Steven Tyler will be 'American Idol' judge, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton says

08/19/2010 by Corinne Heller

Steven Tyler, lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith, will be a judge on American Idol, his bandmate was quoted as saying, amid what appears to be a shake-up of the popular singing contest show made after declining ratings.

"Steven is doing American Idol," Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton told the New Jersey Star-Ledger newspaper in an interview set to be published on August 23. "The ink is dry on that. So, we'll have to work around his schedule for a new record."

"Steven is someone who absolutely lives to be in front of an audience, and the people closest to him know how witty and entertaining he can be," he added. "I don't know if American Idol will be rock 'n' roll enough for him, but it is an opportunity for millions of people to see another side of Steven Tyler."

The Reuters news wire earlier this month quoted FOX entertainment chairman Peter Rice as saying he expected a panel to be in place by the time auditions start in front of the judges in mid-September.

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.

Tyler had said earlier this month after an Aerosmith concert in Las Vegas that his future plans included a "new album" and "probably going to be judge on American Idol," adding: "I'm doing it. What do you think? I'm doing it. Yeah."

The FOX network and production companies 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia have not commented on reports that have said Tyler, 62, and Jennifer Lopez, 41, were in talks to replace Kara DioGuardi and Ellen Degeneres.

Nigel Lythgoe, who is returning as executive producer as part of the shakeup, has also refused to confirm or deny reports of negotiations or comment on a People magazine article that had quoted an unnamed source as saying Lopezs demands for being a judge were "out of hand" and that "FOX had just enough."

Simon Cowell left the show after its season nine finale in May. Randy Jackson, who has been a judge on the series since it began in 2002, appears to be set to return for the upcoming 10th season, which is scheduled to air in January. It it unclear how many judges will serve on the panel.

Ellen Degeneres, who joined the show last season, had said 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." She recently showed off her hip hop dance moves on So You Think You Can Dance, Lythgoe's other show.

Songwriter Kara DioGuardi had joined the show in 2008 and had replaced longtime judge Paula Abdul, who is 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. Recent reports have said DioGuardi will not return for season 10.

Aerosmith last year canceled a U.S. summer tour after Tyler fell off a stage and broke his shoulder in August. He later said he wanted to take a break and go solo and some of the group members claimed he was hooked on drugs, which he has denied. His lawyer threatened legal action if the band toured without him.

In December, Tyler entered rehab to battle an addiction to painkillers and the group began touring Europe in June, marking their first such tour in three years. Aerosmith began performing a series of concerts in the United States in late July.