No sooner had I finished my little jig of joy, in celebration of Paula Abdul’s American Idol departure, than I started to wonder if the whole thing is as genuine as it seems.

Think back to March 2007 on the UK’s X Factor (another Simon Cowell vehicle). Long standing judge Louis Walsh was sacked and replaced with Brian Friedman, we celebrated, then two months later he was reinstated.

It was a disappointing time and one which destroyed Unreality TV’s trust in Mr C, so excuse us for not getting our hopes up this time.

Eonline makes a good case supporting the argument that Paula WILL be back. They say:

• Within an hour of Abdul’s Tuesday night bombshell, tabloid maven Bonnie Fuller, late of HollywoodLife.com, tweeted that “Abdul has already signed her new deal with Idol. The whole sob story of not getting a deal was a pure publicity stunt.” In another entry, Fuller further alleged, “Everyone was into the Paula PR stint [sic].”

• When asked to comment if there was no way Abdul wouldn’t be back on Idol come the winter and the launch of the new season, Fox reps didn’t respond.

• On his radio show this morning, Seacrest said Abdul’s departure was real—”as far as I know.” Jackson, meanwhile told Extra, “It looks to be true [emphasis added].”

• When asked to comment if it was possible for a star and a network to cook up such a scheme, entertainment attorney John J. Tormey III told us, “Anything’s possible.”

They make some good points here and until the American Idol auditions are well underway without Paula, I won’t be convinced of the loopy ones departure. It doesn’t stop me hoping though.