UPDATE: GossipCop.com, the gossip site that broke the story first, claims that Jennifer is still very much in the running for Idol judge.

Gossip Cop has learned from our rock-solid insider that “negotiations are still going with Jennifer,” and that today’s reports of the star’s demands thwarting a deal “are wildly exaggerated.”

Of course, anything can happen until a deal is officially signed.

But as of now, Lopez is absolutely still in the running, despite rumors.

Read more at Gossip Cop

According to a source People magazine reports that,  Jennifer Lopez is out as Idol Judge:

Jennifer Lopez is out as a judge on American Idol, according to a source close to the situation.

The singer-actress had been in talks to become a judge on the show this season but the deal fell apart.

“Her demands got out of hand,” says the source. “Fox had just had enough.”

If this is true, the producers better have a backup!  Those judges auditions begin in September!

Maybe TPTB could give Mariah Carey a call. Heh.  Or maybe Jessica Simpson could be reconsidered? (Although she recently said Idol didn’t call her…)

If JLo is really out, who should take her place? You peeps got any ideas?

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  • itsalleternal

    Please don’t set this up as a move to save Kara! Don’t want her back!!! With those demands though, I don’t want J.Lo either.

    Any ideas on who to pick? I say take a chance on an independent singer who is virtually unknown, like Simon and Randy were kinda unknown to Americans in season 1.

  • http://www.madzionist.com negativo

    Holy shit…

  • windmills

    Wow.

    I really hope this doesn’t mean we’ll be stuck with Jessica Simpson. Does this mean there’s hope for Harry Connick Jr. being a judge? I’d rather him than JLo.

  • itsalleternal

    If I were to pick a female judge, this is who I would pick.

  • just sayin

    And the plot thickens…….

  • itsalleternal

    They could always postpone the judges round until later in the fall. There is no reason they have to do them in September.

  • Miss Chaos

    Shes in, shes out, OMG, this is really getting stupid. I know, have Fantasia be a judge, lol. Nigel better get his act together, the show is going down the drain fast, and XFactor is going to whipe it all over the place.

  • LoveDaRocker

    They should get Gloria Estefan, or her husband Emilio. They have been on both sides of the business, albeit more towards the latin side of pop. Any will be much better than JLo.

  • Jx223

    I had thought she might would have been nice and encouraging to the contestants. But I can understand why they didn’t go through with the deal, if she was too demanding behind the scenes.

  • larc

    Can’t help but wonder how much of this is real and how much is manufactured just for the drama and to keep Idol buzz going. There’s not much I would put past that bunch.

  • bridgette12

    I am not heartbroken over the decision, I never understood why she was ever in the running for a judges spot. If they are looking for a female judge, why not Melissa Ethridge or someone similar who a musical knowledge and success in the business.

  • chearts77

    That’s OK with me. Not a J-Lo fan. Is Shania out of the running? :( If not, I’d love to see her on the panel. She’d be constructive while heartfelt. She could be the heart of the judges panel. Bring back HCJr and you have the “witty” judge…then there’s Randy, dawg.

  • Jx223

    I still think that Jessica Simpson might could work as a judge. She has name recognition, and experience/success in pop music. Plus I think she could be entertaining as a judge. And I could see her being nice to the contestants.

    If Jlo really was too demanding, then I think that she could have cost herself a good opportunity to help out her career. She hasn’t been as far away from the spotlight as Paula was, when Paula first started doing Idol. But I think that doing Idol would have given a nice boost to Jlo’s career.

    Harry Connick Jr, could work as a judge, but I am thinking they might want at least one female judge. Unless they choose him and go with a fourth judge and make that judge female.

  • jtgraffix

    and there goes another stupid career move on j.lo. what a diva. oh well, enough with the speculations and just bring back kara, and let’s just focus on simon’s replacement

  • http://www.madzionist.com negativo

    …as Nero, er, Nigel calmly fiddled.

  • Eriko

    What a fiasco! Regarding Kara, putting her annoying moments aside (which I think are being exaggerated by many, they are just obvious when they happen) Imo, Her best critiques, explanations and observations are better than the best of the others. And given a chance, I think she´s learned her lesson, and would be the judge who gave the most relevant and informing comments. Paula´s love I´ll never understand. As a judge, I usually felt embarrassed on her behalf. Often, especially during season 8,I was concerned about her, like her mind wasn´t functioning and she was deeply medicated. And I can´t see it as being “nice” to give fashion, hair and cosmetic comments. For the contestant, it´s like, “hey, you are awful and I can´t even give you advise to improve”

  • stingray11214

    Now that J.Ho is history, do the right thing…..BRING IN GLADYS KNIGHT!!!!

  • t2

    Why don’t we go back to what makes sense…

    A record executive in charge of creating stars — a real one, not a fake one (hello Randy)

    Or someone who creates stars in country music.

  • itsalleternal

    Great ideas t2! I think TPTB are more interested in an A-list celebrity who would supposedly bring in ratings initially (but likely would suppress ratings as the season wore on) rather than someone who knows the industry and would be able to grow both themselves and the Idols. Instead their picks seem like another Ellen in the waiting, we know what a bust that was.

  • jack5791

    I hope they save Kara. I never wanted J.Lo anyway.

  • anibundel

    I once again humbly suggest my idea for The Next American Idol Judge, on Fox this fall:

    http://anibundel.tumblr.com/post/903236776/the-next-american-idol-judge

    (yes, for those who saw it the first time I posted it here at MJ’s, I was so proud of it I put it on my tumblr.)

    Seriously–it’d be win-win-win for everyone involved. Judges found, programming slot filled, American Idol All Star performances for all of us. And for the faux audition rounds, think of the cameo possibilities.

  • sma11ie

    Ugh, I’m so worn out from the whiplash of who’s in and who’s out every other day. I don’t even know who I want anymore. I mean, Jessica Simpson sounded like an awful choice at first (still bummed Shania was never in contention), but at this point, I almost don’t care if she’s in if that means we finally confirm SOMETHING please. She was pretty entertaining on that Newlyweds show… credentials be damned heh. Mariah, Jessica, Kara, whoever. Just make a frickin decision, people!

    So I guess they need a panel by September? Maybe I’ll tune out the judge news until then when it’s final. Paraphrasing Green Day… wake me up when September [comes].

  • movin2thabeet

    I’m not really surprised by this news. J-Lo has always seemed to be a very high maintenance diva. Better to cut it off now rather than later. I think Nigel really wants to make sure the chemistry of the judges is something special, so its hard to make a call based on the little we know. I trust they’ll test this thing out fully since they know that this could be the do or die season for Idol.

  • colette

    GLADYS KNIGHT!! An idea of pure genius. she’s smart, bubbly and such a pro. But I’d be amazed if they had two black judges. There’s no problem with “racial balance” for these TV moguls when it’s all white folks, but when you have a couple African Americans……o, cynical me.

    Jlo would have been another diva, that’s for sure!

    Ah sigh, now they gotta find another glamour puss, semi-washed up female pop singer, hopefully somebody who’ll say some outrageous things and won’t ask for five dozen white roses in her dressing room every time she’s in the building.

  • OvenMitt

    Shania Twain to the rescue, PLEASE!

  • Lulu2

    Janet Jackson, for high ratings and that Jacksonian weirdness.

  • Marie Ruffin

    Okay, let’s dissect this. It just shows the Producers are in desperation mode. First they move in Kara, in a sneaky way to replace Paula….even Paula acknowledged in an interview that was what happened….because Paula’s contract was up….so Kara was the replacement….then they get Ellen to do what? I still don’t understand the move to hire Ellen.

    And as for Jlo….from what I’ve read, she wanted a development deal from Fox and maybe her manager was a little too strong willed when it came to negotiations — but heck! look what they did to Paula. I’m sure Jlo wasn’t going to be treated the same way.

    As for judge possibilities — Gladys Knight for the win.

  • kcostell

    Remember, season 10 is going to be about the contestants and not about the judges. Right? Right???

  • jacquesthedog

    anibundel you rock, such a great idea, I will have to tweet it..http://anibundel.tumblr.com/post/903236776/the-next-american-idol-judge

    Another suggestion, how about asking Gene Simmons-I have said that so many times-you know who he is, right? You know that guy who has written music and lyrics for over 30 years, produced and has found bands, oh and stars in a reality show (not sure if it is still on) but his D.P. Dr. Pepper commercials are…(oh yeah and he was in a little rock band called KISS)

  • broddybounce

    OMG! I came on here to comment that my choice would be Gladys Knight — and two of you already said it! YAY!!! If y’all recall — remember that one failed season of JUNIOR IDOL? Just looked it up and it was all the way back in 2003! Gladys was one of the regular judges and man she was TERRIFIC! She did not hold back negative criticism (“constructive”!) when necessary. And she was great when she was a guest judge on Idol, too. GLADYS! GLADYS! GLADYS!

  • http://talkinaboutmovies.blogspot.com Brenoga

    Shania Twain!

  • sunny2

    I like the Gladys and Shania suggestions the best.

    I also like Kelly Clarkson but she has an album coming out next year, so it probably wouldn’t work.

    I enjoyed Katie Pery last year., but like Kelly she’s still working on her music career. Too early to settle down.

  • anibundel

    @jacquesthedog:

    *blushes mumbles thanks*

  • Incipit

    Remember, season 10 is going to be about the contestants and not about the judges. Right? Right???

    Bwahahaha!! Kcostell I’m sure you’re right – Nigel said so – and we believe everything Nigel says…no matter how contradictory. /snark.

    Cry Wolf – again, why not?

    Wait, I have a thought – all the new judges ought to be Only Fifteen!! TPTB can recruit from those eliminated at the city try outs. Surely they won’t have been trained yet in the School of Doublespeak and Obfuscation, they may even be more lucid than Randy! And that will lower the demographic age of the audience to the ones who only have their parents money to spend…Capitol Idea…Right? Right?

    Okay, now /snark. For reals.

  • tripp_ncwy

    Patti LaBelle is on record about idol. Love her comments about the judges (Feb 24).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMxDnx2tg_U

  • http://mjsbigblog.com/luvadamlamberts-american-idol-tour-2009-washington-dc-re-cap.htm luvadamlambert

    The only person I would like is Paula,please no Shania/Gladys/kelly/or really old singers….

    But YAY J.Lo’s OUT!!!! :D

  • jpfan

    Train wreck. They should go to Plan B and bring back Paula. Oh wait, too late for that. How about Sharon Osbourne? Scratch that. By the time they pick their judges no will care.

  • http://www.dallascowboys.com GeminiDolly

    I think Jessica Simpson will be getting that phone call. Shed be like another Pauler. It makes so much sense.

  • Eriko

    The only person I would like is Paula

    Are you sure this isn´t based on some nostalgia? For example during season 8. Was there a time after Paula commented, you thought to yourself, yeah, good observation, thanks for pointing that out. I for one, want someone who is first and foremost, a “judge” who sheds some light that might escape the average viewer and makes sense to him afterward.

  • Incipit

    By the time they pick their judges no one will care.

    jpfan I already don’t care who they pick – not looking for it to matter much…I am briefly amused by each new Spin Cycle – and the careful form of the Non-Announcement announcements….subsequently debunked by ” a source close to the situation”

    Still, it gets them continuing press, while they toss candidates under the bus, third hand – and that seems to be the only point.

  • BootStar

    Shania Twain!

    JUST SAY NO TO KARA!

  • mikejam

    Randy, Shania, and Harry. It makes perfect sense! It could be the Holy Trinity Version 2. (Version 1 being Randy, Paula, and Simon)

  • ptslittlecomment

    Folks at EW are suggesting Cher, which might not be a bad idea. She’s the only female artist (maybe male) to have a hit in five different decades. She has a huge following. She’s staged many a comeback in the industry. She’s also honest and funny. She knows what it takes to make a TV show work. She’s about to have another movie be released, so it would be good PR for her.

  • JudyL

    I think Jessica Simpson will be getting that phone call. Shed be like another Pauler. It makes so much sense.

    If they really are so foolish as to hire Jessica Simpson, they might as well hang a “Going Out Of Business” sign on the show.

  • windmills

    Shania would be amazing. But IMO if she’d been an option they would’ve pursued her 1st. Then again these AI people might be crazy.

    I can’t get past the idea that Shania’s too big to put herself out there week by week as an AI judge.

    Edit: I don’t hate the Cher idea.

  • AIaddict

    I’m starting to not care who the judges are as long as we only end up with 3 of them. Ok, yeah, as long as Jessica Simpson is not sitting on the panel. I really can’t stand her.

  • bjames

    SHANIA TWAIN!!

    Or, Mariah could just be the perfect mix of crazy that the show needs.

    Randy/Shania/Harry would be ideal. I could go for a Kara / Mariah / Harry panel also.

  • itsalleternal

    Just say NO to Jessica Simpson on the panel. I’d rather see it reduced to 2 or fewer judges than have her on it.

  • dflowers

    Call me crazy, but I think they should look up Queen Latifah. she’s got the chops, the experience and people love her.

    Definite NO on Mariah, too much drama.

  • itsalleternal

    We need to stop with the A-list celebrity finding and find someone who is VERY knowledgeable in the music industry and can both find stars and grow into something strong themselves. That thinking got us Ellen, who was a total bust, and will likely bust yet again.

  • abbysee

    broddybounce:

    Were you a Trenyce fan season two? Were you on Bolt.com?

  • koshka

    dflowers:
    08/11/2010 at 2:41 pm
    Call me crazy, but I think they should look up Queen Latifah. she’s got the chops, the experience and people love her.

    Definite NO on Mariah, too much drama.

    I love her.. she’d be great!

  • bridgette12

    kcostell:
    08/11/2010 at 1:26 pm
    Remember, season 10 is going to be about the contestants and not about the judges. Right? Right???

    If they are not careful, season 10 will be a repeat of season 9, where the contestants are competing with judges for attention both on the show and in the media. Hopefully with Nigel returning, they will do a better job of selecting contestants who will steal the spotlight away from the neverending judges dramas.

  • itsalleternal

    If they are not careful, season 10 will be a repeat of season 9, where the contestants are competing with judges for attention both on the show and in the media. Hopefully with Nigel returning, they will do a better job of selecting contestants who will steal the spotlight away from the neverending judges dramas.

    That is a reason I think the new judges should be fairly low-profile music business people or lesser-known singers and not celebrities that know nothing about the business side.

  • anibundel

    Edit: I don’t hate the Cher idea

    I don’t hate the Cher idea either.

    Hey look, an idea two THREE people don’t hate! Idol producers and gossip mongers, get all over it!

  • just sayin

    PUH-LEEEEESE not Mariah Carey. Anyone else over Mariah Carey.

    ETA: Ooooooo, just read the Cher suggestion. I LOVE that!

  • http://susanreep.com grambert

    Queen Latifah is a brilliant suggestion. Likability, knowledge, could give the bad news softly, knows the business, and still on top of career.

  • Jx223

    Call me crazy, but I think they should look up Queen Latifah. she’s got the chops, the experience and people love her.

    I think that Queen Latifah would be nice to the contestants but still give out constructive criticism. Plus she might be funny sometimes. She seems like she has a pleasant personality, I could see her kind of filling the “Paula” role. The role IMO, that people like jlo, Shania, and Jessica Simpson could have filled.

    I think after they fill the “Paula” role they need to find a judge with a big, interesting personality.

  • Rileygirl

    Love the Queen Latifah idea, love the Cher idea. Another person who I think would be great is Faith Hill even though I doubt she would do it.

  • windmills

    dflowers: Call me crazy, but I think they should look up Queen Latifah. she’s got the chops, the experience and people love her.

    You’re crazy like a fox ;) I really like that idea. A Queen or Cher + Harry Connick Jr./Steven Tyler judges group or a Queen/Harry Connick Jr/Cher judges group actually sounds very good to me.

  • cookcricket

    I’m really disappointed, I thought JLo was the perfect choice.

    ETA: someone suggested Queen Latifah last yr. before Ellen was on board and I agreed that w/b a great choice! Cher might be pretty good, but I wouldn’t be as excited about her as QL!!

  • BootStar

    Queen Latifah is a great idea. I like the Cher suggestion too, but I worry she’d distract from the contestants. She’s a HUGE presence.

  • http://www.madzionist.com negativo

    Why do we need judges again? What role do they have besides trying to manipulate how the audience votes? Let the contestants sing full songs, save about $50 million in salary, and use that money for production improvements and full time mentors.

  • anibundel

    Why do we need judges again? What role do they have besides trying to manipulate how the audience votes? Let the contestants sing full songs, save about $50 million in salary, and use that money for production improvements and full time mentors.

    Negativo: This Idea Is Brilliant.

    Really, any idea that causes the singers to sing the full songs, and to sing more of them, is the A number one best solution in my book.

    Screw the judges, you know what I want to see next year? TWO SONGS ON TOP FIVE AND TOP FOUR WEEK AGAIN. THREE SONGS ON TOP THREE WEEK. Is that SO MUCH to ask?

  • dhunken

    I think Cyndi Lauper or Pat Benatar would be fantastic choices for Judges. Both are amazing singers and performers. I am bias as these were two of my favorite artist ever…..

    Oh for a real obscure yet brilliant choice……Deborah Harry!!!!

    Cher is a choice I could get on board with too!

    Screw the judges, you know what I want to see next year? TWO SONGS ON TOP FIVE AND TOP FOUR WEEK AGAIN. THREE SONGS ON TOP THREE WEEK. Is that SO MUCH to ask?

    Love this idea! but the only part I disagree with is I think the judges are an important part if they judge correctly. I believe they were originally suppose to be giving constructive critiques to the contestants to let them know how to improve on what ever they were doing. You know give them direction…..that got lost in the mix. If they did this more and less of the ridiculous rude remarks I think it would be a much better show. These contestants are not suppose to really know how to really perform. I think this was why Idol was better in the earlier years…..they mostly would tell the contestants what they needed to do…(not all the time). I personally don’t need the judges to tell me someone sucks I can really figure that on my own but I would like these so called experts to give the contestants direction to see how they can improve over the course of the competition. Thats what we got with Kelly, Carrie, Diana Digarmo, Clay, Ruben, Bo. To me the judges stop doing that around season 5. I mean that was a really impressive group of the top 10 and the judges started to become a sideshow and less of what they originally were brought in to do. IMHO. I may not be explaining myself fully but roughly I hope people get my drift. If not I am sorry for the confusion and rambling. :-)

  • movin2thabeet

    Cher is an inspired choice. She would get some of the older viewers back. She is on the other side of a great career so she might be available. And she knows what it takes to be a success. Also like Gladys Knight and to a lesser extent, Shania. I love Queen Latifah but she still has a happening music and film career, so I doubt she’d be interested. I don’t see anyone with a currently thriving career in the biz being interested. To tell the truth, I was surprised that J Lo was available.

  • sma11ie

    I would like full songs and less judging blabbery (is that a word?) in the later stages (OR at least, go back to two songs each for top 5 and top 4, three for top 3 and 2, like anibundel brought up), when the contestants are all pretty good, but I think hearing a full song from some of the trainwrecks of the early stages could be more than I want to hear…

  • ptslittlecomment

    To tell the truth, I was surprised that J Lo was available.

    She’s available because she hasn’t had a hit movie or CD in a few years. I guess we will see how marketable Cher still is when her movie comes out in a few months. But she already has a built in following.

  • Nostradamas

    One more vote for Shania…judges should ocme from diverse musical backgrounds and have real cred in the music business…

  • ladyme

    How about just Randy, let him say dawg bad or da bomb, move on to the next singer! What a novel idea, a song about the singers, singing longer than 1 minute and 30 seconds of a song. Hmmm go back to the reason we watch the show. SINGING! P.S. I think Kara got the axe for using the B word and the sexual references (on a family show) and Ellen was ok, but her non knowledge showed too much. But I like her and I like Kara too (without the sexual content and curse words). Just hope they hurry up. I attended the concert at Georgia btw and it was worth the money, but it wasnt Jordin Sparks or David Cook good.

  • http://www.huckleberryfriendmusic.com/ huckleberryfriend

    Stevie Nicks!

  • JW

    #
    #
    BootStar:
    08/11/2010 at 3:43 pm

    Queen Latifah is a great idea. I like the Cher suggestion too, but I worry she’d distract from the contestants. She’s a HUGE presence

    The show needs HUGE so in that regard Cher could bring it on. Cher, Shania, HCJ. Drop Randy.

  • Dlynne

    I love the Queen Latifah suggestion! I’m indifferent about Cher, as I think they really need to choose someone who is still relevant. I’m not totally opposed to Mariah Carey. She was a surprisingly good mentor during Cook’s season. Plus, she could bring the crazy the show needs.

    They really have to choose someone that people under 30 recognize and can relate to on some level. With the song selection being so outdated, an older judge would be the last nail in the coffin, imo.

  • Nina1

    Poetess, singer, godmother of punk, lover of Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti Smith. She’d be like getting Dylan, only better, because she is female. It would be fascinating, even if it didn’t work.

  • bananafish

    I hope Kara tells them publicly to get lost when they ask her to do another year.

  • mozart4898

    itsalleternal:
    08/11/2010 at 2:42 pm
    We need to stop with the A-list celebrity finding and find someone who is VERY knowledgeable in the music industry and can both find stars and grow into something strong themselves. That thinking got us Ellen, who was a total bust, and will likely bust yet again.

    This. (Although I still think the reason Ellen was a bust was because she wasn’t comfortable with being manipulative like they wanted, and because the rest of the panel didn’t really work with her at all.)

    JW:
    08/11/2010 at 5:31 pm

    The show needs HUGE so in that regard Cher could bring it on. Cher, Shania, HCJ. Drop Randy.

    Why does the show need huge? Tell me again, how many people really were familiar with Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell before S1? Paula was known, but the other two were pretty much a mystery. I dunno, I just think that the best course of action for them would have been to try to come up with a list – probably a fairly lengthy one – and have the potential judges themselves sit down and interact. Send them to dinner, or to a bar, or something – see how they fit together. Figure out what potential “panel” works best as a whole, and then sign them. Who cares about filling a “Paula” spot, or filling “Simon’s” spot? You try to do that, and it just invites the comparisons. What you need are 3 (or 4, even) judges who can interact with each other and with a performer in a constructive, positive, but honest way. I don’t care if it’s a record exec, a truck driver, and a diner waitress – if they can work together and make good observations and help the contestants, then fine. A-list celebs aren’t what it’s about. If anything, they’re going to cause more problems then solutions, because of their own egos and demands.

  • Nina1

    Why does the show need huge? . A-list celebs aren’t what it’s about. If anything, they’re going to cause more problems then solutions, because of their own egos and demands.

    Yup. There are many nooks and crannies in the world of music. This task should not be hard.

  • briguyx

    I guess no one saw Cher on this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards when she babbled on and on during her intro spot. I think Mariah Carey has the music knowledge, although she tends to take a long time getting ready to go on. If they had trouble getting Paula out to the podium on time, Mariah would be even worst. Queen Latifah would be excellent, thanks to her experience in both singing and rapping, and hopefully could keep her comments short.

  • Owlgirl

    I’d still love to see Katy Perry as a judge, since she was so entertaining when she guested, but I’m sure her career is too big right now for her to consider it. It’s a shame! Cher and Queen Latifah would both be great.

  • Grammie Kari

    Screw the judges, you know what I want to see next year? TWO SONGS ON TOP FIVE AND TOP FOUR WEEK AGAIN. THREE SONGS ON TOP THREE WEEK. Is that SO MUCH to ask?

    This is an excellent suggestion! BRAVO!!

    I like the idea of Cher, Cnydi, Gloria Estepan or Pat Benatar. I thought Jennifer Lopez was a good choice.

  • ptslittlecomment

    I guess no one saw Cher on this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards when she babbled on and on during her intro spot.

    I hadn’t seen it, so I googled it. She spoke for about 1:25 minutes, including telling a couple of jokes. With Reba McEntire’s introduction, the standing “O” she received and her intro of the next act, her segment lasted 2:06 minutes.

    http://repka.tv/video/83698

    I think her ability to relate to her audience and to not take herself so seriously would serve Idol well.

  • bananafish

    “Screw the judges, you know what I want to see next year? TWO SONGS ON TOP FIVE AND TOP FOUR WEEK AGAIN. THREE SONGS ON TOP THREE WEEK. Is that SO MUCH to ask?”

    It might be if you had to come up with three songs that will clear, edit them down to 90 seconds, create an innovative rearrangement for each of them, rehearse them all with the band, record the itunes copy, fly back to your hometown for a day of parades, press & performances, spend another day shooting a Ford car commercial and rehearse a group song, all in 6 days

  • anibundel

    It might be if you had to come up with three songs that will clear, edit them down to 90 seconds, create an innovative rearrangement for each of them, rehearse them all with the band, record the itunes copy, fly back to your hometown for a day of parades, press & performances, spend another day shooting a Ford car commercial and rehearse a group song, all in 6 days.

    EXCEPT! Up through season seven THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. One could in fact have all FIVE contestants do two songs starting with top five, so that we got ten songs in an episode, and then uping to three songs on top three week, so we got nine songs in a night. It not only gave us more of what we want (contestants singing), but it also helped train the top finalists to be able to handle that much so by the time they got to the finale, doing three songs in a week was not a new onus, but was in fact something they had been building up to for over a month.
    ….and then suddenly in season eight it stopped being doable? No, the only thing that happened was it took too long for the judges to critique, so there wasn’t time to do that many songs. Sudden we couldn’t FIT ten songs in one hour. It’s been a detriment not only to us viewers who want to see more contestant singing, but also to the contestants themselves, who don’t get the opportunity to do more than one song in a night until top four week, and then don’t have to CARRY two songs in a night by themselves until top three and they go into the finale doing three songs in a night for the first time.

    If I would have the producers do nothing else, I would have them restore the format back to carrying multiple songs in a night by themselves starting with top five week.

  • http://www.twilightslo.com Mateja

    EXCEPT! Up through season seven THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. One could in fact have all FIVE contestants do two songs starting with top five, so that we got ten songs in an episode, and then uping to three songs on top three week, so we got nine songs in a night. It not only gave us more of what we want (contestants singing), but it also helped train the top finalists to be able to handle that much so by the time they got to the finale, doing three songs in a week was not a new onus, but was in fact something they had been building up to for over a month.
    ….and then suddenly in season eight it stopped being doable? No, the only thing that happened was it took too long for the judges to critique, so there wasn’t time to do that many songs. Sudden we couldn’t FIT ten songs in one hour. It’s been a detriment not only to us viewers who want to see more contestant singing, but also to the contestants themselves, who don’t get the opportunity to do more than one song in a night until top four week, and then don’t have to CARRY two songs in a night by themselves until top three and they go into the finale doing three songs in a night for the first time.

    If I would have the producers do nothing else, I would have them restore the format back to carrying multiple songs in a night by themselves starting with top five week.

    Before season 6, the contestants didn’t have to record any studio versions of their songs during the week. In season 7, they recorded only 1 song each week towards the end and fans were unhappy when they prefered the songs that were not recorded. In seasons 8 and 9, the contestants recorded all songs they sang from TOP 12 to the finale.

    Starting with season 7, contestants are suddenly expected to sing rearranged songs, if not, they get insulted for not showing enough “artistry” (whatever that means). So, unless the producers decide to turn back time…

    The better solution would be to have 3 singers in the finale:
    Finale – three singers, 3 songs each = 9 perfomances
    week before – 4 singers, 2 songs each = 8 performances
    two weeks before – 5 singers, 2 songs each = 10 performances
    three weeks before – 6 singers, 1 song each = 6 performances (longer)

  • http://talkinaboutmovies.blogspot.com Brenoga

    the only positive side of having mariah on the show would be not listening to Hero or When You Believe ever again on AI.

  • bean99

    I’d love to see Shania as a judge but Kara would be okay. Def better than Mariah (too much of a diva) or Jessica Simpson. Would especially love Shania & Harry as the 2 new judges.

  • http://www.dallascowboys.com GeminiDolly

    What in the world is GossipCop? Is it another tabloid or legit site??

  • mozart4898

    The better solution would be to have 3 singers in the finale:
    Finale – three singers, 3 songs each = 9 perfomances

    The problem with this is that I could see this definitely affecting the outcome at times – in other words, the overall favorite not winning. Take S8 for example. If the top 3 were the finale, would Kris have won? Seriously doubt it. I imagine Adam would have, with like a 40/35/25 split of the vote. The problem is, like it or not, being able to vote against someone in the finale is sort of a safeguard to ensuring that someone that the public really DOESN’T want to have win, doesn’t end up winning.

    (And this wasn’t a “thankfully Adam didn’t win” point. My favorite ever was also a runner up…) No, I think the finale being the top 2 is the way it should be.

    Then again, it also should be that they figure out what the f*ck they’re doing with the judging panel already. It’s not rocket science. I’m sure they could come up with a list of 50 potential candidates in an afternoon, contact them, narrow that list to about 12 or so within a couple days, and then take another week or so to pick out their 5 or so favorites, see how they relate to each other, and make offers and all. They’re trying to micromanage the panel, and it’s only going to result in a micromanaged mess.

  • http://www.twilightslo.com Mateja

    Well yeah, I would actually love to prevent voting against someone in the finale. People should vote for the contestant they like best of the three, not against one of the two (which means automatically voting for the other contestant).

  • summertime blues

    I would love for each AI winner to be a guest judge on the panel. Who better to judge than a previous winner? Ratings would go through the roof!

    Also would love for Cher to be on the panel. Also think Lionel Richie and Piers Morgan would make great judges.

    I would also get rid of Randy and fill his spot with a record executive. The person doesn’t have to be well-known. Nobody knew who Simon Cowell was before Idol.

  • bean99

    What in the world is GossipCop? Is it another tabloid or legit site?

    ?

    As their name implies they police the gossip/rumors out there. I don’t usually care about gossip but follow their tweets and check it out when it’s someone I like.