ABC has talked to Paula Abdul about joining Dancing with the Stars

The longstanding rumors that Paula Abdul would appear on Dancing with the Stars, however logically unsound, are now closer than ever to reality, as ABC has approached Paula Abdul about appearing on the show, either as a contestant or even a judge.

“I definitely have reached out to her,” ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson told TV critics Saturday. “And we’re friends from way back, so I gave her a call, first and foremost, just to say I was sorry about the situation and also that we’d love to see her on ABC.”

Earlier, he said, “I was a little stunned by the decision, and we would love to have her on ‘Dancing’ and whether it’s as a contestant or participant of some sort, judge, et cetera. I think she’s a huge talent. I think that there’s a lot made about her in terms of who she is, and I think there’s a sensitivity and there’s kind of an emotion to her that balancing out ‘Idol.’ And we’d love to get a piece of that. It would be great.”