How Jennifer Lopez's $20 Million Contract Could Hurt 'American Idol'

It would seem that the producers of "American Idol" can rest easy now that Jennifer Lopez is back on board. After all, she was part of the new judging panel that lead the reality show to a resurgence after a few years of languishing ratings.

But with J.Lo's pay jumping from the $12 million that she got for last season to a whopping $20 million for this coming season, is her return really the best thing for "American Idol" and its fans?

That extra $8 million could have gone toward auditions in more cities, allowing more fans to try out and, hopefully, a better talent pool. It could have meant higher-profile musical guests for mid-season performances. Heck, that extra $8 million might have meant fewer stupid plugs for Ford and Coca-Cola that get in the way of the actual show.

Instead, that extra $8 million went to J.Lo, who will return to the show for another season so that she can sit at the judge's table and say "I loved it" over and over, all season long.

Don't get me wrong, I like J.Lo. If anything, she's nice to look at. But ever since Simon Cowell left, the "judging" on the show has regressed to the point where there's rarely ever a negative word said to the contestants, and when there is it's usually something remarkably dumb, like getting on the talented Haley Reinhart's case for singing an unknown Lady Gaga song that Lady Gaga herself said she should sing. What was Reinhart supposed to do, say no?

The fact is, not a single one of those three judges should be making $20 million for what they do. Jennifer Lopez, lovely and charming as she is, is totally replaceable. All you need is a good-looking singer who will be nice to people.