Lythgoe: J.Lo will be back on 'Idol'

Yes, friends, this story is so old by now, it's got hair on it, so consider this post a "for the record."  J. Lo's back.

This morning on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, Nigel Lythgoe said he was "delighted" to say that all three "American Idol" judges from last season will be back. (He says this near the end of this audio clip.) Of course, he prefaced his statement to Rycrest that he realized his comment was not "official," but so be it. Nigel is the boss. If he says so, you don't need a news release to dot his "i" or cross his "t." 

What is genuinely puzzling is what's taken Fox so long to confirm this. At last week's press tour, Fox boss Kevin Reilly wouldn't even entertain questions about J. Lo; "just refer to last winter's transcripts," he said  -- referring to the winter press tour when he said nothing yet was official, etc. 

Maybe Fox is embarrassed about the whole deal -- if you believe the various gossip site reports that say she got a huge bump to stay and that now Steven Tyler is agitating for more money. (Oh yes, sure I believe them.)