The judging on “American Idol” has become so intense, even Jennifer Lopez‘s manager, Benny Medina, has an opinion.
Sources told Page Six that highly controlling Medina is constantly on set with Lopez during filming of the show and chats with her about the contestants during breaks.
One insider even added that Medina, a former singer who has also managed the likes of Usher, Brandy and Mariah Carey, “communicates with Lopez constantly” during production.
A rep for Lopez said, “Benny is a frustrated judge and has nothing to do [with judging contestants]. Jennifer loves this job and is having a wonderful time.”
Lopez signed a reported $12 million deal to be a judge for the 10th season of the hit Fox show alongside Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and music producer Randy Jackson.
And our sources add that Lopez and Tyler are quite opinionated without Medina’s input. Lopez and Tyler put contestants through ringers, making them prove their talent by singing multiple songs in several musical categories and evaluating “the whole package” during the first round of auditions taking place across the country.
“The bar is high,” said one source. Comparing former judge Paula Abdul with Lopez and Tyler, our insider said: “If Paula liked the song a constestant sang, then they got right through. For Steven and Jennifer, there’s much more thought behind it. It’s about the package: endurance, timing, how much you want it, and can you sing more than just one genre of music.”
Meanwhile, Tyler has also emerged as the show’s new Simon Cowell-esque figure. “His one-liners are superb. When he’s on, he’s fantastic,” an insider noted.
And so far, there are no Cowell/Abdul-style set feuds. “Steven gets along very well with Jennifer,” said our source.
A rep for Fox had no comment.