Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell is close to finishing a deal that would keep him at American Idol's judges' table through 2011, earning $45 million for each of the next three seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The new deal includes the upcoming season — the final year in Cowell's current contract, which he had hinted could be his last — said Robert Sillerman, the CEO of...
read more
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul will not return to the judges' table for American Idol's ninth season.
Abdul revealed the stunning news on her Twitter feed: "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to #IDOL. I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon," she tweeted over two separate messages.
Fox quickly followed up with an official statement: "Paula has been an important part of AI. We are saddened ...
read more
Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi will be back at the judges' table for American Idol's ninth season.
"We are so happy to welcome back Kara for her second season with Idol," creator/executive producer Simon Fuller said in a statement in Fox's official announcement on Monday. "She is a breath of fresh air, and her passion for music and her understanding of talent is invaluable. This show is all about discovering new talent, and Kara's championing of Adam Lambert is proof positive of her great instinct."
Check out photos of DioGuardi on Idol
The Grammy-nominated songwriter's contract renewal follows host Ryan Seacrest's new $45 million deal and reports of Simon Cowell's $100 million-plus payday. Fox did not release details of DioGuardi's deal.
Fellow judge Paula Abdul, however, still ...
read more
Alexis Cohen
A New Jersey man has been arrested in connection with a car accident that killed former American Idol contestant Alexis Cohen.
Cohen, 25, died from head, chest and abdominal injuries after being struck by a car early Saturday morning in Seaside Heights, N.J., Deputy Chief Michael Mohel of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office told TVGuide.com. Her body was found on a street approximately 350 yards from where she parked her car, he said. She was pronounced dead at 6:30 am, at the Community Medical Center in Toms River, N.J.
Watch Cohen's Idol Season 7 audition
Daniel Bark, 23, on Sunday evening was charged with ...
read more
Paula Abdul with Simon Cowell
Paula Abdul has the support of her American Idol foil, Simon Cowell, as well as scores of fans and Idol alumni, as her fate with the hit reality show remains in limbo.
Take our quiz about reality TV competition shows
Not long after Abdul's manager, David Sonenberg, told the Los Angeles Times that the producers of Idol had yet to make his "hurt' and "angry" client an offer to return for Season 9, Cowell told Extra, "She'll be on the show."
"I don't get a lot of say," added Cowell ...
read more
Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul is "hurt," "angry" and unlikely to return to American Idol unless the show's producers make her an offer soon, says her manager.
Take our quiz about reality TV competition shows
"It does not appear that she's going to be back on Idol," David Sonenberg, who signed Abdul as a client last month, told the Los Angeles Times.
Idol host Ryan Seacrest — who had a year left on his own contract — just extended his stay through ...
read more
Brooke White
Hard to believe, but American Idol judge Randy Jackson — despite incessantly trumpeting his music-producer cred on the show — has never collaborated with an Idol alum — until now, that is.
Which Idol judges will be back next season?
Jackson has lent his talents to Season 7 fifth-place finisher Brooke White, whose debut album, High Hopes & Heartbreak, is out Tuesday, July 21. The pair also cofounded the indie label on which it will be released. "I'm very appreciative of Randy ...
read more
Kris Allen
American Idol champ Kris Allen canceled his Wednesday night appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien because of his maternal grandmother's death.
Taking Allen's place on the late-night talker will be Idol pal Allison Iraheta, performing "Barracuda."
Take our quiz about reality TV competition shows
"I know I was supposed to do Conan ... but there was a death in my family," Allen said on Twitter. "But everyone ...
read more