The Ideal Idol...judge

It's no secret that this will be Simon Cowell's last season as an "American Idol" judge. There has been much speculation on who might replace him, from the odd (and quickly denied) to the downright bizarre head scratchers. With all the speculation going on about who might replace the snarky Brit with the Frankenstein's monster hairdo, I have a few suggestions.

First of all, keep in mind that when Idol started the only household name was Paula Abdul. Most of the general public had never heard of Simon or Randy Jackson. Same story with Kara DioGuardi when she started. I think industry chops are more important than widespread name recognition.

Ok, enough delay, here are who I think would make good replacements:




Tommy Mottola - The former talent manager and head of Sony Music definitely knows the music business, having worked with acts like Hall & Oates, John Mellencamp, and Jennifer Lopez. And the guy was married to Mariah Carey, so I'm sure he knows how to give and take criticism.





"Mutt" Lange - For starters, he's British, so we get to keep the accent on the show. As a record producer and songwriter he's worked with a huge variety of artists, from Def Leppard to Shania Twain (his ex).






Richard Branson - The eccentric British (there's another) billionaire has reality show experience and music industry experience. Plus I think he's got the charisma to be good on camera and bantering with the other judges.







Kurt Loder - The grandfather of MTV News has been in the music biz as a reporter, critic, and author for over 30 years. He's got more name recognition than some of the others I've mentioned since a good part of his career has been in front of the camera.







Rick Dees - Admittedly, this radio legend is a long shot based on Seacrest's presence alone. But from a judging standpoint it would be good to have input from someone who can judge based on who might or might not be able to make it on the radio. Although his personality might be too big for the judges table.


There are just a couple of my thoughts of people who would be good candidates to take Simon's seat. Not that the producers are looking for input from the public, but please, make it someone who knows the business, knows what it takes to make it, and can mentor young talent.

Update Just this week, former Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe said that he thought Elton John is "absolutely it" when it comes to choices to replace Simon. If we're looking solely at industry experience and an ear for talent, you can't argue. However I would suggest that he might be too big of a name (and brand). I think, possibly starting with Ellen's casting, the focus is being drawn away from the singers. It reminds me of when shows like Will & Grace start stunt casting (Cher, Barry Manilow, etc) which, some would argue, ended up just distracting from the main characters. While you can't argue that Elton John is music industry royalty, I'd rather see him as a mentor for a week on Idol. Let's not forget, the singers are supposed to be the stars of the show, not the judges.

- Justin