Nigel Lythgoe and TVGuide.com Voters Agree: Bring Paula Back to Idol

Sixty-one percent of TVGuide.com voters want Paula Abdul back on American Idol, and so, it turns out, does returning executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.

Poll voters: Why not just bring Paula back to Idol?

Of course, getting Abdul to return to the show would be easier said than done: Abdul is attached to host, judge and executive-produce Got to Dance, a dancing competition show for CBS.

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"I still love Paula," Lythgoe told Variety. "She's signed to CBS, probably exclusively, but I'd recommend we have her in a heartbeat."

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Calls and e-mails to Abdul's rep were not immediately returned. Lythgoe, who's returning to Idol after a two-year absence, will have final say on the new judging panel for Season 10. He had kind words for Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, both of whom have been widely reported as possible judges.

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"They can knock [Lopez's] film career, but [audiences] know she's a good actress," Lythgoe said. "And as J. Lo, she had some great pop records. If she joins, I'm happy."As for the Aerosmith frontman, Lythgoe said: "Why wouldn't you want a legend there? You never know what he's going to say. That, as a TV producer, you're interested in."Do you think Paula will return to Idol?