When Idol launched in 2002, it had three judges who had nothing to lose (and everything to gain) by participating. Though Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were well-respected in the music industry, they had virtually no public profile before Idol, and Paula Abdul was regarded as a pop singer who'd peaked a decade prior. Idol made all three more famous than anyone could have expected, but after Idol producers failed to replicate that homegrown magic with Kara DioGuardi, they've forsaken growing a new star in lieu of picking one who's already well-established.
The pitfalls to that approach should be evident to anyone who watched Ellen DeGeneres struggle through her first and only Idol season this past year. No one could argue that DeGeneres was a huge get for the series -- instead of replacing Abdul with a similarly faded pop star, producers set their sights on someone much, much bigger -- but the problem with picking the enormously successful talk show host is that Idol always felt like it was in second position to her real career. There was no chance that Degeneres would say anything to jeopardize her reputation as the friendly Queen of Daytime, and that restriction kept her from saying much of anything at all.
The same goes for Tyler and Lopez: Though neither is at the career peak DeGeneres is currently enjoying, both are established veterans who would prioritize their own careers instead of wholeheartedly embracing new life as an Idol judge. Could you imagine the exceedingly careful Lopez ripping into a contestant, then batting back audience boos with a cavalier shrug like Cowell does? (In 1998, you could have -- that's the year Lopez infamously bashed Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Madonna, and Winona Ryder in a candid Movieline interview -- but the 41-year-old Lopez is much more guarded and neutral.)
Now that a slot has opened up on the judging dais, producers should take a closer look at another candidate they've allegedly met with: Courtney Love. The Hole singer can boast the slurry unpredictability of Abdul and the casual brutality of Cowell, and after she's thrown bombs at every famous name she can think of (including her own family members), tearing into Idol wannabes would be a piece of cake. At her trainwreckiest, she'd be watercooler television, but even in her most lucid moments, Love would be a terrific addition to the judges panel: willing to coax the contestants toward gritty authenticity, yet wholly familiar with what it means to sell out. Nigel Lythgoe, it's not too late!