Idol in crisis as Aerosmith rocker Tyler quits show and J.Lo weighs up future

ROCKER Steven Tyler has bowed out of his job as a judge on American Idol for the coming season, saying he wants to dedicate himself to Aerosmith. Tyler's departure comes as his fellow judge Jennifer Lopez also weighs whether to return to the programme that once reigned supreme in US TV ratings, but has seen its audience shrink in recent years. A third panellist, Randy Jackson, seems a likely bet to return for the programme's 12th season as either a judge or mentor. "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back," the band's lead singer said. "I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress, American Idol, before she boils my rabbit," Tyler added, in a reference to the movie Fatal Attraction. "I got two fists in the air, and I'm kicking the door open with my band." Tyler, 64, and Aerosmith had amassed numerous hits like Walk This Way and I Don't Want To Miss a Thing since gaining fame in the 1970s, but had reached a lull a few years back when the singer decided to join American Idol. The addition of Tyler and Lopez to the judging panel in the 2011 season sparked great interest in the Fox TV network's hit show. But the most recent season, which ended in May, had the lowest-rated finale in 11 years, with just 21.5m tuning in to watch Phillip Phillips win the title. More than 30m viewers watched the show's finale in its heyday in 2006 and 2007. Mark Darnell, president of alternative entertainment for Fox, said: "We are very sad that Steven has chosen to focus more on his music, but we always knew when we hired a rock 'n' roll legend that he would go back to music." Indeed, Tyler's return to performing seemed foremost on his mind in March when Aerosmith announced it would go on tour in June and release its first album in eight years. Still in doubt is the fate of Lopez, who seemed still undecided about her next move, on NBC's Today show. "It's been on my mind a lot, as you can imagine," she said. "You know, I signed on to American Idol to do one year, and ... I wound up doing the two years. And now it's like, 'okay, do we continue on this journey?'."