While there is no official confirmation yet on the new panel of American Idol judges, rumor has it that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join a three judge panel to also include longtime yes-man Randy “here’s the thing” Jackson. Both Simon Cowell and Ellen Degeneres have left, with Simon’s departure in the works for some time and Ellen issuing a statement that she was leaving because the show was not the “right fit” for her and adding that she had a hard time hurting the contestants’ feelings. Tyler has confirmed that he’s in talks with Idol, and called talks a “work in progress.” Jackson has said that the panel is still up in the air for next season, but that Ryan Seacrest will remain as host and he would welcome working with Jennifer Lopez.

We’ve heard plenty of stories about other celebrities and musicians considered for Idol. Popeater has some insider information on the judges that either passed up the chance or were unsuccessful in talks. Musicians Barry Manilow and Elton John are reported to have turned down Idol due to busy schedules and a lack of interest. Idol producers then tried to woo musicians whose careers were faltering. Lopez and Jessica Simpson were in talks, but Simpson’s dad is said to have ruined it for her by being too demanding.

“J.Lo was definitely not the first choice,” an ‘Idol’ insider tells me. “In fact, she wasn’t even the second or third choice.”

My source tells me that before they approached Lopez, producers first asked Elton John and Barry Manilow to join the hit — but starting to struggle — show. Both are undeniably great singer-songwriters who have mentored contestants in prior seasons, so it wouldn’t have been a stretch.

Alas, neither Elton nor Barry wanted to start a whole new career as a TV judge.

“It became clear that neither performer was ready to stop doing what they did best, writing and performing,” the ‘Idol’ insider says. “Plus, they are international legends. They certainly don’t want their legacy to be [as] the guy that replaced Simon Cowell on ‘Idol.'”

Once producers realized it was going to be impossible to get an artist who was still selling millions of concert tickets and CDs to join the show, they started to look at celebrities whose careers were basically stuck in neutral. They settled on artists who needed the exposure of a national TV show as much as the troubled show needed them. That’s when they turned to Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez.

“Let’s face facts,” one insider tells me. “Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez’s careers are in a slump. They are still big names, but haven’t sold out solo shows or had hit CDs in a long time. I think we can all agree that both ladies’ movie careers are dead and the offers are not pouring in.”

The job could have been Jessica’s, but a little thing got in the way: Joe Simpson.

“This was definitely Jessica’s to lose and that’s exactly what her dad-manager did. Once it became clear it was going to be impossible to negotiate a deal with papa Joe, J.Lo was snapped up. Convinced being on the show would relaunch her performing career, she accepted the new job right away.”

Be careful what you wish for Jennifer: Paula thought ‘Idol’ would send her back to the top of the charts too.

[From Popeater]

Poor Jessica, her dad only knows how to pimp out his daughter’s personal life and has no clue how to manage her career. Remember when she was a moderately popular pop singer who tried to branch out into films? That seems like so long ago now.

In contrast, Popeater has a related earlier story about how Lopez’s manager, Benny Medina, pitched her so well to Idol that they were convinced they needed her despite her sagging career. Idol was down 20% in the ratings this year and was sometimes bested by Dancing with The Stars. They may as well follow the same model and hire has-beens and would-bes to fill the panel. Maybe they should have a rotating panel that doesn’t rely too heavily on any single judge to carry it. Without snarky Simon it won’t be the same, and it’s not like Randy did much more than agree with whatever Simon said. Randy should have been the first one to go.

Here’s Jessica hanging all over her new boyfriend, Eric what’s-his-name, while out in NY on 7/27/10. Yeah, that’s not going to last. Credit: David Krieger / bauergriffinonline.com. J. Lo is shown on 6/15/10. Credit: L. Gallo/WENN.com