American Idol without Ryan?
American Idol without Ryan?
Both Fox and Ryan Seacrest say they want Seacrest to stay as host of "American Idol" after this year. Whether that will happen was unclear Sunday even as both sides promoted this month's launch of the 11th season of the country's most popular television show.
"It's a tough negotiation and one that will come to conclusion, I think, pretty quickly," Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said.
Seacrest is not signed beyond this season and is also involved in talks with corporate owners of NBC Universal, where he has a contract at E! Entertainment. There have been several reports that NBC is considering Seacrest as a potential replacement if Matt Lauer decides to leave the "Today" show.
Seacrest had little to say Sunday about the possibility of moving into a new morning job.
While such talk is "flattering," he said, "that job will be that person's job as long as that person wants the job."
"American Idol" continues to be a TV steamroller. Yet network TV is in tough economic straits, and many millions of dollars are tied up in contracts with Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson.
As for Seacrest's contractual status, the key word Sunday was "imagine."
"It's very hard to imagine the show without Ryan," Reilly said. "We certainly want to keep him. There's no creative discussion there whatsoever. It is a deal issue."
Said Seacrest: "I've done this for the last decade. I love doing it, so I can't imagine not being on every week."
Added Fox alternative show chief Mike Darnell: "We love Ryan and I can't imagine the show without him."
The next few weeks will show whether love translates to a deal.
Darnell said that after major changes on "Idol" last year with the additions of Tyler and Lopez and some revamping of the middle weeks of the competition, this year there will be relatively minor tweaks. Two big challenges when competitors reach the Hollywood stage will be requiring them to sing some 1950s era songs, and sing with the accompaniment of only one instrument.
And a healthy rivalry seems to be building with NBC's moderately successful new competition "The Voice," as "Idol" panelists made a handful of snarky remarks about the other show.
"We will definitely never, ever rip off 'Star Trek' like 'The Voice' did with spinning chairs," Jackson said.
"American Idol" returns on Jan. 18.
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- Posted on January 9, 2012
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I am SOOOOO happy that Ryan Seacrest is still on the show! It wouldn't be the same without him!! He is sooooo nice to the contestants and is funny! I hope he is the host as long as the show is on air.
NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! THEY CAN'T REPLACERYAN SEACREST! IT WOULD'T BE THE SAME! THE WHOLE SHOW WOULD BE RUINED! NONONONONO YOU WILL LOOSE SOOOOOO MANY VEIWERS IF RYAN SEACREST LEAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THEY CAN'T DO THAT! American idol isn't American Idol without Ryan Seacrest! WHO YA GONNA REPLACE HIM WITH? THE HOST FROM AB DC? OR NICK CANON? NO! Ryan Seacrest is THE American Idol host! IT HAS BEEN FOR 11 YEARS AND THEY AREN'T GOING TO CHANGE IT NOW! No way Jose!
Boo! I can not believe that Ryan Secrest is leaving American Idol:( That is my favorite show ever. My opinion is that if he leaves i will hate him. My question is why is he leaving?
I wonder if Ryan Seacrest is going to leave American Idol. I do not want him to leave because he is really funny and is really good at it. He might want to go onto a different show but I hope that is not the case. The NBC network is considering him as a replacement for Matt Lauer on the today show.
Ryan Seacrest is amazing!!! I don't know why he would leave American Idol? He is great talking on it and is hilarious. It would be good though if he went on the Today show. I would probably stop watching American Idol also.
I want Ryan to stay. It would be totally different without him. He is also very nice to the contestants and anyone he meets. That is just my opinion though.
I can not believe that Ryan Seacrest might leave American Idol! He makes the show really funny and he is really cool! It would be really depressing if he left! American Idol would never be the same if they got a new host! It would not be cool!
If Ryan wasn't on the show anymore I probably would stop watching American Idol! He makes the show funny and hysterical. The show without him would be horrible, i don't know what I would do really. He has been on the show like forever since I have been watching American Idol, if they chose someone different it better be someone like him!
Ryan can not leave American Idol! I have been watching the show for many years and if I were to watch an episode without Ryan I would be so disappointed and sad! American Idol has lost Simon and can not risk losing Ryan! I would not watch the show if Ryan left!