In the "rumor has it" department, rap singer and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs has been asked by "American Idol" producers to be a judge for Season 12.
Somewhere in all the Twitter posts and blog rumors, there could be a mention of just who might be sitting alongside Mariah Carey at the judges table during the next season of the hit talent competition series. But when everyone from Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus to Snoop Dogg (sorry -- Snoop Lion) and Nick Jonas has been offered up as possible seat-fillers, someone is bound to have scored a winner. But it doesn't look like the next set of "Idol" judges will include Sean Combs, if EOnline's sources are correct.
According the the entertainment website, 'Diddy' Combs is just one of a growing number of people "American Idol" has reached out to in the hopes of securing a new member for their judging squad. "Something like 20," one source told the site. And it looks as if it might be one of those other 19 individuals that could get the job, because, according to several sources, Combs doesn't appear all that interested, making his appearance on "Idol" a "long shot."
Combs brings along an impressive resume, should the show land him for the job. He's won three Grammys, two MTV VMAs, and sold over 10 million albums just from his solo works (five studio albums). He is a major producer in the rap/hip hop genre, producing such artists as Notorious B.I.G., Jennifer Lopez, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, Britney Spears, and Ice Cube. He produced his own talent search reality show for MTV, "Making The Band." He has topped the Billboard Hot 100 five times and the rap charts 12 times. And as side projects, Combs dabbles in entrepreneurial enterprises, such as a clothing line and movie theaters. And there is his moonlighting job as spokesman for Ciroc tequila.
But points in his favor aside, "American Idol" just might not be willing to pay what Combs might ask to fill the seat. They'v already shelled out a reported $17 or $18 million for Mariah Carey to sit in judgment of the "Idol" hopefuls next season.
And then there is Pharrell Williams. According to the New York Daily News' "Gatecrasher" column, the award-winning producer has been telling people at his record label that he already has the job.
Which means that there would be one seat left. And it is reported that Williams and veteran judge Randy Jackson are fairly good friends. If Jackson returns as a judge himself for a twelfth season (as yet there has been no indication in what capacity he will return to the show, although it has been said that he will return, just maybe not as a judge), it would be a tight-knit group of people who know and have worked together in the past. And that could be exactly what the "Idol" producers are looking for.
Fox Television is remaining mum on the subject of "American Idol" judge recruitment, but Nigel Lythgoe, who has produced the show for most of its history, says that they are ultimately looking for "a panel that gels." He told E! News, "A panel that makes sense together. It's not just about three individuals."
Incidentally, Pharrell Williams has worked with another "long shot" possible judge who has expressed interest in being a judge for Season 12 -- Snoop Lion. The two recorded several songs together, including the 2004 No. 1 Snoop Dogg hit, "Drop It Like It's Hot," which featured Pharrell (Williams' stage name).
But there is also one other way that Combs, Snoop Lion, or any of the other possible judges might sit at the judges table, even if Randy Jackson remains in place. There have also been rumors of a return to the four-judge panel...
(photo credit: Richard Burdett, Creative Commons)
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