MORE RUMORS ABOUT WHO’LL REPLACE TYLER ON IDOL

Add Sean “Diddy” Combs and Pharrell Williams to the list of celebrities apparently jockeying to land the judge’s seat formerly occupied by Steven Tyler on American Idol. The New York Post‘s “Page Six” gossip column said today (Thursday) that the multi-talented Combs (record producer, rapper, actor, dancer) was being wooed by the producers of Idol. The newspaper added that neither representatives of Combs, Fox, nor the show’s producers would comment on the “blind” item. Lending some credence to the report is the fact that Combs has appeared on Idol in the past as a mentor to the finalists. A performance of the show drew a standing ovation last March. Meanwhile, the New York Daily News is reporting that Pharrell Williams has been negotiating with the show’s producers and has told his closest associates that he’ll be a judge on Idol when auditions begin next month. The newspaper, citing a source close to the rapper/producer/designer, said that members of Williams’s Star Trak Entertainment record label have been informed that Williams will be replacing Tyler on Idol. What makes both reports particularly suspect is that both men are principally known for their contributions to hip-hop, which is not performed on American Idol.