NEW PRODUCER, MENTOR SET FOR IDOL

Nigel Lythgoe, familiar to many viewers as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, is returning as an executive producer of American Idol, the Los Angeles Times reported on its website today (Wednesday), noting that the deal with Lythgoe — he returns after a two-year absence — was completed this afternoon. The newspaper also said that veteran record producer Jimmy Iovine has been signed as a mentor — essentially playing the role that Clive Davis did in the show’s early years. Neither Lythgoe nor Iovine will sit on the judges’ panel, the Times indicated, noting that deals with Jennifer Lopez and Steve Tyler to come aboard as judges are expected to be completed before the end of the week.