Elton John And Justin Timberlake Courted To Replace Cowell: Report

The carousel of speculative Simon Cowell replacements continues to spin unabated. So far, we’ve been introduced to the idea of the indispensable “American Idol” host being potentially replaced by Katy Perry, Howard Stern, Shania Twain, Chris Isaak, Axl Rose, my neighbor Mark and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Nothing has stuck, but The Hollywood Reporter says Fox may be bringing back former “Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe to take over the show in the post-Cowell era, and he could be bringing Elton John with him. Let’s dive in:

"Idol" fans can add Justin Timberlake to the list of potential Cowell replacements. The pop star is on "Idol" producer 19 Entertainment chief Simon Fuller's wish list, along with legendary singer Elton John…

Industry rumors have been circulating for weeks that Fuller and Fox are considering not just replacing Cowell but dumping the entire judges panel.

And the biggest public advocate of such a nuclear option is Lythgoe, who told a reporter in April that if he was in charge, he would replace all the remaining judges. Lythgoe also was a critic of having four judges on the show instead of three, saying having an extra judge distracts viewers from focusing on the competitors…

When asked whom he would choose to judge "Idol," Lythgoe has cited Elton John, Usher and Paula Abdul.

“Idol” has a lot of problems right now. Last season was its worst pool of contestants ever, and it’s possible the show may have seen every crazy talented American singer they’re ever going to see. I guarantee you those producers are seeing the same candidates coming by again and again and again now. The show is also going to suffer once Cowell’s “X Factor” hits TV this fall and essentially replaces “Idol” as the premiere televised singing competition. Lastly, Lythgoe is right to dislike the current judging panel. Four judges are too many, particularly when two of those judges are useless (Kara and Randy) and one of them is nicer than she ought to be (Ellen). The end of last season found these judges trying to convince viewers the finalists they were hearing weren’t complete hacks. Oh, but they were. They so were.

It’s hard to do anything about the show’s contestant pool. But dumping all the judges and bringing in luminaries like Timberlake (I doubt he’d do it) and John (He’d do it) would give the show a very necessary bit of heat just when America has begun to cool on it. Everything Lythgoe says about the show is spot on. The question is: Will Fox have the stones to let him do the right thing and purge this thing clean?

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