IDOL PRODUCER ON PAULA ABDUL

An "American Idol" producer is denying media reports that Paula Abdul is going to leave the hit television show, and is insisting she is an "integral part" of the contest. Abdul has been surrounded in controversy after a crazed fan committed suicide outside her California home last month. She claimed the producers failed to keep Paula Goodspeed away and let her audition on three separate occasions, knowing she had stalked the star for over 17 years. Bosses denied knowing Godspeed was a threat and rumors surfaced that Abdul would be leaving the hit show very soon. But producer Ken Warwick has flatly denied the reports, insisting the judge is "worth her weight in gold." He tells People.com, "America loves Paula. She's an integral part of this program. "There's never been any discussion that we would want to get rid of Paula. Never have I been faced with anyone saying Paula's got to go. She's one of the foundation blocks of this series. She keeps Simon well in control, which is worth its weight in gold." And Warwick is insisting he had no idea Goodspeed had a bad problem with Abdul, and if he had he would not have let her come face-to-face with the judge. He adds, "I was in the room there and I can absolutely put my hand on my heart and say I didn't know. I didn't even know that this person was a risk or termed as a stalker. I knew she was a fan, an ardent fan. But that's the only thing that came in front of me. "I would definitely not put a dangerous person or a person remotely dangerous in front of the judges. You wouldn't take that risk." He also admits Abdul "may have mentioned it to a security man or another junior producer." But, "if the inference is that I would put someone in there because it would make good television -- she certainly didn't mention it to me. She certainly didn't mention it to anybody with clout."

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