Fox executives Monday tap-danced around an onslaught of questions about "American Idol's" shape-shifting judges' panel - and gave no real answers about who would be on it.
Network chairman Peter Rice told the crowd of television critics gathered at the Beverly Hills Hilton that he wished he could have paraded out the new faces of "Idol" - whoever they may be - but that no contracts have been signed.
Rice would not speculate about who might be signing in the next few weeks.
"The only thing I can tell you with absolutely certainty right now is that no one has signed a deal yet, on either side of the camera, to join 'American Idol' next year who wasn't on it last year," said Rice.
That leaves the slots previously occupied by Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres - who confirmed her departure from the series last week - available. But it doesn't clarify whether Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi will return, and Rice wouldn't elaborate.
He wouldn't even say if the series would keep the four-person panel or return to three. He also wouldn't confirm if former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe would return to the series, as rumored.
Rice said that some of the speculation about who will join the show (names thrown into the mix have included Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Justin Timberlake, Bret Michaels, Jessica Simpson and even Howard Stern) has been on target, while some has been "wildly inaccurate." He did confirm that every person spoken to about the job has some sort of musical background.
That's apparently not a knock on DeGeneres, who had none. Rice said he actually tried to talk her into staying, but that the show ultimately was not the right fit for her.
The full panel should be in place by, at the very latest, mid-September, when the show begins filming initial auditions.
All the speculation and hype over the new season of "Idol," its 10th, "is a reminder of how intensely people feel about the show and how connected they are to the show," said Rice.
In other Fox news, entertainment president Kevin Reilly said questions about "Glee" overexposure - given the show's dominating iTunes sales, a tour and repeats - are "a high-class problem to have."
"We're looking to just do a great year of television," he said of the second season. "Maybe some of the hoopla will die down, and I think that will be healthy."
During NBC's Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien fiasco, Fox officials said they were very interested in talking to O'Brien about joining the network to help it create a late-night presence. But with Conan now headed to TBS, Fox is pulling back on late-night initiatives.
"Conan's made his choice, and I think he's going to do great over there," said Reilly. "The late-night business - we're taking a beat on it right now. ... We're going to keep our eye on prime time until we find the right piece of talent. [But] late night's never off the table."
Source: nydailynews
