‘American Idol’ season 13: Panel with Jennifer Lopez, will.i.am seems inevitable

There has been a feeling for quite some time now that the “American Idol” panel for the new season would most likely be Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and will.i.am; and now, we are another step closer to this officially happening for the new season.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the talks between Fox, producers, and talent are quickly moving along, to the point where Lopez is expected to finalize her return to the show almost any day now. J.Lo may not be particularly liked as a source of constructive criticism here, but at least she got along with her other panelists and was pretty decent during the audition rounds, where it is a little easier to be hard on bad talent.

While a will.i.am announcement is now immediate, executives apparently think that the “Voice” UK judge and Lopez are “hilarious” together, and will make for a fun show to go along with the likable Keith. what we’ll say about Will is this: We’re not a fan of his music, but we’ve interviewed him in the past and found him to be a very smart, entertaining guy with a lot to say about modern music. He also knows producing, and he was entertaining on the British show next to Jessie J the past two seasons. The only thing that we’d find especially hilarious if this panel happened is that you would have a pair of judges on this show that came from the franchise that many accuse of borrowing some of “American Idol’s” concepts and adding a few gimmicks.

We’ve campaigning for both Adam Lambert and Jennifer Hudson to be on the judging panel this year, but we’re only one person; the real judge of this panel’s success will come in the ratings.

If you want to read more about the latest “American Idol” rumors, just be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: Fox