Ever since Katy Perry was confirmed as the first judge on ABC’s rebooted American Idol, there has been much speculation about who would be filling the other seats on the panel.
Despite negotiations that feel like they’ve been dragging on for an eternity, it appears that the producers are no closer to filling up the panel than they were a few weeks ago.
That’s a bit worrisome when you consider the fact that filming is scheduled to begin at the end of September. In an ideal situation, the panel would be locked in weeks before.
Lionel Richie, Charlie Puth, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban were thought to be in the mix a few weeks back, but since no deals have been announced, it sounds like they do not like the deals being offered to them.
According to TMZ, the thing holding up Lionel from signing on the dotted line is the proposed pay he would receive from taking on the role. The report states his management team is demanding $ 10 million for his services.
However, producers only want to offer $ 5 million, and it’s unclear whether Lionel would sign for such an amount. The figure is huge, but Katy Perry is set to pocket $ 25 million for her services.
That’s a big difference when you consider the fact that Lionel has been in the music business for much longer than Katy. Something tells us the producers are probably regretting offering the “Bon Appetit” songstress such a big payout.
On top of that, producers are debating the number of judges to have on the panel. Previously, three seemed to be the magic number, but it sounds like there will be four.
That’s assuming the panel can even be filled in time.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Ryan Seacrest was lobbying for a figure similar to Perry’s but TMZ reports that he settled for somewhere between $ 10 to $ 15 million.
What do you think about all of this?
Will the show find the right talent before the time is up?
