IDOL EXECS AND PAULA TALKING -- PERHAPS PAUL WILL BE BACK ON IDOL AFTER ALL

Apparently American Idol executives and Paula Abdul are back in talks again about her possible return to the Idol judging panel.

“The people at the very top of ABC were really vocal about getting her (Paula) on board for ‘Dancing (With The Stars),” msnbc quoted a source familiar with talks between the network execs and the Idol former judge. “By not exactly keeping it secret, it made Paula’s value more apparent to Fox.”

The negotiations between Idol execs and Paula are called “talks” by msnbc – “since dubbing them ‘negotiations' suggests that one side is budging.

“Paula isn’t lowering her price in any meaningful way. She wants a Seacrest-level deal,” msnbc quotes the source. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest reportedly inked a three-year, $45 million deal.

“If there is a scenario that gets Abdul back on the show, it’s likely that her return would be limited to the live shows only, according to several people who are close to the talks. This will allow the original offer made by the show to stand, but Abdul would have a shorter time commitment,” offers the msnbc article.

ABC was extremely disappointed that they were unable to nap Paula. “They didn’t really want Tom DeLay as their most-buzzed-about contestant,” a source told msnbc.

Throughout the summer Abdul has always expressed that she wanted to return to the American Idol judging panel – and there has been chatter that her friend and fellow judge Simon Cowell has been supporting her behind the scenes. Judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi have apparently been supportive as well.

So with talks resumed and a real possibility that she might be back on Idol, it is no wonder that Paula sounds so happy in her Twitter messages.

One of Paula’s recent Tweets reads, “thx for all the support. Never give up on your dreams. Fight for what you believe in. And never stop believing in yourself. xxP”

Another reads, “The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”

It seems that Paula may be thinking very positively these days!