American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe did something quite uncharacteristic following Thursdays elimination show: he allowed himself a brief moment to mourn. I lost my favorite tonight, he told The Hollywood Reporter minutes after Joshua Ledet was sent home, leaving 16-year-old diva-in-training Jessica Sanchez and 21-year-old aspiring troubadourPhillip Phillips to battle it out at next week's finale. But Im thrilled for Jessica and Phillip, theyre great kids, he continued. These are the best three weve had as a threesome.
But in looking back at Idols 11th season on the air, Lythgoe, who sat out two years (season 8 and 9), is also forced to think ahead, to the possibility of a Jennifer Lopez-less panel next year and a call for tweaks and creative reconfigurations to Idol, as Fox president Kevin Reilly noted during the network's upfront presentation on Monday. Its still Americas No. 1 rated show, but has seen a 25% decline in viewership since last years run.
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If it were up to Lythgoe, Lopez, who recently told Ellen Degeneres "I miss doing other things,"would continue on for at least another year. When you've got the most beautiful judge in the world -- an artist who speaks from the heart and with meaning, why lose that?, he says. And why go through a training period every year? Still, he admits, It might come down to that in the end.
Whether or not Lopez returns Lythgoe says he does not know, but he believes the issue will get resolved one way or another in the coming weeks. Fox and Fremantle have been concentrating onX Factorsince, for them, its the next big program, along with getting the upfront out of the way.Now theyre getting to talk about Idol.
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But thats not to say that Lythgoe is opposed to a judge revamp, if the situation calls for it. In the past, hes told THR that getting a rotating panel of credible artists who happen to be between album and tour cycles (think: John Mayer) is not a completely radical idea. "Maybe the stars have got to move on and you could do revolving, musical chairs, if you excuse The Voice pun, he cracks.
As for Reillys comments, Lythgoe downplays the severity of said changes, telling THR, Its always difficult when you make a statement like that and the explanation hasn't been shown. But to be frank, we look at what tweaks we can make every year. I havent spoken to Kevin [yet], but maybe he has ideas to impart. Im always open.
Ultimately, Lythgoe insists, speculation comes with the Idol territory. I went through all this with Simon [Cowell] leaving, where people said it would be the end of the show, he recalls. Its not at the end of the show because its not about the judges, it's all about young talent. That said, he adds, I'm hoping that our judges will be back.
Twitter: @shirleyhalperin
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