Jennifer Lopez is out as a potential "American Idol" judge, but luckily, producers for Fox's talent-search phenomenon have a high-profile Plan B to fill J.Lo's empty seat.Country star Shania Twain is officially in talks to fill the near-barren judges' table on Fox's hit show, People.com is reporting. It would not be Twain's first involvement with "Idol," as she was a guest judge during last season's Chicago auditions, and mentored the contestants in an episode in April.
"Shania's a huge fan of the show and she had a great time as a mentor," a source close to the singer told People.Fox has yet to issue a comment regarding the judging situation, except to say that no replacements have been decided.
The fate of "American Idol" has been one of the bigger question marks of the summer; with three of the four judges having left the show after last season -- casting significant uncertainty as to what direction the show will take when it returns next fall.
Most high-profile among the departures was Simon Cowell, considered by many the face of "Idol" and certainly its most famous/infamous judge. The most abrupt departure, however, was Ellen DeGeneres, who opted out of her contract after just one season during which she replaced Paula Abdul. Also leaving the show is Kara DioGuardi, who reportedly didn't realize she had been fired until she saw it in a newspaper.Randy Jackson, the fourth judge, has also yet to be confirmed for the upcoming season season, although he did recently say that host Ryan Seacrest would definitely be back. Fox and producers have remained silent on who they are considering for the new judges' spot, but Lopez’s name surfaced as a likely replacement. Also reportedly in the mix is Steven Tyler.
The Aerosmith frontman told reporters at a concert last month "I'm doing it," in reference to an "Idol" judging spot, a surprise to his bandmates that left axeman Joe Perry scratching his head.
"We're told it's a done deal," Perry told the Boston Herald, although he also said Tyler was under specific instructions not to discuss a potential judging slot.
- Daily News
