By Alicia Rancilio
NEW YORK (AP) --A former executive producer of "American Idol" who helped bring the show to the U.S. said Monday he was "sad initially" to hear of the show's cancellation, but ultimately understands it's the right time to end the show.
"Having thought about it, I thought, 'No, it's the right time and very brave, I think, of Fox to do this,'" Nigel Lythgoe said. "It's still doing very well in the ratings whatever anybody else has got to say. It isn't doing the 35 million viewers but it's certainly doing 12 million and a lot of other stations would like that sort of figure, so you've got to say it's preserving the legacy I think of 'American Idol.'"
He said "American Idol" is "probably the most impactful show we've ever had on American television. It took hold of the entire nation for a number of years, and it's far better that it retires at this point than being knocked out."
Lythgoe, who is now a judge on Fox's dance competition show "So You Think You Can Dance," said he could see "American Idol" being resurrected in the future.
"Everything's cyclical. It will probably come back in a different form again," he said.
Paula Abdul, one of the original judges on "American Idol," has joined "So You Think You Can Dance" as a judge for its 12th season beginning in June.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More