Posted by Emily Exton on 08/02/2011 at 11:18 AM News

The Popdust Files: american idol, jennifer lopez

It’s been hinted at for some time, but now it looks official: Jennifer Lopez will return as a judge of American Idol next season, TheWrap reports. And at the cool price of $20 million, the woman’s a bargain! Sources close to the deal describe Lopez’s deal with Fox as being “a smidge over” $20 million for the next season—apparently her base price during negotiations—which is a significant raise from the reported $12 million she made this year. Her plate is already looking full for 2012, including two film projects—What To Expect When You’re Expecting and Parker, currently in pre-production—as well as plans to continue with her own reality competition show Q’Viva! with soon to be ex-husband Marc Anthony. Expecting is scheduled for a May 2012 release, likely with a big promotion attached, so Lopez will have to juggle Idol filming with her other engagements. We haven’t done the math but we guess $20 million probably rounds out to a pretty big per diem paycheck. Not that it matters to J.Lo, of course.