Michael Becker / FOXIt's more than just aw'ight for Idol's top dawg. Sources confirm to E! News that original American Idol judge Randy Jackson will definitely return for season 10 of the hit reality-talent competition, which is set to premiere in January 2011.
"Randy's locked in and pumped about it," says a source. "They'll officially announce with the other judges."
But who are those other Idol judges going to be? Here's what insiders reveal to us from behind the scenes:
A second source tells us that the rest of the judge's table still remains to be officially filled. In fact, an Idol source says that the large production staff that travels to different regions for tryouts in the fall has not yet received their itineraries. "Normally, they know exactly 'who, what, where and when' about the fall tryout schedule," says the Idol staffer. "It's partly because the judges aren't yet formally finalized."
The source says they've been told they will know their schedules before the end of [September].
Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler is widely rumored to be joining the judges' table this year. Pop star Jennifer Lopez may also be signing on for the show, despite some rather more involved negotiations.
Randy's fellow original judges, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, left the show after seasons eight and nine, respectively. New judge Kara DioGuardi has reportedly not been asked back to the series. New judge Ellen DeGeneres resigned after just one season with the show. With so much major staff churn over the past few months, this promises to be what sports fans call a "rebuilding year" for American Idol.
Are you excited that Jackson is definitely back on the team? Do you think Tyler and Lopez would be good additions to the show?
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Ryan Seacrest has a million jobs. Idol is just one of them.