Carrie Underwood talks about the change of judges on American Idol

Nigel Lythgoe Returns to American Idol

Reality producer Nigel Lythgoe is returning to executive produce Fox’s “American Idol” — and that could spell trouble for the current judges panel.

Fox is near a deal to bring back Lythgoe to work on the hit series as part of a master plan to reboot the show following the exit of top judge Simon Cowell.

In addition, “Idol” fans can add pop star Justin Timberlake to the list of potential Cowell replacements. Timberlake, along with legendary singer Elton John, is being wooed by “Idol” producer 19 Entertainment chief Simon Fuller.

Lythgoe helped launch the “Idol” phenomenon in the U.K. with “Pop Idol” along with creator Fuller and shepherded the U.S. version for six years. He currently produces and judges Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Two years ago, Lythgoe left “Idol” as part of a shake-up by Fox and 19 Entertainment to try to freshen the series. But ratings continued to slip, and Lythgoe has often criticized the series, saying the contestants and judges panel weren’t very compelling.

Industry rumors have been circulating for weeks that Fuller and Fox are considering not just replacing Cowell, but dumping the entire judges panel.

And the biggest public advocate of such a nuclear option is Lythgoe.

“I would replace the entire judging panel,” Lythgoe told Zap2It in April. “I don’t think it really works replacing one person.”

Pulling off such a maneuver depends on whom Fox signs as a new judge — or judges — on the show. Until such deals are closed, nobody’s fate is sealed.

Sources say Randy Jackson, who has another year left on his contract, is the most likely to survive such a purge.

Booting Ellen DeGeneres could also be problematic — she has a multiyear deal at the network.

When asked whom he would choose to judge “Idol,” Lythgoe has cited John, Usher and Paula Abdul.
John has been previously cited as being a potential “Idol” judge. Sources say Fuller has been after John for some time, though coming to a financial agreement has proved difficult.

John and Timberlake are part of long list that includes Chris Isaak, Harry Connick Jr. and other celebrity music industry names.

Kris Allen shopping with his wife in WeHo

Ellen DeGeneres is an early favorite on 'American Idol'

If that was Ellen DeGeneres' American Idol audition, she's earned a ticket to the next round.

Granted, as with the actual Idol auditioners, we've seen ludicrously little of DeGeneres so far. Her actual airtime was around three minutes on her opening show, and that was the one designed to showcase her.

Keep in mind, too, that what we did see was heavily edited, as these early Idol rounds always are. We won't get a true picture of how DeGeneres behaves, judges and interacts until the show moves into its live performance stage.

Still, simply by making its choice of what to show us, Idol may have told us volumes about the path DeGeneres plans to take and the impression she and the show hope to create. And that impression was very good, indeed.

Sitting in Paula Abdul's former seat between Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi, DeGeneres blended a bit of Abdul's den-mother act with her own, generally gentle sense of humor. ("That was crazy. Not in a good way.") Of course she made jokes; that's why the show hired her. But for the most part, she used her humor to deliver criticism, not as a substitute for it. And unlike Abdul (who, granted, set the bar incredibly low), her comments were usually cogent and to the point.

Her best moment in Tuesday's first show was her encounter with Skii Bo Ski, who sang Ain't Too Proud to Beg while stalking around the stage. She started out by jokingly comparing him to a leopard, but she quickly transitioned into actual, useful performance advice: "Don't frighten your audience. Don't get so intense. Sexy and scary — it's a fine line."

Again, it's early, but the tone throughout this introduction was one of professionalism, from DeGeneres (who switched to glasses-on professorial mode when reviewing the list of singers to cut) and from everyone else. Judicial squabbling is inevitable on Idol, but at least we were spared any upfront.

Yes, DeGeneres can't sing. But she's no less equipped to judge singing than the show's voters, and she's far better equipped than most — including the rest of the panel — to judge what it takes to be a star, which is what Idol is designed to find. As she said, she knows "what it's like to stand on stage and try to please an entire roomful of people." What she didn't add, but could have, is that she knows how to do more than "try." She can read what an audience wants, and then either deliver it or make that audience want something else.

If she can find that talent in another performer, Idol will be in fine shape, indeed.


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Ellen Degeneres shares her thoughts on joining the Idol

Ellen Degeneres shares her thoughts on joining the Idol judges panel and Hollywood Week with Extra. She hints a tension between her and Simon Cowell. She also says that she’d be happy with a 3 judge panel once Simon leaves, but that a decision on a 4th judge will depend a lot on the chemistry of the remaining judges.

Ellen has a few candidates in mind, but is going to keep those thoughts to herself.



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