TV Watch

American Idol

Jennifer Lopez 'Very Close' to Returning to American Idol: Source

By Liz McNeil and Dahvi Shira

07/25/2011 at 06:50 PM EDT

Jennifer Lopez looks to be staying busy after the collapse of her marriage to Marc Anthony.

After a lavish Miami birthday, the newly single starlet, 42, is on the verge of inking a new deal with American Idol.

A source who has worked with Lopez and Anthony tells PEOPLE that Lopez is "very close" to returning for a second season, which begins in January.

"She really loved doing the show," says the source. "She says she’s doing it."



Cécile Frot-Coutaz, the chief executive officer of the company that produces Idol, declined to comment on the negotiations, but she tells the Wall Street Journal, "We’re in good shape. No worries. No dark clouds on the horizon."