By the time you finish reading this article, the powers that be over at American Idol will probably have another big announcement about who will (or won't) have a judge's seat this season. The gossip fiends over at TMZ report that Kara DioGuardi has been fired from the show.

To which I would reply: I love being right.

There aren't many details surfacing just yet, but I'm pretty sure this decision came from Nigel Lythgoe (who is near a deal to return as the show's excecutive producer) and his band of merry Idol moguls. As I've mentioned earlier this week, Lythgoe made a statement back in April that, if given the control, he would give the judging panel a giant makeover. Looks like he's a man true to his word.

In addition to DioGuardi's departure, Ellen DeGeneres--who signed a multi-year contract with the network--is also leaving the show. Which just proves how silly contracts really are...right? Obviously if you're rich enough and your boss wants you to leave badly enough, you can forget all about agreements and pre-promised sums of money. Onto new adventures, Ellen!

This means that Randy Jackson is the sole judge remaining, and it looks like he may be sticking around. Which begs the question: who will be joining him? The latest rumors point to Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as the most likely celebrity candidates. But like I said earlier...just wait a minute or two. Pretty soon it could be Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, or the entire cast of Glee! Well, OK. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Certainly Dolly Parton has better things to do.
 
FOX will most likely make the official announcements on who's coming and who's going on Monday at the 2010 TCA Press Tour. With all the news leaks, I doubt the surprise will be a surprise at all, but it will certainly send out one loud, resounding message: we've got all the celebrities money can buy!




(Image courtesy of FOX)