Paula Abdul, known to fans of American Idol as “the weird one,” is quitting her job as a judge on the world’s number-one show. The performer/songwriter nodded to current Internet fashion by announcing her departure on her Twitter feed, writing that she had decided not to return for another season “with sadness in my heart.” Abdul, often thought of by Idol contestants as the judge who is the most sympathetic to deal with (and therefore the ultimate contrast to Simon Cowell), also wrote that she will miss “nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon.” Abdul had been involved in a contract dispute with the Fox network over how much money she would get if she returned, and some reporters think this might have been a negotiating ploy that went wrong; Kara DioGuardi, the younger judge who was brought in last year, has already signed on for next season for less money than Abdul was asking for. So the rumours that DioGuardi would take Abdul’s job have apparently come true.