Another report, this time from The Wrap, reports that ALL FOUR judges will be fired, No more big salaries for Divas (NO JLo, despite reports) and long-time producer, Nigel Lythgoe, will get the boot.
None of the four judges on the singing competition will be asked to return next season, an individual with knowledge of Fox’s plans told The Wrap. Longtime producer Nigel Lythgoe is expected to get the boot. And despite reports to the contrary, Fox isn’t even considering bringing former judge Jennifer Lopez back as a lifesaver for next season.
“All four are gone,” the insider told TheWrap. “They feel they’ve lost their core audience and they want it back.”
All four judges have options to return for another season, but Fox won’t be picking them up, according to the knowledgeable individual, who said: “No more big checks for divas.”
Behind the scenes, Fox Broadcasting chairman Kevin Reilly is charged with “fixing Idol.” And one of the first changes will occur at the top of the food chain: Longtime executive producer Lythgoe is expected to be replaced.
Kevin Reilly tried to fix Idol last year. If they were interested in keeping their “core audience” happy, they wouldn’t have hired Nicki Minaj as judge.
If the execs are planning to bring on 4 new judges, hopefully there will be some chemistry testing before the hires. Make sure the panel members are not only knowledgeable, but can get along and can play off each other in an entertaining way.
As far as Nigel Lythgoe leaving–this year was such a cluster-fuck, I suppose he’s the inevitable fall guy. But so many of the big decisions–like which judges to hire–were taken out of his hands, I don’t believe he was totally to blame for the misfires. As long as stupid decisions keep coming down from the top, hiring a new exec producer isn’t going to help much.
Via The Wrap
