Kelly Clarkson is reportedly being courted by ABC to judge American Idol's revival.
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According to sources familiar with the situation, ABC has expressed "serious interest" in the Season 1 winner of Idol serving as a judge, and in turn, Clarkson is so interested that her team is already looking to clear her schedule so she can participate.
Clarkson is reportedly the first potential judge American Idol is eyeing for its highly-anticipated comeback, but this isn't the first time reports that she is being considered for Idol's judges table have surfaced.
In 2013, reports that Idol was considering revamping its judging panel to be a former contestants panel comprised of Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and either Clay Aiken or Adam Lambert had surfaced. However, Fox ultimately decided to go with Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. instead.
According to TMZ, auditions for Idol's revival will be held at Disney World in Florida and possibly Disneyland in California, allowing for an easier filming experience much unlike seasons past in which the crew had to travel from city to city across the country.
The new auditions format would also be less expensive for production.
As for whether American Idol will air once or twice a week, TMZ reported that ABC is thinking about one show per week, which wouldn't overwhelm Ryan Seacrest, who is "almost certainly" the host.
If Seacrest accepts the gig, he'd have to fly back and forth from New York to Los Angeles since he's currently co-hosting Live with Kelly & Ryan alongside Kelly Ripa.
Seacrest admitted to Ripa on Monday that he's not sure if he could juggle two shows with his other producing, TV, and radio responsibilities in the entertainment industry. When asked whether he'd accept the hosting position for Idol, Seacrest just kept saying, "I don't know."
American Idol's fifteenth season ended last year with Trent Harmon being crowned the last winner over La'Porsha Renae.
At the peak of Idol's success in 2006, the series drew an enormous 36.4 total viewers. Ratings, however, steadily declined as the show neared its end. Its final season reportedly averaged only 9.1 million viewers.
In addition to Clarkson, many pop icons also got their start on the former Fox reality singing competition and went on to find great success and fame -- including Aiken, Hudson, Lambert, Phillip Phillips, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, and Scotty McCreery.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
