A source close to Carl Paladino says the gubernatorial candidate is in “seclusion” preparing for his big three-minute televised speech at 5:13 p.m. this afternoon, during which he will speak directly to voters and try to repair the damage his angry-man approach has wrought since his surprise landslide GOP primary win on Sept. 14.

Paladino’s scheduled has been cleared and he will reportedly be taping his message at 4 p.m. He has purchased time on three stations in his hometown – WKBW (ABC), WIVB (CBS) and WGRZ (NBC) – but the spot will also be downloadable and likely carried by stations elsewhere throughout the state.

As I reported on CapTon last night, there is division in Paladino’s camp over what, exactly, he should say. He will not be dropping out of the race, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

He has spoken on multiple occasions with Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards, the running mate Paladino inherited from his vanquished primary foe, Rick Lazio.

Edwards, a straight shooter who once proudly told me the state could use a little “bland” in its leadership after the upheaval we’ve seen in recent years, is reportedly sounding out party leaders to see what they think today’s message should be.

The candidate himself (not surprisingly) favors a forceful and defiant approach, while others – including GOP consultant Roger Stone, who has been quite vocal in his opposition to the Buffalo businessman’s personal attacks on his Democratic opponent, Andrew Cuomo – think it’s time to tone things down and re-focus on issues.

To be fair, Paladino has been trying to do just that, but he can’t seem to stop stepping on his message with angry outbursts, including the one following his Crain’s breakfast speech during which he called Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver a “criminal.”

I reported in my DN column Monday that there is mounting pressure from GOP leaders for Paladino to apologize for accusing Cuomo of stepping out on Kerry Kennedy when the two were married.

Now added to the mix is a call for the candidate to apologize to Silver, whom Paladino has made quite clear on numerous occasions that he really just can’t stand.

He has said the speaker belongs in Attica, suggested it was wrong for Erie County Executive Chris Collins to apologize for comparing the Orthodox Jewish Democrat to an anti-Christ and Hitler and stood by, smiling and nodding, while an ultra-Orthodox rabbi called Silver a “baby-killer.”

Even if Paladino does apologize, it’s unclear whether he would be able to reverse the slide he’s seeing in recent polls. Less than a month remains until the Nov. 2 election, and unless he really straightens out his act and spends a lot of money to convince New Yorkers he has done so, he really has no shot at victory.

Maggie Haberman has noted that Paladino isn’t really on the airwaves while Cuomo has been blanketing them since the primary. Also, she recalled the 2002 election when another of Stone’s candidates for governor, Independence Party founder Tom Golisano, who is Paladino advisor, reserved airtime very close to Election Day.

There was rampant speculation that Golisano might drop out of the race, improving the chances of victory for Democratic nominee, H. Carl McCall, over the incumbent Republican Gov. George Pataki. In the end, however, Golisano did not depart.

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