Harry Connick Jr. To Fill Third Seat On ‘American Idol’ [Report]

In continuing with American Idol’s musical chairs, now that Dr. Luke is no longer a contender to fill a seat on the judge’s panel, it looks like Harry Connick Jr. may step in to fill Dr. Luke’s shoes.

Deadline reported that Dr. Luke’s contract was a done deal, but the music producer backed out at the last-minute, leaving a vacant seat for someone else to join Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.

It isn’t a surprise that crooner Harry Connick Jr. would be interested in a spot on the judge’s panel. In recent years his name has popped up as a potential for every new rotation we have seen. In addition, Harry Connick Jr. is an old friend of the show, having appeared several times as a mentor. Now it looks like he may be on board for good.

According to Deadline’s report Connick Jr. is definitely on the “short list of candidates” to fill the spot. In years past other judges that didn’t seem to work out for Idol’s show include Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, and Ellen DeGeneres.

While Minaj and Carey lacked chemistry, and were often catty with each other, DeGeneres is said to have lacked any real hard advice for the contestants. Back when Ellen was on American Idol, she acted as a judge while Simon Cowell was still on the judging panel.

As far as other people who have exited the show, Idol veteran Randy Jackson took his final bow on the Idol stage last year, only to be rumored as a mentor for the upcoming season.

Even if Idol doesn’t take Harry Connick Jr, he’s still plenty busy. The singer had a recent starring role in Broadway’s On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Would you like to see Harry Connick Jr. join Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban on American Idol?