Kara DioGuardi not returning to 'American Idol', Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez likely to join, report says

07/30/2010 by Corinne Heller

Kara DioGuardi will not return as a judge on American Idol on the upcoming 10th season, while Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and singer Jennifer Lopez will likely join the show, Us Weekly magazine said on Friday, amid what appears to be a shake-up of the singing contest series and following Ellen Degeneres' confirmed departure.

DioGuardi, Tyler, Lopez, the FOX network and production company 19 Entertainment have not commented on the reports.

Ellen Degeneres, who joined the show last season, said on Thursday in a statement she had decided to leave American Idol, citing a busy work schedule and saying she felt it difficult to "judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings."

DioGuardi had joined the show in 2008 and had replaced Paula Abdul. Us Weekly said she was "out" of the show and cited unconfirmed reports that said she was fired. It was reported on Thursday that Lopez was in talks to become an American Idol judge and Us Weekly said she had been hired.

Randy Jackson, who has been on the singing contest series since it began in 2002, is said to be returning for season 10. It is unclear how many judges will serve on the panel.

The ratings for the American Idol finale in May were the lowest recorded among its season ending episodes. General ratings for American Idol have more than tripled since the series debuted in 2002 but have declined slowly during the past few years. Peak ratings were recorded in about 2006, or the fifth season.

Cowell has said he began to become bored with American Idol about two years ago and quit the show after the season nine finale in May and is preparing to launch his own talent series next year - a U.S. version of his hit UK show The X Factor. Abdul is also launching her own series - Got to Dance, a CBS reality dance competition show that is based on a British program and is set to air in the 2010-11 season.

Nigel Lythgoe is said to be nearing a deal to return as a producer of the show. Lythgoe, who left his position as an American Idol producer two years ago, had said he would replace the entire judging panel. He mentioned American Idol through what appeared to be a slip of the tongue on a recent episode of his dance contest show So You Think You Can Dance.

FOX and production company 19 Entertainment have not commented about Lythgoe.

Jessica Simpson has also been reported to have been involved in talks to possibly replace Cowell as a judge. Others said to have been courted include singers Chris Isaak and Harry Connick, Jr.

Auditions for American Idol's tenth season are underway. They began on July 17 in Nashville, Tennessee and took place in New Orleans on Monday. The minimum age eligibility of contestants has been lowered from 16 to 15, while the maximum age stands at 28. The last venue to audition for the show is in San Francisco on August 19 and the series is set to air in January.