American Idol

Fox officially tapped the pair with an announcement Sunday, confirming rumors surrounding them both just hours before the first round of auditions for next season was due to begin in New York.

The last of the original judges on the Fox reality smash will transition to a mentor role in the upcoming season 12, according to the gossip site.

NEW YORK (AP) — Kimberley Locke wants to fill that vacant judge’s chair on American Idol. The season 2 finalist feels having a former contestant on the show can bring […]

Posting the biggest rating drop in its history this past season, Fox’s American Idol, the biggest non-sports TV series in the U.S., needs changes. But it may not be enough to put Fox on top by the end of next season.

A person familiar with the show’s negotiations say Carey is being pursued to join the judging panel of the Fox talent competition.

Among the younger possibilities is 19-year-old Miley Cyrus. Speculation also has focused on former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, 29, and finalists Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert, both 30.

Lopez will not be back for a third year on television’s top-rated but struggling show, her representative, Mark Young, said Friday. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler announced Thursday he was exiting. That means the American Idol panel is down to one, original judge Randy Jackson, and there are reports that he may take a different role when the Fox show returns next January.

Tyler said he’s leaving the Fox show after two seasons to rededicate himself to Aerosmith, the band he fronts.

Lopez, who has young twins, told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres this week that she wasn’t sure about renewing her contract as a judge on the Fox singing contest for a third year.

Last week, News Corp COO Chase Carey told Wall Street analysts that “our challenge for next year is to put some fresh energy in” Fox’s American Idol after “we probably didn’t do enough this year” in terms of changes. During this morning’s Fox upfronts conference call, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said the show will undergo “some creative tweaking” heading into next season, declining to elaborate.

The host has signed a two-year, $30 million pact to remain with the long-running singing show.

The underperforming comedy I Hate My Teenage Daughter had been slated to shift from its Tuesday time slot to Wednesdays in April. Its last new original episode will air April 3 with the series returning in the summer.

“Ratings today are a bit disappointing,” and the show needs “freshness and excitement and originality,” Chase Carey today told an investor conference that also questioned him about a potential spin-off of the conglomerate’s newspaper business, the L.A. Dodgers and the phone hacking scandal.

Television’s No. 1 program is showing signs of audience fatigue as American Idol begins its 11th season in a glutted market that includes The X Factor and The Voice.

For those who believe social media activity and traditional TV ratings can work hand in hand, it was a good week: American Idol scored well in both metrics for its 11th season debut. According to Social Guide, Fox’s big TV singing competition show, which aired two original episodes last week, pulled in 325,000 unique visitors on social media sites for the week ending Jan. 22 — tops among all TV shows.

The Fox network, which has seen ratings slide this season for its hit American Idol, is giving viewers an extra shot at viewing Sunday’s special edition of the singing competition.

As American Idol begins its new season on Fox on Wednesday, it faces competitors in The X Factor, also on Fox, and The Voice on NBC. The new test is this: Will viewers still gravitate to Idol in the same numbers when they know there are two prominent alternatives?

Seacrest is not signed beyond this season of the Fox hit and is also involved in talks with corporate owners of NBC Universal, where he has a contract at E! Entertainment. There have been several reports that NBC is considering Seacrest as a potential replacement if Matt Lauer decides to leave the Today show.

American Idol creator Simon Fuller sued Fox Broadcasting Co. and Fremantle on Wednesday for an executive producer credit and fees for the upcoming Fox show X Factor. The suit creates an exceedingly awkward situation for Fox, which airs Idol and will debut X Factor in September, and Fremantle, which produces both shows.

For the first time in five years, the season finale of Fox’s smash American Idol grew compared to the previous year among adults 18-49. The show also hit a season high among total viewers as Scott McCreery beat out Lauren Alaina in the all-teenager final on the final night of the regular season. Idol averaged an 8.9 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., up 9% over last year and the first time since 2006 that the show has seen year-to-year growth for its season ender. The show also drew 28.2 million total viewers, a season high.

On one of the most competitive nights on broadcast in recent memory, unscripted shows ruled the evening, with ABC, Fox and NBC programs all earning strong ratings. Fox rose to No. 1 on the night on the strength of American Idol, the night’s highest-rated show with a 6.2 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m. That was down 7% from a 6.7 for last year’s penultimate episode.

As millions of TV viewers tune into tonight’s American Idol finale, some viewers might find that their iPads seem to be watching the show as well. The Idol fan site AmericanIdolNet.com will display a number of banner ads that directly react to commercials shown on TV, asking viewers whether the Ford commercial on their TV screen is convincing enough for them to buy a new car.

Media company CKx Inc., which owns proprietary rights to American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, said Tuesday is being sold to a private equity group for about $511 million in cash.

American Idol saw a bump while The Office slid after last week’s exit of Steve Carell on the second Thursday of the May sweeps last night. Idol averaged a 6.1 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., up 7% from last week and leading Fox to an easy victory on the night, 88% ahead of second-place CBS.

Despite a dip from last week, American Idol led Fox to a big ratings victory last night, as the network dominated the rather lackluster competition on the other Big Three networks. Fox averaged a 5.4 adults 18-49 rating and 15 share in primetime, nearly double No. 2 CBS’s 2.8/7.