‘American Idol XIII’: Ryan Seacrest close to signing new two-year deal
For all of you out there who bought rumors that Ryan Seacrest could actually leave “American Idol,” be prepared to be proven wrong. While it’s not official yet, it is looking more and more like the show’s host is going to return to Fox for not only one, but two more seasons that will take him all the way to the end of season 15.
While it is not confirmed, The Hollywood Reporter cites loyalty as one of the biggest reasons for Ryan wanting to stay put. This show may not be a smash hit anymore, but it’s where Seacrest really became a household name. He makes good money on the gig, it is some on-camera recognition for him, and the money’s also pretty darn good. The on-camera presence may be the most important thing thanks to the claims that Seacrest may scale back his recent deal with NBCUniversal, which had him doing sporadic appearances on “The Today Show” and red carpets with Giuliana Rancic. The guy has a lot else going on, including a burgeoning relationship with Clear Channel and also a production house that is starting to become more and more lucrative.
Of course, the question that will remain until the summer is the state of the judging panel. By and large, reviews are good for Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr., and Keith Urban … but ratings are not what they were. We could see J.Lo getting jettisoned for salary reasons if nothing else, while Harry and Keith are both probably going to be closer to locks since they are very likable, and neither of them demand the same sort of salary. It just comes down to whether or not they’ll want to do it again.
We’ll continue to have more “American Idol” news over the coming days, and if you want to check out some more of it, you can do so at the link here. In addition, be sure to sign up for further updates from our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: Fox