Reports: Steven Tyler signs 'American Idol' judge deal

Is Steven Tyler ready to become an "American Idol" judge?

Credit: AP

Steven Tyler has signed his deal to join a reconfigured "American Idol" judging panel for the show's tenth season, according to published reports.

Both Deadline Hollywood and The Hollywood Reporter say that Tyler, the longtime frontman for Aerosmith, has concluded negotiations and will be on "Idol" next season. The show is in need of new judges since Simon Cowell left to bring his own "X Factor" to America, Ellen DeGeneres quit because she didn't fit in, and Kara DioGuardi's contract reportedly wasn't renewed. That leaves the dawg, Randy Jackson, as the last judge standing, and various reports have suggested FOX and the show's production company want a new panel featuring Jackson, Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.

Fox isn't commenting, however (at the TV critics press tour, they wouldn't even acknowledge if DioGuardi's contract wasn't renewed), nor is Tyler's own team. And various reports have suggested that Lopez priced herself out of the job, while others suggested those first reports are all part of Fox's ploy to get her to lower her demands, etc., etc., etc. So while it's likely that a new trio of Jackson, Tyler and Lopez will be announced soon (Deadline says after Labor Day), don't go burning your Aerosmith CDs just yet.

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

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Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com