It looks like American Idol is inching closer and closer to hiring Brad Paisley as one of the new judges to sit alongside Mariah Carey. Ever since BuddyTV reported on this news, more reports are confirming that Paisley is the one they’re closing in on. According to Country Vibe, “Brad and his people will indeed be in Los Angeles this week meeting with top Idol executives about having him join the show.”
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Brad Paisley is no doubt a busy man in the entertainment business, and he will be meeting with Idol to discuss how he can work in being a judge with his already busy schedule of both touring and dealing with his “business schedule.”
Finally, Jimmy Carter, an entertainment news reporter based in Nashville, tweeted, “Brad Paisley still in Idol Judge discussion…face to face in La Tues.. went well and talks go on…Vegas posting NO bets right now..me 70/30.” Each report that surfaces provides more clarity on this and sounds more credible by the day.
Nick Jonas and Pharrell Williams as Judges?
If Paisley does sign on the dotted line, does this mean we’ve got our judges set for season 12? Not quite. US Weekly is reporting that Nick Jonas and Pharrell Williams are also being considered as judges. An insider tells them, “Nick is pretty close to signing to be the Idol judge. They flew him in to L.A. last week for final meetings. … [American Idol producers] think he can help bring that younger demo to the show.” And Williams is supposedly also in negotiations.
Would Idol really hire both and return to a four-judge panel that viewers criticized back in seasons 8 and 9? That rumor did hit the Internet recently, but it still seems unlikely the show would do this. While nothing is confirmed at this point, and these are still just rumors, having Jonas could be a boost to bring in the younger demographic. (The X Factor is doing the same with Demi Lovato.) And if this happens, it would give credibility to the reports that Randy Jackson will move into a mentor position.
Jermaine Jones Receives Fines
Season 11 contestant Jermaine Jones, who was disqualified for withholding the truth about his criminal record to producers, appeared in court last month to face the charges against him. While there was no resolution at the time, things have now changed.
The judge has “fined Jones $200, plus $30 in court costs and $125 in related penalties,” according to the Gloucester Township Patch. And while he admitted to providing a fake name to police during an incident in 2011, that charge was dismissed.
On a related note (and probably not a coincidence), Jones recently released a single, “All Around the World,” featuring rapper Fre-Stal, which is currently available to download.
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You can listen to the entire soundtrack for free over at AOL’s Full CD Listening Party.
The Top Idol Album Sales
The music sales numbers from the past week were released today. Here is a list of the five Idols on the Billboard 200 chart, courtesy of USA Today:
Carrie Underwood‘s Blown Away at #25, Selling 13,000 units (Total Sales: 657,000)
Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger at #50, Selling 7,000 units (Total: 877,000)
Phillip Phillips’ American Idol Season 11 Highlights at #56, Selling 6,000 units (Total: 48,000)
Joshua Ledet’s American Idol Season 11 Highlights at #132, Selling 3,000 units (Total: 22,000)
Skylar Laine’s American Idol Season 11 Highlights at #163, Selling 3,000 units (Total: 20,000)
(Image courtesy of WENN)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
