L.A. Reid Officially Signs on as Judge in Simon Cowell’s ‘X Factor’

Former Island Def Jam chairman will help onetime “American Idol” honcho develop a new generation of talent

Confirming reports from earlier this week, Fox announced on Friday that Antonio "L.A." Reid, who until recently was Island Def Jam's chairman, has signed on to join Simon Cowell on the judges' panel of the American version of "The X Factor."

Reid called Cowell “one of the world’s most gifted and charismatic talent magnets” while announcing his decision to join the series, adding, "I truly look forward to discovering our next generation of superstars.”

Cowell, meanwhile, said that Reid was "my number one choice to sit alongside me on the show. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest ever music executives and of course a fantastic writer and producer."

Auditions for the series, which premieres on Fox in September, begin on March 27 at the L.A. Sports Center before moving on to Miami, Newark, Seattle, Chicago and Dallas.

There's no word yet on who will be joining Cowell and Reid on the judges' panel for the upcoming "American Idol" competitor. Whether that's good news for Paula Abdul remains to be seen.

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