Orange County Register

Those of us wondering whether the relationship between Paula Abdul and The Powers That Be at “American Idol” was really, truly over can keep wondering.

Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice answered questions from the press today at the Television Critics Association gathering in Pasadena and said that as far as Paula and “American Idol” go, “Negotiations have concluded.”

But Rice still managed to leave the door open. According to the report from Lynn Elber of the Associated Press, “Asked what Fox’s reaction would be if Abdul agreed to take the network’s last offer, Rice replied he didn’t expect her to. But he didn’t respond when asked what the network would do if she agreed to it.”

So basically, if Paula does come back to “AI,” she’ll have to crawl. Brinksmanship is a fine negotiating tool, but one needs to be willing to fall over the brink.

In the meantime, guest judges will sit in on the second-round of the auditions. Victoria Beckham and Friend of Adam Lambert Katy Perry already have signed on.

Confirming the report we referenced last week, the Powers That Be at “American Idol” confirmed today that Kara DioGuardi will return for season nine.

The release, of course, contains no information on Kara’s salary - believed to be considerably less than the other judges make but healthy enough to feed a family of 80 - nor on the status of Paula Abdul.

With the first round of auditions finished and the judges ready to review the singers who made the first cut in just a few days, Paula remains unsigned.

The only ray of light for fans of Paula was this oblique reference from Cecile Frot-Coutaz, one of the executive producers. “We’re very pleased with (Kara’s) contributions as the fourth judge on the panel.” (Italics added.)

PREVIOUSLY ON … THE WATCHER

For those of us hoping that the producers of “American Idol” might come to their senses and drop the four-judge idea, here’s a bit of bad news:

E! Online is reporting that Kara DioGuardi has come to terms for season nine. The articles quotes “a source” as saying “The deal is done.”

Meanwhile, Paula Abdul still has not re-upped, even though the judges are due to report for duty in early August. But she may be backing off of her tough negotiating stance.

Her manager said a couple of weeks ago that Paula would not be back thanks to her horrible treatment at the hands of the “AI” powers.

But Paula has been Twittering away today on the situation, including this missive: “Hi everyone. I’ve been quiet as we are trying to work out details of how I can return to Idol.”

Alexis Cohen, the nutty “singer” who enlived the audition episodes of “American Idol” in seasons seven and eight, was killed in a car accident over the weekend.

Alexis was walking in the beach town of Seaside Heights, N.J. when she was struck by a car. The driver has been charged with reckless driving, according to nj.com.

Alexis earned her moment of fame in season seven with a memorable rant against Simon Cowell, but her 15 minutes weren’t over. She returned in season eight a changed woman, exuding sweetness. Her singing, unfortunately, had not improved.

Alexis’s mother told nj.com that her daughter had auditioned in June for season nine.

After Ryan Seacrest inked his pathetically meager $45 million deal for three more years of “American Idol” and declared, “I fully expect you will see the whole team next year,” Paula Abdul’s negotiation team threw cold water on the concept of a peaceful off-season for America’s No. 1 series.

Of course, the one thing we can be sure of is that we can’t believe any public statements made during contract negotiations, so who knows where the Paula situation stands.

But none of the judges is signed on for season nine yet, so there is still hope that one of them won’t re-sign and the ridiculous four-judge experiment will be over.

ELSEWHERE

- Pedro reviews the Idol tour stop at Staples