Fabulous news to all those Keith Urban lovers out there hoping to see him as a judge again on American Idol 2014! It’s official, Keith will be coming back as an American Idol season 13 judge. We’re pleased as punch that the nice guy finished first, since the country star has stated repeatedly how much he wanted to come back. However, we really hope he will step up his game a bit and lay off the corny jokes a little this time around.
“Keith did a great job last year. The fans really liked him. Keith’s a really funny guy,” Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly said at a Television Critics Association meeting on Thursday. “You could see how much he loved the show.”
Of all the American Idol judges for season 12, Keith Urban was probably our favorite. He was kind but gently opinionated. He genuinely seemed to care about the contestants but he wasn’t afraid to give strong criticism where deserved. He often said really amusing, kind of out there things but wasn’t as ridiculously off the planet as Nicki Minaj. And unlike Mariah Carey, Keith really appeared to want to be in his judges’ seat — like, he kind of loved it. (And said as much when asked if he would come back for season 13.)
Nothing against the ‘Dawg’ but Randy Jackson just kept saying the same four phrases all season long. He’s been bad about that for a few years now but this past season, it seemed almost obvious he had already given up the ghost. After all, he was almost demoted from judge to mentor for season 12 and allegedly only got to judge again because producers failed to land the younger, hotter replacement they wanted.
As for the ladies on the judging panel for season 12, Nicki Minaj was just too distracting and weird, taking way too much focus off the singers, who should be the stars of the show. We found her mildly entertaining at times but she was totally nutso and often we wondered if she was deaf in one ear. Mariah Carey was, well, Mariah. We caught her staring at her phone during the show… more than once… while people were singing. And let’s not forget she once gave the excuse for not standing for an amazing performance that her dress was too tight. Really?
For the American Idol 2014 judges’ panel, we hope Keith Urban will be a bit more vocal, tone down the incredibly bad joke, and be willing to set aside the “nice” hat here and there when it is needed. We also sincerely hope that the rest of the season 13 judges will be kind of like Keith — talented, smart, engaging, but not so wild and attention-whoring that we can’t really pay attention to what really matters… the contestants.
Thankfully, Fox chief Reilly seems to agree. ”We want judges that are good at the job, that people like and refocus our attention on the contestants. I think even our own marketing maybe skewed that a little. It really became too much about the judges,” he said.
As for that rumor Jennifer Lopez might still come back? We can dig it, as long as she can keep her a** off the American Idol stage with her boy toy Casper, kay? One performance J-Lo, ONE. That’s enough.
Who would you like to see join Keith Urban for the American Idol 2014 judges?
