Fox boss talks American Idol judging drama
Are they in or are they out? Short answer: maybe still in. For weeks, reports have been swirling that American Idol is scrapping all four judges and coming back with a new group for next season after a low-rated 12th season of the Fox reality series.
Today on a conference call to talk about the network's fall lineup, Fox chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly insisted that no decision has been made and that Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Keith Urban are "welcome back, absolutely" for next season.
"Everything at this point is on the table, and we'll talk about that starting Friday," he said when asked about bringing back the trio. So keep your eyes peeled for announcements about the judges as early as next week. Reilly did confirm that Randy Jackson would not be returning (which we already exclusively reported last week), but that there was "not an ounce of ill will either way" regarding his departure.
Reilly also said that it was "likely" that next season of Idol would go back to the three-judging panel format, and apparently, that's not the only change ahead for the series. "Our next season begins Friday morning after our finale, and that's when we're really gonna go to work in earnest," he said. "Because the format, more than anything, will have a few fresh twists next year, which we've already identified that I think will be a nice little jolt for next season." (excerpt from E! Online)
|
