Fox has confirmed that the 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer and actress will return to the judges’ table on American Idol next season.
Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. will return as judges, with Ryan Seacrest serving as host, for the show’s its 14th season.
“Jennifer, Keith, Harry and Ryan are the very best in the business at what they do, and I’m thrilled that they are returning to American Idol for another season,” said David Hill, senior executive vice president at 20th Century Fox Television. “Each brings unique qualities and expertise to the team, but they all share the same passion for helping undiscovered singers achieve the American dream.”
American Idol wrapped its 13th season on May 21 down from the previous year.
No word yet on whether any dramatic changes will happen in the upcoming season.
It’s official… Jennifer Lopez is back in the hot seat…
Fox has released the first official photograph of the new American Idol judging panel, with the 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress sandwiched between fellow judges Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban.
The photo, which was taken on the first day of the Boston auditions for season 13, was released just hours after the network confirmed that former judge Lopez and new panelist Connick Jr. have joined country singer Urban on the show this season.
Not pictured is veteran Randy Jackson, who has been with Idol since it premiered. He’ll return to the show as a mentor when the singing competition airs in January.
In the photo, Lopez seems thrilled to be back in the same spot she occupied before when she shared the table with Jackson and then-judge Steven Tyler.
Earlier today, Fox released a statement announcing the “dream team.” Lopez also tweeted her excitement: “#IDOL2014TheRemix.”
The panel appears comfortable together. Urban, who always seemed to enjoy the job more so than anyone else on the panel last season, had kind words for his new comrades in music, and anticipates the new season is going to be “a blast.”
It may be only the second week of Dancing with the Stars, but William Levy is already building some serious momentum in his quest to win the coveted mirror ball trophy.
Following last week’s top-tier premiere performance of the cha-cha, the 31-year-old Cuban telenovela star returned to the stage on last night’s show to perform a quickstep return with his partner Cheryl Burke. And, Levy didn’t disappoint. The “Brad Pitt of Latin America,” who receives the loudest catcalls from the audience every time he takes the stage, impressed the judges with his dance to George Gershwin’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It.”
Bruno Tonioli called Levy a “matinee idol” who reminded him of Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin from The Artist. Carrie Ann Inaba dubbed him “the Harry Connick Jr. of the ballroom,” adding, “William, you know how to turn up the heat in this ballroom.”
Levy—who earned 25 points for his quickstep—ended the night at the top tier of the leaderboard behind Katherine Jenkins and Roshon Fegan, who both earned 26s.
“We improved from last week and that’s my goal, to slowly climb up the leaderboard and that’s what we did,” said Burke. “I think he has both styles. He can really do the ballroom and the Latin really well. He obviously needs some work, but it’s only week two. This show is about if you’re good at both styles.”
Meanwhile, Levy is taken aback by the overwhelming adoration he’s received since joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars.
“I have no words to explain how good it feels,” Levy told reporters after his performance. “When I was a little boy and I was in Cuba, my dream was to come to America, like 3 years old. And today to be at this position in my life to receive this kind of love in this country, it’s amazing. It’s crazy.”
