For now, the post-Paula phase of “American Idol” is a work in progress.

“We've only had 36 hours to work on this,” Peter Rice, the chairman of Fox Broadcasting, told reporters in Los Angeles today. So far, Fox has decided that:
– During auditions, the three returning judges will be joined by rotating guests. “The guest judges will be female pop stars, female recording artists,” Rice said. So far, Katy Perry and Victoria Beckham (of Spice Girls fame) have agreed.
– By the time the season starts in January, there will probably be a fourth judge. It will be a permanent one, not a bunch or rotating guests.
– And no, the new person won't be expected to fit the warm-and-comforting role Abdul often had. “It will be so meone who adds something to the show,” said Mike Darnell, the network's reality chief. “The last couple years, she wasn't positive all the time.”
Still, the comfort and the quirks were key contributions by Abdul. “She was part of the fabric of the show,” Darnell said. “She was emotional about it.”
Early on, she helped define the show. “I think it's a loss for both of them,” Simon Lythgoe, the former “Idol” producer, said of “Idol” and Abdul. “That combination of Randy (Jackson), Paula and Simon (Cowell) is an important part of history.”
Lythgoe, who left “Idol” to focus on “So You Think You Can Dance,” said he's already trying to get Abdul involved in some way (but not as a permanent judge) in the new “Dance” season this fall.
After being a cultural phenomenon in the early years, “Idol” has dropped in ratings lately. “But this is still the No. 1 show on television – by a long way,” Darnell said.
Rice said negotiations with Abdul went on throughout this past season, but a number couldn't be agreed on. He also disputed reports that host Ryan Seacrest is getting $15 million a year. “He's still working under his old contract,” Rice said, and the multi-million figure includes producing other shows.
This year, “Idol” added a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, and fans soon complained that too much time was spent on the judges' talk. That was finally fixed, Darnell said, when a clock limited them to two minutes apiece.
“We had a big debate – give them a clock, don't give them a clock,” Darnell said. “But it worked.”
Now DioGuardi, Cowell and Jackson will be back. There will probably be a fourth judge, Darnell said, but nothing is definite. The post-Paula world is complicated.