Will.i.am Isn't an 'American Idol' Judge

As "American Idol" tries to fill out the panel of judges for its upcoming season, the news about who won't be on the show is drowning out the news about who will be. Even though official word has yet to come down, all indications are that Jennifer Lopez will return to "Idol" this year. With Keith Urban already signed on to return, the third and final judge's seat remains unfilled.

For awhile, it looked like the frontrunner for the judgeship was the Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the rapper has signed on to return to the UK version of "The Voice," a gig he's had for the past two seasons. Negotiations with "Idol" apparently never got rolling satisfactorily, and Will.i.am opted instead to go back to the BBC One show, where he'll judge alongside Tom Jones and, likely, Kylie Minogue.

So who will be the last "Idol" judge? It won't, apparently, be Kanye West, who reportedly said that the show was too "mainstream" to be compatible with his edgy reputation. Talks with Sean "Diddy" Combs and producer Rodney Jerkins didn't work out, either.

Us Weekly reports that the likely final judge is Dr. Luke, the producer behind megahits by Katie Perry, Miley Cyrus, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears and Ke$ha. Although he definitely has an impressive resume, Dr. Luke doesn't seem to have the name recognition that is going to draw viewers to "Idol," something the show's sagging ratings desperately need. But with so many big names passing on the opportunity to be part of the show, it looks like "Idol" might be running out of options.