Shania Twain is reportedly the latest contender for a seat at "American Idol's" new judges table. This follows news that talks between Idol producers and Jennifer Lopez have broken down, due to Lopez's contract demands.
Twain was well-received as a guest judge and mentor on last season's "Idol." Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe recently rejoined the show after a two-year absence, and has said he wants to revive the show's three judge format.
While a judges' panel of Randy Jackson, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez had been rumored for the last month, it's said that Lopez's contract demands proved too much for Fox and producers. Producers insist that no one — other than Randy Jackson, who is in the midst of a multiyear deal — has signed a contract to appear on the upcoming season.
Though no official announcements will come until later this month, Tyler continues to hint that his potential Idol gig is a done deal, telling the New York Post why he'd make a good judge. "I'm very judgmental of the guys in the band. I know when to say, 'Don't bore us — get to the chorus!' and I think I'd bring credibility to that forum if I was asked to do it," Tyler said.
Meanwhile, the fate of the two remaining "American Idol" judges, Jackson and Kara DioGuardi, remains unclear. DioGuardi was rumored to have been let go after her two-year stint on Idol, but producers have yet to make that announcement. With less than a month to go before the judges are scheduled to oversee auditions, Kara's father, New York senatorial candidate Joe DioGuardi, says that his daughter is disappointed by how Fox has handled the situation this summer. "Would you believe she did not hear — and still has not heard — anything," DioGuardi told Capital Tonight. "She read [news of her firing] the way you did and I did…I think they're trying to create a lot of buzz. Would she want to do it another year? I think so…I think at some point [she] will confront them on that."