‘The X Factor’ USA will wait on judging panel; Ryan Seacrest stays on ‘American Idol’

If you heard a noise shortly after the Fox upfront presentation a little earlier in the day Monday, it was probably somehow the equivalent of that noise that happens every time someone loses on “The Price Is Right.” Outside of the new schedule that everyone expected, there was nothing else that happened. The supposed announcement about the entire “American Idol” panel being let go did not happen, and there was also no announcement as to the new judges for “The X Factor.”

If you remember back to last year, one of the powerful moments was seeing Simon Cowell bring out Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, and show off just how proud he was to have the two ladies on board in what was supposed to be a juggernaut of a season. Then, the ratings were disappointing, and Spears offered nothing but the world’s lamest feedback and an unpredictability factor that was non-existent. Spears and L.A. Reid are gone, and the panel is still in flux.

So who are the likely replacements? The lack of an announcement at the upfront means to us that Simon is not even fully sure just yet, but Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio are two names that have been floating around. Strangely, we haven’t heard any talk at all about if there is going to be another male judge or not, though we would assume that Simon would want to keep the male – female ratio just about even.

In different reality TV news, Ryan Seacrest also confirmed that he will once again be a part of “American Idol” this season, and that Randy Jackson made his decision to leave without consulting him or anyone else, for that matter.

In case you want to read a story or two about some recent big-name acts from “The X Factor,” we have that for you here. Enjoy.

Photo: Fox