Openly gay singer-songwriter Elton John
is being pursued to come on board American Idol in its tenth
season, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The talent contest's original executive
producer, So You Think You Can Dance judge Nigel Lythgoe, is
reportedly close to closing a deal with Fox executives to return to
the duties he left two years ago.
Lythgoe is expected to revamp the
show's judging panel following the exit of top judge Simon Cowell.
He has previously named John, Usher and
former judge Paula Abdul as his top picks to judge Idol.
Other rumors suggest Justin Timberlake,
Chris Isaak and Harry Connick Jr. as possible candidates.
Last year, openly lesbian chat
host-comedian Ellen DeGeneres joined the show's judging panel. The
addition of John would double the show's gay quotient.
Performing Thursday in Tucson, the
outspoken sixty-three-year-old John snubbed a boycott of Arizona
supported by gay rights groups and called musicians honoring the
boycott “fuck wits.” John entered a civil partnership in the
UK with filmmaker David Furnish in 2005.