While Paula Abdul's status on American Idol is still up in the air, we can now confirm that Kara DioGuardi is coming back for season nine of the show.

"Her deal is done. There are no ifs, ands or buts," a source told E! News. "Done. She will be back."

There you have it.

DioGuardi will start shooting a new set of American Idol auditions in the next week or so. Are you glad she's returning?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.