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Report: ‘American Idol’ Has Offered One of the Judges’ Spots to Singer Who Has Been Rumored to Be in Contention; Panel May Expand to Four Judges (Again) — Potential Lineup Represents Four Musical Genres … With One Big Omission

Sep 7, 2012  •  Post A Comment

[Updated Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, 12:45 p.m. PT — headline rewritten to reflect that the singer who was reportedly offered the judge’s position, Enrique Iglesias, has had his name mentioned previously in connection with the job.This was pointed out to us in comments by at least one reader. A TVWeek editor, upon making the correction, then deleted the comments, which he should hot have done. We apologize and thank the commenters who pointed out our error.]

Fox’s "American Idol" has reportedly moved a step closer to locking down its panel of judges for season 12. The show made a “firm offer” of a judge’s seat to singer and songwriter Enrique Iglesias, reports EW.com’s Inside TV.

Additionally, the panel may expand to four judges next year, even after the show scrapped its entire previous panel, the story notes. Rapper Nicki Minaj and country singer Keith Urban are ready to join pop singer Mariah Carey on the show, with Iglesias potentially filling the fourth judge’s seat, the piece adds.

Iglesias has received an offer of about $4 million a year, about what Urban was offered, the story says.

The report notes that the plan to bring these four judges together represents s “four-quadrant strategy,” with the four panel members representing four musical genres: pop, rap, country and Latin music. That leaves out a traditionally important genre, rock ‘n’ roll — but the piece notes that rock hasn’t had much impact on the charts in recent times.

The piece adds: “’Idol’ tried expanding to four judges once before and the network was said to be unhappy with the result, so this possibility is a bit surprising. But NBC’s ‘The Voice’ managed to have four judges from different music backgrounds that have worked together quite well. Plus, Fox’s own ‘The X Factor’ has a quartet of judges, too.”

4 Comments

  1. It depends on who the four judges are. Some people watch (or don’t watch)because of who the judges are.
    Even “The X Factor” is replacing two of the judges this year.

  2. I don’t watch these shows because the premise is so flawed. Celebrity judges aren’t as qualified as recording company talent scouts and the voting public rarely picks the most talented – they usually pick guys as the voters are predominately young girls. You can pick out a handful of people that have made a career from AI, no one from X-FactorUS and none from the Voice. Just like the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchises – only one couple has gotten married and, fortunately, remained so. I will stick to scripted shows where the talented actors and writers continually impress me. At least on “Smash”, an AI alumni is doing a magnificent job and proving every week she is talented in acting as well as singing. And for someone like me to watch, let alone admit I watch, a show about a Broadway musical, that’s saying a lot for Katharine McPhee.

  3. Here’s a dark horse prediction. A singing competition show starring Simon Cowell will air on Fox in the Spring of 2014.
    I expect that the plan, for Simon for X Factor all along, is to REPLACE Idol, just like it did in the UK. Prime time for this genre is the Spring, since it’s up against fewer new show premiering, and many weeks where original Idol episodes go up against reruns. If X Factor is going to last long term, it’s going to eventually move to the Spring.
    However, the US version of X Factor got to a slow start and already has been retooled. Add to this the judging changes on American Idol for the second time in three years, and we have a competition.
    If both shows stumble this year, I can see Fox paying a lot of money to bring back all three original judges to American Idol in 2014, for a potential final season (Secrest is signed through that year).

  4. i would love to see jlo come back as a judge for american idol…

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