After successfully rebooting the brand with the injection of two new judges, "American Idol" is once again facing more judging drama for the upcoming season. The good news is that sole original judge Randy Jackson has agreed to return, in addition to breakout newbie judge Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler.
But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the unknown for season 11 continues to be the just-completed run's other popular new judge, singer Jennifer Lopez, who continues to waffle about whether she will give it another go. The Reporter said that Jackson has been vocal about his desire to keep the new team together, and Tyler's return was not in question because the rock legend signed a two-year deal.
Lopez, who helped relaunch her music career thanks to the "Idol" spotlight, recently told BBC's Radio 1 that things are still up in the air. "You know, this is the question of the hour," she said earlier this month. "I don't know. I haven't been forced to make a decision and I'm glad about that because, honestly, I'm very on the fence about it. I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening, and it's going to come down to me making a choice of what I want to do for the next year and we're not really at the breaking point of, 'You have to make a decision right now!' I'm just really enjoying the time of just waiting and seeing."
Part of the reason for her indecision is that Lopez now has quite a few balls in the air, including promoting her hit album Love?, as well as a new perfume and the upcoming Latin American reality talent show "Q'Viva," which she is co-hosting with husband Marc Anthony.
E! Online has speculated that even though Lopez earned a reported $12 million for season 10 of "Idol," it's possible she's looking for an even bigger payday.
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