he drops, there should be no new faces appearing on this show come Season 9. None.

Hopefully Simon Fuller & co. take note.