RYAN SEACREST He's Not Sayin' No To Hosting 'Idol' 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 Ryan Seacrest sounds like he's game for round two of "American Idol." 
 
 TMZ broke the story..."Idol" is coming back in March, 2018 on ABC. We got Ryan and GF Shayna in NYC Saturday night and he certainly didn't shut down the possibility of hosting the show again. 
 
 As we reported ... the new gig has almost super-human strings attached, requiring him to fly coast to coast twice in two days in the middle of the night each week to pull it off. Ryan seems to think he's up to the task... with an L.A. Fitness membership. 
 
 BTW... we got him going in to Le Bernardin restaurant in NYC. It's super expensive, so we're guessing he's banking on "A.I." money to pay the check. ||||| CLOSE The long-running music competition series "American Idol" is coming back for the 2017-2018 season on ABC instead of FOX. USA TODAY 
 
 Original 'American Idol' judges Randy Jackson, left, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned for the series finale in 2016. Fox says it's "too soon" for a return, though ABC will give it one. (Photo: Matt Sayles, AP) 
 
 This ... is American Idol, on a new network. 
 
 The singing competition, which set ratings records over a storied 15-year run on Fox but was canceled last spring, is being resurrected on ABC. 
 
 The Disney-owned network confirmed the news early Tuesday, providing no details about judges, a host, timing or the duration of the series, though it's been speculated that a shortened season will begin next spring on Sunday nights. The show's previous seasons, about 20 weeks each, stretched from mid-January to mid-May. 
 
 TMZ first reported Idol producers FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment's talks with ABC after earlier discussions with NBC ended. 
 
 As for who might be back? 
 
 TMZ says Ryan Seacrest, who joined the Disney family only last week as the new co-host of Live with Kelly!, "seems interested" in returning as host, though Seacrest Monday played coy on Live!, saying, "I don't know if I can host it." 
 
 If the show remains in Los Angeles, as expected, Seacrest would have to jet back and forth each week during live Idol episodes. But Live!'s previous co-host, Michael Strahan, did the same thing each week during NFL season, when he moonlighted as a host of Fox NFL Sunday in Los Angeles, though the weekend gig didn't pose as direct a conflict. 
 
 Simon Cowell, the judge who vaulted the show to fame, is now executive producer and a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent. NBC is also the new network home of fellow judge Jennifer Lopez, who has a major deal to produce and star in a new reality-competition series, World of Dance (premiering May 30) in addition to her current detective drama Shades of Blue. 
 
 Idol was the top-rated show for eight seasons of its run, peaking in its fifth with an average of more than 30 million viewers (and 36 million for its May performance finale). But by the end of its run, Idol drew only about one-third of that audience, even as the show's expenses — some judges were paid $15 million a season — skyrocketed. Fox announced a planned final season in 2015, and the show ended its run only last May, after NBC's The Voice had eclipsed it. 
 
 While ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey, in a statement, called Idol "a pop-culture staple that left the air too soon," former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe expressed skepticism about the speedy return, telling Variety, "it feels a little too soon to bring it back." But ABC has been struggling on Sundays with dramas, ranks fourth among the major networks and with no NFL contract, can sorely use another reality hit. And all of the networks have struggled in recent attempts to launch new unscripted hits; NBC's Little Big Shots,which started strongly, already has faded in its second season. 
 
 Although ABC found success adapting two other British reality hits, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Dancing with the Stars, it has failed in several attempts to clone Idol. Among the notorious bombs were The One: Making a Music Star, a costly summer series that opened with 3 million viewers and was canceled after two weeks in 2006; and Rising Star,which aired in 2014 and featured contestants singing behind partitions. But Idol has a built-in (if faded) fan base, and the reboot will likely be heavily promoted during ABC's Oscar telecast, typically the highest-rated entertainment program each year. Except for that time Idol beat it. 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2pZOIk5 ||||| GIF Image via Fox/GIPHY. 
 
 That strange rash on your elbow that miraculously went away but then resurfaces. A baby on the train that stops crying for five seconds, then starts up again, LOUDER. A Black Eyed Peas reunion album. American Idol. 
 
 
 
 In mystifying news, the singing competition that won’t stop picking at its scab will return on ABC following a bidding war between networks, which included NBC and the show’s former home Fox. 
 
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 When Idol was officially cancelled, it seemed like the perfect time to let the series go gentle into that good night after 15 seasons. Not only were ratings lower than ever (as in, no one you knew was still watching or cared), the show’s ability to build its contestants into actual stars had long faded. The last three winners of Idol: Trent Harmon, Nick Fradiani (??) and Caleb Johnson. 
 
 Even more perplexing than the show’s return is that Ryan Seacrest has not been ruled out of hosting, given that he’s ALREADY the host of ANOTHER show that would seem to take up A LOT of his time: New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. 
 
 
 
 Despite the logistical challenge, Idol producers are reportedly looking to relocate the show to New York City to perhaps accommodate Seacrest and avoid a tiring search for a host. On Monday’s Live with Kelly & Ryan, Seacrest said, “I had no idea it was being talked about to come here until late last week I heard a rumor in the news and made a phone call, and they said, ‘Yeah, it may actually end up here.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s kind of good to know since I work here.’” Except, he added, “I don’t know if I can host it.” 
 
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 A source told People, “There have been no formal discussions with Ryan about his involvement, but he may well be open to it… in the right capacity and if it fit in with his other commitments.” Well, welcome back Idol. Thought we ghosted you. ||||| 'American Idol' ABC Gets the Show Seacrest Likely Host 
 
 'American Idol' Goes to ABC with Ryan Seacrest the Likely Host 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 "American Idol" will go to ABC, because TMZ has learned the deal is now closed. 
 
 TMZ broke the story ... ABC made the offer nearly 2 weeks ago, and the networks's plan is to officially announce it at the Upfronts in a week. 
 
 As we reported, FOX came on strong with an offer at the last minute, but the ABC deal was sealed Friday night. 
 
 Sources involved in the deal tell us ... the co-owners of the show, Fremantle and Core, along with ABC, want Ryan Seacrest to host the show. As we reported, the show will be filmed in Hollywood and Ryan would have to make 2 round trip coast-to-coast flights in as many days to shoot the show each week. 
 
 That now appears to be a reality. 
 
 Our sources say the show will debut in March of 2018. ||||| It’s official: ABC has revived American Idol — and is throwing some shade at Fox in the process. 
 
 The network has struck a deal to bring back the reality competition series next season, ABC confirmed Tuesday. 
 
 What’s more, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey took a swipe at Fox for canceling the series in the first place, suggesting its rival misstepped by dumping the show prematurely. 
 
 “American Idol is a pop-culture staple that left the air too soon,” said Dungey. “ABC is the right home to reignite the fan base. We are thrilled viewers will once again share in these inspiring stories of people realizing their dreams.” 
 
 ABC reportedly outbid Fox and NBC for the reality show’s return. 
 
 Fox aired Idol‘s last episode — or what would have been its last episode — in 2016, after 15 seasons. The show was canceled due to a combination of its expensive cost and sagging ratings. 
 
 ABC doesn’t have a host or judges locked down yet for its edition of the show (though Ryan Seacrest is expected to likely return now that he’s joining ABC anyway — co-hosting Live with Kelly Ripa). But Disney Media Networks co-chairman Ben Sherwood — in another line that could be interpreted as a dig at their rival — said the new version would be an improvement upon Fox’s run. 
 
 “‘Idol is an entertainment icon, and now it will air where it belongs, in ABC’s lineup of addictive fan favorites alongside Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor,” he said. “America, get ready for the return of a bigger, bolder and better-than-ever Idol.”
– Turns out all that fanfare over the end of American Idol was a bit premature. The singing competition is coming back after all, just not on its original network. ABC will revive the show next season after reportedly outbidding NBC and Fox (which canceled it last year due in part to flagging ratings), Entertainment Weekly reports. In its official announcement, ABC got in a couple little digs at Fox: "American Idol is a pop-culture staple that left the air too soon," says ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey. "ABC is the right home to reignite the fan base." "Idol is an entertainment icon, and now it will air where it belongs, in ABC’s lineup of addictive fan favorites," adds Disney co-chairman Ben Sherwood (Disney owns ABC). "America, get ready for the return of a bigger, bolder, and better-than-ever Idol." The network does not yet have a host or judges lined up, though TMZ reports Ryan Seacrest might be interested in returning as host. The speculation is that ABC will launch a shortened season, starting next spring, on Sunday nights, USA Today reports. How excited is the general public? Well, not very. "American Idol is back by popular demand! ..oh wait there was no demand? Oh okay. American Idol is just back then," reads one tweet. Another: "Not real sure why anyone thinks bringing American Idol back is a good idea. Go ahead and keep it, we're good." Meanwhile, Jezebel compares the show to "that strange rash on your elbow that miraculously went away but then resurfaces."