HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Chris Isaak could be playing a "Wicked Game" when it comes to replacing Simon Cowell on Fox’s American Idol.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 54-year-old Isaak is considered one of the front-runners for the job, having already met twice with the network.
The search to replace Cowell is intensifying as preliminary auditions get under way for the show’s upcoming 10th season. The network is reportedly keen on landing a well-known music industry figure to sit next to Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi. Other candidates who have been mentioned include Harry Connick Jr. and Bret Michaels, who sources now say is out of the running.
Isaak has a television background, having starred on his Chris Isaak Show for Showtime from 2001-04. He has also appeared on such shows as Eastwick, Cold Case and Smallville.
Peter Rice, the network’s entertainment chairman, told the trade publication that the new Idol judge will likely join the audition roadshow by early September, meaning a deal should be coming shortly.
Meanwhile, an unnamed candidate has reportedly set off a tug-of-war between Idol executive producer Simon Fuller and Cowell, who is said to be considering the same person for a judge’s seat on his new series The X Factor, premiering next year.
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