American Idol

ABC ... you just snagged "American Idol." So, where you goin' for auditions? We're goin' to Disney World!!!

Yep, TMZ has learned the show will shoot audition weeks at Walt Disney World in Orlando. We're told there are 2 reasons:

-- It promotes a huge brand within the Disney company -- amusement parks.

-- It's way more cost-effective than travelling the show to various cities.

A source familiar with the deal tells us there's also talk of doing some of the auditions at Disneyland on the West Coast.

It would also give the show a cross-section of America and beyond, without having to hit the road.

Money is definitely an issue. The show got too expensive to produce, which is why it went off the air a year ago, and this will save a considerable sum.

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.

"American Idol" seems headed for ABC for a March 2018 launch ... sources connected with the negotiations tell TMZ.

TMZ broke the story, ABC made the offer a week ago and asked the owners of the show if it could be moved to NYC so Ryan Seacrest could host, now that he's living there. That idea was quickly nixed and the show will go on in Hollywood.

ABC tells us ... there's no signed deal, but our sources say the negotiations are far along and the fine points are being worked out right now. We're told both sides expect to seal the deal "soon."

We're also told NBC, which made an offer several months ago, is out as a bidder. FOX also made an offer but from everything we're hearing, it's now all about ABC.

Our sources say the plan is for ABC to announce the return of 'Idol' at the Upfronts a week from next.

"American Idol" has only been off the air a year, but seems it's still the hottest property out there, because we've learned ABC has now made an offer to buy the show.

Sources at ABC and Fremantle -- the company that produces the show -- tell TMZ the network contacted Fremantle last week and made the bid. We're told the network wanted to reboot the show for a March 2018 premiere.

We're also told ABC inquired about making Ryan Seacrest the host, but even last week the network knew it was on the verge of signing Ryan as co-host of 'Live' with Kelly Ripa. As a result, we're told ABC asked if the show could be shot in New York, which is now Ryan's home base. Our sources say Fremantle made it clear ... NYC was a no-go. The show will be shot in L.A.

We're told Ryan hasn't been approached by ABC about hosting the show and our ABC sources say it's virtually out of the question, given his commitment to 'Live.'

TMZ broke the story ... NBC and FOX were in a bidding war a few months ago to get the show, but Fremantle stopped negotiating because of squabbling with CORE, co-owner of 'A.I.'

Our sources say Fremantle is going back to CORE to see if they can agree to negotiate with ABC, and go back to NBC and FOX.

Randy Jackson's totally down for getting the "American Idol" band back together ... if someone else takes the lead and makes it happen.

We got Randy at LAX ... he repeatedly confirms with our guy he's in for a reboot, but suggests one of the other former stars of the show is the linchpin.

NBC and FOX are going full bore against each other to bring "American Idol" back.

We're told both networks have submitted bids to FremantleMedia -- which owns the show -- and a decision could come as early as this week.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... NBC wants the show in part to resolve a problem with "The Voice." We're told the network doesn't want to oversaturate the market with the show, which airs twice a year. We're also told Adam Levine only wants to do 1 cycle a year.

If NBC gets 'Idol,' it would rotate 'A.I.' with "The Voice" and each would air once a year.

We're also told NBC has Ryan Seacrest as the favored host the second time around, and FOX would also entertain bringing Ryan back.

Our sources say the target date for bringing 'Idol' back is either Summer 2018 or mid-season 2019.

The Popeyes employee who called "American Idol" runner-up Bo Bice a "white boy" ... thinks he could have handled the situation better, instead of getting her suspended.

Brooke Harpe told TMZ ... she'd love to apologize to Bice, and wishes he'd given her the chance to do so in the first place. Harpe's been benched for about a week now, and says Bo made a mountain out of a molehill. She thinks there was a much simpler, tastier way to resolve the matter.

She says Popeyes just gave her the okay to return to work starting Monday.

Bice broke down while talking about the incident last week, saying it would be considered racist if roles were reversed.

An "American Idol" contestant got an earful from the show ... and now he's suing because the show screwed up his hearing so much it all but ruined his music career.

Michael Simeon claims he was fitted for an earpiece during his 2014 stint on the show and it caused him immediate, excruciating pain. When he pleaded for the audiologist to remove it, Simeon claims she yanked it out of his ear with such ferocity, it took out a portion of his eardrum.

To add insult to literal injury, Simeon says he was writhing in pain and all producers did was send him to a room where he sat for 5 agonizing hours.

Simeon says he was treated for tympanoplasty and hasn't performed at nearly the same level ever since. He finished in the top 24 that year of season 14.

He doesn't say how much he wants, but he's clearly gunning for a lot.

"American Idol" producers are a sleazy, money-hogging bunch who made MILLIONS off the back of one songwriter who never got her cut ... so claims the lady in new legal docs.

A woman named Molasses Jones claims she wrote Jordin Sparks' "No Air" but never saw a dime, so she filed a claim in the reality show's bankruptcy case ... asking for a whopping $24 million bucks.

Jones says producers somehow got access to her private journals and stole lyrics she wrote long before Jordin joined the show.

Jones wants a slice of the millions 'Idol' made from "No Air."

And she's not stopping there -- Jones is also staking claim to some other pop tunes, including "No One" and "Single Ladies." We checked ... she's not credited as a writer on any of those tracks.

We've reached out to 'Idol' brass ... but they're slow as molasses.

"American Idol" finalist Curtis "C.J." Harris is back behind bars -- and will be for the next month -- all because he claims he mixed up his dates.

Law enforcement officials in Alabama tell TMZ ... Harris turned himself in Monday after an arrest warrant was issued due to his skipping out on a court date last month.

Harris was supposed to be in court Oct. 27 for his drug arrest, but we're told he claims he confused that for another date. We broke the story ... Harris was arrested in an undercover drug bust for selling oxycodone and marijuana. He's facing 3 felonies.

Harris will now be held without bail until a hearing later this month.

"American Idol" finalist Curtis "C.J." Harris was arrested in an undercover drug bust for allegedly selling oxycodone and marijuana.

Law enforcement officials in Alabama tell us Harris was arrested Thursday after allegedly selling drugs to a confidential informant.

Harris was hit with 3 counts of felony distribution of a controlled substance. We're told he's still in custody and is being held on a $90k bond.

Harris finished 6th during season 13 of the show ... Caleb Johnson took home the crown that year.

Phillip Phillips isn't feeling jiffy these days, because someone brazenly stole his prized bike ... and it was all caught on video.

The "American Idol" winner went to a Burbank recording studio Tuesday night and his crew unloaded some equipment ... but left some outside the building in what they thought was a secure area. Hours later, a prowler lurked, spotted the $800 GT mountain bike and pedaled away.

The thief probably didn't know his every move was captured on video, but there's a problem. The video is so dark it's almost impossible to ID the culprit.

"American Idol" alum Constantine Maroulis and his baby mama got into another physical fight, but this time SHE got hauled away in handcuffs ... TMZ has learned.

Angel Reed says she went to pick up their 5-year-old daughter from Constantine's house, and he started harassing her by recording video on his phone. She claims they got into an argument, and then it got physical.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Angel says she grabbed Constantine's phone, and he threw her down on the ground. She ran out of the house and called police, but when officers arrived they say Constantine had scratches on his chest ... so Angel got arrested.

She claims she only scratched Constantine in self-defense --still, she was booked for petty disorderly person.

Phillip Phillips is deep in the doghouse with "American Idol" ... which says he owes them a ton of cash, and he's been holding out on them for years.

19 Entertainment, which produces 'Idol,' also manages Phillips and the other winners. According to the suit filed against Phillips ... he's not paying up for 19's managerial services. The company says he's withholding about a million bucks -- and they want it now.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, 19 says the 2012 'Idol' champ stopped paying management fees when he filed a 2015 complaint with the Labor Commission -- begging out of his contract, claiming it violated California law.

That dispute hasn't been settled -- it was delayed when 19 filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. The company thinks Phillips should pay up the money now because it still has a valid contract with him until a court says otherwise.

Former "American Idol" finalist Rickey Smith was killed Thursday night in a multi-car highway wreck in Oklahoma.

Smith was on I-240 just outside Oklahoma City when, according to reports, another man driving the wrong way on the interstate slammed head-on into Smith's vehicle. Cops say the other driver was hospitalized and booked for DUI.

Smith competed on the second season of 'Idol,' and finished in eighth place. Ruben Studdard took the title that year.

Rickey was 36.

The media giant behind "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" has filed for bankruptcy, and part of the problem is ... 'Idol' was hemorrhaging money in its final seasons.

Core Media Group filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday morning saying it's several hundred million dollars in the hole, and needs to reorganize its debts. Core and all its subsidiaries say they have $73 million in assets, but more than $512 million in debt.

One of its biggest creditors is 'Idol' creator Simon Fuller, who is owed more than $3.3 million. Several law firms and music labels, as well as the FOX Network are also owed dough.

Core Media's filing includes many of its holdings, including 19 Entertainment which owns the recording rights of 'Idol' superstars like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.