Britney Spears is paying $5,000 a week to her ex-husband Kevin Federline in order to take her sons on tour with her, and part of the money may be coming from her new deal with Candie's. The 'Womanizer' singer will appear in new ads for the shoe company, which also sponsors her 'Circus' tour. "I'm so excited to be the face for Candie's Only at Kohl's. Candie's and Kohl's are doing such great things with my tour. It's great to work with a line that has such cool clothes and accessories," Spears says.

Michael Jackson is expected to announce a series of summer comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London. The pop legend is due to appear at the venue on Thursday make to a "special announcement", a statement said. It follows months of speculation about a string of money-spinning shows. Jackson last performed in 2006, at the World Music Awards in London. But he disappointed fans at that event by singing just a few lines of We Are The World. He last toured 12 years ago. The O2, in Greenwich, south-east London, is the venue where Prince played for 21 nights in 2007, and where Britney Spears is performing for eight nights in June. Jackson would be likely to follow a similar pattern of a run of gigs at one venue, rather than an extensive tour. At Thursday's press conference, he will hope to convince fans he is fit enough to perform a number of full shows.

Will this year's Academy of Country Music Awards be a ladies' night? Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are nominated for album of the year for their albums Fearless and Carnival Ride respectively, the Academy announced Thursday. George Strait (for Troubadour), Jamey Johnson (That Lonesome Song) and Montgomery Gentry (Back When I Knew It All) round out the category. The 44th annual ACM Awards will be hosted – for a record eleventh time – by Reba McEntire on Sunday, April 5, and be broadcast live on CBS from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Swift, Tim McGraw, Rascall Flatts, Sugarland and nominees Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert and Heidi Newfield are scheduled to perform, the Academy announced. Brad Paisley leads the group of ACM nominees with six nods this year, including for entertainer of the year and top male vocalist. (Other nominations were previously announced.) Other top nominees include Newfield, Strait and Johnson, who each received five nominations. Swift, Kenny Chesney and Underwood have four nominations apiece.

In 2001, Simon Cowell figured a singing contest snapped up by British TV would be an easy sell in America. Instead, network responses ranged from lukewarm to hostile. "I was thrown out in one pitch meeting. After 30 seconds, the guy told me to get out," recalled Cowell, making the rounds with entertainment mogul Simon Fuller. "The main thing we were being told was music doesn't work on TV in prime-time. We tried to explain that there's lot more than music on the show." So much for Hollywood acumen: The international "Idol" empire founded by Fuller has made a hit TV show seem an obvious, even puny ambition as Idolmania has swept across the pop culture realm. The talent contest has "created this whole zeitgeist, and it's really about Americans and participating in creating a celebrity of their own," said media analyst Shari Ann Brill of Carat USA. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson are among the singers rewarded with instant careers in music, movies and in theater. A chorus of enterprises has gotten a dusting of "Idol" magic as well, from Dreyer's ice cream (Cookies N Dreamz among the novelty flavors) to a Disney World attraction to the "Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol" video game. A deal with iTunes for exclusive show video and song downloads last season coincided with Apple's emergence as the nation's leading music retailer. There's even altruistic value in the franchise: The charity initiative Idol Gives Back raised $64 million in 2008 for groups including Children's Health Fund and Malaria No More. Fuller, who started it all with Britain's "Pop Idol" and carried the concept to the United States and more than 35 TV markets worldwide, told The Times of London that "pure, simple television is not that interesting for me; what's far more interesting is trying to create a cult effect." It's been a lucrative exercise for Fuller and others. His 19 Entertainment, a division of CKX Inc., last week reported an operating profit of $92.5 million, a 37 percent increase over 2008's $67.4 million. Fuller's net worth in 2008 reportedly approached $1 billion. FremantleMedia, which teams with 19 Entertainment in producing the U.S. version, exporting the format and licensing, is another winner. FremantleMedia North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz is an executive producer of "American Idol." For Fox, which gave "American Idol" a modest summertime 2002 tryout at the urging of Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns the network, the show is a money machine. A 30-second commercial on "Idol" costs around $500,000 and rises to more than $600,000 for the finale, said Ray Dundas, an analyst for ad-buying firm Initiative. By comparison, he said, other top 10 shows, such as "Grey's Anatomy," get closer to $240,000 per half-minute ad. The difference reflects both the size of the "Idol" audience and the fact that it can deliver the elusive young adult viewers preferred by advertisers, Dundas said. "American Idol," in short, big-foots broadcasting. It has dominated as the most-watched series since its third year, a pattern that's holding true this season even as ratings dip in an overall TV slump. Two-hour "American Idol" episodes on Tuesday have averaged 58 percent more viewers than the closest competition, CBS' "NCIS" and "The Mentalist" (27 million for "Idol" vs. 17 million each for the CBS shows). "I don't believe there will ever be another show like this. It's the last of its breed" as the consumer pool is increasingly splintered by broadcast, cable, DVRs and the Internet, said Mike Darnell, Fox's president of alternative entertainment. As a trendsetter, "Idol" has served as blueprint for a generation of shows in which contestants — whether singing, dancing, skating, playing the fiddle or swallowing fire — are vetted by a triad that includes one wasp-tongued TV judge, preferably with a foreign accent. Len Goodman of "Dancing with the Stars" and Nigel Lythgoe of "So You Think You Can Dance" (and a former "Idol" producer) are part of the elite group. (The template, Cowell, who has become a talent show producer with "America's Got Talent" and the U.K. hit "The X Factor," dismisses the copycatting as "gratuitous.") "Idol" singers remain irresistible gossip fodder, with unknowns such as this year's drama queen Tatiana Del Toro heaped with water-cooler and online attention, at least for the moment. Some "Idol" alumni have earned the ultimate — if unwelcome — proof of fame: They've become newsmakers, whether by dint of tragedy (Hudson, who lost family members to murder) or sexual orientation (Clay Aiken came out as gay when he announced the birth of his son). Whatever the headlines, the "Idol" brand itself remains coveted by major companies. Ford Motor Co., Coca-Cola Co. and AT&T have on the show, McDonald's offered "Idol" Happy Meals and Disney World's Hollywood Studios just opened The American Idol Experience. Michael Jung, a vice president with Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, helped develop the attraction that gives visitors to the Orlando, Fla., park the chance to compete, vote and perform a la "Idol." "It gives you a taste of that next Cinderella story. You could be the next `American Idol,' Jung said. "It's so organic to the new American dream: It's all about celebrity and fame. ... But what I really respect about `American Idol' is it's really talent-based." There's statistical support for that contention. Underwood has sold 10 million record albums; Clarkson is just shy of that with sales of 9.5 million. And both are multiple Grammy winners and critical favorites — not bad for a talent show that critics say is guilty of cheesy exploitation of the overtly untalented. "`American Idol' for the record industry is one of the few bright spots over the last seven, eight years. No one else has figured out the magic formula for selling records, and `American Idol' has one," said Steve Knopper, author of "Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age." "It's old-fashioned when you think of it: TV helps you sell records," Knopper said, a lesson as old as the 1960s U.S. introduction of the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Hudson's album sales are under 1 million, but she's doing OK: She won an Academy Award for "Dreamgirls." Other contestants have turned to stage careers, including Diana DeGarmo ("Hairspray"), Aiken ("Monty Python's Spamalot"), Fantasia Barrino ("The Color Purple"), Frenchie Davis ("Rent") and Constantine Maroulis ("The Wedding Singer"), who returns to Broadway in April in "Rock of Ages." "I love watching `American Idol' because it's just like going to open calls that I didn't have to organize," said Broadway and film casting director Bernard Telsey, citing a variety of reasons he looks to "Idol" contestants. Maroulis (a 2005 show alum) was cast in "Rock of Ages" because "he's the best actor suited for the role. Being billed as an `American Idol' runner-up is old news." Barrino, however, represented "an exciting piece of casting. ... Going after her was clearly not only a talent decision but also big ... business news," Telsey said of the 2004 "Idol" winner. But even Barrino couldn't score in the publishing world, the one arena in which "Idol" falters: Her autobiography "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale" has sold 49,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan. Clarkson and Jordin Sparks biographies sold under 1,000 each. Otherwise, "American Idol" is in tune with fans. Can that last? It's going to be "harder and harder" to sell records in the dramatically changing industry, Knopper said, and that includes performers launched by "American Idol." Yet even if its empire is diminished the show may endure. "How long did `American Bandstand' last — 30 years, 40 years?" Knopper said. "I think `Idol' is built in that universal way. It's a talent show. It's not reinventing the wheel."

Sales of Michael Jackson's just-announced comeback performances in London have been thrilling: his run of 50 U.K. concerts scheduled to begin on July 8 sold out five hours after tickets went on sale on Friday, according to promoters. The 50-year old pop star was originally slated to perform 10 concerts for his This Is It tour at London's O2 Arena, but the overwhelming fan response – 750,000 tickets have been sold to date at the rate of 11 tickets per second – led organizers to expand the run to 50 shows, ending on February 24, 2010. "Michael's already pretty much put together a list of the dancers he wants," Randy Phillips of promoters AEG Live told BBC Radio. "Michael's very engaged now." The unprecedented sales come despite the fact Jackson hasn't recorded an album since 2001's Invincible and has gotten more attention in recent years for his bizarre behavior and, in 2005, his acquittal on child abuse charges. The "King of Pop" has sold around 750 million records and won 13 Grammys.

Remaining Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr took a trip down memory lane at a press conference on Friday as they gear up for their highly anticipated reunion concert tonight! Of The Beatles' famous trip to India, Paul said his spiritual guru the Maharishi gave the band a "great gift" at a point in their lives "when we were looking for something to kind of stabilize us toward the end of the crazy 1960s," reports the Associated Press. Paul and Ringo will rock out together for the first time since 2002, when they headline a concert at NYC's Radio City Music Hall on Saturday night benefiting the David Lynch Foundation, which provides funds for transcendental meditation in schools. Other musicians set to perform at the concert include Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, Moby and Bettye LaVette.

Country's biggest stars are heading to Sin City for the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Sunday on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley Photo by: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic; Francis Specker / Landov Country's biggest stars are heading to Sin City for the 44th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Sunday on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. Carrie Underwood is up for the night's top honors, entertainer of the year (a fan-voted category this year), against four of country music's biggest cowboys – Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and George Strait. Those on tap to perform include Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Sugarland. Fresh from her Hannah Montana movie premiere, Miley Cyrus will take the ACM stage to perform "The Climb," a tune from the film. "[The song] has a little country vibe,” the pop star tells PEOPLE. “At the ACMs, it'll be cool." Hosted for the eleventh time by Reba McEntire, who will perform her new single "Strange," the show will also feature plenty of Hollywood wattage, including Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Foxx. Paisley – an early winner who already nabbed two of the six awards he's up for – will compete for his third consecutive male vocalist award from home: He and wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley are expecting their second child any day.

The show didn't go on in Vancouver Wednesday night after Britney Spears pulled the plug on her sold-out Circus concert 15 minutes and three songs into her performance – departing the stage and leaving the audience in the GM Place in the dark for more than half an hour. Boos ensued. Cigarette smoke from the crowd was blamed, with a female voice announcing to the crowd, "The building is awfully smoky. It is uncomfortable for everyone on stage, including Ms. Spears. Please extinguish all cigarettes – this is a non-smoking building, and the show will resume when the smoke on the stage is cleared," the Vancouver Sun reports. Until the agitated crowd settled down, GM Place was filled with piped-in intermission music played at hockey games – which, one concertgoer told PEOPLE, left the fans "really pissed off. The break in the concert ruined it for everyone. The vibe was gone." When she did return, Spears, 27, delivered a well-received Bollywood take on "Me Against the Music," followed by "Everytime" – during which she asked the crowd "What's up, Vancouver?" before she again left the stage, some 90 seconds before the end of the song. The concert concluded with Spears singing "Womanizer" and advising the still-restless crowd, "Vancouver, don't smoke weed." Her sign-off was also peppered with a couple of X-rated expletives and a warning to "drive safe." After the show, a statement was posted on the singer's Web site: "We want to apologize to all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney's set. Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue." Spears kicked off her Circus tour of the North America and England in New Orleans on March 3. Her father and attorneys are exploring the possibility of expanding the tour, says AP.

John Mayer had Demi Lovato virtually blushing after complimenting her new song "La La Land" on Twitter Thursday. "I have 'La La Land' by @ddlovato stuck in my head," Mayer tweeted. "Actually, it's not stuck. I'm choosing to sing it. B section is sophisticated." The star of Disney's Sonny with a Chance, who performed a song off her debut album Don't Forget on Dancing with the Stars Tuesday, replied, "That is quite possibly the best compliment I've received in this business. Thank you so, so much!" The two then engaged in an exchange, where Mayer, 31, told Lovato, 16, "You're going to make lots of records, I can tell," and "Write one song at a time and never, ever apologize for any of them, ever." Lovato tweeted, "See, that's exactly what I needed to hear today. If that's not inspiration, then I don't know what is." Her fans were clearly flabbergasted, too. The teen later wrote, "I had so many of you guys say they were freaking out and so happy because I had an idol twitter me … I love you guys."

Jennifer Hudson is taking a break this week from her national tour with Robin Thicke. Doctors are said to be treating her for a throat condition related to her singing. Last night's stop in Oakland, Calif., was postponed until May 19. This week's concerts in Dallas and Houston have also been rescheduled for later dates, according to Thicke's rep. Hudson last performed on Saturday at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre. I was there, and she proved to be a real superstar because she didn't show any signs that something may have been wrong. So just how well did Ms. Hudson do? Throughout her hour-long set, she was hitting all of those very high and very powerful notes that she's become so famous for. Her best numbers were "You Pulled Me Through" and "If This Isn't Love." No surprise, but her one encore was "And I Am Telling You (I'm Not Going)" from Dreamgirls. Thicke started the night off with a set that left his fans swooning, screaming and very hot and bothered. The man can move. More than once, he dropped to his knees to gyrate while serenading several lucky women in the front row. Among the notables in the audience were Dreamgirls director Bill Condon and producer Larry Mark and Gina Prince-Bythewood, who directed her in last year's The Secret Life of Bees. Chaka Khan popped onstage to join Hudson for her cover of "Sweet Thing." Now, what about that rumored pregnancy? Ms. Hudson made no mention of expecting—or not expecting, for that matter—her first child with fiancé David Otunga. However, her all-black ensemble was unable to hide what appeared to be a baby bump. Sounds like the spotlight may be back on.

Kelly Clarkson may have a thing for Edward Cullen, but that certainly doesn't guarantee her a spot on the New Moon soundtrack. Recent Internet chatter claims that the unreleased Clarkson song "Did You?" will likely be featured in the Twilight sequel. However, a rep for movie studio Summit Entertainment is singing a different tune… There are no plans to use the song, according to the rep. The angst-ridden, rocked-out ballad certainly sounds like a good match for the flick. "Did you ever care for me?" Clarkson sings in the chorus. "Did you ever believe in me?/Did you ever love me?" A source tells that director Chris Weitz has made no decisions regarding the music for the movie. Currently filming in Vancouver before taking off for Italy, New Moon is set to hit theaters on Nov. 20. Back in January, Clarkson blogged about becoming a fan of the young vampire love phenomenon. "Finished the Twilight books (so did my mom and sister) and we cannot wait for the next movie New Moon," the American Idol winner wrote. "Do not judge us, we cannot help ourselves. Now my sister and I are going to read a classic The Divine Comedy. Although it's a classic it doesn't have Edward Cullen in it so I pray it holds my attention. Ha!" Funnily enough, Clarkson's old Idol pal Justin Guarini recently began a campaign to add himself to the New Moon soundtrack. He posted his recording of original song "I Can't Live" on YouTube, along with a note reading, "If you like it, share it, and ask for it to be put in the new Twilight movie."

America just can't get enough of Barbra Streisand! Read on to find out why… The entertainment legend's "Streisand The Concerts" continues its reign as the No. 1 Billboard Top Music DVD for the third week in a row. The three-disk set, which debuted in the top spot on April 28, has set the highest sale for any music DVD this year. The set's success comes on the heels of Streisand's CBS special on April 25, which featured an abbreviated portion of Streisand's 2006 American tour. Next up, the stage and screen icon will reprise her role as Rozalin Focker in 'Little Fockers,' which is scheduled for a 2011 release.

After three months of laying low in the wake of his felony charges for allegedly assaulting Rihanna, Chris Brown has finally broken his silence. In a short video posted on YouTube.com, the R&B star, 20, speaks to the camera about his upcoming album and makes an apparent allusion to the drama in his personal life. "I just wanna say 'What up?' because I ain't been out there in a minute," explains Brown (whose pal Bow Wow also makes brief appearances in the clip). "New album will be coming soon," he says. "We're working on it right now. Called Graffiti. Got everything on it, know what I'm saying? I'll be ready for that. I'm about to drop a single this summer for y'all. So we ain't going nowhere." Brown, who faced enormous backlash after his arrest in February, concludes, "Everybody that's haters, they just been haters. All my real fans, I love you all. I ain't a monster." Reps for Brown had no comment. Meanwhile, Brown's case continues to stall in court. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, is seeking access to LAPD records to determine if there was police misconduct in the investigation, which could be grounds for a case dismissal. A hearing is set for Thursday, but Brown is not required to attend.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro and country singer Julianne Hough is taking on the hosting job of the "2009 CMT Music Awards Video of the Year Special." The winner of the award is determined by the fans who can go to CMT.com or text in their votes throughout the show. Those nominated for Video of the Year include Taylor Swift's "Love Story," Carrie Underwood's "Just A Dream" and Kid Rock's "All Summer Long." The CMT special premieres on Saturday, June 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET/PT. The "2009 CMT Music Awards," hosted by comedian Bill Engvall, will air live on Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Gwen Stefani says getting back together with No Doubt came with some complications, plus she reveals mommy woes in a candid new interview. In a new Elle magazine, the rocker turned pop star admits to some conflict when she got back together with her band, No Doubt. "Everybody's making it like there's all this tension, you know, like I stepped away from the band and now they're jealous of me, and look, maybe there is a little bit of that," she says. The band attempted to write a new record before going on tour, but were unable to come up with new material. Things came to a head one day when they were recording a cover of Adam and the Ants' "Stand and Deliver." She and bass player Tony Kanal got into "a heated conversation" over the track. "But some fights aren't really what they seem," Gwen says. "I think it was a little about the song, and a little about our coming back together. There was this little air bubble that needed to pop, you know?" At home, the singer faces other challenges with being a mom. "It's one thing when you have an infant," she says. "but when you have this two-or three-year-old going, 'Mommy, what's the deal?!' it's harder. Kingston's whole thing is, 'I need, I need.' He is insane right now. We're just hoping for the best and that he's not going to turn out to be a freak, but we'll see." The new issue of Elle is on stands June 15th.

Scottish singing star Susan Boyle was met with rapturous applause as she took to the stage in Glasgow on Monday night, defying new fears for her health sparked by her withdrawal from a show the previous night. Boyle, a 48-year-old church volunteer whose frumpy appearance hides a soaring voice, sang her signature tune "I Dreamed A Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables" as part of a tour of the talent show that made her famous. There were doubts as to whether she would perform in the "Britain's Got Talent" live show in the Scottish city after she pulled out of an event in Manchester, northwestern England, on Sunday night. Two weeks ago, Boyle was rushed to a London health clinic suffering from exhaustion. Her treatment followed her defeat in the talent show despite a global following on YouTube. However, her fans in Glasgow were not disappointed last night. "I thought she was fantastic. She brought tears to my eyes," said 39-year-old Audrey Hinde. "She didn't seem under pressure at all." A clip of Boyle singing "I Dreamed A Dream" is now one of the most watched ever on YouTube.

What kind of music was the King of Pop dreaming up before he died? The late star was at work on a pop album and classical, instrumental pieces, says Billboard.com. On the pop album, he was collaborating with songwriter Claude Kelly and R&B star Akon, who says Michael was inspired by popular demand for tickets to his shows. "He said, 'My fans are still there. They still love me. They're alive,'" Akon says. "His kids are like his first priority, and they had never seen him perform live. He was trying to create the most incredible show for his kids." Akon says he and Michael had their final conversation three months before the King of Pop died. "He would always tell me to eat right and ask me if I was exercising and drinking water," he says. "He'd always stress you had to take care of yourself before you can go off and do anything else." Michael reached out to composer David Michael Frank to assist him with his classical music, says Billboard. "He had two demos of two pieces he'd written, but they weren't complete," says Frank. "For one of them, he had a whole section of it done in his head. He had not recorded it. He hummed it to me as I sat at the keyboard in his pool house and we figured out the chords-I guess this recording I made is the only copy that exists of this music." "He seemed totally healthy, not frail, and gave me a firm handshake when we met. He seemed in good health, had a good voice and was in good spirits," Frank adds. "He was very skinny, but from what I knew, he was always thin."

What would Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler be without a little drama? "We're not together, but we're really good friends," Moakler told PEOPLE about ex-husband Barker while she attended Saturday's White Party, hosted by Diddy and Ashton Kutcher to benefit Malaria No More. "We have a real love for one another, and we always have." "Travis is leaving for tour, my babies are going with him, so I'm getting all prepared," says Moakler. "We're lucky that Blink [182] tours are very lavish. We each have our own buses. At the venues, we set up kid rooms so the kids can kind of get out of the buses and start running around. We have a runner to take [them] 'round. They're going to be going to Canada, to see the different parts of the States … so it's pretty exciting." Divorced since last year, Moakler, 34, and Barker, 33, have two kids, Landon and Alabama. The notoriously up-and-down couple made headlines as recently as three weeks ago, when Barker wrote on his Twitter page that he didn't like "deadbeat moms that sleep all day" and further opined that "kids are not to be used as weapons." Such strife appears to be set aside, at least for now, however. Come July 24, Blink 182 – the pop-punk band popular in the late '90s – begins a 48-city reunion tour through the U.S. and Canada that is due to finish in October. As drummer for the band, Barker has also been active recently with his TRV$-DJAM side project. After his near-fatal plane crash last summer, Barker is eager to resume his glory days with the band, Moakler says. "I was there when the band separated, and I really saw all the heartbreak in all the fans," Moakler says. "I saw how upset all the kids were. I watched the different band members go their separate ways, and it was really kind of a sad time in our lives. We were still having babies, but it was kind of an end of an era so to speak. So having them come back together, they're just excited and happy about it. That's awesome."

ET has an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Britney Spears' new Candie's commercial that features the sexy apparel from her "Radar" music video. Candies, exclusively sold at Kohl's Department Stores, dressed Britney for her music video and used footage from the "Radar" shoot for the brand's fall television commercial. "Candie's fits into my life in such a huge way. My sister loves Candie's. My mom loves Candie's. And we love the shoes, the underwear, the bras, everything. It's a lot of fun," Britney says of the brand.

Ryan Seacrest is Fox's 45-Million-Dollar Man. The "American Idol" host has closed a major new three-year deal with CKX, parent of "Idol" producer 19 Entertainment, worth $15 million per year. Under the pact, which is believed to be the richest ever for a reality host, Seacrest will be exclusive to CKX in broadcast TV primetime to host "Idol" or any CKX-produced show that might succeed it. The pact, which had been in the works for the past several weeks, more than triples his previous salary of slightly less than $5 million per season. "Idol" producers 19, FremantleMedia North America and Fox all declined to comment on Seacrest's new deal, as did his attorneys. The pact is expected to be announced Monday. Seacrest has a separate cable deal with Comcast and is E! Entertainment's lead anchor. He also produces such shows as E!'s "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and ABC's upcoming Jamie Oliver reality series. With Seacrest's renegotiation out of the way, the "Idol" producers will focus on securing the show's judges for next season. Uber judge Simon Cowell has made statements that he might leave the singing competition when his contract is up at the end of next season. The British media have pegged his salary demands at more than $100 million per year. The other judges -- Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi -- all have said they hope to close deals to return next season. While the ratings for the reality juggernaut have slipped in the past couple of years, "Idol" remains the highest-rated series on television by a mile and is a windfall for its producers.