Paula Abdul's long-discussed stint as a Dancing with the Stars celebrity participant may finally be coming to fruition.
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ABC has offered the former American Idol judge a $1 million development deal with the caveat that she also has to appear on Dancing with the Stars, TMZ reported Tuesday.
Abdul reportedly has to decide on the deal quickly since it is contingent on her participating in the upcoming tenth season, which premieres March 22. An ABC representative declined comment when contacted by TMZ, noting that they do not comment on prospective cast members.
Word that Abdul was interested in going Dancing first surfaced when Dancing with the Stars professional Louis van Amstel said she expressed interest in the ABC show in January 2008. Host Tom Bergeron later claimed Abdul told him she'd "love" to compete on the show.
Abdul subsequently confirmed her interest when she said she was "hypothetically thinking about it," causing Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli to gush about how much he'd want her on the show.
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Most recently, Abdul was rumored to be participating in Dancing with the Stars' eighth edition last spring -- however that seemed highly unlikely considering she was filming American Idol's eighth season at the time.
After Abdul announced in August that she was leaving American Idol, Dancing with the Stars executive producer Conrad Green said the show would be happy to have her.
"It is for Paula to work out," he said at the time. "At the moment, the world is her oyster. Everyone wants her. At our show, we are great fans of Paula."
The reported deal between Abdul and ABC also wouldn't prevent her from potentially joining Simon Cowell as a judge on The X Factor when it launches stateside on Fox in Fall 2011, according to TMZ.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio