Simon Cowell has been promising us the names of his X Factor US judges since back in February but we still haven’t heard anything official. THR is now claiming that LA Reid will be sitting next to Simon Cowell as one of the four judges:

It was long rumored and now looks like it’s come true: Island Def Jam chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid will be a judge on Fox’s The X Factor.

Sources tells The Hollywood Reporter “it’s a done deal.” Reid, whose contract with Universal Music is up in December, will get an early release so that he can take part in Simon Cowell’s show, which awards a Sony Music recording contract worth $5 million to the winner. Auditions for The X Factor begin March 27 in Los Angeles.

An announcement regarding Reid is to be made this week, according to an insider.

Sometime this week? We’re running out of time so either it’s in the next two days, or it’s another news tease from Simon as the pressure builds up for X Factor’s premiere in 2011 fall.

Update: FOX has confirmed LA Reid as the first official judge, besides Simon, of course.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter


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