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‘American Idol’ Putting Finishing Touches on Deal With Its Newest Judge

Aug 26, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Fox’s "American Idol" is close to locking in its third judge for the upcoming season. Writing on Deadline.com, Nellie Andreeva reports that the singing competition is closing in on a deal with producer-songwriter Dr. Luke.

"When Dr. Luke’s name first surfaced as a leading contender for a judge gig on ‘Idol,’ the news prompted headlines like, ‘Dr. Who?’" Andreeva writes.

But many people are undoubtedly familiar with Dr. Luke’s work, which includes Kei$ha’s “Tik Tok,” Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” and “I Kissed a Girl” and Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite." He also started his career as lead guitarist for the house band on "Saturday Night Live," which might make his face familiar to some, she notes.

"And with Dr. Luke’s hire ‘Idol’ is going back to its roots, betting on a unknown to the public top music producer as a judge — just as it did with Simon Cowell in 2002," Andreeva writes.

Dr. Luke is expected to join the panel that also includes Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez. Meanwhile, Randy Jackson continues talks to return to the show as in-house mentor, replacing Jimmy Iovine.

dr-luke.jpgDr. Luke

One Comment

  1. Really? Dr Luke reportedly has a contract with Sony, and Idol music is licensed to Universal. I doubt Sony would let him do this.

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